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.
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Speaking of West Coast Cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_MjxTUjGE The OP still dresses like this. Cheers |
Rok, there were some "hard bop" musicians who could not read music, all strongly influenced by Black Gospel. Not so in West Coast musicians, they could read and write music. East Coast is also more impromptu improvisation (very emotional), while West Coast is cerebral. As you define "real", meaning emotionally from the heart, West Coast is less real, but that doesn't mean it's less jazzy. Let us compare and evaluate two versions of my all time favorite tune "Nica's Dream". I will present the West Coast version and a popular East Coast version. First we'll evaluate Curtis Counce; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trjO7TWe6ME Now Horace Silver; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDrxzKYdwsA I'll let you go first in regard to the evaluation. |
I enjoyed them both. The Silver cut seemed louder, more in your face, more of an edge. That could be due to the recording, or to the fact That Silver, Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook were on one cut and not the other. The mismatch in talent could have been the difference. I would not have been able to say one was East Coast vs West Coast. Fats Waller said, some folks like Jazz, but in small doses. West Coast folks? Curtis Counce was one of the first Black Jazz musicians to make it on the West Coast. And, this was in the 40's. Kind of late in Jazz time. The winner: Horace Silver by a nose. Cheers btw, I did something like this years ago, and was poo-hooed by The Frogman. I think this sort of comparison is a great way to illustrate points. |
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