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Jazz for aficionados

Jazz for aficionados

I'm going to review records in my collection, and you'll be able to decide if they're worthy of your collection. These records are what I consider "must haves" for any jazz aficionado, and would be found in their collections. I wont review any record that's not on CD, nor will I review any record if the CD is markedly inferior. Fortunately, I only found 1 case where the CD was markedly inferior to the record.

Our first album is "Moanin" by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. We have Lee Morgan , trumpet; Benney Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums.

The title tune "Moanin" is by Bobby Timmons, it conveys the emotion of the title like no other tune I've ever heard, even better than any words could ever convey. This music pictures a person whose down to his last nickel, and all he can do is "moan".

"Along Came Betty" is a tune by Benny Golson, it reminds me of a Betty I once knew. She was gorgeous with a jazzy personality, and she moved smooth and easy, just like this tune. Somebody find me a time machine! Maybe you knew a Betty.

While the rest of the music is just fine, those are my favorite tunes. Why don't you share your, "must have" jazz albums with us.

Enjoy the music.
orpheus10
orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Ghosthouse, I found "Search For The New Land" accessible as well, if I said it I'm getting ahead of myself, when I meant "Evolution" with Grachun Moncur.

"Search For The New Land" I suppose was abstract when compared to "Side Winder". No Ghosthouse, you're not mixing anything up; having said that, I think we should go into what I consider "abstract" and it would indeed include Grachun Moncur's music as leader.

Frogman, I'm not writing for "Down Beat" I'm writing for my taste, and how it sounded to me. Music is not "objective" like science or mathematics, it's very subjective, and whether one is a professor of music, or just a casual listener, that doesn't change. I can easily declare the work too abstract for me.

Let us all address "The Olatunji Concert" which my statement was specifically based on. I said this is what Trane sounded like in 63, after he had carried the tune beyond what it was on the album.


            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjDrkTmqxQk



Enjoy the music.
jafant
10,525 posts
 
more Jimmy Ponder
orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

This is what I was referring to by Grachun Moncur III, as being abstract, although this particular cut is quite accessible for me, but there are other cuts on this same LP that are abstract.

I was going through his music, since I don't have anything by him as leader. In general some of his music is quite abstract as I would define it.


              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiHdgDK3LpE&list=RDBiHdgDK3LpE

This is a fine tune on this album which I will order.




Enjoy the music.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
3,718 posts
 
Gotcha Orpheus.  Good point about the contrast between Sidewinder and Search.  Have to remember to also view these things in the context of the times in which they were released.

I'll give a listen to the music on the link you provided.  Also, found "Evolution" on Spotify and will listen more to that later.  Interesting that on track 1/Air Raid I swear I heard a melody or progression that sounded like something from a Steely Dan or maybe a Donald Fagen solo recording.  Will listen again.  Would not surprise me at all if that pair borrowed something.

Do you consider Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" abstract?  


orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Although abstract may seem to be an easy word to describe, it's not. The definition can only be agreed on by the people using the word. I'm going to find jazz that I call abstract, and see if it fits your definition as well, and you can do likewise, and between all of us, we will know what we're talking about when we say "abstract jazz".

Grachan, calls this "New Africa", since I don't hear "Africa", it must be abstract. I don't hear Art Blakey's Africa with the talking drums, therefore it's not concrete, so it must be "abstract".


            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xo0mzj-lg4


The first cut is "Queen Tamam"; jazzy African Queen; "you go girl, strut your stuff"; somehow I can not picture an African Queen; therefore it's got to be "abstract"


This is definitely abstract because it's beyond my facility's to comprehend it as coherent jazz.


          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJRcWW0R44Y


While that's not a precise definition, it's good enough for me.




Enjoy the music.
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