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
Orpheus10, the Ike Quebec LP i scored at Goodwill is "With A Song IN My Heart", Blue Note Classics LT-1052 , a 1962 Rudy Van Gelder production.
It must have been near his last, if not his last, recording.
It is the best Jazz LP I have ever heard, both in sound and performance. My copy appears unused, in any event not a tick or pop on it !
I paid $1.50 for it, it would have been a bargain at 50 bucks.
Good story before I forget{again}.
Years ago I saw the talented country banjo and guitar player, Roy Clark, best known as the host on the long-running TV show "Hee-Haw" and member of the County Hall Of Fame appear on a late-night show, I disremember which.

Roy had had a drink or seven and it showed, the host brought
up that Roy trained as a Classical and Jazz guitarist and asked Roy why he was now a country player.
Roy said, " because it pays better and you have to be real good to play off-tune all the time'.
Frogman has written another excellent post!

@Schubert - I'm pretty sure that Mozart never actually said that. That line comes from the play/film Amadeus, and in my opinion that attitude (promoted by the character of Salieri, mainly) is one of the worst things in it (I love the film, despite it's major historical inaccuracies, and the soundtrack is great). Yes, Mozart was unbelievably talented; but he worked damn hard at his craft, and THAT is why his music is so great. There are SO many talented music students that get by for a while on their natural talent, but once they figure out how hard they really have to work to actually have a career, they fall by the wayside. No matter how much talent you may have, you still have to put in the work if you want to be truly great, and a VERY great deal of that work is very mundane indeed, as Frogman pointed out. And it is daily work, and continues throughout your entire career. Some people don't like athletic analogies to music, but they are very apropos here - just like an athlete must do their daily exercises and stretches, etc., the musician must do the same. And we work with much weaker muscle groups (especially the wind players like Frogman and myself) that have to last for much longer careers.
I agree with you totally Learsfool and have said so many times. I referred to Mozart only. Yes, "Amadeus" was a wretched movie but I read Mozart's comment many times in both English and German long before that.
Look at a uhr Mozart score in Salzburg, there are no corrections on great scores that were written in 15 minutes.

A long career is a choice you make but not the only choice available.
****Yes, Mozart was unbelievably talented; but he worked damn hard at his craft, and THAT is why his music is so great****

"People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you, dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to compositions as I. There is not a famous master whose music I have not industriously studied through many times." - WA Mozart