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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
pjw81563
1,829 posts
 
Nothing new mary jo? I guess you didn't like the Roy Buchanan song. What about the beautiful ballad by Hank Mobley? 
mary_jo
1,525 posts
 
pjw, nothing new after schubert’ s last post.

Hank Mobley is great.

For Roy, can’t say that I adore it. You guessed that right.


alexatpos
1,228 posts
 
Slow guitar...couple of songs from two famous guitar players,albums are from 70’s.

Tal Farlow, from ’A sign of times’ from 1976

https://youtu.be/q5VLW5gho6A

Kenny Burrell from ’Round midnight’ from 1972

https://youtu.be/EHcaNfy_ipo

https://youtu.be/FJgeqSxJnlE

....spaeaking of beautiful ballads on sax...how about this one?

Charlie Rouse
https://youtu.be/_I3WXYncRrA
Post removed 
pjw81563
1,829 posts
 
I just read this rather scathing review of McCoy Tyner’s piano playing. I was shocked to put it mildly. Once again, the virtuosity vs. "soul/feeling/depth" is brought into play. I happen to think Tyner, although no Bill Evans, is a very good pianist. I enjoy his solos and his accompaniment and interplay on all of the Coltrane Impulse sessions are wonderful to me. How anyone can claim to know what musician has more heart and soul in his/her playing of any instrument or vocals is something I will never wrap my head around. Everyone listens and hears things differently and is entitled to their opinion. A trained classical music professor, who claims to be this wizard of music, who can rightfully review which singer/player exhibits more heart and soul then others is, to me, like the great Oz behind the curtain. A bigot and absorbed in his/her own opinions that disregards anything else. I pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!!


Here is the review. I would appreciate any input on this from all the contributors here. And a few by those with experience in the musical field are welcome as well HINT - frogman!


The following is quoted from the review of the McCoy Tyner live at the Village Vanguard LP:


Among all my Jazz-CD’s - and there are many of them - this is by far the worst and disappointing one. And yet it is quite revealing. Many Jazz fans and critical reviewers celebrate Tyner as the best Jazz pianist alive. Although I have a huge respect for the musical quality of most Jazz, this shows me that the classic listeners and reviewers are musically just more educated and sophisticated than those in Jazz. Yes, there might be no Jazz pianist in history which has been more virtous than Tyner, and none which is technically better.

But as any classical educated piano professor will tell you, virtuosity makes no good pianist. And thats totally the case for Tyner. If I listen to his recordings, its always the same - huge accord clusterings, incredible fast playing, but no feel for the music, no elegance whatsoever and no interesting development or experimenting. His solos are really boring.

Just listen to Naima, one of the greatest pieces in Jazz. Start with the original Coltrane recording, the wonderful piano in it (NOT Tyner!), the feel for the music. Then listen to Breckers solo on the 2003 Directions in Music recording, playing an incredible interpretation of it, and then go to Tyners interpretation. Imagine how Bill Evans would play it. Then you have to stop this CD after 2 minutes. Its just terrible. Large parts he plays in fortissimo, with his usual style. I can’t believe how bad it is. The same is true for Crescent and all the other pieces.

Or listen to "After the rain". That is pure pop-kitsch at worst, with accords and harmonics I would expect on a MTV-music award show, but not on a Jazz-CD. Even Norah Jones is pure experimentation against it!

The question then remains: Why was he part of one of the greatest Jazz-quartets? I went back to all Coltrane CD’s including him. I can only say he was at the right place at the right time. His playing really does fit to Coltrane, all the fury, the virtuosity, the aggresive improvisation over one scale, but without Coltrane, he is just bad and totally lost. And indeed, the worst Coltrane pieces are those where Tyner has an extended solo, such as in "Afro-Blue" on "One up, one down". There you hear all his strict limitations in terms of harmony and developing an interesting solo.

More to discover