What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Joseph K]

A superb album. Here, the blues sounds fresh through what sounds to me like substitutions derived from the octatonic scale, otherwise known as the diminished scale. In any case, its chromatically inflected riff provides the perfect setting for some surpassing solos from Pasqua and Holdsworth - it all sounds super hip and Holdsworth especially comes up with some patterns that induce a delirium in this listener.

[Serial_Apologist]

A superb album. Here, the blues sounds fresh through what sounds to me like substitutions derived from the octatonic scale, otherwise known as the diminished scale. In any case, its chromatically inflected riff provides the perfect setting for some surpassing solos from Pasqua and Holdsworth - it all sounds super hip and Holdsworth especially comes up with some patterns that induce a delirium in this listener.

My ears are telling me it's sequences of 3 semitones interspersed with a minor third, right and down the scale, and transpositions thereof - were I to have knowledge of Messiaen's modes I'd be able to say which one it is and how many possible transpositions are possible. I was doodling with modes on my keyboard this morning, and the visiting boiler repair man said, "Right OK, play us a tune now"!

[Joseph K]

My ears are telling me it's sequences of 3 semitones interspersed with a minor third, right and down the scale, and transpositions thereof - were I to have knowledge of Messiaen's modes I'd be able to say which one it is and how many possible transpositions are possible. I was doodling with modes on my keyboard this morning, and the visiting boiler repair man said, "Right OK, play us a tune now"!

Thanks SA - I wasn't far off, very diminished-sounding.

[Joseph K]

John Coltrane - Meditations

His playing here is similar to the recent A Love Supreme release - just more audible. There's a funny comment on one of the youtube links to that - 'This Elvin Jones record is sick' https://youtu.be/28FDmhoAV0M

[Barbirollians]

Massenet -Esclarmonde- Sutherland/Bonynge et al . I wonder if this is not her finest opera recording outside the Lucia with Pritchard and the Turandot with Mehta . Everyone seems very involved with having dredged up an opera that contains to much beautiful music .

[Tenor Freak]

Just had a little bit of "Crescent" by Mr J. Coltrane and his combo. Very good IMO, it's an under-rated album compared to the one that came next, "A Love Superb" or somesuch.

[Serial_Apologist]

Massenet -Esclarmonde- Sutherland/Bonynge et al . I wonder if this is not her finest opera recording outside the Lucia with Pritchard and the Turandot with Mehta . Everyone seems very involved with having dredged up an opera that contains to much beautiful music .

This needs transferring to its rightful home, methinks.

[Jazzrook]

Massenet -Esclarmonde- Sutherland/Bonynge et al . I wonder if this is not her finest opera recording outside the Lucia with Pritchard and the Turandot with Mehta . Everyone seems very involved with having dredged up an opera that contains to much beautiful music .

Er... and what jazz are you listening to now?

JR

[Joseph K]

Er... and what jazz are you listening to now?

JR

Just ask Ian with his Bartok.

[Stanfordian]

‘Blue Train’ - John Coltrane
with Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones
Blue Note (1958)

[Joseph K]

Allan Holdsworth - Secrets

[Ian Thumwood]

Just ask Ian with his Bartok.

I posted the comment about Bartok because I think Bluesnik had mentioned this music in an earlier thread. String Quartets are generally outside of my listening experience but I have been listening alot to Caroline Shaw's work. The Bartok is a tougher listen, I feel. The later quartets are more interesting although I am coming to the conclusion that the six strng quartets take a lot of listening to in order to get to grips with the music. They are not as lyrical as I had anticipated and I am struggling to see how they relate to jazz. I have quite a bit of Bartok's rchestral music in my collection and have always perceived him as being the ultimate consequence of earlier "nationalistic" composers such as Dvorak and Smetana albeit Bartok's use of genuine folk music led to an air of authenticity that these composers could never attain. I do not see Bartok as "difficult" and there are moments n the pinao concertos where you could be listening to Lizst. in my opinion, the quartets will take a lot more listening before I can properly appreciate.

Picking up on Bruce's comments, "Cresent" represents Coltrane's most under-rated studio album and I have always seen this disc as the apogee of the classic quartet. I would say that there are moments on disc like "Sunship" where Coltrane takes the music to an even higher level of intensity but I have to say that he sometimes leaves McCoy Tyner behind in doing so. At the moment I am reacquainting myself with Eric Dolphys "Outward Bound." I first heard this when I was about 17 and it shocked me whilst at the same time underscoring what a brilliant musician Dolpy was. The blues "245" is one of the great blues performances in my opinion. I had forgotten how good the album was. Like the Walt Dickerson albums of that era, the merit of these discs is compromised by some of the ugliest album covers ever yet the "Outward Bound" session at once sounds totally radical and storngly connected with Charlie Parker. It has always struck me that Dolphy's alto playing sounds like what Parker's would sound like if one of his records was placed on a radiator and melted. The typical Parker "hinges" remain in place yet the intervals and dynamics are far more exaggerated. You can also appreciate that Dolphy was still playing changes. I would have to say that, even after the "New Thing" players who followed in his wake, Eric Dolphy is the one reedman of that era who would still seem radical today. I think Dolphy would have relished contemporary players like Steve Coleman and Steve Lehman and he is one musician who would certainly still seem relevant.

[Jazzrook]

I've always preferred Coltrane's 1964 quartet album 'Crescent' to 'A Love Supreme' and think 'Wise One' is his greatest recording:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=yrqb0373cVs

JR

[Joseph K]

I've always preferred Coltrane's 1964 quartet album 'Crescent' to 'A Love Supreme' and think 'Wise One' is his greatest recording:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=yrqb0373cVs

JR

I love A Love Supreme but always preferred the live A Love Supreme - which is how I got to know this masterpiece - from Antibes. Although IMO Jimmy Garrison's solo is not too enthralling and goes on too long, everything else is absolutely incredible - its intensity & Coltrane screaming, I took to straight away.

[Jazzrook]

I love A Love Supreme but always preferred the live A Love Supreme - which is how I got to know this masterpiece - from Antibes. Although IMO Jimmy Garrison's solo is not too enthralling and goes on too long, everything else is absolutely incredible - its intensity & Coltrane screaming, I took to straight away.

Agreed, JK - The Antibes version of ALS is longer, wilder and more intense than the studio album.
Also, better recorded than the Seattle performance:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=gXk4vw22qIQ

JR