What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Stanfordian]

‘Natural Essence’
Tyrone Washington with James Spaulding, Kenny Barron, Woody Shaw, Joe Chambers & Reggie Workman
Blue Note (1967)

[Serial_Apologist]

Lennie Tristano's 'Descent into the Maelstrom' composed in 1953.

This could create quite a stir if played on JRR!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99UTNVHLgEk

JR

Never knew that existed. If that was performed at the time it would have re-written jazz history - extraordinary! And many thanks JR.

[Joseph K]

‘Natural Essence’
Tyrone Washington with James Spaulding, Kenny Barron, Woody Shaw, Joe Chambers & Reggie Workman
Blue Note (1967)

Just curious, do you stream all these albums or actually own them as CDs?

Now listening (via CD):

Virtuoso - Joe Pass

[Stanfordian]

Just curious, do you stream all these albums or actually own them as CDs?

Now listening (via CD):

Virtuoso - Joe Pass

I never stream. Own them all on CD! However, the very rare exception is this one which is only a CD-R, one of the half dozen or so I have.

[Joseph K]

[Jazzrook]

Never knew that existed. If that was performed at the time it would have re-written jazz history - extraordinary! And many thanks JR.

I believe 'Descent into the Maelstrom' was recorded in 1953 using overdubbing in Tristano's home studio in NYC.
Apparently it's an improvised conception of an Edgar Allan Poe story.
Way ahead of his time!

JR

[Stanfordian]

‘Heavy!!!’
The Booker Ervin Sextet: Booker Ervin, Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis & Alan Dawson
Blue Note (1966)

[Serial_Apologist]

I believe 'Descent into the Maelstrom' was recorded in 1953 using overdubbing in Tristano's home studio in NYC.
Apparently it's an improvised conception of an Edgar Allan Poe story.
Way ahead of his time!

JR

If that was The Pit and the Pendulum, it would need to be heard from behind the sofa!

[Serial_Apologist]

‘Heavy!!!’
The Brooker Erwin Sextet: Booker Ervin, Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown Jaki Byard, Richard Davis & Alan Dawson
Blue Note (1966)

That's one fantastic album I really should have - what line-up! I had the privilege of meeting Jaki Byard at a festival once - with his New York Jewish wife, who was one of the funniest people I ever met.

[Ian Thumwood]

I was not aware of that track either although I knew Tristano experimented with multi-tracking.

By coincidence, one of the albums I was listening to in my car last week was the solo disc "The New Tristano." I think this disc is worth the money for "C Minor complex" alone and it is a track that I have loved since I first heard it in the mid 1990's. The whole album is quite intriguing although nothing else on it quite lives up to this one track. Most of the tunes are contrafacts on standards although there is a paraphrase on one number that derives from "Donna Lee" which itself is based upon the changes of "Indiana." Tristano is fascinating for so many reasons and I find his playing to be full of paradoxes. For all his avant credentials, the music he produced usually stems from standards so the "Maelstrom" composition is quite a revelation. He famously included two spontaneously improvised pieces with his sextet and these two tracks caused the record label Capitol to panic and they then abruptly ceased dealing with Modern Jazz and concentrated on much more mainstream material. I also think that there is a coldness with his analytical approach to jazz which makes him perhaps even closer to the ethos of someone like Bach than John Lewis simply because he eschewed dynamics. The solo piano music is almost mechanical and lacks a human quality yet the despite the lack of emotion it really fascinates. "The New Tristano" is an interesting record and pretty mesmerising yet "C minor complex" strikes me as being the one piece he recorded where the potential of his ideas met full fruition. If anything, I think the "problem" with Tristano was that he was actually too ahead of his time and despite his avowed love of Charlie Parker, listening to this solo record makes me wonder just how much more at home he would have been with the way jazz has evolved today. The whole concept of how Tristano tackled improvisation is almost unique in jazz because the music is about the process more than anything else. I love his interplay between his two hands when he solos and the use of cross rhythms. I also would have to say that the whole album is almost totally devoid of themes or heads and have always been staggered that a label like Atlantic took a punt on it. Part of Tristano's musical language sounds to me like it comes out of Be-bop yet he deploys these ideas in a fashion that still seems unique.

[Beef Oven!]

‘Heavy!!!’
The Booker Ervin Sextet: Booker Ervin, Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis & Alan Dawson
Blue Note (1966)

I don't know this at all.

But the date, the label, the lineup and the year .................. It's a must listen, for me! Thanks for the heads up on this, Stan.

[Stanfordian]

I don't know this at all.

But the date, the label, the lineup and the year .................. It's a must listen, for me! Thanks for the heads up on this, Stan.

It's on YouTube.

[Beef Oven!]

It's on YouTube.

I'm listening to it on YouTube right now! I'm near the end of track 2. Flippin' marvellous! Again, thanks for bringing this to our attention

P.S. Very good sound quality on this YouTube upload .....

This is a keeper, though - I'll wait for a reasonably priced download or CD to come along.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's on YouTube.

Good! - must check tomorrow, thanks!

[Beef Oven!]

Good! - must check tomorrow, thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L79yRnXYo1Y