Jazz for aficionados

Coltrane for lovers:

It's a compilation.  I have found that I usually have all the music on the initial CD releases.  I almost sprung for  Coltrane's 'Heavyweight Champion'.   But, like most one-artist compilation I had most of it, and just too many alternate takes.

***** Since Previn goes back and forth between classical and jazz,***

He doesn't travel That far while going back and forth.

Stereophile:

I can't understand why you would read that rag for ANY reason.  If they encourage people to spend serious money on wire, and every other audio con out there, why would you value their opinion on ANYTHING?   Esp something as important as Jazz / Music.

Cheers

Hi Newbee - I would say that your experience is quite common.  Many people that don't think they like something when they first hear it change their minds later, after more exposure to things more easily understandable.  


Artists, too, both composers and performers, react to each other all the time.  

There is a movement away from dissonance in the classical music world as well - many of the current composers are writing much more tonal music again.  Others are reacting against this.  

I think much of it has to do with the times.  You mention Berg and Schoenberg - they were living and writing in a time when the world was in the middle of two huge wars, and their music reflected that, as did that of many other composers, in different ways.   Much of the minimalism that is being written today is a reaction against that type of music.  

A lot more dissonance crept into jazz in the 50s and 60s, as different social movements for change happened, some of them violent.  I think the smooth jazz of the 80s and 90s was in part a reaction to that.   

An example from earlier in history - Richard Wagner changed music more than any other artist has ever effected his/her art form, though not in the way he thought he would, with his "Gesamtkunstwerks."  But for pretty much 100 years after him, every composer had to deal with him and his ideas, and everything was a reaction to it.  Music splintered off in so many different directions after that - it was never the same.  Even Beethoven did not change music as radically as Wagner did.  Ok, enough rambling for the night.  :)

Rok, I have "Coltrane for lovers", and none of those songs appear on other CD's; but it states Coltrane Live has duplication that appear on other CD"s. From the description, it's probably best for "musicians"; while the cuts have the same titles, the music is quite a bit different, for example 40 minutes of "My Favorite Things".

Now that you mention it, Andre Previn does not travel far, "Like Young" is a record by him that I liked, it came out in 59, when "hippies" were "Beatniks", also check "My Fair Lady"; most of his stuff was West Coast".

Old Stereophiles are excellent for starting a fire in the fire place, or the Bar B Q pit.


Enjoy the music.

Great thread! Listening to "In a Silent Way" as I read through thread while thinking of any bases not yet covered RE "Jazz for aficionados". Have been on long quest for quality recordings that offer something different and gave remarkable sound quality.  Here are a couple: 

Billy Tate Meets Dollar Brand - Chiaroscuro Records, 1977

Out of the Storm - Ed Thigpen - Verve, 1966

Hope these aren't re-threads - Thanks for all the tips here.

O-10, re Mary Lou Williams:

Not much room for a "professional critique" in those two cuts, really; especially "Mary Lou’s Blues". What I mean is that I am reminded of the movie "Ratatouille" in which the restaurant critic "critiques" a plate of ratatouille; one of the most basic of comfort foods. Twelve bar blues is as basic and comfortable as you can get and Williams plays with a great sense and feel of the blues. As with a plate of great ratatouille the way she plays the blues feels just right; and with her own unique sense of rhythm, just like grandma’s ratatouille would be just right but still identifiable as grandma’s. I like the way she "floats" around the rhythm while still having a good sense of forward motion. I wouldn’t call "ML’s Blues" a "tune" at all since it is really just the piano player riffing on a blues chord progression and there is no identifiable nor repeated melody that would qualify it to be a "tune". Both "ML’s Blues" and "Blues" are twelve bar blues in the key of G with "ML Blues" being in 3/4 time (think blues waltz) and "Blues" is in the more common 4/4 time.

Stereophile and "Moanin":

While I don’t have any great love for the mag, I don’t share you disdain for it and, personally, have found quite a bit of useful info and even good music reviews in it; especially during the JGH days. I just listened to "Moanin" from that session and I think you may be misinterpreting what the reviewer means when he says that Timmons is "playing a less than stellar piano". He’s right! But, I believe he is referring to the piano itself (instrument) not Timmons’ playing. The piano sounds like a "less than stellar" upright piano and is obviously out of tune; especially the left hand portion of the keyboard. Believe it or not it happens; session is scheduled and the piano tuner doesn’t show up or is simply not a good technician, or it’s simply not a good piano. This can also have an effect on the player’s performance; although Timmons plays just fine on it.  I would, however, agree that Morgan and especially Golson sound amazing on that cut.