Jazz for aficionados

I enjoy reading your reminiscences, Orpheus.  Thanks.

Nice story, O-10; thanks for sharing. But, as concerns the point that I think is being discussed, with all due respect and not doubting what you are saying about that audience’s reaction, I think you are missing the point. Here’s what I mean:

That account would have been from at least 50 years ago or so, no? 50 years before that would have been about 1910. We didn’t even have jazz as we know it then. The point is that 50 years is an eternity in the arts and a great deal changes in 50 years, including audiences’ tastes and openness to more adventurous or challenging music. Can you imagine how audiences would have reacted to be-bop, not to mention hard-bop or beyond in 1910? Not too well. The audience that you were part of that night had never heard anything like that before. Well before the period in Trane’s career that we are talking about many many MUSICIANS thought that what Trane was playing was bs because it was so different and unconventional and that included records like Blue Train, a record now considered to be mainstream. Swing tenor players did not understand what Trane was doing and were highly critical of him. All that changed with time. Never mind my own personal experiences of the non-musicians who like Trane’s intergalactic travels on recordings, I listen to those live recordings and what I hear when the space ship lands back on earth is a lot of applause from the audience; clearly there were many audiences who liked what they heard. Besides, just what is the point of all this? Some listeners like or appreciate late period Trane and some don’t; and they don’t have to be musicians to like it. That’s all.   Thanks again for the nice personal account.

Some interesting comments from Tyner himself about his time with Trane:

https://jerryjazzmusician.com/2001/11/mccoy-tyner-talks-about-john-coltrane-and-the-recording-of-a-l...

Enhoyed the McCoy Tyner interview very much, Frogman. Thanks. (BTW - What a gracious, well spoken individual he seems.)

A while ago I started Bill Cole’s book on Coltrane but got bogged down with some of the music transcriptions. Need to get back to reading that.

"...more light, more light, more light...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xk8x4bV8Mc&ab_channel=GeoffreyPenalty

Frogman, my opinion of Mr. John Coltrane, or his music has not changed one iota since that night. You do an awful lot of writing about something you have never heard, because he only went on those excursions on live sets, which you have never been on. What I mentioned was only released for the at home audience recently, because no one had a high opinion of it; but you can now purchase it and give your review.

If McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Jones didn't know where he was, how could me or the audience know. Aficionados, I don't know how long that marvelous live set lasted, but his journey (by himself) into the outer galaxies only lasted for a few minutes, maybe less than 3 ( but it seemed like a long time)

Although that was 50 years ago, my present rig sounds fuzzy compared to that live set; that soprano sax "live" was absolutely unforgettable. His journeys into the outer galaxies was much talked about, but only heard if you went to a live set, not available on records until long after his death.

I enjoy every note of "Trane's" music now as much as I did then, which is to say, a lot; he has such an awesome variety, including those incredible solos when he was with Miles, that I can never get tired of "Trane's" music.

Naturally "My Favorite Things" sounds like squat on CD after that night, because his soprano sax seemed to be resonating in my ear, making the recorded version sound dull and lifeless, but everything else still sounds good.

Here's a seldom talked about side of "Trane".


        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r594pxUjcz4


Enjoy the music.