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
Hi Rok: to answer your questions:

1. Not sure what you mean here, exactly, without seeing it. Doesn't make much sense, frankly. I am assuming it is not a singer? Are you sure it is headphones and a mike?

2. You are seeing rotary-valve trumpets. The same type of valves used on my instrument, the French horn. They have a darker sound, and are more widely used in Europe than they are over here, though sometimes players here will use them, especially in rep like Brahms where they want a darker sound.

3. Yes. Always. There are a couple of exceptions which I believe we discussed long ago in this thread, if I am remembering correctly. Baroque musicians add ornaments to their parts in certain places, and the continuo part was always improvised by the keyboardist - only the bass notes and the chord symbols were provided. Another exception would be the cadenza of a concerto, which in the classical and even into the romantic era would be made up on the spot by the soloist, just like jazz improvisation, except the melodies will be based on melodies in the movement in question, though the harmonies are often changed radically. There are still some soloists who do this in performance today, though not many anymore. But for exceptions like these, however, the answer to your question is a flat yes, until well into the twentieth century, when composers started experimenting with "chance" music, etc.

To elaborate further, the same would go for film music, unless it is someone like Morricone, who wrote many of the spaghetti westerns. All he did was write the melodies and harmonies, and someone else orchestrated it.

And as I am pretty sure we have discussed long ago in this thread, even in jazz the only thing truly being improvised normally are the solos - and these are almost always based on standard tunes - very little is truly freely improvised, someone making up whatever they want. All the musicians know the chord structures used in the tunes, so even jazz is not so mysterious as it may seem. They even have things called "Fake Books" which are books that have the chord structures of all the tunes - these are particularly useful in the case of performers who are not in a regular group, thrown together for a gig, maybe none of them have even played together before. They would discuss ahead of time which tunes they will do (or even during breaks on the gig, before the next set), and reference a Fake Book if they need to. Instrumentation is generally much more flexible in jazz as well. Now in a big band, for example, everything would be written out for everyone except the solos. This is even done on something like Miles Davis Birth of the Cool, where you have a larger ensemble - much of that was written out. There were a couple of horn players on that album, by the way. A friend of mine is trying to put a group together to recreate that album, and I hope to participate if that ever happens. The problem is the guy who has the music would want to play, and he kinda sucks, so, my friend doesn't want him to play, so he won't loan us the music. Sigh.
Learsfool:

****The problem is the guy who has the music would want to play, and he kinda sucks, so, my friend doesn't want him to play, so he won't loan us the music. Sigh.****

Nothing better than starting the day off with a good laugh! I had to LOL when I read that statement. Haven't heard of that since my play-ground days. It always Seemed as if the guys that could not play very good, owned the ball. Must be a natural law.

Thanks for all the info, esp about the trumpets. I may have asked about the composers before, but I needed to hear it again, to be sure!! No wonder they are called Geniuses.

I looked at the DVD again, and the guy in the headset is there. Right next to the Bassoon players. When the camera zoomed in on the bassoons, there he was. I guess it was some tech thingy since the program was being recorded in audio and video. But he was dressed in white tie. They were playing "Troika", from Lieutenant Kije, if that would mean anything. The DVD was "A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert"

On the Karajan New Years concert in Vienna, when the camera panned the audience, I was surprised at the number of people that did not applaud after each number. Just set there. After all, this was KARAJAN!!

Thanks again

Cheers
O-10:

Start the New Year off right!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNnplwRbS8U

Cheers
Leersfool, I'm trying to get a handle on French horn and jazz. Although Miles used French horns on "Sketches of Spain" and "Porgy and Bess", they just seemed appropriate parts for a French horn as opposed to "jazz French horn". I would like your evaluation of "jazz French horn" that I discovered on you tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sy0NcSvSaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM5g6IULCXs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csGCnUgtl4E

Enjoy the music.
Rok - another thing I thought of on the person playing no instrument - it may be the third bassoon/contrabassoon player, who didn't happen to play on that particular piece, but is on stage because he played something else on that half of the program. His instrument is probably on a stand next to him.