JAZZ Discussion

[No Pride]

Was on a Blue Oyster Cult binge this afternoon. Just opened an IPA, started supper, and put on Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else. Jebus, this is just the most perfect thing ever.

That's one of those albums I used to have and don't know what the hell happened to it. Cannonball had everything you'd want from a great jazz player (or at least everything I'd want), soul, chops, harmonic smarts, humor, pathos, a profound sense of melody and about the most perfect tone I've ever heard come out of an alto sax. One of my favorite jazz albums is Miles Davis' "Milestones," with Cannonball and Coltrane in fierce (but friendly) competition with each other. The first track, "Dr. Jackyl" is so exciting when they trade 12 bar choruses; I never get tired of it!

[No Pride]

I've been on a Blue Note kick lately:

Grant Green-Green Street; Matador; Born To Be Blue
Duke Pearson-Wahoo w/ Joe Henderson, James Spaulding, Donald Byrd
Lee Morgan-The Procrastinator; Leeway
Paul Chambers Quintet w/ Clifford Jordan and Donald Byrd
Art Blakey-Ugetsu; Drums Around The Corner
Horace Parlan-Up & Down w/ Booker Ervin, Grant Green
Joe Henderson-In N Out w/ Kenny Dorham, McCoy, and Elvin
Thelonious Monk-Genius Of Modern Music 1 & 2
Art Pepper-Modern Art
Don Cherry-Symphony For Improvisers
Freddie Redd-Shades Of Redd w/ Jackie Mclean
Freddie Hubbard-Breaking Point

The '60s is to jazz what the '70s is to rock; innovation and creativity just exploded in a thousand different directions! So many great Blue Note albums from that period; I haven't even heard half of them, but the vast majority I have heard are good to great.

[Reid]

The '60s is to jazz what the '70s is to rock; innovation and creativity just exploded in a thousand different directions! So many great Blue Note albums from that period; I haven't even heard half of them, but the vast majority I have heard are good to great.

I gave a close listen to Wayne Shorter's Etcetera this morning. Damn! This one is pretty great. As with a lot of Van Gelder recordings, the horns and drums are right out front, so Wayne and Joe Chambers sound great. In fact, Chambers really knocks me out on this date. Herbie Hancock plays so much inventive and beautiful stuff on this record that it's a shame he's smothered underneath. I never understood why Van Gelder used this approach to recording? Cecil McBee is buried as well.

[Reid]

Correction: Art Blakey's Ugetsu is not a Blue Note recording. I think it's on Riverside. Anyway, the title track composed by Cedar Walton is worth the price. And it also features Shorter, Hubbard, and Curtis Fuller. I believe Shorter's Ping Pong is the only tune that had been previously recorded by the Messengers on Roots & Herbs.

[mogrooves]

Cannonball had everything you'd want from a great jazz player (or at least everything I'd want), soul, chops, harmonic smarts, humor, pathos, a profound sense of melody and about the most perfect tone I've ever heard come out of an alto sax. ...... Miles Davis' "Milestones," with Cannonball and Coltrane in fierce (but friendly) competition with each other.

Yes, but I've always sensed a certain glibness in his playing as well. But I've always dug this LP, also with Trane:

[No Pride]

I gave a close listen to Wayne Shorter's Etcetera this morning. Damn! This one is pretty great.

That's one I've never heard, as I believe it was released a couple of decades after it was made. But I don't think I've ever heard a Shorter album I didn't like.

Yes, but I've always sensed a certain glibness in his playing as well. But I've always dug this LP, also with Trane:

I have and dig it!

[Reid]

That's one I've never heard, as I believe it was released a couple of decades after it was made. But I don't think I've ever heard a Shorter album I didn't like.

I prefer the dates with Herbie Hancock on piano. It's like a whole other musical world going on, abstract and unorthodox accompaniment, but it seems a better fit for Shorter's music than Tyner's busier, more extroverted approach.

[No Pride]

I prefer the dates with Herbie Hancock on piano. It's like a whole other musical world going on, abstract and unorthodox accompaniment, but it seems a better fit for Shorter's music than Tyner's busier, more extroverted approach.

I hear what you're saying, but McCoy sounds pretty great on "Juju!"

[Reid]

I hear what you're saying, but McCoy sounds pretty great on "Juju!"

Just finished listening to Juju. I suppose both pianists fit nicely, but it has a different effect on the listener. At least for me. Herbie has that inner world thing going on with this type of music that really nails me to my seat.

Speaking of Mcoy, I listened to Grant Green's Matador last night. He had balls to record My Favorite Things with McCoy and Elvin right on the heels of Coltrane, but it's a great performance, and McCoy's playing is very inspired. Another standout track is Duke Pearson's Bedouin. They really stretch out on this one, and Elvin plays a great solo.

[No Pride]

Just finished listening to Juju. I suppose both pianists fit nicely, but it has a different effect on the listener. At least for me. Herbie has that inner world thing going on with this type of music that really nails me to my seat.

Speaking of Mcoy, I listened to Grant Green's Matador last night. He had balls to record My Favorite Things with McCoy and Elvin right on the heels of Coltrane, but it's a great performance, and McCoy's playing is very inspired. Another standout track is Duke Pearson's Bedouin. They really stretch out on this one, and Elvin plays a great solo.

Both Herbie and McCoy came out with seemingly fully formed concepts and approaches at a very early age, but perhaps Herbie's was more advanced with those modern classical influences, I don't know. I do think Herbie continued to evolve where McCoy just got more heavy handed. It might just be my own skewed perception, but I think McCoy peaked out after the '60s... at least I liked him best in the '60s when he had a more varied touch and his bebop roots were more in evidence. At any rate, it's interesting how different he sounded playing Wayne's music than playing with the Coltrane Quartet.

I always feel a little funny admitting it, but Grant Green never did much for me. I think I got so spoiled by Wes Montgomery's playing on his jazz albums on the Riverside label (some of the Verve albums too) that all of the other jazz guitar players seemed to pale in comparison. Jim Hall was the biggest exception; his playing was so different than Wes' that it's almost like comparing apples to oranges. I dug Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney and Johnny Smith too, but Wes just hoarded most of my attention to big box jazz guitar.

[Reid]

I haven't listened to much Wes in recent years. I have a bunch of records, and the live albums are my favorites. I picked up a few of the Barney Kessel/Ray Brown/Shelly Manne albums, and I like those a lot. Great recordings too! The Contemporary label albums have a beautiful, warm sound.

In other news, Gunther Schuller died yesterday at age 89. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/ar...t-89.html?_r=0

And Ernie's favorite "jazz" guitarist Al Di Meola is receiving the Miles Davis Award 2015 for his "... contribution to continuing the tradition of jazz." http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/hist...vis-award.aspx

[No Pride]

Sorry to hear about Gunther; heard a pretty recent radio interview about a month ago and he seemed fine. Oh well, R.I.P. Gunther.

DiMeola won WHAT?!!! Oy...

[Reid]

[Dave (in MA)]

We watched Whiplash over the weekend. I enjoyed it.
Then I read a Bluenote review that told me I was wrong.

[No Pride]

I was listening to Bill Evans - Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings on Apple Music last night. Damn, he was playing his ass off! I'm ashamed to admit that I only have two Evans albums; he deserves a lot more attention from me!

We watched Whiplash over the weekend. I enjoyed it.
Then I read a Bluenote review that told me I was wrong.

There is no "wrong" when it comes to taste. It was an intense movie with great acting, but jazz musicians generally hate it because it's such an inaccurate account of what jazz (and jazz education) is all about. I had a lot of issues with it myself and it kind of pissed me off, but I acknowledge that it was a good piece of drama, regardless of how ungrounded in reality it was.

[N_Singh]

I was listening to Bill Evans - Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings on Apple Music last night. Damn, he was playing his ass off! I'm ashamed to admit that I only have two Evans albums; he deserves a lot more attention from me!



There is no "wrong" when it comes to taste. It was an intense movie with great acting, but jazz musicians generally hate it because it's such an inaccurate account of what jazz (and jazz education) is all about. I had a lot of issues with it myself and it kind of pissed me off, but I acknowledge that it was a good piece of drama, regardless of how ungrounded in reality it was.

See this is where my CD buying binge in the 90s and 2000s pays off. I must have every goddamn Bill Evans box Set known to humanity.

Even the 18 CD verve box that rusted right away and can seriously hurt someone if mishandled.

If we meet in the future, I have to show you my bill Evans tattoo: the cover of the 1961 Vanguard set is on my shoulder.
The interesting things about these box sets is I have had to re-rip them into my computer, after Apple raised the bit rate level from 128 to 320 AAC.
Paul Motian has a very interesting quote comparing bill with Keith Jarrett: he said that while Bill has a very unique sound, Keith has a very responsive touch and sense of dynamics that other pianists lack. He cites as the reason Keith's extensive experience interpreting classical music .
Of course, Bill has a similar classical music background, but once because he crossed the jazz Rubicon he never returned to it.

[No Pride]

See this is where my CD buying binge in the 90s and 2000s pays off. I must have every goddamn Bill Evans box Set known to humanity.

Even the 18 CD verve box that rusted right away and can seriously hurt someone if mishandled.

If we meet in the future, I have to show you my bill Evans tattoo: the cover of the 1961 Vanguard set is on my shoulder.
The interesting things about these box sets is I have had to re-rip them into my computer, after Apple raised the bit rate level from 128 to 320 AAC.
Paul Motian has a very interesting quote comparing bill with Keith Jarrett: he said that while Bill has a very unique sound, Keith has a very responsive touch and sense of dynamics that other pianists lack. He cites as the reason Keith's extensive experience interpreting classical music .
Of course, Bill has a similar classical music background, but once because he crossed the jazz Rubicon he never returned to it.

Yeah, he sure made a ton of albums! I didn't know he had a classical background, but it makes sense when you listen to his touch and technique.

[BobM]

I was listening to [b] but I acknowledge that it was a good piece of drama, regardless of how ungrounded in reality it was.

Since when is Hollywood grounded in any kind of reality? The only time HW gets grounded is when they are in rehab!

[wideopenears]

Steve Harris Zaum. Any fans? Listening to their first one at the moment....intense.

[Dave (in MA)]

I was listening to Bill Evans - Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings on Apple Music last night. Damn, he was playing his ass off! I'm ashamed to admit that I only have two Evans albums; he deserves a lot more attention from me!

Turn Out the Stars is my whole Evans collection, discounting his appearances on others' records

There is no "wrong" when it comes to taste. It was an intense movie with great acting, but jazz musicians generally hate it because it's such an inaccurate account of what jazz (and jazz education) is all about. I had a lot of issues with it myself and it kind of pissed me off, but I acknowledge that it was a good piece of drama, regardless of how ungrounded in reality it was.

Even as a non-musician I could spot a lot of the inaccuracies, but I enjoyed it regardless.

I was disappointed that Baldy didn't go bum ba dum bum, bum, bum bum when drilling the student band at least once, though.

[Jerjo]

Sad that the Evans box is no longer available. Given the reviews it deserves more than just streaming or a $35 MP3 download.

[Reid]

Steve Harris Zaum. Any fans? Listening to their first one at the moment....intense.

Great stuff! Never heard of Steve Harris, but I found a website. Too bad he passed away several years ago.
http://www.zaumsound.com/index.html

[walt]

There's a recently issued cd of a 1970 Ellington studio session engineered and produced by legendary "Krautrock and beyond" wizard Conny Plank.It's a very short(29 minute) cd, but there's tasty stuff in them thar grooves.I'm glad i sprang for it.Here's a taste.

[wideopenears]

Great stuff! Never heard of Steve Harris, but I found a website. Too bad he passed away several years ago.
http://www.zaumsound.com/index.html

Ya, I had heard "The Sky Splits Open" once and dug it but it's hard to find physical copies...I found their first one on CD at Amoeba, very happy!

[Reid]

Ya, I had heard "The Sky Splits Open" once and dug it but it's hard to find physical copies...I found their first one on CD at Amoeba, very happy!

I found some tunes from the first album on YouTube. I really like their sound and playing. I dig the winds, and the drum sound is great. I decided to order the Zaum 1 CD from their site.