What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Stanfordian]

Horace Parlan with Tommy Turrentine, Stanley Turrentine, George Tucker & Al Harewood
‘On the Spur of the Moment’
Blue Note (1961)

[Ian Thumwood]

If you want to discover jazz that has a high level of integrity I confess that I often go by Jazzrook's reviews on Amazon. On this basis, I have ordered the Black Saint box set of Andrew Hill material from the 1980s and this is currently winging it's way through the post. The Blue note discs are his most celebrated records but I get the impression that the SOul Note records need to be considered in the same light. I really liked the clip of Hill preforming solo and found his technique to be quite interesting as it isn't at all flashy. I have a DVD of him performing solo around 2005 which is ok-ish although the disc with Bill Frisell on the same series is better.

Looking at the leadsheets of Hill's music this week, it is interesting to see how simple the melodies are whilst at the same time appreciating the unique manner in which he pieces together the harmonies which work but are far from obvious and tend to eschew the more contemporary approach of wacking all sorts of altered harmonies to chords. Hill's approach is more about have unlikely sequences of unaltered chords and also using bizarre forms such as tunes with a 19 bar sequence. Andrew Hill seemed to get better with age and refined his art so be ended up sounding like an avant garde Duke Ellington. Some of the tunes like "15/8" almost break your fingers but other's like "Tough love" are easy to play - just as well as this is one of my favourites of his tunes. Even though he is more appreciated these days, there is still something under-the-radar about his music. Talking to another pianist a few months back, he was knowledgeable about pianists such as Peterson and Evans yet had never heard of Andrew Hill. Maybe Andrew Hill is too esoteric and a bit like Herbie Nichols or Lennie Tristano in that he is well outside of the mainstream and the music he composed is not quite a cuddly as Thelonious Monk's who music has an air of mischief about it and an instant appeal. You get the same feeling about Muhal Richard Abrams about whose music I am a bit ignorant albeit I am sure that I would like it if pointed in the right direction.

[Beef Oven!]

Ian, as someone who doesn't know very much about this genre, could you explain for me what makes jazz high integrity, or otherwise?

[Tenor Freak]

Just some random Spotify "Late Nite JAZZZZZZZZ" playlist, not bad actually, though biased heavily in favour of piano trios. Just had Bud Powell playing "Polkadots and Moonbeams" (EXCELLENT) and now it's Oscar Peterson with "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good".

[Jazzrook]

Noah Howard's free-jazz classic 'The Black Ark'(Bo'Weavil) from 1969 with Howard(alto sax); Arthur Doyle(tenor sax); Earl Cross(trumpet); Leslie Waldron(piano); Norris Jones(bass); Mohammed Ali(drums) & Juma(conga):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sze8hgblV4

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Ian, as someone who doesn't know very much about this genre, could you explain for me what makes jazz high integrity, or otherwise?

I am thinking of the kind of musician who doesn't compromise on their musical vision or betray their concept to pursue more commercial projects. For me, Hill epitomises this when you consider the kind of music he wrote, the musical company he kept and how he was faithful to his own style of music. If you like, this is pure jazz. You wouldn't have caught Hill appearing on a label like CTI .

[Jazzrook]

Have never been too sure about Anthony Braxton in the past but he's brilliant on the 2008 trio album 'Beyond Quantum'(Tzadik) with William Parker & Milford Graves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uewh84QcSWQ

JR

[Stanfordian]

Blue Mitchell with Leo Wright, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Gene Taylor & Roy Brooks
‘Go Lightly’
Blue Note (1963)

[Stanfordian]

Horace Parlan with Booker Ervin, Grant Green, George Tucker & Al Harewood
‘Up and Down’
Blue Note (1961)

I've got this CD out for this evening.

[Beef Oven!]

I am thinking of the kind of musician who doesn't compromise on their musical vision or betray their concept to pursue more commercial projects. For me, Hill epitomises this when you consider the kind of music he wrote, the musical company he kept and how he was faithful to his own style of music. If you like, this is pure jazz. You wouldn't have caught Hill appearing on a label like CTI .

Hmm ......

[Stanfordian]

Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones
'Speak No Evil'
Blue Note (1964)

[Jazzrook]

Elvin Jones 1966 album 'Midnight Walk'(ATLANTIC) with Hank Mobley, Thad Jones & Dollar Brand.

Here's Hank Mobley's 'H.M. on F.M.':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9CnftPe5o

JR

[Stanfordian]

Bobby Hutcherson with Herbie Hancock, Albert Stinson & Joe Chambers
‘Oblique’
Blue Note (rec. 1967

[Jazzrook]

Hayes McMullan from the forthcoming album 'Every Day Seem Like Murder Here':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCQBgLq4ghk

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Seeing as I can now get back in to my lounge after clearing up the books and other things I had moved downstairs whilst decorating, I have dug some old CDs out this week that I haven't played for ages. The first of these was Freddie Hubbard's "Open Sesame" which is an early Blue Note. It is interesting to compare to "Hub tones" which was in the car last week. As much as I love Tina Brooks, the latter disc is the better one but I have come to the conclusion that Hubbard's records are pretty consistent on this label. They seem ages apart in their approach but I like both.

Yesterday I dug out an old Brad Mehldau disc called "Places" which has some rather unpleasant urinal location shots in the album sleeve. Maybe this was a homage to George Michael? The music is interesting. I loved Melhdau when I first heard him on "Impressions" and then really looked out for his records with eagerness. Afterwards, my enthusiasm waned and having seen him live on about five occasions have come to the conclusion that he can be brilliant or dull. "Places" is a bit more in the dull category and not one of his best efforts as the material is too similar. I think the record is more appealing than when I last played it though - some of my hostility to his music after nearly nodding off at a couple of his gigs (the concert with Metheny at Vienne was surprisingly underwhelming) has warn off and I appreciate his playing a lot more. Perhaps the problem is that there are too many Mehldau records and maybe I should have gone for the live records. This record stems from the early 2000's and was ultra cool when I bought it .

The last disc is a compilation of Pacific recordings by Gerald Wilson's big band. I am a bit biased here as I love his music. It is always a pleasure to hear this kind of big band jazz - the kind of stuff I cut my teeth on.