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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
pryso
1,986 posts
 
O10, and others with a similar interest, you very likely know that Shelly Manne made several recordings with the same trio except it was identified as being led by Andre Previn. I’m not sure but possibly the label thought Previn was more broadly known so might sell more records? Anyway, the Previn Trio produced several very good albums. Playback is not that great here but the music shines through -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m_ra7ypzM

I had a good friend in San Diego who was a drummer strongly influenced by Manne, Jim Plank. Always very tasteful and supportive of the music without every "showing off". He was also a percussionist with the Symphony, but jazz was his real love. I use past tense only because he retired.
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pryso
1,986 posts
 
Frog, while "cool jazz" has been an accepted term for some time, more recently I suspect it causes confusion.  A new subdivision emerged some years ago, "smooth jazz", and I fear cool jazz gets mixed up with that by those only looking at the broad heading.

I don't care for smooth jazz, to me it sounds like what I hear in a doctor's office or even in an elevator.  It's the "light beer" of the jazz world.  It may fit the very general category, but has no substance.

So now that exposes two prejudices I do hold! ;^)
pjw81563
1,835 posts
 
In the Lou Donaldson interview I posted above the interviewer asks Lou about the band he was in that played the soundtrack for a movie called "Pitch A Boogie Woogie" Here a very interesting article I found which mentions the many players who auditioned for the soundtrack band. Here is an excerpt from the article


""Coltrane was just a kid when he came through," he said. "There were so many of them that came in wanting to jam, and we had this trick to keep them thinned out. 'Cherokee' is a difficult tune, especially the bridge, in B flat, and we had 10-12 tenors waiting. It was Guy, Woods and me, and all these trumpet players and sax players waiting to jam. So we changed the key to B. Coltrane stumbled on his solo and put his horn down."

Lou Donaldson passed the test.

Full article here:

https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/text/116


jafant's avatar
jafant
20,534 posts
 
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