Jazz for aficionados

Ghosthouse, I don't mind; although I usually try and not get into it too much here.  I started playing a musical instrument (accordion) at age five.  At age twelve I started playing and studying clarinet; soon followed by saxophones and flute.  I attended music conservatory and have not done anything professionally except play music (and some teaching) for almost forty years in a variety of genres and mostly in NYC.   

Listened to this today (again).  I love this classic and very influential record by one of the greatest players in contemporary music.  Inna's search for newer contemporary jazz made me think of it  although the record is over forty years old; but, like "Bitches Brew", I don't think it has been bettered in its genre.  The tune "Sly" kills me everytime I hear it.  

We all have our preferred genres.  For me, what turns me on about a performance is a very high level of musicianship: the genre doesn't matter.  As far as the core music values of musical interaction between the players and rhythmic groove it doesn't get much better than this, imo..  If nothing else, listen to the four minutes of Herbie's solo beginning at 5:25: the band is on fire and Harvie Mason sounds incredible:

http://youtu.be/ngi_qHGsVsU

I like this one better;

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

Thanks for sharing that bio., Frogman.  You have my admiration.  

Thanks also for getting me to listen to the Herbie Hancock.  I've known of Headhunters for years but never owned it or listened to it recently.  '73 would have been junior year in college.  I do recall it made some waves.  

His solo is fantastic.  Just amazing.  It really soars.  The drumming and bass work are great too.  So precise. I can't imagine how complex the times are on this stuff.  

One fly in the ointment...more of an oddity, maybe.  There is a repeating riff under Hancock's Rhoads solo.  Clavinet, possibly.  It actually starts right after the first break at the 2:00 mark and accompanies that reedy sounding soloing instrument (can't decide if that's a sax of some sort or something electronic/synth).  Hancock's solo starts after the second break at 5:20 or so.  That same riff is non stop in the right channel (listening to headphones) and much lower volume than the Rhoads.  Sounds like a chicken squawking in a barnyard.  What's weird to me - it doesn't always seem in time with anything else!  Like it's a tape loop running fixed to one (time signature?) and doesn't keep up.  THAT was a curiosity to me.  What's up with that?  Let me know if you can interpret!  

From the sublime to the ridiculous maybe...this was pretty fun.
(though I think they got it wrong about that track by The Band)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlLxAULuq9Y&ab_channel=PhunkyPhil   

Blues, perhaps? You got to be fast to follow him. The man was not far from death at the time of the performance, and he knew it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpzLTJ_9twc

And this is a nice romantic slightly masochistic tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up6K4bmfaA0