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, 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.

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.

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

"Somethin Else" was definitely boss in 59, because it was popular before KOB had been released; it came out in 58, while KOB came out in 59; that's why KOB wasn't even considered until later.