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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
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,319 posts
 

Greetings earthlings.

Pardon the interruption for some music.

As periapsis is approached on an increasingly eccentric orbit around your domain, the following seemed worth sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfVCCsgbX14

Not only a superb drummer (playing with Miles at 18!) but an excellent composer as evidenced by every single track on his recording “Civilization” recorded with the post-fusion, hard-bop quintet he put together after returning to acoustic jazz and Blue Note (thank you All Music Guide).

Difficult to understand why it is out of print. Never the less, many tracks on YouTube and, so, something to sample here.

You will not mind how far up in the mix the drums are.

Tony was not shy! :-)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Ciao. We must be on our way.


keegiam
731 posts
 
OK, I confess.  I own a 1951 Olds 98 4-door sedan.  It's a physical connection with a gone by era I love.  A cruise in the 98 can't be replicated in this "digital is everything" era.

And the AM tube radio still pulls in stations from all over the US... just like it did 70 years ago.
pjw81563
1,829 posts
 
ghosthouse

Tony Williams was a incredibly talented drummer and Civilization is a fantastic album. 
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Ghosthouse, I got into jazz in the Summer of 1956 when I lived with my older cousin on the South side of Chicago. That's when the "Southside" was like a city unto itself, and a Mecca for jazz; you could just walk down a neighborhood street and hear the sounds of jazz coming out of open windows. (No AC's; walk peacefully down streets)

My cousin purchased the best available current jazz every week. That was my introduction to jazz. The reason I mention this is to illustrate how long I have avidly been listening to jazz. After listening to so many great jazz musicians for so long, a lot of what has followed sounds "Stereotypical" to me; meaning that it sounds like so much that I've heard before, even when it's very good, and what you presented was very good.

Tony Williams is a fantastic drummer, but the music sounds like so much jazz that I've heard before.



Somehow "Ahmad Jamal" manages to quite often get past sounding like what I've heard before. Ironically, he headed the house band, exactly 3 blocks from where I was living on the South Side of Chicago.



          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOAepSLbohs
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,319 posts
 
@pjw81563 -
Nice to hear from another admirer. I suppose we are really preaching to the choir. For me, I only knew of his reputation based largely on his Lifetime recordings. His post-fusion albums and his compositions in particular were a surprise and elevated my regard for him.

@Orpheus -
Didn’t realize you had posted until I’d finished remarks to pjw.
Honestly, I totally "get" what you are saying about having listened to so much and for so long that many things sound "stereotypical". I can absolutely say that about rock now (most current stuff bores the heck out of me) based on going back, not quite so far as you - but almost.

Not having listened to as much jazz as you, there are still quite a few new discoveries but even with my much more limited exposure there’s a lot of the traditional stuff that does not light me up (sounds the same same same to me; i.e., BORING!). The playing by TW’s quintet on Civilization really engages me, however. The songs are strong as are the performances. Of course the energy TW imparts as drummer certainly works for this aging "blues-rocker".

If you have suggestions for other recordings you think are like Civilization - I'm definitely interested.  THANKS
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