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

@curiousjim

Perhaps what I was thinking about was, for lack of a better word, "attitude". 

He's always struck me as being pretty down-to-earth and unassuming -- there's not a lot of ego or "edge" on display.  He doesn't need to brag -- his playing speaks for itself. Rightly or wrongly, I tend to associate such a demeanor with  Midwesterners, no offense intended.  

I have seen my share of shows over the years but there are plenty here who've seen far more, I imagine. I did have the good fortune to live in Santa Barbara from '76 to '82. Many acts would stop there between gigs in LA and the Bay Area.  

On the other hand, I was born just a few years too late to catch the likes of Cream, Hendrix, Joplin or Bloomfield in his prime. Woodstock is quite close to where I grew up and I read somewhere that around the time of the festival, Hendrix travelled to Middletown to see a doctor whose daughter was a classmate of mine.