What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Ian Thumwood]

Miles Davis - The Man with the Horn - specifically, 'Fat Time'... sounding better than I remember it.

This is exactly my impression when I was given a LP version of this album as a present. It was castigated by the time Miles had got a number of albums under his belt by the mid-1980s as lacking the finesse of his later work. There was always a perception that Miles was a bit rusty on this album but I would argue that it is probably one of the last times on record that he was actually going for it and not posing.

Working from home today, I have been playing some ECM albums included Tomasz Stanko's "Suspended Night" which is a very low-key album which struck me as a little disappointing , especially as it followed on from a number of exceptional albums. Listening again on it's own merits, I think it really swings but at some incredibly slow tempi. It almost feels like classic Bill Evans trio in it's range of dynamics. Less impressive is Ketil Bjornstad's "Water Stories" which, despite the appearance of Terje Rypdal, never actually goes anywhere. This disc marked a point for me when I started to think that ECM were not always reliable and where the idea of music with considered contemplation can come across as a bit pointless if the music is not really "happening." For me, the music is almost cosmetic on this disc with the tracks all sounding remarkably similar and almost becoming aural wall paper.

I also manged to find my copy of Keith Jarrett's "Dark Intervals" which, in it's way, is inaccessible and forms an uneasy bridge between improvised music and Classical. The sound of the piano is captured extremely well in the recording It is difficult to describe this record as being "avant garde" as the music sometimes has a hymnal quality about it yet I think Jarrett deserves credit for releasing so many live recordings which effectively expose his works to some of the darker elements which make this record somewhat impenetrable.

Peter Erskine trio with John Taylor on piano up next.....

[Serial_Apologist]

This is exactly my impression when I was given a LP version of this album as a present. It was castigated by the time Miles had got a number of albums under his belt by the mid-1980s as lacking the finesse of his later work. There was always a perception that Miles was a bit rusty on this album but I would argue that it is probably one of the last times on record that he was actually going for it and not posing.

Working from home today, I have been playing some ECM albums included Tomasz Stanko's "Suspended Night" which is a very low-key album which struck me as a little disappointing , especially as it followed on from a number of exceptional albums. Listening again on it's own merits, I think it really swings but at some incredibly slow tempi. It almost feels like classic Bill Evans trio in it's range of dynamics. Less impressive is Ketil Bjornstad's "Water Stories" which, despite the appearance of Terje Rypdal, never actually goes anywhere. This disc marked a point for me when I started to think that ECM were not always reliable and where the idea of music with considered contemplation can come across as a bit pointless if the music is not really "happening." For me, the music is almost cosmetic on this disc with the tracks all sounding remarkably similar and almost becoming aural wall paper.

I also manged to find my copy of Keith Jarrett's "Dark Intervals" which, in it's way, is inaccessible and forms an uneasy bridge between improvised music and Classical. The sound of the piano is captured extremely well in the recording It is difficult to describe this record as being "avant garde" as the music sometimes has a hymnal quality about it yet I think Jarrett deserves credit for releasing so many live recordings which effectively expose his works to some of the darker elements which make this record somewhat impenetrable.

Peter Erskine trio with John Taylor on piano up next.....

Possibly the greatest piano trio of all time to have included a British jazz musician? I still find myself blown away listening to that broadcast.

[Jazzrook]

Possibly the greatest piano trio of all time to have included a British jazz musician? I still find myself blown away listening to that broadcast.

...and here is that Peter Erskine Trio in Salzau, Germany 1993:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=chscQ6iHgB8

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Possibly the greatest piano trio of all time to have included a British jazz musician? I still find myself blown away listening to that broadcast.

I would agree and think that there is something about Peter Erskine's drumming which made John Taylor's playing become more focussed. I saw the trio in Southampton in a double bill with John Abercrombie's organ trio and it was an exceptional concert. These are two bands whose music I love but , setting aside his work with John Surman and Kenny Wheeler, I feel that John Taylor's work with this trio represented the pinnacle of his playing. I also saw him in another trio with Joey Baron as well as one with Steve Arguelles which did not reach quite the same levels. For a while in the 1980s and up to the mid 1990s, John Taylor represented one of the very best things about British jazz and there was a sense a pride in the fact that one of our own was more than a match for what was happening in the States. Harmonically, John Taylor always struck me as the most switched on after Herbie Hancock. It is fascinating how some piano players are better served by more forceful drummers. This certainly seemed the case with John Taylor who admired the sheer musicianship of Peter Erskine but I also feel that there are wildly different pianists like Andrew Hill and Bill Evans who produce better work with more powerful drummers - a good example of the latter is the trio with Shelly Manne.

The last time I saw him perform was with a French group at Vienne a few weeks before he sadly passed away. They were playing music from French cinema and it was a little under-whelming. It is funny how jazz has evolved since the 1990s , in particular the way the piano trio has built upon the traditions of Peter Erskine's trio and the then contemporary Bobo Stenson trio which operated in a similar style. I have all three albums by the Erskine trio. "Time being" and "As it is" are exceptional yet the final album "Juni" was a massive disappointment largely due to the fact that the material on the album was not so strong. There is quite a bit of reimagining of works by English classical composers on these discs and I had initially thought that this was inspired by John Taylor. However, Peter Erskine is apparently a huge fan of British composers and he was the one responsible for the inclusion of this repertoire.

I would also have to add that Dave Holland has worked with some brilliant piano trios in the past, not least the great Kenny Barron. I have not really followed the host of recent trios on ECM other than the likes of Tord Gustavsen who I have seen twice in concert and only managed to stay awake on the second occasion ! There are other player like Collin Vallon who I have not listened to at all as well as a host of other names whose work is totally unknown to me. There are so many piano trios on ECM that , rightly or wrongly, you perceive that they might not sound that different - especially those who hail from the European conservatoires. I think that ECM's recording quality is particularly well suited to piano trios. At the moment I would have to say that Gerald Clayton is the piano player I find the most rewarding to listen to.

[Joseph K]

Bill Evans - Live at Shelley's Manne-Hole - Stella by Starlight

[Ian Thumwood]

Just thought I would mentioned that Southampton are top of the Premier League this morning.

[Joseph K]

Coltrane's song Transition is so awesome, I could listen to it over and over again.

[cloughie]

Just thought I would mentioned that Southampton are top of the Premier League this morning.

ts has already heralded it on the footy thread but good to see however temporary it is!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Cedar Walton - "Piano Solos", a rare LP that never made it to CD as I understand it. 1981 on the "Clear Cuts" label. I've only just discovered this and it's more than a bit special....http://youtu.be/NFdylR81lCI

[Jazzrook]

Chick Corea with Joe Henderson, Gary Peacock & Roy Haynes live in Montreux, 1981:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=SZ5L_Ykl9ks

JR

[Stanfordian]

‘Search for the New Land’ - Lee Morgan
with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Grant Green, Reggie Workman & Billy Higgins
Blue Note (1964)

[Joseph K]

I've stumbled across a couple of incredible Italian guitarists who play jazz guitar with classical technique (the first one here has the same guitar as me) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY9nSR71a90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4GP9yXearA

[elmo]

Classic albums can sometimes be so dominated by an iconic track that the remaining tracks get somewhat overlooked. I think a good example is Trane's " My Favourite things" Marvellous track but what about " But not for me" especially Trane's tag ending after a fine solo by McCoy.

https://youtu.be/icVF6YNyej4

elmo

[Joseph K]

Classic albums can sometimes be so dominated by an iconic track that the remaining tracks get somewhat overlooked. I think a good example is Trane's " My Favourite things" Marvellous track but what about " But not for me" especially Trane's tag ending after a fine solo by McCoy.

https://youtu.be/icVF6YNyej4

elmo

The first few chords sound similar to Trane's tune 26-2...

[Quarky]

Folllowing broadcast on JRR, I invested in a download of Refocus, Tim Garland + string section.

Tim in excellent shape. Strings may not appeal to everyone, but here the strings are a working section of the group, not a velvet cushion as per usual.

A bit dreamy at times, but I like it!