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
O-10, don’t despair too much. Let’s bring some perspective to this issue:

Bob Sheppard didn’t say that he, or the best musicians in LA (or NY) can’t make a living. What is true, and what I believe he said, was that they are not nearly as busy in the studios as they once were; they are not making as nice a living. The “best” musicians, in a sadly shrinking scene, will always make a living. I assure you that Bob Sheppard is still making a nice living. Of course, it depends on what one considers a “nice living”. For perspective:

Do you know what a top studio musician was earning each year during the heyday of the LA and NY studio scene (pre about 1990)? Several hundred thousand a year. Second and even third tier musicians would earn at least a couple hundred thousand. Fast forward to the present. A guy like Sheppard, while not as busy as he once was in the studios will now supplement the previously steady studio work by doing clinics and making solo appearances on records like the Steely Dan record that I mentioned as well as his own projects. I doubt that Sheppard earns less than $175K to $250K a year.

There was a time in NYC when the concert master of the NY Philharmonic quit his high paying job with the Phil because he could earn much more in the studios. That doesn’t happen anymore. During the heyday of the big band era there was so much work for musicians that it is fair to say that there were a lot of mediocre players earning a living in music.

In LA there is a relatively small group of “the best”, and they are incredible musicians, who play all the movie dates and are still earning a lot of money. Of course, what all this also means is that the pool of “the best” becomes smaller and smaller; ergo, more and more competitive and very very difficult to break into that scene. As Sheppard points out, they are MOSTLY symphony players. Why? Because for the music that they are required to play on all those John Williams (and others) scores, they are “the best”. As Schubert pointed out, in Jazz it is about the players and their individuality. In Classical, which is what most of those movie scores are mostly like, it is about the composer and the score. The truth is that the best Classical players are better INSTRUMENTALISTS than most Jazz players. They sound better on that type of music and they save the producers money because they need to do fewer takes; they are more accurate. Of course, Jazz soloists are sometimes needed and that is when someone like Sheppard comes in. It is true that as a result of all this many of the third tier players do scuffle to make a living. The best are ok.

Enjoy your music.
Nice! Thanks. Didn’t know they had recorded together.  Going on the to buy list.  Blades is the poet of salsa; beautiful lyricist:

https://youtu.be/a1mREa7p1oA

https://youtu.be/J463761hjng

https://youtu.be/SfsusiORoek