Jazz for aficionados
"Fuego" in Spanish, means fire, and this album is smoking; where there's smoke, there's fire. This album was recorded on October 4, 1959, at Rudy's studio; needles to say, when speaking of recordings, there is only one "Rudy". We have discussed Donald Byrd many times, and in different genres. While the music was different, it was always good; he's the consummate musician. He never played anything but "jazz" for the period it lasted, and that was a long time. When times changed, he changed. Where I'm coming from is so many musicians had to play R&B when jazz was where there hearts were, a guy has got to make a living; Donald Byrd never had to play anything but jazz for that long period of time. Back to "Fuego"; this is "hard bop" at it's best, even when you can't precisely define it, you know it when you hear it, when you hear those polished notes emanating from Byrd's trumpet at a race horse pace, you know you are off to the races. He has a supporting cast of Jackie McLean, alto sax; Duke Pearson, piano; Doug Watkins, bass, and Lex Humphries, drums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktAPvHQmHIc Enjoy the music. |
Jun.....I mean, Rok, in local vernacular you have "downtown", "midtown" and "uptown". each of those broad areas has smaller sub-areas with names such as The Village, Soho, Harlem. "Midtown" covers roughly 34st to 66st. The heart of midtown would be Times Square at 42st and Broadway, the area where the theater district is. Lincoln Center is at 62-66 Sts. "Uptown" would be the streets North of midtown all the way up to the 200's (below the Bronx). The center of Harlem would be at 125 St. "Downtown" refers to the streets Souh of midtown all the way to the bottom of Manhattan Island. That is, loosely, the geography. The three terms also have certain tacit meanings or implications as used locally and in the arts world. Moving "Uptown" used to mean that the person has "made it". Most of the expensive real estate is North of midtown (especially on the East side) but South of Harlem; although that's changing. "Downtown" is where the hipster are, the avant guard, the "new" music scene, also a lot of the jazz clubs. A person that is a very hip dresser and has a certain attitude can be said to look very downtown: or certain music can be said to have a downtown vibe. |
Today's Listen: Hampton Hawes -- HAMPTON HAWES TRIO VOL. 1 Another great one addicted to Heroin, dead at 48, and he didn't even record for BN. Sentenced to 10 years in jail in Texas. pardoned by JFK after 3 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8iSgxAZUtk the most https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_oMwwwOANI hamp's Seems to be a whole lot of in your face quoting on this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWxJeaTm8sg Great Player.. Cheers |
Fellow "Aficionados" I'm trying to get a feel for the recordings made in 1960, 61 and 62. I'm not going to provide links for these recordings because if you are a jazz aficionado, they should be in your collection, just pull them out and give a listen. First I want to establish the jazz mood for that period of time, next I want you to compare that to these "Grant Green" albums that I ordered which were not released, and I want you to give me your honest evaluation in regard to the mood at that time in regard to jazz in general. The question is, were these albums by Grant Green so out of step, that you, yourself would not release them if that was your decision to make. Remember, you are not comparing this album to that album, but the general mood of the jazz buying public, that is the question you're trying to answer. Since we've recently had a heated debate about this, they (the debaters) probably think I'm trying to win an argument, when all I'm trying to do, is get some valid answers, and there is no better way to get them than to ask anyone who reads this thread for the answer. Since there is a possibility you haven't heard the Grant Green, Sonny Clark albums, I'll provide them for you to compare with other prominent jazz musicians who put out albums at about that time. Disc 1 "Airegin" (Sonny Rollins) - 7:32 "It Ain't Necessarily So" (Gershwin, Gershwin) - 10:22 "I Concentrate on You" (Porter) - 5:48 "The Things We Did Last Summer" (Cahn, Styne) - 5:56 "The Song Is You" (Hammerstein II, Kern) - 7:46 "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" (Van Heusen, Silvers) - 6:25 "Airegin" [Alternative Take] - 7:37 "On Green Dolphin Street" (Kaper, Washington) - 6:26 "Shadrack" (MacGimsey) - 6:23 "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (Porter) - 5:50 Disc two "Moon River" (Mancini, Mercer) - 5:37 "Gooden's Corner" - 8:14 "Two for One" - 7:41 "Oleo" (Sonny Rollins) – 5:37 "Little Girl Blue" (Hart, Rodgers) – 7:15 "Tune-Up" (Eddie Vinson) – 7:19 "Hip Funk" (Green) – 8:39 "My Favorite Things" (Hammerstein II, Rodgers) – 8:32 "Oleo" [Alternative Take] - 6:00 Personnel[edit] Grant Green - guitar Miles Davis 1961 "Sketches of Spain" and "Someday My Prince Will Come" Art Blakey and the messengers Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Bennie Golson, Jymie Merit "Moanin, Blues March, and Along came Betty." John Coltrane 1961 John Coltrane — soprano and tenor saxophone Eric Dolphy — bass clarinet, alto saxophone McCoy Tyner — piano Reggie Workman — bass Jimmy Garrison — bass Elvin Jones — drums Garvin Bushell — probably cor anglais (described wrongly in the disc notes as an oboe),[7] contrabassoon Ahmed Abdul-Malik — probably tanpura (described wrongly in the disc notes as an oud)[7] Roy Haynes — drums 1961 village vanguard recordings Yusef Lateef 1961 recordings Eastern sounds I'm going to provide links for songs you're familiar with like : "It ain't Necesarily So"; "On Green Dolphin Street" , and "My Favorite Things" by Grant Green and Sonny Clark. "It Ain't necessarily so" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP1iyEUyHeI "On Green Dolphin Street" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgYNRz8y6R8 "MY Favorite Things" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTD-4AozN5o Since everyone knows I'm biased, I don't get to vote or make a statement in regard to this. The question is, do you think this album would be acceptable to the jazz buying public at that time. Enjoy the music. |
