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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
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

The tone, and timbre of Sonny Rollins "jazz sax", is the most recognizable there is, for me; it's almost like a person speaking. When you hear that voice, you know who it is, and this has gone on through the years. One of the very first albums I bought was Diz, Stitt, and Rollins on the album "Duets".


            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duets_(Dizzy_Gillespie_album)


The album was so good, that it was hard for me to pick out a favorite, but I'm going to pick a cut anyway;



            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8iGRjnb2Ns




Enjoy the music.
frogman
7,561 posts
 
Rok, Sonny is fond of playing tunes that are not only standards, but oftentimes very unlikely choices for a jazz rendition.  Here's one of my favorite examples:

http://youtu.be/vGnYd33z0Iw

We've talked about players and singers who play exceptionally "in the pocket"; with exceptional time feel and very inside the beat.  Sonny is on the short list of musicians who have (or had) that quality; alongside Pops, Ray Charles, James Brown, Miles and others.  With Sonny, it's as if the rhythm section plays to HIS time feel instead of the other way around.  Nice clips from "+3", thanks.

Re "Duets":

I'm sure the OP is aware of this detail since he is so intimately familiar with Sonny's "tone and timbre"; but, since the current topic is Sonny Rollins and we certainly wouldn't want to mislead any aspirants to "true aficionado" status, it should be pointed out that the tenor player on the "Con Alma" clip that he posted is not Rollins, it is Stitt.

orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 
Frogman, you've gone mad.  I posted the link to the album that featured  "Diz, Stitt, and Rollins"; that was sufficient enough.  I picked my favorite tune on that particular album with no reference to Rollins on that particular cut; now I didn't know we were playing some kind of game called "Name the sax, on that solo".


Enjoy the music.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Frogman, the link I posted clearly states who is playing on what cut. Anyone reading my post could go to tracks 1, 2 & 5 as is stated on the link; if they specifically wanted to hear Sonny Rollins; my favorite cut on that album has existed since the Summer of 59 when I bought it, and that has not changed. In high school, I even had a shirt like the one Sonny Stitt is wearing; they must have been very popular when he bought his; if you notice, his is very shiny.


Chill out and enjoy the music.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

This has got to be one of the baddest jams I have ever heard in my entire life, and since he was "hometown", I got to hear it live and often. Like Monk likes to work his jams many different ways, especially when he was live; I got to hear this in and out; upside down if that's the way "Homey" wanted to work it; what I'm getting at, is just like Horace Silver could work "Senor Blues" many different ways when live; Homey could work his jam many different ways, and I was there, with my lady friend, who dug jazz every bit as much as me.

This was at a fashionable club where we always had a table close to the bandstand in order to absorb every note that rang off Homey's guitar. This is the same jam three different times by the same person, my favorite is the one off the scratchy record, that must be the original. My computer has a program that cleans that up.

Naturally there is no comparison to this and live, but this is the best I can do. Once you got caught up in "the flow" it was like riding on a kite, and "Homey" could work it for 15 spell bound minutes. Every time he was there, I was there.


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e5FVMt0FVw


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eoL8Z4_MWQ



      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyE59uG0nBc



Enjoy the music.


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