Jazz for aficionados

The reason that tune by Silver and Harris is almost unknown, is because it in no ways compares with their best works.

There are many yardsticks by which a jazz musician is judged and Blue Mitchell doesn't measure up to Donald Byrd, in that solo, or in body of works.

The Jazz Messengers were an influential jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the outset. "Art Blakey" and "Jazz Messengers" became synonymous over the years, though Blakey did lead non-Messenger recording sessions and played as a sideman for other groups throughout his career.

The group evolved into a proving ground for young jazz talent. While veterans occasionally re-appeared in the group, by and large, each iteration of the Messengers included a lineup of new young players. Having the Messengers on one's resume was a rite of passage in the jazz world, and conveyed immediate bona fide.

How could the "Jazz Messengers" accomplish this if Art Blakey was such a sloppy lazy drummer? And you still haven't explained how Leon Thomas's just over a minute of yodeling was to the point of distraction.



Enjoy the music.

Frogman;

Let me repeat, "I still appreciate your musical wisdom, for those like Rok, and Acman who benefit from it".

That was my post on 04-02-2016 7:11pm.

This was Rok's post immediately following that post.
 
We all know that you do not want to know anything about anything. What we don't know is why you are so ADAMANT about telling us this at every opportunity.

We get it.

This was after my comment about Art Blakey; "Before or after the beat".

And you're still talking about Blakey's "Lazy sloppy drumming"


I think this will end after the swallows come back to Capistrano, or the cows come home; whichever is first.




Enjoy the music.

If you say you don't like Leon Thomas's yodeling for just over a minute, when yodeling is his signature thing; that would mean that you just don't like Leon Thomas; and that most certainly would come under the "subjective" heading, but to say you like Leon Thomas, but not his minutes worth of yodeling sounds insincere. Since you want you're statement to come under the "subjective" heading, just say you don't like Leon Thomas.


Enjoy the music.

Blue Mitchell was a very good trumpet player; but his record pales in comparison to Donald Byrd.


Mitchell was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He began playing trumpet in high school, where he acquired his nickname, Blue.

After high school he played in the rhythm and blues ensembles of Paul Williams, Earl Bostic, and Chuck Willis. After returning to Miami he was noticed by Cannonball Adderley, with whom he recorded for Riverside Records in New York in 1958.

He then joined the Horace Silver Quintet, playing with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks. Mitchell stayed with Silver's group until the band's break-up in 1964, after which he formed a group with members from the Silver quintet, substituting the young pianist Chick Corea for Silver and replacing Brooks, who had fallen ill, with drummer Al Foster. This group produced a number of records for Blue Note. It disbanded in 1969, after which Mitchell joined and toured with Ray Charles until 1971.

From 1971 to 1973 Mitchell performed with John Mayall, appearing on Jazz Blues Fusion and subsequent albums. From the mid-70s he recorded and worked as a session man in the genres noted previously, performed with the big band leaders Louie Bellson, Bill Holman and Bill Berry and was principal soloist for Tony Bennett and Lena Horne. Other band leaders Mitchell recorded with include Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, Al Cohn, Dexter Gordon and Jimmy Smith. Blue Mitchell kept his hard-bop playing going with the Harold Land quintet up until his death from cancer on May 21, 1979, in Los Angeles, at the age of 49.

A lot of alto sax players are very good, until you compare them with Charles "yardbird" Parker; you get my drift.





Enjoy the music.