Something a little more interesting here, maybe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spH_3GV6YsY&ab_channel=u0u0
Jazz for aficionados
Well The JBs wore out their welcome somewhere way north of track 10. Party over but they wouldn't go home. Something a little more interesting here, maybe... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spH_3GV6YsY&ab_channel=u0u0 |
Ghosthosue and others, if you are looking for some funky music, guess this you might like. Couple of live albums of Maceo Parker 'Maceo' https://youtu.be/wlC3Y8d5Iio 'Life on planet groove' https://youtu.be/x9fNIrpkEiE |
Great accompanists don’t necessarily make consistently great soloists and great soloists don’t necessarily make great accompanyists. "The JB’s", as good and as funky as they were, were still usually "somebody else’s band"; and not just James Brown’s. Not a put down at all. Backing up a singer, especially one as imposing as James Brown is an art unto itself. I like the record and there are some real gems, and eventhough I may not make it to track eleven there’s some fun stuff........but I never feel like turning off James Brown. Imo, "The JB’s" seldom reach the level of tightness and funkiness that they do with James Brown up front. James Brown truly was a rhythm machine; the kind of soloist that could really propel the rhythm of the band and raise the overall level. At the same time, as good as the horn players in the band were at playing the usually sparse horn arrangements used when backing Brown with an amazing amount of tightness and "feel good" rawness, they just aren’t (even Maceo and he’s great) the kind of player that can sustain interest when playing extended solos instead of the short funky little statements that sound so good in James Brown’s arrangements. Also, as far as I’m concerned, if Clyde Stubblefiend is not the drummer it’s just not the same. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4gITE3nUc https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQ4AtsFWVM I liked the concept behind Kuroda’s music. Nice player and band, but I generally liked the concept more so than the execution of it sometimes wishing for a little less politeness in the playing; especially from the leader himself. I liked the dreamy and mellower tracks much better than the ones which tried to bring some funkiness in. Those did not have enough groove for me; ironically, especially when Kuroda played. One of my favorite "new jazz" trumpet players: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yMCdXT2p5Mk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PgwSZzsh1_I https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yYJ7Trh81Z8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8tH4vayjWcA Thanks for the clips; good stuff. |
Great points frogman. Dave Tough was a big band drummer who was adored by bandleaders and fellow musicians for his ability to make a band swing harder than any other drummer around, but whose ability to play a solo was rather limited. Some musicians, in their pursuit of technical prowess, lose sight of the ultimate object, the big picture---making great music. The legendary guitarist Danny Gatton had just hired a new drummer, and after their first set on a live gig, had a talk with him. Danny said to the drummer "You know that fancy sh*t you play? Don't." Jazz is a music that requires and benefits from players possessing advanced technical ability, and by the late 1960's that ability was becoming more valued amongst Rock players as well. My peers and I had become quite enamored by drummers Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix), Ginger Baker (Cream), and Carmen Appice (Vanilla Fudge), all players with Jazz-level chops. But pure technique for it's own sake was not universally admired or valued. In 1969 I saw The New Buffalo (led by the sole remaining member of The Buffalo Springfield, drummer Dewey Martin) live, and as they played their first few songs I found myself mystified. None of the four band members were playing anything particularly noteworthy (no pun intended ;-), but the band sounded SOOO good. I suddenly, in a flash, came to understand the principle of ensemble playing. Playing for the greater good of the whole---the band, and the song, rather than to simply display technical prowess. |