What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Joseph K]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UBgR3Yj93o

Grant Green - Green Blues

Not one of Grant Green's better albums, if the first song is anything to go by.

[Stanfordian]

'The Real McCoy'
McCoy Tyner with Joe Henderson, Ron Carter & Elvin Jones
Blue Note (1967)

[Serial_Apologist]

'The Real McCoy'
McCoy Tyner with Joe Henderson, Ron Carter & Elvin Jones
Blue Note (1967)

Kenny Wheeler once wanted to name one of his own compositions "The Real McCoy" after a fellow musician pointed out a likeness between it and one of Tyner's tunes. Not one for coming up with quick nomenclatures, in the end Kenny decided on "The Little Fella"! It's the final track on his fine 1987 album "Flutter By, Butterfly". Kenny was an even worse punster than the person writing this!

I've just been listening to a cassette broadcast of Paul Rutherford's "Autumn Initiatives", also from 1987, performed by his large ensemble Iskrastra, after the title of the Bolsheviks' newspaper - "Iskra" being Russian for "To strike". But you all knew that already, of course: you didn't need Charles Fox to tell us!

[Joseph K]

Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer

[Serial_Apologist]

Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer

There's a Max Roach Park in Brixton, I tell many people. Apparently several years ago the name came about as the result of a staff consultation by Lambeth Council. They wanted people to come up with names for streets etc, and one staff member just happened to be a jazz fan! I often wonder if Roachy knew about this.

I only mention this because one person said "Really?" when I told him this. I went on to mention that there was a Shorter Avenue in the town where I previously lived... obviously named after Wayne Shorter...

[cloughie]

There's a Max Roach Park in Brixton, I tell many people. Apparently several years ago the name came about as the result of a staff consultation by Lambeth Council. They wanted people to come up with names for streets etc, and one staff member just happened to be a jazz fan! I often wonder if Roachy knew about this.

I only mention this because one person said "Really?" when I told him this. I went on to mention that there was a Shorter Avenue in the town where I previously lived... obviously named after Wayne Shorter...

I think Constable did a painting to greet him also!

[Joseph K]

There's a Max Roach Park in Brixton, I tell many people. Apparently several years ago the name came about as the result of a staff consultation by Lambeth Council. They wanted people to come up with names for streets etc, and one staff member just happened to be a jazz fan! I often wonder if Roachy knew about this.

I only mention this because one person said "Really?" when I told him this. I went on to mention that there was a Shorter Avenue in the town where I previously lived... obviously named after Wayne Shorter...

Night Dreamer is a fine album; each one of the albums in this little boxed set ('5 Original Albums') has its particular attractions, and I think Shorter playing with Coltrane's rhythm section brings out the more raucous aspects of his playing (this is apparent also on the album Juju, not in this collection, but I'd consider a sine qua non for anyone with the slightest interest in jazz...)

[Joseph K]

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour

[Serial_Apologist]

I think Constable did a painting to greet him also!

Not Sargent? Oh no, he was a Singer.

[Stanfordian]

‘A Tribute to Miles’
(a tribute album by four of the five members of the Miles Davis quintet)
Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Ron Carter & Tony Williams
Rhino/Warner Records (1994)

[Joseph K]

‘The Thing to Do’
Blue Mitchell with Junior Cook, Chick Corea, Gene Taylor & Al Foster
Blue Note (1964) - Quite superb!

Finally getting round to listening to this.

[Stanfordian]

Finally getting round to listening to this.

Yes, Trumpeter Blue Mitchell's a big favourite of mine.

If you like Mitchell then I reckon you'll like saxophonist Tina Brooks who is another on Blue Note I highly rate.The 'Complete Tina Brooks Quintet Master Takes' is the one to get:

https://www.discogs.com/Tina-Brooks-Quintet-The-Complete-Recordings-Master-Takes/release/7993253

[Ian Thumwood]

Can't find the post but recall Bluesnik expressing his interest with the ballads album by tenor saxophonist J . D. Allen. This was the debut for his new trio which was formed after the group with Gregg August and Rudy Royston broke up. They have a new album out called "Barracoon" which is something that it really likely to appeal to both Bluesnik and Jazzrook. It would be something that SA is unlikely to appreciate, I would have thought although some of the music sounds freely improvised - it is difficult to tell. Maybe something Joe may wish to explore given his appreciation of Wayne, Henderson and Coltrane as the music is genuinely within that bag even if the ghost of Ornette always seems to be in the background.
I am hugely impressed by Allen, a player whose rhythmic approach owes something to Sonny Rollins's style of improvisation but who has something of the spirit of Joe Henderson in his tone and the serpentine shape of his solos.

The main difference with the previous group is that the bassist doubles of bass guitar in the manner of Tarus Mateen and on these tracks the music goes into Ornette Harmolodics territory. This is not an inch of fusion or funk in the three tracks with the bass guitar but the music is probably more abstract than those with the acoustic bass which has one original sounding like it was written by Charlie Parker. From recollection, Bluesnik commented that the ballad album was very nice but somewhat subdued. This album has one ballad tucked away as the last track and is squarely within the jazz mainstream, albeit a mainstream which embraces playing which would have placed Allen squarely in to the avant garde.

I would have to say that Allen's music is unashamedly jazz and there are no concessions in his playing whatsoever. Either you like it or you are going to find it too listener unfriendly. This album is impressive yet it seems entirely natural and spontaneous. I love his tone yet the solos draw you into the music which sounds all the better for the absence of a piano. The music has a degree of edge and authenticity about it which is often absent in many studio recordings which can seem too polished.

Controversial question. Is J D Allen the tenor of our time ? Beginning to think that he is The Man.

[Jazzrook]

Ian

I'm tempted to order J.D. Allen's 'Barracoon' after reading your recommendation and this review from The New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/arts/music/j-d-allen-barracoon.html

JR

[LMcD]

(About an hour ago) Petroc marked the 90th anniversary of Bill Evans's birth by treating us to 'Blue In Green' (Take 3)