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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
pryso
1,986 posts
 
Lots to be thankful for today, including the wonderful heritage of jazz as it has progressed from its creation in America in the early 1900s.

I'll add my welcome to luizfcoimbra.  Your country has made some nice additions to the lexicon.

I was going to offer "Way Out West" as another counter to inna's position but o10 beat me to it. ;^)

For a long time I had little tolerance for "country" music.  Only a few artists like Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline interested me.  And BTW I consider mountain music/blue grass/string band music to be separate from country.  So Doc Watson, Alison Krauss, the Dirt Band, etc. have been on my playlist.  That label applies more to the commercial Nashville product in my mind.  But then I happened to attend a George Jones concert with a friend (I'm leaving out the longer story of how that came about) and was truly impressed.  That opened my eyes, and ears, to some of the more traditional country artists who are worth listening to.
acman3
4,337 posts
 
Rollins is the most relevant artist of our lifetime, IMO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCBqSy3lwk
acman3
4,337 posts
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCDv5NK54u0
frogman
7,560 posts
 
Amen!  Indeed, lots to be thankful for today.  Another appropriately titled composition (for today) from a very overlooked alto player who was a long time member (lead alto) of one of my favorite big bands, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis.  Haunting in a Billy Strayhorn/Johnny Hodges kind of way:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iIjKV1M8kqM

frogman
7,560 posts
 
Thanks for that Tonight Show clip, acman3; had not seen that!

One of the things that makes Rollins particularly relevant is the fact that he was the first player to have the cojones to play without a harmony instrument. He pioneered the piano (guitar)-less trio. Not a gimmick, but a testament to his amazing command of harmony. To an extent, the use of a harmony instrument is a bit of a crutch for a soloist. Without it, the soloist has to improvise in a particularly convincing way which allows the listener to hear the harmony of the tune implied by the soloist’s single-note phrases. Few can pull this off credibly. Another special quality about his playing is (he’s still with us) his unusually commanding sense of rhythm. Often one gets the feeling that the rhythm section is playing to HIS pulse, not the other way around as is usually the case even with great players.

My favorite Sonny recording (3 volumes); like the great “Way Out West” it is piano-less:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0q2VleZJVEk03oGLxkxjZs-JGjm8fMu4
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