What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Joseph K]

Herbie Hancock - Thrust

Through headphones, owing to the time of day! But I think I'm enjoying it even more being closer to the music.

RIP bassist Paul Jackson.

[Ian Thumwood]

"Thrust" is an excellent album. I was not aware that Paul Jackson has died this week and was sorry to hear this news.

The Headhunters records are really vehicles to demonstrate Herbie Hancock's incredible harmonic concept. Initially I was not enthused by them and it takes a while to appreciate what is going on. "Thrust" is the best album and is the more interesting of the two. I think that it is the harmonic element of Hancock's playing which is the main draw here and have always felt that Bennie Maupin was slightly underused in the studio. For me, these albums are more interesting than say Weather Report's work in this era because of Hancock's playing benefitting from the concept. To my ears, Zawinul often seemed to be trying to replicate a big band approach with the group's reduced number. A lot of his music seems pre-arranged whereas Hancock's concept has improvisation at the heart.

I remember a discussion on this board about ten years ago regarding freely improvised piano playing where there seemed to be a consensus that Cecil Taylor's atonal approach offered the apogee of how adventurous piano playing could be. In my opinion, I would suggest that Hancock's playing is no less radical than Taylor's in this respect but I have always felt that his use of harmony is second to none and , for this reason, I admire his playing more than Taylor's.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Thrust" is an excellent album. I was not aware that Paul Jackson has died this week and was sorry to hear this news.

The Headhunters records are really vehicles to demonstrate Herbie Hancock's incredible harmonic concept. Initially I was not enthused by them and it takes a while to appreciate what is going on. "Thrust" is the best album and is the more interesting of the two. I think that it is the harmonic element of Hancock's playing which is the main draw here and have always felt that Bennie Maupin was slightly underused in the studio. For me, these albums are more interesting than say Weather Report's work in this era because of Hancock's playing benefitting from the concept. To my ears, Zawinul often seemed to be trying to replicate a big band approach with the group's reduced number. A lot of his music seems pre-arranged whereas Hancock's concept has improvisation at the heart.

I remember a discussion on this board about ten years ago regarding freely improvised piano playing where there seemed to be a consensus that Cecil Taylor's atonal approach offered the apogee of how adventurous piano playing could be. In my opinion, I would suggest that Hancock's playing is no less radical than Taylor's in this respect but I have always felt that his use of harmony is second to none and , for this reason, I admire his playing more than Taylor's.

I saw Headhunters in 1974 at the Vic Rooms in Bristol - that was when Thrust had just been released, and the band played music from it and the still-more famous first release. It was unbelievably loud - not in the bass department but the highest frequencies. We left at the end totally brain wiped, and I've never quite forgiven Herbie for that. Nevertheless the concept and combination, basically layering the synthesised blips of Kraftwerk over Bootsy Collins-type funk bass figures and then shuffling the rhythmic co-ordinates unexpectedly, with added interest and tension brought about by how far any improvisation could be stretched, were an interesting experiment - one that fulfilled its leader's love of technology, while at the same time revealing more of his humorous side than hitherto. Commentators have nevertheless noted that his own improvising language was adapted rather than progressed, and Hancock himself acknowledged the limitations imposed by the static harmonic format. Subsequently he showed emerging hip-hop how it could be done (Rockit), co-ran the acoustic VSOP quintet, amalgamated the two sides of his creativity into one, and found he could make light of the precision and even send up up his earlier efforts - by which time jazz critics who had decried Herbie for "betraying" jazz in the early 70s had a new angle to beat him with!

[Joseph K]

Commentators have nevertheless noted that his own improvising language was adapted rather than progressed, and Hancock himself acknowledged the limitations imposed by the static harmonic format.

Not all the tunes are static harmonically though, are they? Thrust features more changes than Headhunters.

Interesting that you should say they were unbelievably loud, I sort of had the opposite problem at the Barbican November 2019 - Herbie's piano didn't cut adequately through the mix. I didn't mention reporting back on here, I kept the disappointment to myself, but the acoustics were a bit crap.

[Jazzrook]

Ornette Coleman with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden & Ed Blackwell playing 'The Legend of Bebop' in New York on July 26, 1960:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Fvwyed4a9q4

JR

[Bryn]

[elmo]

Listening to lots of tracks by the tenor player Bill Barron, a fine musician who seemed equally at home with the (1960's) avant garde as he was with post bop. Can't understand why he is so neglected; he would have fitted really well into the Blue Note catalogue of the likes of Andrew Hill, Grachan Moncur, Dolphy, Cecil Taylor etc. I think he would have fitted into Miles great second quintet between Sam Rivers and Wayne's stints.

Here Is Bill with Ted Curson (also underrated) George Arvanitas, Herb Bushler and Dick Berk recorded in 1965

https://youtu.be/SDHfhLeVrLY

elmo

[elmo]

The Big Challenge " Alphonse & Gaston" Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, J C Higginbotham, Lawrence Brown, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Freeman, Billy Bauer, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Gus Johnson.

Great line up, great music.

https://youtu.be/q1RWgO725m4?list=PLejQ_7QnC-zpQnI8kbF-wiSFG5B4vWJkS

elmo

[Jazzrook]

Listening to lots of tracks by the tenor player Bill Barron, a fine musician who seemed equally at home with the (1960's) avant garde as he was with post bop. Can't understand why he is so neglected; he would have fitted really well into the Blue Note catalogue of the likes of Andrew Hill, Grachan Moncur, Dolphy, Cecil Taylor etc. I think he would have fitted into Miles great second quintet between Sam Rivers and Wayne's stints.

Here Is Bill with Ted Curson (also underrated) George Arvanitas, Herb Bushler and Dick Berk recorded in 1965

https://youtu.be/SDHfhLeVrLY

elmo

Here's Bill Barron & Ted Curson with Buell Neidlinger & Dennis Charles on Cecil Taylor's 1959 album 'Love For Sale':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=fJt6kaLLMK4

JR

[Jazzrook]

Steve Lacy & Eric Watson playing 'Peggy's Blue Skylight' from the album 'Spirit of Mingus' recorded in Paris, 1991:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=iToF9dsLvh4

JR

[Serial_Apologist]

Here's Bill Barron & Ted Curson with Buell Neidlinger & Dennis Charles on Cecil Taylor's 1959 album 'Love For Sale':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=fJt6kaLLMK4

JR

Ah, Bill Barron - yes! I thought I hadn't come across him before... Will listen to the other clips later, many thanks.

[Joseph K]

Today, while Spring Cleaning half my room:

John Coltrane - Interstellar Space

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (only disk one)

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (live - only Acknowledgement & Resolution)

Interval - tea

Weather Report - Boogie Woogie Waltz

Herbie Hancock - Chameleon

(the last two were played on my phone via youtube since I had to disassemble my desk to move it, which involved obviously taking my Hi-fi off it)

John Coltrane - Impressions live from Antibes 1965 - his last recorded version of this tune as far as I know, it is quite surreal and spiritual

And, lastly and currently: Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane and Jeff Sipe - Personae. I absolutely love this album. Check out the title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUaLpigdUk

Oh and Serial Apologist: No, I did not hoover while listening to Bitches Brew.

I am looking forward to next Sunday, when I'll clean the other half of my room!

[Serial_Apologist]

Today, while Spring Cleaning half my room:

John Coltrane - Interstellar Space

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (only disk one)

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (live - only Acknowledgement & Resolution)

Interval - tea

Weather Report - Boogie Woogie Waltz

Herbie Hancock - Chameleon

(the last two were played on my phone via youtube since I had to disassemble my desk to move it, which involved obviously taking my Hi-fi off it)

John Coltrane - Impressions live from Antibes 1965 - his last recorded version of this tune as far as I know, it is quite surreal and spiritual

And, lastly and currently: Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane and Jeff Sipe - Personae. I absolutely love this album. Check out the title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUaLpigdUk

Oh and Serial Apologist: No, I did not hoover while listening to Bitches Brew.

I am looking forward to next Sunday, when I'll clean the other half of my room!

Wot - no sherry before dinner?

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Johnny Nicholas... "House Cleaning Blues"

http://youtu.be/7DzU7UFFUGI

[Jazzrook]

Bill Barron with Booker Ervin, Kenny Barron, Larry Ridley & Andrew Cyrille playing 'Now's The Time' in 1962:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=-ouSwy98BYo

JR