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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
1,984 posts
 
o10, your sidemen comment is spot on.  That is one of the reasons I enjoy many of my older favorite LPs again and again, I continue finding nuances not noticed in an initial playing.

Also, while I greatly enjoy "Somethin' Else", I'm sure there was more to the story of how Cannonball was credited as the leader.  Some contract arrangement with Blue Note?  Consider this comment from Wiki, "The album was recorded during Adderley's membership in the Miles Davis Sextet of 1958, and is one of the few post-1955 appearances of Miles Davis as a sideman. Indeed, Davis plays several of the first solos, composed the bluesy title track and, according to the liner notes, chose most of the material."  That doesn't sound like Miles was a sideman to me. ;^)

Still, that should be on most everyone's top jazz albums list.

Also, Dakota's "Cry Me A River" sounds like it came from a Bond soundtrack, not that's theres anything wrong with that.
frogman
7,521 posts
 
pryso, you’re exactly right re “Somethin’ Else”. That record has long been considered by some to really be a Miles session. There was a debate here a while back about the relative merits of it vs KOB. SE is a great record with a lot of fantastic playing. I can definitely understand why someone might prefer it’s overall fairly conservative style, but it wasn’t the game changer that KOB was. As concerns their relative importance in the history of jazz KOB wins hand down. Still, it is interesting to me that Cannonball’s very upbeat playing feels even more at home on SE than on KOB’s modal tunes with their more introspective vibe and the company of Coltrane’s more modern and “edgier” harmonic language. On KOB, as great as he sounds, Cannonball sometimes sounds to me a little bit like the odd man out.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Frogman, the music had a Cannonball "feel" to it, not a Miles Davis feel; that's because Cannonball was the leader on that set, not Miles. While he had some dynamite solos, as a sideman, he was not the leader on that album.  If he had been, it would have been an entirely different album.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Pryso, interesting you should fault "Cry Me A River"; I got distracted and this is what I was intending to post;


            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INhj10CiCE
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Frogman, in 59, the circle I traveled in barely considered KOB, an also ran.
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