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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
1,835 posts
 
A little laid back but I enjoyed these Eric Gale tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D4ckrFVzzQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHnYaXFRy50

I read somewhere that Gale was mainly a hired hand as a session guitarist. His sessions as a leader unfortunately lean toward the "smooth jazz" genre which I do not like. Of course those sessions were produced by CTI - Creed Taylor who even made a Wes Montgomery session sound like "elevator music"
jafant's avatar
jafant
20,529 posts
 
Ben Monder
mary_jo
1,525 posts
 
All nice postings and one imho extraordinary from pjw, thank you, you made my day with that. Jelena Ana Milcetic (Helen Merrill)’s parents are indeed from Croatia. But she was born in NYC.

I have been reading about her and can’t help noticing that she was underrated singer since I stumble on some names all the time but not that often on hers. It’s a quite pity if you ask me, mildly would be to say that I like her singing, her soothing, breathy and husky vocal.

She was quite popular in Japan and was called there “the Sigh of New York.” She traveled and performed abroad a lot; Germany, Brazil, Italy, Japan, what probably made her less popular in USA...

She was at first into folk music but she said later that jazz called out to her: “Because it sounded honest to me, and it seemed like a place I could enter with my strange conception of music.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqIWzT6cmqA
mary_jo
1,525 posts
 
p.s. I must say that I was recently offered to sing on a jazz composition (!) by one, Segovia would say, REAL composer. Can you believe that? Of course, I can't accept it since I have no idea how to do it, it takes years of practice, but it feels good just to get the offer like that. 

More from Helen...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnn_gosCqg
pjw81563
1,835 posts
 
mary jo why not give it a try? Astrud Gilberto never sang professionally until the group Stan Getz had assembled in Brazil had to wait a couple days for the professional singer to show up and he asked band member Joao Gilberto to have his wife sing so they could practice while waiting for the professional singer. Stan liked her voice and she went on to sing one of the greatest jazz songs ever in popularity and in sales:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkxFhFRFDA


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