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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
frogman
4,637 posts
 
Fabulous clips of a fabulous and very haunting tune. Late Joe Henderson was indeed very sweet. One of my very favorite tenor players who never relied on sheer volume and "saxophone splitting at the seams" attitude, instead playing with a lot of nuance and inflection; unusual for a player with such a modern harmonic vocabulary. It might be interesting for the geeks to know that he chose to play on a mouthpiece designed for Classical music performance; this surely contributed to the sweetness in his sound. Thanks for the great clips; Acman3!

More Strayhorn:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EK21QOuY7mw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RBLuFOrAa_0

O-10, thanks for bringing up Strayhorn.
orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Now we're listening at a deeper level and the same music doesn't sound the same anymore, it sounds better.
frogman
4,637 posts
 
**** listening at a deeper level and the same music doesn't sound the same anymore, it sounds better. ****

That is the goal and the whole point.  Glad you feel that way.

frogman
4,637 posts
 
And, of course, there’s the best known Stayhorn tune of all. Often credited to The Duke, "Take The A Train" was actually penned by Strayhorn and the story behind it is interesting. Duke’s band already had a "signature tune", but when Duke’s publisher raised the fees for broadcasts of it’s catalog (remember, radio was everything back then), Duke asked Strayhorn, who had a different publisher, to write new material for the band. Fletcher Henderson is reported to have rescued the tune from a garbage can as Strayhorn was initially unhappy with it (!?!?).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1ggcQk67Mco


orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Rok, I've been running into records that I'm sure you had in your collection because we used the same reviewer for buying, "Stereo Review".

"Shadowfax Too Far to Whisper" was one of them that I think is a really good alternative to  "Straight ahead Jazz". I've also got 3 "Cadona" albums that I'm not too sure of, plus "Old And New Dreams" with some of the same people. Just curious to know if you remember any of those albums? "Shadowfax too far to Whisper" is definitely a 4 thumbs up, while one recorded in 75 is 4 thumbs down, but all of "Shadowfax" on Windam Hill are very well recorded.


        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhr5j9a5L0A


        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FESYij5cfKQ


I found all the cuts on that album to be consistently good music worth listening to.


Enjoy the music.


               
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