Jazz for aficionados

Frogman, I am glad that you have so eloquently pointed some of the high points of West Coast Jazz.
For what is worth, I have noticed that I am buying more and more of such music, it has many hidden gems. Will post some as well.

Regarding Chet Baker, I did not like the article very much, but thats not important. Imho, aldo his playing had its ’limitations’, he has menaged to produce some of the most beautiful and haunting music in jazz, perhaps in music in general.
Furthermore I belive that that fact alone stand as something that cant be overlooked and also that cant be accidental.
So, for sure that my opinion and taste are subjective, but his music (or his interpretation) in some points stand above of anything simmilar that I might have heard

***** Oh, and btw, Benny Goodman was never crowned "King Of Jazz", he was first called "King Of Swing" in 1936; and for good reason.  Swing (a very specific style of jazz) and the Swing Era was touched off by Benny Goodman well before most of the great players one can name.  For perspective's sake, Bird recorded his first record in 1944.*****


Goodman is one of the Good Guys of Jazz.   He did not call himself the King of anything.   The media did that.   As our President keeps telling us, the are the biggest liars on the planet.

But anyway, the Ken Burns Jazz set tells of how they wanted to make Goodman  the 'King' of Jazz,  but that was too far even for the biggest liars, so they settled for Kng of Swing.

Bird recorded in 19944?   That was sort of late in the recorded history of Jazz.   Think of all the guys whose careers were interrupted by the war, and continued while in uniform.   

As Wynton said in the Ken Burns project,"if you are talking about Jazz, you're talking about race".

Long Live Detente !!!!

Cheers

Frogman, and Rok, when I was in LA, I heard music at the clubs that was comparable to the best of Blue Note, by musicians unknown to me. I attributed this to the fact that musicians do not have to leave LA in order to make a living. Although I was in LA, the music was not West Coast Jazz. When I was in Jamaica, while the music at the hotel was reggae, the people (most Jamaicans) preferred jazz. In both cases, assumptions would be wrong.

I noticed Rok constantly picks music from what we call "The Golden Age of Jazz". Music is not made in a vacuum, musicians have to draw inspiration from somewhere. That "Golden Age" also occurred at the same time as the best times in many cities.
Chicago was three vibrant cities at once in the 50's and 60's; rich north side, culture on the lake, and a vibrant south side that no longer exists, Detroit was like the "Emerald City of Oz". St. Louis consisted of Downtown, E. St. Louis, and North St. Louis; three diverse areas that featured live jazz; "bleak" is the most dominant feature of those areas now. There was a certain "vibe" and excitement in each city that generated something for musicians to draw from.

Much of the latest music is "disonant"; not in the strict definition of the word, but it lacks a coherent theme that you can feel and identify with; the musician can't find something outside of himself to draw inspiration from; therefore his music is without life.


Enjoy the music.

***** Much of the latest music is "disonant"; not in the strict definition of the word, but it lacks a coherent theme that you can feel and identify with; the musician can't find something outside of himself to draw inspiration from; therefore his music is without life.*****

I think you just nailed it.   My thoughts exactly.  No wonder you be op.

Cheers

"Our president keeps telling us the media is the biggest liar on the planet"; While that's true, I'm wandering how long is it going to take for him to switch and become part of the lie, just like the last president; can you say "Oligarchs rule".