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I can now see where Michael Garrick derived his own early style on those recordings with Shake Keane and Joe Harriott, whereas before I'd assumed the source was Red Garland, (those pizzicato left hand punctuations) - Mike insisted he'd never heard or even heard of Garland at the time: I should have asked about Hawes!!! - I remember him being very popular with us teenage newcomers in the early 60s, as he seemed to us to represent the ultimate in technique.Originally posted by Ian Thumwood View PostSA
I agree with everything you say. As i said, when I discovered Bill Evans, he was a revelation to me but, by the same token, I felt the same about Hampton Hawes too. I see Bill Evans as a watershed in jazz , largely due to his advanced perception of harmony and the way he redefined swing. I would actually argue that his influence is absolutely crucial to understanding a record label live ECM whose esthetic owes a massive debt to Bill Evans. However, I think there was a trade -off in other respects which, in my opinion, make him not quite as complete a player as say Herbie Hancock. (For example , Hancock's work with horn players and as a "band player" is in a league of it's own.) For me, I regret to say that I admire Bill Evans a lot but he is one of those pianists like Oscar Peterson who leave me totally cold.
One of the best ever piano trio records from the 1960s is Hampton Hawes " The green leaves of summer" where the more egalatarian influence of Evans is apparent. I think this is record is exceptional and is as much a high point as "Portraits in jazz." By this point, Hawes had shed the more direct Bud Powell influence and the interface between the bass and drums team of Monk Montgomery and Steve Ellington owes a lot of La Faro and Motian. Whereas Evans seemed to play a lotof consideration into how he voiced the chords, Hawes strikes me as being far looser and it is debatable whether any other pianist swung so hard prior to McCoy Tyner. It is a record that never ceases to amaze me. I would concede that Hawes was not an original like Evans and probably had little influence on the younger geneation of players who followed him but with this record you can almost hear the approach Keith Jarrett would take with the Standard's Trio. It is a shame that the name of Hampton Hawes doesn't really resonnate much in 2022. My piano teacher was also a massive fan and I think the appeal for many fans was the pianist's relentless swing.
I was looking though some of my music books last night whilst listening to the football on the radio and noted the comment by Jason Moran in my Andrew Hill book which praised Hill's sophisticated concept of rhythm. Hill is another pianist I really admire and someone who took a different approach as opposed to concentrating on a quest for harmonic possibilities. In the end, it does make you realise that jazz piano , perhaps more than any other instrument, is effectively about problem solving and how you deal with harmony, melody, interaction with other musicians and how you tackle solo performance . I think that the rhythmic aspect of jazz piano is an element somewhat overlooked and a quality that is not always appreciated. I love pianists who are more prone to attack against the pulse such as Ellington, Monk, Bley, etc but I would argue that the ability to swing is really important too. Evans is rightly lauded for his harmonic concept and I believe that how pianist deal with rhythm is maybe equally important. I wonder if you have heard this record? You can sense the music owes a debt to Evans yet I feel he never managed to swing as hard as Hawes. The playing by Montgomery and Ellington is as good as anything by La Faro and Motian.
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Interesting to hear Ornette working with vertical harmonies at the piano, and very loose with time which is unusual, though I have to say I prefer his unaccompanied alto here.Originally posted by Jazzrook View PostComment
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The ultimate in swing, I think!Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
Hawes was selt taught. The all night session records are pretty impressive too although from an ealier date. They remind me of my piano teacher insofar that he had an incredible repertoire too that he could rattle off like that session too. He never used a fake book (he was dead set against these books) but kept a little note book which was full of over 300 tunes which he knew.
The Ornette piano solo is fascinating. I think the phrasing in the right hand is markedly different from his alto playing but sound technically demanding. It seems in contrast to the left hand which seem pretty rudimentary. There are moments where he reminds me of Cecil Taylor. All in all, this is absolutely fascinating. The alto playing is impressive. Much better than his trumpet and violin, I think!Comment
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‘The Tokyo Blues’ – Horace Silver
with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor & John Harris Jr.
Blue Note (1962)Comment
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Jaco Pastorius - Holiday for Pans :: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...Cf0gde-zqU55s9
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Ant Law - The Sleeper WakesComment
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Sonny Rollins with Thelonious Monk, Tommy Potter & Art Taylor playing 'More Than You Know' from the great 1954 album 'Moving Out':
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Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack JohnsonComment
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Allan Holdsworth - The Sixteen Men of TainComment
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Encore from the Tanglewood Concert with the IOW band
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The keyboard-duo-solo from the performance of 'Bitches Brew' from that concert is especially magical...Originally posted by burning dog View PostComment
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We don't seem to to get much Steve Lacy on this bored - so here is some
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lovely
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Thanks for reminding me of this album, whose title - a punning tribute to Ornette, one wonders? - just triggered my memory, BD!Originally posted by burning dog View Postlovely
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