Jazz for aficionados

O-10, that Jay&Kay album is fantastic! Had not heard it, although trombone playing acquaintances often mention that collaboration as one of the best trombone showcases on record. Great areangements with great energy and wonderful swing feel from the all-star rhythm section on that trombone-fest recording. I got a chuckle from the name of the record label, Fontana Records. Carl Fontana (no connection to the label) was another West Coast trombone giant that doesn’t get enough attention:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtI-1hyPBk

I was less excited by the 1954 Miles clip. I like just about everything that Miles did, but that recording has a sleepy quality about it that leaves me.... a little sleepy. Percy Heath!!....WAKE UP!!! Don’t get me wrong, real pros at work, but a little bit of a "phoned it in" quality all the way around. I consider that 50’s, pre-Columbia records to be part of a transitional period for Miles and not my favorite period of his recorded work (60’s were). This is Miles’ version of the same tune ("Walkin") from the 1964 Columbia recording "Four & More" with one of my two favorite rhythm sections in the history of the music (Trane’s McCoy/Garrison/Jones is the other):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wo5cio1KNkE

1967:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=teCy3ogCGiE

Ghosthouse, did you get a chance to listen to Wayne Shorter’s "Atlantis"? Could be wrong, but it may be right up your alley.

Rok, nice noise makers!

Frogman, at one time Jay and Kai were inseparable; you couldn't have one without the other.

I liked each and every solo on that "Walkin"; especially Lucky Thompson's. I have very little by him. There was a bar that played jazz on it's outdoor speakers to attract customers, and that seemed to be playing every time I passed; I don't know if it was the way that was recorded, or whether or not his solo had that "echo" effect, like it was reverberating off the buildings, but I liked it.

I remember the name "Fontana", but that's all, he plays a nice trombone.

What I submitted was the "original" Miles, the first Miles before he went through any transitions. That was the one his "Homey's" liked and still do.

If you ask for Miles, those prestige recordings are the one's they will pull out first. There are some Miles I doubt if they even had. As much as his brother loved Miles, I would venture to say, he didn't even have some of them in his collection. Miles went through a lot of transitions; too many for the people I knew that loved him I would bet, but that subject never came up with those people. I just happened to be thinking about it lately; the people I knew, that he knew, are no longer with us.

Since he mentioned in his book that he knew everybody would not like what he was doing, I think he was thinking of the very same people I'm thinking of; the one's he loved, and still loved him as a person, of course that had nothing to do with his music. It's just interesting trivia.

I visited one of best friends, it was about 63, and he had every record Miles had ever recorded; that was before Miles went through his most drastic transitions.

I think Miles was like "Calvin" and had a duplicator;


        https://www.google.com/search?q=calvin+and+hobbes+duplicator&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&...



Enjoy the music.

Not my best friend, but Miles best friend, the one he mentioned in his book.

Frogman.

re your comments about the Miles track (The Man I Love - Take 2, I believe) that O provided, pretty certain it’s the same recording as on the Jazz Showcase album he recommended. The opening segment featuring Miles’ trumpet is kind of "sleepy" as you say but, to me, once Milt Jackson starts in earnest at around 2:15, the energy level picks up and takes another upward bump at around 4:40. Your comment did bring to mind one somewhat related observation about the Miles Jazz Showcase - that being the performance tempo used on Track 8, Blue Haze. While there might be well respected justification for it, personally I found the plodding slowness of that particular piece painful (for what little that critique is worth!)

I located Atlantis and had sampled it briefly but did not spend much time with it. It is saved and I will check it out more thoroughly.

I got the same feeling on "Blue Haze" as you Ghosthouse. If it had been on CD, I would have bypassed it, but that was before CD when you had to get up, or tolerate the cut you didn't like.

Not to change the subject, but I happen to hear this last night, and thought about that time before AC; which is the time depicted in this song. I also like the story it tells.


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn8EtaxGJP0


Now back to Miles; I like this entire LP, never had to get up.


          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn8EtaxGJP0




Enjoy the music.