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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
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,330 posts
 
Mildly disappointed of course that those two Eldar tracks weren’t cause for celebration for the 3 of you. Your various reasons while valid for you personally don’t diminish my enjoyment of him. Easy to get mesmerized by the technical fireworks but I do also hear music in his performance (listen to other tracks on the album) and wonder what more he will bring with further years and increasing maturity.

Worth checking the Wikipedia entry on him. He comes from a very different culture so not surprising he brings an unfamiliar style or interpretive reading to standards (or so I think). There are a few other "covers" on the album that Sweet Georgia and Moanin’ were taken from. Those too (e.g., Nature Boy, Maiden Voyage) sound WAY different...almost unrecognizable, even to me. Because I’m not as grounded in jazz as you more seasoned aficionados, I’m also not married to a particular style or mode of interpretation applied to a given composition. I don’t have expectations. Consequently, this music just sounds very fresh and different to me. NEW even.

Horses for courses, as they say.


frogman
7,532 posts
 
**** I feel music, when you see notes on a piece of paper ****

Wrong, O-10, please don’t be so quick to turn things contentious. In my opinion that is the kind of unnecessary divisive and judgmental comment that gets us in trouble. If you think that you have a monopoly on feeling the emotion in music you would be very mistaken. There is always room for clarification, expansion, and even disagreement about specifics. I could easily make a similarly negative statement and say (when looking at a bouquet): "I see roses, petunias and lillys, you see flowers". Please read my comments again and note:

**** and we may be saying the same thing.****

Your follow up post, aside from the snide comment, was much more clear as to the meaning of what it seems you meant to say the first time around. Perhaps endeavoring to be as clear as possible would serve all well.

orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Ghosthouse, I'm glad to hear you defending your unique view of this music.


"Because I’m not as grounded in jazz as you more seasoned aficionados, I’m also not married to a particular style or mode of interpretation applied to a given composition. I don’t have expectations. Consequently, this music just sounds very fresh and different to me. NEW even.

Which reminds me of the three blind guys seeing an elephant for the first time.


Frogman, I didn't think that was contentious; it was just a statement of fact. Statements of fact are neither judgmental or divisive; they just are; like the sky is blue, unless it's cloudy, and then beyond the clouds it's still blue.

You took the statement "jazz is almost like a religion" and turned it into one of those "Islam" type things where you can get beheaded for blasphemy.

 
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Rok, you can appreciate this; I've been hanging with the analogers to pick up some tips on cartridge installation, and for sure I went to the right place. They were also discussing 20K tone arms and special records, but when they got to music; if I had to be on a deserted island with them guys, it would not take very long before I would try the long swim.

What they call music, would make a lot of noises sound good; like tree frogs for example, I like the sound tree frogs make better than the music they recommended. Those are the recruits the Frogman is seeking for this thread. (it's a joke).

That's why I say all music is "subjective" because I don't have the right to call their music noise, even if tree frogs sound better.

How about some "Charley Brown" Christmas music for a mood changer?


  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVB18xbRMI4&list=PL0z5a235GY1awuZeBQBO6ZWQfg95Gkg5N


Enjoy the music.
frogman
7,532 posts
 
I guess that we are now, as one of our more wisely disciplined contributors once stated, adding to the "charm" of this thread.  

O-10, it IS contentious, and it most certainly is not a statement of fact.  You apparently missed the point that I was making.  That point related to your comparison of jazz to a religion; THAT comparison is a statement of fact.  The nuances of what you meant were not clear (they were made clearer in your follow up post) and it is also a fact that you used terms like "sacrilege", "defile" and "sacred"; so, .......

Now, the contentious part.  One thing that I think everyone here can agree on is that the most important aspect of any art form is that it can elicit an emotional response; that is why everyone listens to music.  The degree to which it succeeds obviously depends on the listener's likes and biases and quality of the music.  To suggest, in the context of a discussion about music and in a generalizing way, that a listener is incapable of "feeling the emotion in music" is judgmental and contentious.  To be able to "see the notes" does not erase the emotional connection; au contraire.  

Striving for clarity 😊
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