Jazz for aficionados
After I got over the initial shock of Byrds changeover (it only took 20 years) I began to like some of his new music. Once I accepted the fact that it ain't jazz, I listened to it for what it is. While most of this new music is geared to someone much younger than me, I'm not so old that I done forgot what it's like to have wild hormones; that's what "Rock Creek Park" is about. Enjoy the music. |
Today's Listen: Another group that fell short of the expectations / hype of the Jazz movers and shakers.. Seems as if they only recorded four albums. I have these two. I think they went solo afterwards. I like them both. The Harper Brothers -- REMEMBRANCE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENrbb--xg3s The Harper Brothers -- ARTISTRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJqbL6VWo4Q&list=PLmlILoFRlWlqs_q-QLUu7Vs6IvI8A_soT As Cannonball might say, Check it out. Cheers |
Harper Bros.: I liked "Remembrance" A LOT; really great composition and equally great playing. I liked "Artistry" less so. Great trumpet playing and I’m really impressed by this player. I frankly find him to be a more interesting player than Hargrove; but that composition ("Artistry") is a little weak, imo. I think the answer to the question of why these guys didn’t last is, for me, summarized by these two tunes: a bit inconsistent and, by way of example, how many times can he quote "A Night In Tunisia" in a single solo? I counted about half a dozen. Don’t be so friggin’ obvious! (Or, maybe he doesn’t dance as well as Hargrove ☺️) And this (minus the crack about dancing) is, I think, emblematic of the major problem: We can debate the validity of this kind of thinking till we’re blue in the face, but I am left with the question: Why? When we have so much classic and superior hard bop to listen to? I think this writer pretty much sums it up: Artist Biography by Scott Yanow +++One of the most hyped jazz groups of the late ’80s, the Harper Brothers (co-led by drummer Winard Harper and trumpeter Philip Harper) symbolized what was right and wrong about the "Young Lions" movement. The musicianship in this hard bop unit was excellent and the young players respected their elders, but strong originality was lacking (they were largely revisiting the past) and the Harper Brothers received an excess of publicity at the expense of more innovative players. Still, during its five years, the group produced four enjoyable bop albums for Verve, and its sidemen (altoist Justin Robinson, tenors Javon Jackson and Walter Blanding, pianists Stephen Scott and Kevin Hays, and bassists Michael Bowie and Nedra Wheeler, among them) all had strong starts to their career. Both Winard and Philip Harper have grown musically since the band’s breakup.+++ Speaking of Hargrove (again): Watched to the "Crisol" video again and confirmed my initial reaction re the soloists. I find Sherman Irby to be the best soloist in that band and confirms why Wynton snatched him up. Very "in the pocket" playing and I love his use of space (silence) in his solos. He doesn’t feel the need to fill up every second with lots of notes and practiced licks and there’s a sense that he is really "developing" a solo . Great player! |
Still worth keeping up with… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTkzT1UmaT0 I read he works with young musicians now, like Blakey did. Always worth a listen. |
