Jazz for aficionados

Jeff Darrohn,   T-Bird ‘60.   
 

Well recorded.  A lot of depth and separation.

@alexatpos

I would say that lots of my jazz records that I bought first were from 70’s jazz, music that somewhat sounded (to me anyway at the time) like ’rock’ music of that era. As I have continued to listen jazz, I started more and more to appreciate ’older’ stuff, first from 60’s and than to 50’s and still I have not returned to that 70’s jazz sound.

I have a different experience.

I also came to jazz through the fusion of the 70’s (Mahavishnu, RtF, Iceberg, Gong, etc, etc), and then began to appreciate jazz from the 60’s. But not too much from the 50’s. Post-bop. modal, avant-garde are my main interests in pre 70’s jazz.

But most of my taste in jazz, is from the 70’s forward, up through the present. So many contemporary jazz musicians suffer in relative obscurity, that IMO, rival some of the best from the past. And there is plenty of world class contemporary fusion, too.

I also still listen to prog. There is plenty of great, contemporary prog, much of which, is not trying to copy the sound of prog of the 70’s. But even a lot of the contemporary prog, that does have a bit of a retro feel, is still done so well, that it is still well worth listening to.

@stuartk 

Re: Atonal

Atonality can vary in its presentation from minor to complete dissonance.

That being said Eric Dolphy has just as many recordings with minor dissonance, and mostly so, then he has with complete dissonance (I call it chaos)....

Archie Shepp is another example of this

Ballad

The Shadow Of Your Smile - YouTube

Minor Chaos

Archie Shepp - Yasmina, A Black Woman - YouTube

The term "free jazz" can vary in its definition. Did it not start with Ornette Coleman

Major Chaos 

Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz (1961) (Full Album) - YouTube

@pjw81563

tonality can vary in its presentation from minor to complete dissonance.

Yes -- this is indisputable.

And you are correct -- Eric Dolphy does not engage in "chaos". Nevertheless, I find I do not enjoy his playing, at this point. When Jazz soloing is mostly consonant -- that is to say, when most pitches are targeted straight on-- I can enjoy touches of dissonance. I have plenty of Post-Bop recordings of sax players employing over-blowing and other extended techniques but Dolphy tends to not hit many pitches straight on -- his sound is quite "wobbly" in terms of intonation, overall, and this I do not enjoy.

I don’t know what qualifies as the earliest Free Jazz recording. Coleman’s Free Jazz isn’t a favorite but I do enjoy his "classic" quartet albums.

Are you familiar with Sam Rivers’ "Contours" ? I love Freddie Hubbard’s playing on that but Rivers is just too outside for my tastes. To use the analogy of a coloring book, Hubbard’s playing goes back and forth between staying "within the lines" and crossing over them -- he weaves back and forth and makes a point of maintaining a connection with consonance while Rivers, to my ear, is not nearly as concerned about this connection. Consistent with your assertion that I highlighted, It’s a matter of degree, not an either/or polarity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxNeEYxue54

Santi DeBriano,   Obeah.  
 

With Kenny Barron, Sonny Fortune, Jerry Gonzales & Billy hart.