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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
mary_jo
1,525 posts
 
"Tempo is simply how fast or how slow a tune is played and is a choice made by musicians which has nothing to do with whether it is a studio or a live recording."
Not necessarily. In the controlled studio conditions, the tempo is usually perfectly controlled, which is not the case with the live performance where it can differ. At some point the musician can lost the track. Since it's alive, it cannot be corrected, what is played is played.  But I was not thinking on the tempo precisely, when mentioning the "lost parts" in the live performance, I was referring to the perfect and clean sound. 
And yes, although one can argue about it and it's merely the matter of taste, I agree that certain tune fits particular tempo. The lullaby for baby will be surely performed in a slower tempo.
By the way, some very nice tunes you posted. Sinatra nails it, Diana not (God forgive me). Do you think that she does not have any chance in nailing it 'cause using faster tempo? Could it be done like Sinatra does it but with the tempo that she is using? An example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_4cRG8B1g
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Since Beegie aka granny has another clip on You Tube titled " Tribute to Sinatra" I doubt if its a coincidence .
I love to hunt out these little known pro musicians , Krall must be worth
a 100 million and she could not carry Beegies music .I love her quick head bob to the "boys in the band’ as if to say good job guys .Also , the European jazz scene, right now it is smoking hot in Spain, Italy ,
Poland and points east .
Sinatra was arrogant end of story .I hear the arrogance behind the beauty and don’t like it , someone like Tony Bennett is pure beauty . I love that .

frogman
7,533 posts
 
No argument intended, mary_jo.  In a studio setting the tempo is “controlled” only when a “click track” is used; which is not always the case at all.  Even then the tempo is a “choice” that is made.  Taken a step further, good musicians will use the click track as a reference only and will play subtly “around” the mechanical “beat” that is heard in the headphones.  It is true that a click track is used primarily on commercial and pop recordings. The vast majority of the classic jazz recordings that we have discussed here have been done in a studio and none used a click track; they were essentially “live” performances in a studio without an audience.  The whole point of my comment was, as you said, that certain tunes work best at certain tempos.  Can Krall nail it at a faster tempo?  I don’t know about Krall “nailing” anything, but yes it could be done at a faster tempo.  But...

Believe it or not, I was on THE A train when I read your post and listened to Ella’s clip.  Not sure about the meaning of it in this context.

schubert
7,386 posts
 
(https://youtu.be/EazJHMFvQ3sb

This is a Spanish(Barcelona) high-school band folks .



mary_jo
1,525 posts
 
I got it fro. But since you are mentioning it, what did you have in mind when saying about Krall? Not "nailing" anything? 
: ) I probably heard your train so I reflected it.
The clip was just my example of how Ella handles the given tempo. It's top. Better cannot be.

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