What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Serial_Apologist]

‘The Freedom Book’ - Booker Ervin
with Jaki Byard, Richard Davis & Alan Dawson
Prestige (1963)

One of those recordings I go back to quite often - I just love it.

[Jazzrook]

Archie Shepp with Chet Baker, Horace Parlan, Herman Wright & Clifford Jarvis playing 'Old Devil Moon' in Paris, March 14, 1988.
Two months later, Chet fell to his death from a hotel window in Amsterdam.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=cndWkFCXrTo

JR

[Quarky]

New release from Sun Ra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8wbqgy_q3k

[Joseph K]

This past hour while changing Fender Mustang strings:

John Coltrane - First Meditations

Miles Davis - Isle of Wight (currently on now)

[Joseph K]

Just came across this:

[Joseph K]

Dig - Miles Davis (feat. Sonny Rollins)

First disk of the Miles Prestige boxed set.

[Joseph K]

The Bill Evans Album

[Ian Thumwood]

Joseph

I wonder if you are familiar with the Brazilian guitarist (and pianist) Egberto Gismonti? I have been having a spell of listening to his music in my car of late including the double CD "Sanfona" of which the opening disc is probably his most directly "jazz" offerings although the featured quartet largely features his piano. The second disc is more "abstract" and features him soloing on a a variety of instruments.

This weekend I have been listening to "Duas vozes" which is a collaboration with the late, scene-stealing percussionist Nana Vasconcelos. The music has composing credits yet I think that it does tip over in to "Improv" territory albeit very different from that found in the European scene. In fact, as well as being a virtuoso guitarist who I would consider to be supreme on the acoustic instrument, Gismonti is almost his own oeuvre of music. As good as Gismonti is on this record, the interaction with Vasconelos is magnetic and pitches the music very much towards indigenous Music. Part of the appeal with Vasconcelos was witnessing him perform live where it was impossible to take your eyes off what he was doing. (I believe that he was "discovered" whilst working as a music teacher for handicapped kids and you can appreciate the power of his communication skills if you had ever seen him in concert.) On record, the effect is slightly different. This music comes across as two alchemists experimenting with the possibilities of the sounds their instruments could produce. It is mesmerising, with the direction the music will take frequently catching you unawares. In my opinion, this is not only a great duo but two musicians with a concept that is wholly unique. Difficult not to be fascinated by this record. I feel that very few improvising musicians outside of the strict definition of jazz have achieved the chemistry of Vasconcelos and Gismonti or have produced anything as distinctive as this work.

The solo effort "Danca dos Escravos" is probably the epitome of his work. Again, there is a blurring between composed and improvised and I would argue, an approach to improvisation which is of the ultimate, high order. It is strange that he gets so overlooked when names of the "great" improvisors get mentioned in this forum. For my money, Gismonti is not strictly jazz even if it possesses the attributes of some of the finest soloists from this oeuvre. I find the sounds he coaxes out of his instrument and the unusual tunings set him apart from nearly all acoustic guitarists in jazz. For my money, only Ralph Towner comes anywhere close.

I think that there was a period in the 70s and 80s where you could pick up an ECM disc without having any prior knowledge and discover something very different from the norm and capable of taking you by surprise. I would also have to say that the records were a more fun too and "Duas vozes" is very enjoyable to listen to. Even at his most abstract, there is a energy and lyricism which burns through Gismonti's music which I personally feel sets him apart from so many other improvisors working on the fringes of jazz. I have to say that when it comes to Improv, there is nothing worse to listen to when the music is not in the zone. When the music is "happening" as is the case with Gismonti, it can aspire to extremely high levels of musicality.

I have never heard you mention Gismonti and if you are unfamiliar, I think he is a musician you need to check out if you are exploring the possibilities of what can be done with a guitar.

[Joseph K]

Thanks for the tip Ian, listening now.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for the tip Ian, listening now.

Gismonti is a favourite of Norma Winstone's where his piano playing is concerned. She requested a track on either her Jazz File or Jazz Library.

[Alyn_Shipton]

In next week's Latin jazz edition of JRR, Egberto is featured in duo with Nana Vasconcelos. Judging by the time of your last post S-A, I hope you were listening to this week's edition...

[Joseph K]

While changing the strings on my Godin Fifth Avenue:

Miles Davis - Tribute to Jack Johnson.

This, like In a Silent Way and, well most other albums by Miles from around this time, is some of the most euphoric music ever made (particularly the first track, Right Off).

Everything is clean and fresh now.

[Jazzrook]

Charles Brackeen, Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins & Andrew Cyrille playing 'Worshippers Come Nigh' in Dallas, 1987:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=ScdPgC_Ff8M

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Charles Brackeen, Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins & Andrew Cyrille playing 'Worshippers Come Nigh' in Dallas, 1987:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=ScdPgC_Ff8M

JR

Jazzrook

This is an unfamiliar record for me but so typical of just how much great jazz was being recorded in the 1980s. I remember visiting a jazz record shop near the cathedral in Tours whilst on a holiday to explore medieval architecture around 1993 and the proprietor making the comment that she felt that the jazz recorded in that decade was a potent as anything recorded in the 40s, 50s and 60s. At the time it struck me that so many different opportunities were being offered up in jazz that it was really difficult to keep up. I was obsessed by the likes of Gil Evans, Abdullah Ibrahim and the whole swathe of ECM artists at that time so stuff like this Charles Brackeen disc totally missed me. Over the last couple of years I have been snapping up recordings from that time that I had missed first time around and you start to appreciate just how fertile the more avant garde stuff was at that time. I was in agreement with the shop owner at the time but I have to say that I would probably be even more so now. For example, I was aware of Arthur Blythe who got a lot of airplay at the time yet I find his playing to be so on the money that I cannot believe I have overlooked him to the extent I did.

I wish that I could go back to the 1980s again and then I might listen to some substantially different jazz than I was in to at the time.

Here is another "in the tradition" jazz track by another musician it took me a long while to appreciate. It almost feels to me that the innovations in the 1960s did not come in to full fruition until records like this were being made. This is terrific....

[Tenor Freak]

I would recommend Gismonti's Magico trio (with Haden & Garbarek), particularly their LP on ECM "Folk Songs".