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
Great post O-10 ! thanks. Great bass player, I never heard of as well.
Going down the You Tubes clips to me the perfect play was Hanna on" I Didn't Know What Time it Was" off his "This Must be Love" album !

Frogman , beyond doubt Monk is what you say he is .. But a casual listener like myself lacks the technical knowledge of a highly trained musician like yourself that enables you to see the beauty that can only escape me .
I would guess you understand the way Monk bends notes on adjacent keys in a manner that just frustrates me. I would have liked to hear him play Chopin .

A person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content, are Internet trolls.

Learsfool's comment is a cleverly disguised "troll" comment, that will not go unnoticed by me, the person who the comment is intended to inflame, and it has served it's purpose.

Learsfool's comment was related to a hardbop jazz musician who lived in my apartment with me in the summer of 69. Although I had been an ardent fan of his for 6 years before he moved into my apartment, he jammed like he never jammed before in his entire life that summer; his music was even new to me.

Maybe some of you know about "Center Stage" under the Arch in St. Louis on the 4th of July; that's where he wowed the crowd, but I can find no record of this, nor was any of the music he was playing at that time recorded. One of the aficionado's referred to my friend as that giant imaginary rabbit "Harvey"; since I can not prove his music, that's fine with me; but I will tell you more about my "imaginary" friend.

He got dressed in the morning, the same as we all get dressed, but he put on something real hip and cool, without ever thinking about it. His conversation was "hip and cool", without ever giving it one iota of a thought; maybe that's because he had been a "jazz musician", who has played with so many other jazz musicians we love, for all of his adult life.

He performed three nights a week, and I functioned as his chauffeur. I was spell bound at each hard bop performance, and so was the crowd. There was one club that only opened up when they had "hard bop" jazz artists on stage, and he wowed that audience as much as he did me.

Not one time did he ever ask, "What I thought about his performance"; but there was no need.

We talked after his performances about his life as a professional jazz musician till daylight. (I was on sick leave at the time)

The controversy arose when I stated that he never practiced when he was living with me. It would have been very hard for him to practice if he wanted to, but I don't recall any need or desire to practice since he was performing three times a week.

I understand him now better than I understood him then; people don't like to tell you when they know the end is near, and their life is coming to a close; they just want to get away from you and do it their way.



Listened to this today.   Wonderful and very elegant playing.   With the exception of "Lover Man", not an album of standards,  but of blues originals.  His playing may be more to your liking, Schubert.

https://youtu.be/TuVqhA9fpOE
Thank you for that link Learsfool;  some wonderful kernels of wisdom in there.  I particularly liked the advice about practicing with emotion even when its practicing rudiments.  And, of course, this:

"It takes practice to learn a language, cook good meals or get along well with people."