Jazz for aficionados

Today's Listen:

Michel Legrand -- LEGRAND JAZZ
Jazz standards arranged by the Frenchman Michel Legrand. Great lineup.
Miles, Trane, Evans, Woods, Ben Webster and many more. Just by looking at the photos in the booklet, and reading the notes, it is obvious that this guy is full of himself!!

They came close to giving him credit for creating Jazz. Well, at least it seemed that way.

I will have to admit that I liked the arrangments. He managed to avoid sterlizing the music. And of course the playing was great.

Started off with the Thomas 'Fats' Waller tune 'The Jitterbug Waltz'. Always like to see the music of 'Fats' Waller represented. Speaking of underrated!

Some of the photos in the booklet show him apparently 'directing' the best players in Jazz. I hate that!

Sonny Clark -- SONNY'S CRIB

One of the better Blue Note era recordings. Excellent material and very cohesive playing. Trane and Donald Byrd on board.
A must have!

Phineas Newborn Jr -- THE GREAT JAZZ PIANO OF PHINEAS NEWBORN

This guy has great skill on the keyboards. Tunes by Bud Powell, Bobby Timmons, Miles, Rollins and Ellington. Leroy Vinnegar on Bass on half the tunes, Sam Jones on the other half.
I remember Vinnegar from Les McCann's 'Swiss Movement'. Nice set. If you like Newborn, this is one of his best.

Cheers

The coolest video ever! See how many people you recognize.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCzfPhdd2M

*****The coolest video ever!*****

It could be!!!

Great atmosphere, singing and playing. The Band was awesome. I think I recognized everyone the camera zoomed in on. Just don't ask me to name them. Comes with age.

Good to see Ella. They are all gone now. :(

Frank looked amazingly like Herbert von Karajan did in his later years. After his, Karajan's, pompadour collapsed. :)

Good clip.

Cheers

Today's Playlist:

Ornette Coleman -- SOUND MUSEUM HIDDEN MAN

Not nearly as irritating as I thought it would be. This stuff must be growing on me. BUT, I do think music like this should be 'explained' in the liner notes.

Coleman played Sax, Violin and Trumpet!! His playing was so compelling to me, I just forgot all my preconceived notions about his music. I did recognize "what a friend we have in Jesus"

There is a 'companion' CD to this one entitled 'Sound Museum Three Women'. It contains the same tunes plus one more!?!? Enough for one day, I will listen to the Three Women later.

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis / Harry "Sweets" Adison / Al Grey --
JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC 1983

These greats are not so much playing as having a nice, relaxed (perfect tempo), conversation. The interplay between them is just awesome. Just great! Perfect? Nothing to say, you must hear it. A must have!
This is Jazz at it's best.

Chico Freeman -- DESTINY'S DANCE

This is as 'modern' as Jazz needs to be. Modern but still Jazz. Wynton Marsalis on trumpet. A young Wynton, the notes say. Recorded in 1981, so I googled Wynton to see how old that would make him. Born 1961 so he was 20 on this recording. While I was on the Wiki page I read his entry. WOW!!! Is there any award or honor this man has not received?? I mean world wide.
Please take a moment ro read this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynton_Marsalis

For a good laugh, don't miss the section entitled CRITICISMS. I was laughing out loud for real. What a bunch of jerks. The envy and jealousy is almost palpable.
Required reading for all Wynton Bashers!!

Cheers

Nice clip Acman3; lots of famous faces in that crowd. In order of appearence:

Frank (juiced and showing surprisingly bad time clapping his hands :-)
Betty White
Skitch Henderson
Ernest Borgnine
Ella
Tony Bennett
Jean Stapleton
Barry Manilow
Merv Griffin
Chris Isaak
Frankie Valli (?)
Carol Channing
Sidney Poitier
Bea Arthur

Those were the famous ones that I spotted. Now for the important ones :-)

Henry Mancini (piano/leader)
Jack Sperling (drums)
Cootie Williams (trumpet)
Conrad Gozzo (trumpet)
Pete Candoli (trumpet)
Dick Nash (trombone)
Bill Watrous (trombone)
Dan Block (alto sax)
Plas Johnson ? (tenor)