Jazz for aficionados

Wynton Marsalis -- At The Octoroon Balls-String Quartet No.1

I am surprised none of you 'progressive' folks have mentioned this one.

I am not sure what this is, but I like it. All the music was composed by Wynton Marsalis. This just adds to Wynton's reputation. The man can do anything musical.
Played by the Orion String Quartet.

Also included is "A Fiddler's Tale Suite". Sort of Marsalis' version, or his take on Stravinsky's "Soldiers Tale". Wynton plays trumpet on this piece, he does not play on "Octoroon Balls".
The complete Fiddler's Tale with narration is available on another Sony Disc.
Played by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Not for everyone, but how can a Jazz / Classical Aficionado be without it? I feel it's historic. I loved it.

Outstanding Sound Quality. Interesting Notes. Check it out.

Cheers

Rok, I have all of those plus Philip Glass. No longer do I read reviews. I haven't made a mistake since I discovered "The tube", and everyone who contributes to this thread.

Enjoy the music.

O-10:

Good reviewers are hard to find. The best source I know of these days in 'The All Music Guide to Jazz'. It's out of print, but there is an internet site. I prefer the book. They can still be had at Amazon or other book sellers online.

My favorite reviewer there is Scott Yanow. We seem to be on the same wavelength. I assume all Jazz fans have this book, if not, get it!

The most important thing about AMG reviews, is that they state the type of Jazz the artist plays. So a 5-Star rating for a free Jazz album, would not interest me. Also nice short synopsis of each artist.

Back in the day I trusted a few guys at 'Stereo Review'. The Amazon reviews can be helpful, if there are enough so that you can seperate the serious from the idiots and the fans.

Listened to MJQ last night. "Fontessa" and "Django". Is there better Jazz for late night? They define sophistication!

Listening to Wes Montgomery now. "Full House" Live from a small club in Berkeley. With Miles' rhythm section. I have never heard Wes this way. They, the rhythm section, seem to bring out the best in everyone they play with. Remember Art Pepper? Johnny Griffin almost stole the show.

Begs the question, was it Miles or his Rhythm Section? :)

Cheers

Here are some more alternate grooves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6i7Sfza2c4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ebLK-l0jc

Enjoy the music.

The theme of what is good or not keeps coming up in different guises; as expected and as it should. Just as with the music itself, what distinguishes a good reviewer from a bad one is not wether he reviews music that we happen to like, but wether he is able to express in words how the music touches him/her; and, to do it in a credible and eloquent way. It's never fair to discredit a reviewer without first making and understanding that distinction; imo.

O-10, loved the a Youn Son Nah clip. What a voice! Luscious and very sexy in some very unusual ways; and technically excellent. She straddles a fine line just short of affectation with a nice combination of credibility (when singing in English) and some obviously Asian influences in her vocal inflections and overall sensibility. When I first listened to the clip one of the things that came to mind was "her intonation and accuracy are so good that she probably did many different takes and used some editing to get a good complete version". Nope, she can really do it!:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Kki-mx7uw

Anyone familiar with the folk music of that part of the world will hear that influence in this performance. I think it's amazing, if perhaps an acquired taste for some:

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

"Alternate groove" indeed; and a good one. Thanks for sharing.