Jazz for aficionados

Ellington  / Harrell

Ellington has the stature, track record, and reputation to play anything, and it will be taken serious.  Examined in detail.  Discussed endlessly.  Will become part of the Jazz Lexicon.

No so for Harrell.  Excellent Trumpet player / composer.  But,  Ellington is in an altogether different category.  I have 'Nutcracker' by Ellington, simply  because it was by Ellington.  Otherwise,  Peter Ilyich, will do just fine.

Cheers

Ute Lemper:

Be careful when you criticize  German performers.   You say something wrong,  next thing you know, they will need 'living space' where you live. :)

It was bad.   And Pops is the antidote to all bad music.  

"did our boy do something rash"     Only Pops can sing that!! :)

Cheers

***** Sorta contradicts first comment, no?*****

Not at all.  The New Orleans thing just gives me hope for the future.  Young players coming from New Orleans, are different from the young elsewhere in the Jazz world.   Hard to escape the roots down there.  The music is everywhere.  They will be influenced.

It is my thought, not a fact, that you could start out as a Jazz player in the North East, without any influence of,  or any thought ever given to New Orleans.  I hope I am wrong.

Cheers

Woods, my universe:

He just seems to have developed and matured in a parallel / separate Jazz universe from the one in which I lived.   This is surely not a criticism.   That would be absurd.  

But, reading the piece, I only recognized  one name in his story, Quincy Jones.   Jones is the consummate musician.   At home in any genre, but he never one of my favorite Jazz players.  I think I have one CD by him.   Had more LPs, in the 'Killer Joe' vein.

He spent some time in Europe and formed a group called "The European Rhythm Machine.   The odds of me buying or listening to a CD by a group called European Rhythm Machine, approached zero.

This statement sums up why he never got my attention, this is after he went to Europe.
"I sounded like I was let out of jail.  The Europeans were much more aware of development in music than American musicians at that point.(1969).  You were expected to be an artist and to experiment".

Now,  think of who was alive and playing in 1969.   Going to Europe to improve in Jazz, is like a Kid from Brazil or Germany,  coming to the U.S. to learn Soccer.

My only point is this, he never played with the players I bought and followed.  Even when he did, it was as a sideman, and at that stage in my music appreciation, I only paid attention to the leaders.   And, that European experimental stuff, well, it is what it is.

But, he is one of the few guys that made me look at the notes to see who was playing, as I listened to the CD.  He was very, very good.  And from all I have read, a very nice human being.

Cheers

Phil Woods was an icon for saxophone players; the consummate player.  This is the third time I have posted this and don't know if anyone has watched it.  A great peek into his life, the jazz life, his personality and some very interesting and funny accounts about everything from the business of jazz to being married to Chan, Bird's widow; priceless stuff:

[URL]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJxmCzYpoo[/URL]