Jazz for aficionados

Ilikemiles, welcome to the thread. Glad you mentioned Billy Taylor; hasn’t been mentioned much on this thread and he deserves to be. He is an iconic figure in the world of jazz; not just as a player, but as educator and broadcaster as well.

Martial Solal is one of my favorite unsung piano players. This record, "Four Keys", from 1979 features one of the most interesting and rather strange lineups of any of my records. Solal, the great Lee Konitz, Orsted Pederson and John Scofield (known mainly as a fusion player but showing some impressive straight ahead chops here). Very interesting record with unusual tunes based on interesting harmonies and oblique melodies; and some free improvisation:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ziRheolgl58

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hq42bTEklPg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=434Z3pK85fQ

btw, I like Miles too; a lot.

frogman,

You mistakenly posted the link to the "Where were you?"

I suspect you meant to post this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylBFW9B6EJg

I was planning to use it for the "2nd break."

Here's a rehearsal story for you:

I was hired to play a gig for the local "country club" consisting of "standards."  No problem.

I called some guys, put a band together and we showed up.  One of the musicians was an absolute killer blues/funk guitar player that could sing his ass off.  He wanted to explore the jazz scene and he was cool, so I invited him to play.

Two brothers on bass and trumpet, (the trumpet player could sing too), my dear friend Pete on keys and I played drums.

We were on our second tune when the lady that hired me came over in a panic and said, (picture dressed up woman with lots of makeup and bling),

"What the hell are you playing?!!!!!!  I said I wanted standards!!!!!"

Me, being the guy that wants to please asked her, "what kind of standards do you want to hear?"

"WE WANT TO DANCE!  WE WANT THE FUNKY STUFF!!!"

Quick rehearsal consisting of, "Hey guys! The lady says to funk it up!"

Bang we changed up.  Old people dancing so hard I was afraid somebody would have a heart attack.

We played our last tune and were packing up.  Pete was getting a beer.  A guy comes to me and says "How much for another half an hour?"

I turn to the guitar player and ask him what it would take.

"500 bucks."

I told the guy, he peels of 5 Benjamins and we start in.  Pete shows up with beers for the band, sees us getting ready to play and I yell, "500 bucks for 30 minutes!"   He scrambles, we play.

We finished the set with "Shout"  by Otis Day and the Knights.  We killed it.

Long story short, this rehearsal lasted all of 10 seconds.

-- Bob

Oops, thanks for the heads up. Here’s what I meant to post:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=snetMOvbqRQ

Great story!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4gITE3nUc

Clyde Stubblefield; bad dude!

frogman,

I gotta tell you I like you even more. There was a time in my life that if it wasn’t Frank Zappa, it didn’t sound normal. That time lasted 2-3 years from about 1971-73 or so. I had every recording, knew the lyrics, understood the humor and was blown away by how his music opened up a whole new world of classical, opera, jazz and of course, fusion.

I love this tune. As you know, Frank Zappa considered himself a composer and a wonderful, biting and was an honest and insightful commentator on the state of affairs in the world.

You rock.

I think I’m gonna listen to Inca Roads. (It might even be considered a form a jazz)

-- Bob