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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
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Cedar Walton -- COMPOSER

walton(piano), roy hargrove(trumpet), christian mcbride(bass), vincent herring(alto sax), ralph moore(tenor sax), victor lewis(drums)

The CD is very aptly named. This is all about the composer and his compositions. All tunes well crafted and played.

Nine tunes, all composed by Cedar Walton. This is very advanced bop. Beyond the 50s / 60s blue note era stuff, but still bop, and still JAZZ.

All solos are well executed. No blowing just to be blowing. Recorded in 1996. Great sound quality.

It is obvious these are serious Jazz players with a serious player in charge.(walton) you can always tell.
The playing shows the kind of professionalism shown on 'kind of blue'.

This is the only Cedar Walton CD I own. That is almost criminal. This man is a Jazz pianist / composer of the first rank. I will have to correct this oversight.

That's one of the best things about this thread. You find out where your music collection is lacking. Kenny Barron was another oversight.

Check this one out. You will love it. Just coherent, beautiful, and effortless playing throughout.

Git the CD!!!!

Cheers
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Rok, thank God Amazon has discovered jazz is a goldmine; the very best "West Coast Jazz" was on movie sound tracks from the 50's, and now Amazon is bringing them back.

I was on Lackland AFB in basic training at that time, and since we couldn't get off base, our only form of entertainment was the movie theater; especially on Sundays. Jazz aficionados discovered there were some real hip sound tracks attached to some of the most "God awful" bad movies, and when word got around, that's where we went. Can you imagine us poppin our fingers and boppin to the music, while making fun of a movie so bad that it could have been a comedy. Although I don't remember any of those movies, I'm still trolling hoping something will jog my memory. In the meantime I've substituted some very good movies with sound tracks that project the best "West Coast" jazz you ever want to hear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Ne0Ig9lDU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWyec7XoASU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My3HPXXoZCA&list=PLAv5cGjUUPodt4exDFPQk_WByIAc31lQo&index=2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwUdfyd77uo&list=PLAv5cGjUUPodt4exDFPQk_WByIAc31lQo

This last song was from the play "Raisen" that I saw with the pit musicians. As moving as this is by Miriam Makeba, the one from the play was even more moving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2gWrlmmh2g

This is the one from the play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf4nM04dv2w

Enjoy the music.

rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Film-Noir?? Some of my favorite movies are from this genre. The women were as tough or tougher than the men. For some reason I always thought of the tough guys as having survived WWII.

Quite often'film-noir' themes were Jazz... They even had Jazz plaing on the juke box in the bar scenes.

Susan Hayward was one of the toughest babes in the movies. Her only rival would have been Miss Barbara Stanwyck. I was working in the theater at the time, so I probably saw it a zillion times. Good Jazz. of course I didn't know what Jazz was at the time. :) But when I heard the music, I knew what to expect.

Ella Fitzgerald was in 'man with the golden arm'. That theme was one of the best ever. I hear it now and can see and feel the tension. That movie could only have had that theme music. No other music would have worked. Brilliant!!!!

One of the few other themes in that class is the Mission Impossible theme. Perfect, no subsitutes!

Cheers
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Film Noir one of my favorite forms of entertainment.There were the 1940s versions that were usually NYC based and by the 1950s many used LA as the locale.The west coast 1950s films really relied on jazz based sound tracks, I love them.

In addition to Cedar Walton and Kenny Barron, another very fine but under appreciated pianist was John Hicks, he can play! Check him out and I`m sure you`ll like him.
Charles,
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,256 posts
 
Speaking of film noir and music, check out Hadda Brooks playing piano in Nicolas Ray's "In A Lonely Place". That's Bogart and Gloria Graham who's best known as Violet in "It's A Wonderful Life", but noir lovers will always remember her for being scalded with boiling coffee by Lee Marvin in "The Big Heat".
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