What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Serial_Apologist]

As a follow-up to the Bobby Hutcherson offerings recomended by Ian, I'm listening to this, the first (1971) recording by our own John Taylor, who died little over a year ago, under is own name. The obvious link to one of the Hutcherson/Hancock tracks is provided by the opening chords here referencing "Maiden Voyage", and the homage to Herbie's album "Speak Like A Child" of 3 years earlier is clear, though imv our guys put their own spin on that influence. Some lovely work from Kenny Wheeler on this, and for me Tony Levin on the drums - also terribly missed from the UK scene - is every bit as effective a propellant as Mr Chambers on the Hutcherson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kccmDV0etc

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

As a follow-up to the Bobby Hutcherson offerings recomended by Ian, I'm listening to this, the first (1971) recording by our own John Taylor, who died little over a year ago, under is own name. The obvious link to one of the Hutcherson/Hancock tracks is provided by the opening chords here referencing "Maiden Voyage", and the homage to Herbie's album "Speak Like A Child" of 3 years earlier is clear, though imv our guys put their own spin on that influence. Some lovely work from Kenny Wheeler on this, and for me Tony Levin on the drums - also terribly missed from the UK scene - is every bit as effective a propellant as Mr Chambers on the Hutcherson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kccmDV0etc

That is a surprisingly good record, to me anyway, as I missed it first time around and only caught up with it a few years ago. The obvious influences as you say but something personal. A bit like Kenny Cox did with Miles' second quintet's concept.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

Got to say that I have "turned traitor" and been listening to a pop record all evening!! I am quite shocked by how good Michael Kiwanuka's "love and hate" is. The title track is terrific but I don't recall ever hearing a pop record with so much space for improvisation (MK's guitar switching from Terje Rypdal to dirty, grungy blues the next) and the tunes are remarkably consistent. The obvious comparison is with Bill Withers but the whole disc features a guitar / bass / drums group fleshed out with a choir and some string writing which adds real depth to the whole record. Amazingly, there are no fillers on this disc and the production values, whilst present, never swamp the record as is the case with most pop music today. The reviews are suggesting 1960's soul influences which may be fair enough yet the retrospective feel of the record is actually one of it's strengths. Oddly for a pop record, there is quite a bit of improvisation on this record and the first track unfurls over the course of 10 minutes.

[elmo]

Just bought the latest J D Allen album "Americana" by his regular trio with Gregg August on Bass and Rudy Royston on drums. It has developed into a really tight group, Allen has really matured and Royston has developed sound of his own - well worth checking out - I like tenor trio's.

G Smith's Quincy Jones programme playing some nice stuff tonight - Jessica's day is a lovely composition

elmo

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Just bought the latest J D Allen album "Americana" by his regular trio with Gregg August on Bass and Rudy Royston on drums. It has developed into a really tight group, Allen has really matured and Royston has developed sound of his own - well worth checking out - I like tenor trio's.

G Smith's Quincy Jones programme playing some nice stuff tonight - Jessica's day is a lovely composition

elmo

Yes, it was. I've got the two CD box of Q's first pure jazz albums, some really nice stuff with Stitt, Lucky Thompson and Adderly etc. Didn't realise he was only in his mid twenties when he produced those. Should have. His "The Ray" opener for Ray Charles's 1956 album is perfect. Very hip band on that European tour also.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

I believe that Quincy jones was about 17 when he first started to write for Lionel Hampton's big band.

Elmo - good to see you back.

I am always a bit confused by J D Allen. I have one record with him as part of jaimeo Brown's trio which eventually won me over. However, I was loaned a CD were he was a member of Jeremy Pelt's quintet and thought the album was a bit of a travesty as they were simply copying Miles' second quintet. The result was a real shock to me as it was exactly the New-Neo stuff that was often so ridiculed in the 1980's and I was massively disappointed as I had previously enjoyed Pelt's more electro-acoustic group which was far more savvy. One of my friends has enthused about Allen's performances in the past and the reviews by this trio are usually well received. It is one I may check out.

[Old Grumpy]

Iiro Rantala - Jazz at the Berlin Philharmonic V: Lost Hero - Tears for Esbjörn

Live recording of a tribute to the eponymous driving force of EST - sadly killed in a diving accident.

I first "discovered" the music of Iiro Rantala when (the one and only) Penny Gore played a track from Rantala's album Lost Heroes on Morning on Three (remember the glory days?).

I was (to coin a phrase) blown away by this album.

Julian Joseph played a track from the Rantala trio's latest release how long is now on Jazz Line Up recently - this is now on order...

...looking forward to it.

OG

[Beef Oven!]

Giving this CD a spin this morning, and very good it is too.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Absolutely gorgeous record. I think one of the very best of the early Impulses...and of Shepps.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

It only took me about 6 weeks to set up, but I have got my new turntable working and have been digging out some old LPs that I haven't been able to play for years. I've been listening to all sorts of weird stuff from Claude Thornhill to Tadd Dameron, from Jan Garbarek (when he was good) through to 1980's George Russell (actually sounds much better now that it did then!) and on to Al Cooper's Savoy sultans and Loose Tubes.

I have been playing loads of Sonny Rollins this evening. "The Freedom Suite" still sounds really exciting but I had forgotten just how good the session with Sonny Clark called , somewhat in error, "The sound of Sonny. " It should have been in the plural. This isn't that lauded an album but I had forgotten just how good it was. Rollins is timeless. In fact, he isn't really Hard Bop or any kind of school / agenda /style of jazz. Listening to him, he now seems as much as an influence on modern players as Coltrane and maybe even more relevant. Even though he is a giant of jazz, I am not sure he is as appreciated as he should be.

[Serial_Apologist]

"The Freedom Suite" still sounds really exciting but I had forgotten just how good the session with Sonny Clark called , somewhat in error, "The sound of Sonny. " It should have been in the plural.

When I was 15 and on holiday in Evian-les-Bains, I bought a French copy of an album whish was praised on re-suue a few years ago under a diffferent title, I think, but my copy was titled "Dizzy et les Deux Sonny" It comprised two slow blues, the standard "I Know That You Know" and Dizzy's lovely "Con Alma", and I can't remember much more about it other than that Ray Bryant was on piano, and did a lovely slow boogie intro of several choruses before Sitty, I think, came in.

This isn't that lauded an album but I had forgotten just how good it was. Rollins is timeless. In fact, he isn't really Hard Bop or any kind of school / agenda /style of jazz. Listening to him, he now seems as much as an influence on modern players as Coltrane and maybe even more relevant. Even though he is a giant of jazz, I am not sure he is as appreciated as he should be.

Well I have to say I am surprised to hear you say that, Ian, because the one influence I have never been able to detect is that of Rollins on Coltrane. They were friends, and both had that Dexter influence, early on in 'Trane's case, but longer lasting in Rollins's, I would say: a matter of phrasing more than sonority.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

When I was 15 and on holiday in Evian-les-Bains, I bought a French copy of an album whish was praised on re-suue a few years ago under a diffferent title, I think, but my copy was titled "Dizzy et les Deux Sonny" It comprised two slow blues, the standard "I Know That You Know" and Dizzy's lovely "Con Alma", and I can't remember much more about it other than that Ray Bryant was on piano, and did a lovely slow boogie intro of several choruses before Sitty, I think, came in.



Well I have to say I am surprised to hear you say that, Ian, because the one influence I have never been able to detect is that of Rollins on Coltrane. They were friends, and both had that Dexter influence, early on in 'Trane's case, but longer lasting in Rollins's, I would say: a matter of phrasing more than sonority.

Coltrane's " Like Sonny" from the Atlantic period is a direct homage built from Sonny's tenor solo on Kenny Dorham's "My old flame" (Riverside). Just a brief tumbling phrase that must have impressed Trane enough to work it into a full composition. Like Sonny.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

S.A

I think you have misread me. My point was that Rollins is of more influence on today's jazz musicians than Coltrane. For me I feel that Rollins bases his solos on motifs which he develops and is more rhythmic than Coltrane. The influence of Rollins was pretty obvious if you listen to Albert Ayler. Rollins seems to have transcended be-bop and if Coltrane was the over-whelming influence on tenor players in the 70s and 80s, these days Rollins, Shorter and Joe Henderson seem equally important these days. I have been playing "The Bridge" today and this is an even better example of a timeless record by Sonny Rollins. Although it sounds different to the same line up led by John Scofield with Joe Lovano, it doesn't seem such a generational gap as something more representative of the early 1960s'. It was a great shame that the quartet with Jim Hall didn't make any more records.

[elmo]

I love confronting my prejudices - I hadn't played the Max Roach album "Jazz in 3/4 time" for years because I thought the theme statements sounded rather corny and I sort of dismissed the album because of it. Played it today and what a revelation, yes the theme statements on the standards still sound a little dated but what beautiful solos by Kenny Dorham and Sonny Rollins especially on "I'll take romance"

https://youtu.be/eAFF7R3LDNg

elmo

[Ian Thumwood]

This week it seemed appropriate to listen to something that was a bit more aggressive. I dug out the copy of Odean Pope's "Odean's List" which features an octet with the likes of James Carter , David Weiss and Terrell Stafford. The fact that the band is driven by the drums of the exceptional Jeff "Tain" Watts tells you everything you need to know. Quite why Odean Pope isn't so well known is a mystery to me but this is one of the records which spring to mind whenever I think out Tigran Hamasyan's comment at a workshop I attended a few years ago that the African-American / be-bop model of jazz no longer has any relevance. To my ears, the closer jazz resembles Odean's style of music, the more authentic it seems. The principle ballad features a duo with the bassist on "Say it over and over again" and this track really demonstrates what a great soloist he is.

The other album I have played this week is Art Blakey's "Free for all." This record is a nice contrast to the Pope disc as the record seems to mark a point in time when Hard Bop started to evolve in to post-bop. This disc , if you like, is a precursor to the Pope one, albeit I think that the saxophonist is probably more open to freer elements than Blakey ever was. The Blakey record is not one I could play all the time but I do believe that is one that constantly cries out to be given an airing. There is a muscularity about it which is a marked contrast to so much contemporary jazz, especially the jazz coming from Europe or made popular on such labels as ACT or ECM. I love the skull-cracking intensity of this disc and if the bombastic nature of "Free for all" is only one facet of the Pope record, both discs benefit from this masculine and aggressive approach - a quality that is missing from quite a bit of the current scene. For my money, the Pope and Blakey discs are of the same class.