Jazz for aficionados

I was just reading about "Live Trane: The European Tours" ; Trane, tenor and soprano sax; Erik Dolphy alto sax, bass clarinet, flute; McCoy Tyner piano; Reggie Workman bass, Jimmy Garrison, bass; Elvin jones drums. This set contains music from nine concerts that took place between November 61, and November 63 ( I saw Trane, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Jimmy Garrison, in the dead of Winter 63, must have been in January)

The sonic quality of this set is 2 1/2, while the performance is rated 5 out of 5 stars. There are five versions of Mr. PC, four of "Naima" and six of "My Favorite Things", ranging from 14 to 25 minutes. I saw the 25 minute version; fortunately there was a musician seated at our table who thoroughly enjoyed the extra time on my favorite things, while the rest of us were somewhat bewildered. I'm sure that Frogman, and Learsfool would have appreciated that extra time, because they're musicians.

A case can be made that "Live Trane" documents the crucial transition in Coltrane's artistic development, when he moved from chord-based "vertical" improvisation to open ended "horizontal" melodic invention based on scales and modes.

Carlos Santana states, "John Coltrane broke through to the other side. He found "The Light", and for a time, he became "The Light". This concert contains eight hours of music, you glimpse what it was like to be in the presence of Coltrane when he lived.

I think that last paragraph sum it all up.





Enjoy the music.

When People think of John Coltrane, they seldom think of his sentimental side;

"Coltrane for Lovers" exposes a side of "Trane" that's rarely explored.



All tracks have John Coltrane playing tenor saxophone.


1. "My One and Only Love"
2. "Too Young to Go Steady"  
3. "In a Sentimental Mood"  
4. "It's Easy to Remember"  
5. "Dedicated to You"    
6. "You Don't Know What Love Is"
7. "After the Rain"  
8. "My Little Brown Book"
9. "Soul Eyes" Mal Waldron
10. "They Say It's Wonderful"
11. "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)

The recordings compiled for Coltrane for Lovers initially received criticism for Coltrane's stylistic move from complex jazz compositions of the free jazz form to a simplistic formula of ballads and blues. Following the initial controversy, the album's recordings gained a legacy as one of Coltrane's most popular recordings and significant in the genre of romantic jazz.


        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r594pxUjcz4



        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrwSuy6ZBjI


Here we have "In a Sentimental Mood" and "You Don't Know What Love Is"




Enjoy the music.

Frogman (an others?), I just played a 'Latin Jazz' recording that I thought you might enjoy if you haven't already heard it. On the down side it did win a Grammy and it is relatively recent. Charlie Haden's (an excellent bassist IMHO) recording on Verve "Land of the Sun". Gonzalo Rubalcaba plays the piano. Outstanding late night romantic jazz, I think. The devil made me do it! :-)

"Outstanding late night romantic jazz", that's a perfect description; right now the sun is shining very bright, and it's a long time since I've been in a romantic mood. After it gets dark, if I can find anyone to get in a romantic mood with, that just might work; but seriously, I checked a few cuts, and I think it's a nice album.



Enjoy the music.

Learsfool (and others), I was playing a disc the other night and I though of you - not your horn but I'm sort of indiscriminate (so I'm told). Andre Previn and Thomas Stevens play a classic american songbook on DRG. This may not be more than some beautiful dinner jazz, but for me anyway that's enough.

Makes me think more about the evolution of jazz and its 'apparent' demise to many after Miles Davis came along and did his thing. I didn't really gain interest in jazz until the late 80's. My interest then was an intellectual thing . I really didn't have a musical connection to the jazz of the 50's and 60's. When I investigated the recommendations from jazz enthusiasts most of the music was from the 50's and 60's and, to me anyway, much was inaccessible. A lot of disconnected notes. Like Berg and Schoenberg in modern classical music, aka just 'noise'.  Getting into this jazz was hard work! Almost too hard.

I didn't start to appreciate jazz after until I heard the 'dinner jazz' (a softer jazz perhaps) of musicians such as Previn,  Person, Ron Carter, Byrd, Pass, and Peplowski, just to name a few. For me this was a pre-coital  kiss. The rest came more naturally after this adaptation. 

I don't know if my experience has any universality but if it does could not the frequent whine of the demise of jazz actually have more to do with it than the actual, and continuing natural evolution of a music form? 

This thinking thing is too hard - I'm glad that unlike you and Frogman I don't have to do it for a living. :-)