What Jazz are you listening to now?

[elmo]

Dexter Gordon 'I was doin alright' with Freddie Hubbard, Horace Parlan, George Tucker and Al Harewood. I love this, so laid back everybody on top form including the underrated bassist George Tucker. Dexter plays one of his best solos on this track.

https://youtu.be/M6a62E9hQ1Q

elmo

[Stanfordian]

‘Somethin' Else’ – Cannonball Adderley
with Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones & Art Blakey
Blue Note (1958)

[Jazzrook]

Italian altoist Massimo Urbani(1957-93) playing 'Blues For Bird' from his 1993 album 'The Blessing':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=s5u5WO-oS-M

JR

[Padraig]

Here's old timer Bobby Gordon from U S, singing with a more contemporary Spanish outfit, in a bow to Muggsy Spanier and Sidney Bechet.

Sweet Lorraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfyCycfBYIM&list=RDOfyCycfBYIM&start_radio=1

[Jazzrook]

The Metronome All Stars with Charlie Parker, Charlie Ventura, Buddy DeFranco, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson, Ernie Caceres, Lennie Tristano, Billy Bauer, Eddie Safranski & Shelly Manne playing 'Overtime' in 1949:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=eZo0Oy9QEwA

JR

[Jazzrook]

The Metronome All Stars playing Lennie Tristano's 'Victory Ball' in 1949:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=uO4od3TyL2A

JR

[Jazzrook]

John Coltrane with Red Garland, Paul Chambers & Art Taylor playing 'I See Your Face Before Me' recorded in 1958 from 'Settin' The Pace':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=BC9E-Lii8-M

JR

[Serial_Apologist]

The Metronome All Stars playing Lennie Tristano's 'Victory Ball' in 1949:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=uO4od3TyL2A

JR

I've often thought from listening to his solo on that, had Parker engaged more with the Tristano school, it could have helped him out of the creative prison he felt he had trapped himself in his last years. He was a great admirer of Lee Konitz of course, and regarded him as the only other saxophonist original, apart from himself.

[Jazzrook]

I've often thought from listening to his solo on that, had Parker engaged more with the Tristano school, it could have helped him out of the creative prison he felt he had trapped himself in his last years. He was a great admirer of Lee Konitz of course, and regarded him as the only other saxophonist original, apart from himself.

Just discovered this CD of complete Parker/Tristano recordings:

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2021/03/22/charlie-parker-lennie-tristano-complete-recordings/

JR

[Stanfordian]

‘Back to the Tracks’ – Tina Brooks
Tina Brooks with Jackie McLean (track 2 only) Blue Mitchell, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers & Art Taylor
Blue Note (recorded 1960: first released 1998)

[Ian Thumwood]

Another composer who came up with the idea of a mystic chord was British, Cyril Scott. To be frank I think the idea of basing music on one chord limits options, so that much of Scriabin's music after the Fifth Sonata of 1908 operates within a narrow harmonic universe, hinting at that resolution that never comes, like an unattainable orgasm. Messiaen's early music avoided this by means of harmonic modal combinations based on different scales, if one thinks in terms of how many jazz people think harmony, and making rhythmic coordination an equal partner. If one considers the music of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Dallapiccola, Petrassi, Gerhard, Schuller and J Dankworth, just to name seven other composers who availed themselves of Schoenberg's 12-tone method, or even at the originator's own works using it, the huge range of styles and sub-genres it offered, just as had the preceding diatonic and modal stages of western musical evolution.

SA

I have some music by Cyril Scott somewhere which was given to me by my paino teacher. I believe is composed "Lotus Land" which was arranged bvy Gil Evans for the Kenny Burrell album "Guitar Forms."

For most of this year I have only been listening to classical music and not much jazz. I am obsessed with Scriabin and have now amassed a collection of a large proportion of his piano work. The later Sonata's are really good in my opinion and I think there are later Etudes where he is heading towards music which is totally abstract and still seems avamt garde today. The more I listen, the more in awe I become.

Part of this obsession has branched out in trying to look at the music. I had the Opus NO, 8 etudes but having heard them performed, they will foreever be beyond me. The Opus 11 Preludes include some playable pieces which are worth going through. I would also say that I never realised that there was such a variance in published editions. I did buy some Schirmer editions of Field's Nocturnes and fond the printing to be a bit poor - not as good as their edition of Scarlatti. The best editions that I find are Henle Verlag. Really clear and with a detailed analysis, these are manuscripts of real beauty. I already had the Scriabin Preludes and Bach's Goldberg Variations which I felt were good., Being bored and sick of Excel spreadhseets, I have bought a few more to brush up my sight reading which is dreadful. My interest in classical music is really driven by what influenced jazz. The two Debussy Arabesques are manageable with the second being a composition I learned abot 30 years ago. I believe they are early Debussy pieces and not particulatly modern. I like the way the chords resolve but would argue that these works are pretty lightweight in comparison with the stuff I would not be abe to play! In addition, I don't feel Debussy sounds as "modern" as Scriabin at the same time - something that surprised me.

Last weekend i bought some Albeniz to read. ("Espana" - not at all familiar with it.) Again, this was a Henle Verlag edition. Another surprise for me insofar at that is recalled Miles / Gil's "Sketches of Spain" whilst the facsimile of the cover reveals this to have been written for "popular comsumption" and maybe not too serious ? I really recommend Henle Verlag as a publisher but too much German stuff in their catalogue or Chopin only playable by Lang Lang.

Good to sight read, I think. Otherwise you get lazy ! Quite intriguing to see links between Scriabin, Bach, Field, Scarlatti and Debussy with jazz. Interesting to speculate what they would have made of jazz but think Bach, Scarlatti and Debussy would have been fans. I feel that Scriabin would have felt constrained at least until 1960s avant garde.

[elmo]

Pulled this album out today, one of those records you buy but never really gave it much credence lots of other Sonny Rollins I'd pick first. How did I not appreciate what a fine album 'Sonny Rollins on Impulse' is, here is Sonnys majestic 'Everything happens to me'

https://youtu.be/90-_sJxZamU

What albums have you dismissed only to have a revelation on re hearing later?

elmo

[Serial_Apologist]

Pulled this album out today, one of those records you buy but never really gave it much credence lots of other Sonny Rollins I'd pick first. How did I not appreciate what a fine album 'Sonny Rollins on Impulse' is, here is Sonnys majestic 'Everything happens to me'

https://youtu.be/90-_sJxZamU

What albums have you dismissed only to have a revelation on re hearing later?

elmo

Yes indeed - I got that one shortly after seeing Sonny at Ronnie's: the celebrated occasion when the house band was playing "Bye Bye Blackbird", when he came out of the Gents playing something else, stood on the edge of the stage in perpetual danger of falling backwards onto the table occupied by two very worried young women, and the band took at least one number to figure it out. Sonny's great asset, especially at that time, was his spot-on conjunction of tone and timing, where I've always thought he was tops, even eclipsing Trane - who in any case was "about" something else entirely by that stage, of course. If that "On Impulse!" session was recorded in the order of the tracks I think he was deliberately holding everyone in suspense, ("Cheeky moonkey" as my Teesside mum would have said), and then giving his all in that final track.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I've always thought Sonny's "On Impulse" album a standout. The one I've also come to highly regard is "Alfie" which I thought was a bit inconsequential, but now realise its merits. Then East Broadway Rundown, solely for "We kiss in a shadow" which is slightly wayward but a favourite.

More generally, the run of Blue Mitchell albums on Riverside and Bluenote yield a load of late pleasures. Some really well considered performances and contexts.

[Jazzrook]

Some superb tenor playing from Yusef Lateef on 'Why Do I Love You?' with George Arvanitas, Reggie Workman & James Black recorded in 1965:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=WwXXi7InrB4

JR