Jazz for aficionados

Just some thoughts on recent posts:

O-10, glad you enjoyed the links. No debate necessary, but commentary always welcomed.

Rok:

****What is a Coach, and who is this guy?****

Valerie Ponomarev is one one of the most highly regarded living jazz trumpet players; Russian and out of the Lee Morgan "school". The guy can play! A coach is simply a teacher. "Coach" is used in the Arts as a bow to the assumption that the performer(s) involved are already at a pretty high level of proficiency. To put matters into a certain perspective: when Phil Woods attended Julliard he had to major on clarinet. There was no saxophone major; never mind a jazz major.

https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=7jaf_0m5Jw4

****Mingus is the best Jazz composer ever!(Small Group)****

Probably.

****Ellington is the best composer of the 20th century****

Jazz? Probably. Any genre? Doubtful.

****If I remember correctly, Mingus did not mention Ellington in his tome. Interesting.****

Interesting indeed. Not surprising. Like most great artists, he had a huge ego. Not surprising that he would not mention the composer that he was referred to as "heir apparent" of.

****Tunes include: Fables of Faubus( I wonder who remembers Faubus), Sophisticated Lady, and Parkeriana(dedicated to Bird).****

All the mention that matters, I think.

****To be fair, some of these artist do seem to resist having their music called Jazz. Maybe we should listen to them.****

I pointed this out about 2000 posts ago.

****I still think he was a hell of a musician. Just not the man I thought he was.****

Many of our musical idols were highly flawed individuals. Personally, I think it is a good thing to recognize this and to take a bit of the edge off of our adulation; I think it puts their work in a better, more honest, and more "musical" perspective.

Great observation re Dolphy. Tremendous range, and fantastic (if unusual) style.

Rok, both of those questions are deferred to Frogman, because I thought the guy was a gal, and I never heard of a coach at a concert; this ain't basketball, that let's you know how much I know.

Enjoy the music.

Rok, you seem to have a very faulty memory when it comes to race and the south in the 50's. Do you remember what happened to Emmett Till for "Reckless eyeballing" in Money, MS when he was 14? While you're learning about Mingus's music, you have very little knowledge about Mingus the person; he held his tongue for no one, and if he had gone south, everyone knew that he would have come back in a pinebox.

Enjoy the music.

****I never heard of a coach at a concert******

Nor have I. I see the word "Supervisor" sometimes also. Must be something to do with this Modern Jazz thingy. I am still trying to come to grips with Be-Bop!!

Pops always used to say,"beware of communist Trumpet players and Coaches."

Cheers

****Mingus the person; he held his tongue for no one, and if he had gone south, everyone knew that he would have come back in a pinebox.********

Spare me, Please. And listen to the spoken intro to the tune I referenced. He sounded like an idiot!! Talking about concentration camps in the USA, while in Europe!!!! Give me a break!! I wondered what the Europeans thought as they heard him. He needed to bone up on his history.

I said once before, that he is very political correct. I have a couple of his interviews on CD. He always says the right(correct) thing.

Emmett Till was a Kid. Mingus was a grown man. There were millions of black folks, living just fine in this place that he was so afraid of. Including me.

And you got the Till story wrong.

Other than that, we are in complete agreement. :)

Cheers