What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Ian Thumwood]

I have been listening to alot of classical music over the last eighteen months and been discovering a number of composers whose work was previously largely unknown. One composer who has fascinated me in Heitor Villa- Lobos whose work broadly fits in with the heyday of jazz between the teens of the last century and the 1950s. It is fascinating to explore his music which can be quite forthright with pieces like "Amazonias" and also as simple and as child-like as Satie although i think Villa-Lobos was very idiosyncratic and something of a unique character. (FWIW, HVB is far superior to Satie in my opinion.) He seems more appreciated in South America than in Europe where he seems to be tolerated as "local colour." In my opinion, he probably deserves greater recognition.

One of the themes in the Fourth Prelude for guitar seeme familiar to me albeit not as either a solo guitar or piano transcroption. What was annoying was that I knew the theme from something else that I had looked at on the piano as well as from a recording. Eventually it struck me that this was the same tune as "Dorham's Epitaph" frpm the exception Blue Note albu "Whistle Stop." Given that the Kenny Dorham disc was recorde in 1961 and several years after Villa Lobo's passing, I would conclude that it is unlikely that the Brazilian was a Blue Note fan. Had anyone else realised that Dorham had effectivey stolen this music ? Obviously Kenny Dorham must have been a fan to have nicked this theme.

[Serial_Apologist]

Good to see you back, Ian.
Will check out the Tyshawn Sorey album - a new name to me.

JR

Tyshawn Sorey is due to appear in a duo with Pat Thomas at Café Oto in Dalston, this coming Saturday evening - a pretty heavy gig I'd anticipate. Also at 4pm at the same venue, same day, on his own, which I'll try and make it to.. 15 smackers on the door seems fair enough.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Obviously Kenny Dorham must have been a fan to have nicked this theme."

Kenny recorded Villa Lobos' Prelude as a duet with Bobby Timmons on the Matador album from 1962. Which I think followed a tour of Latin America with Jackie Mclean, as per the album.

[Jazzrook]

"Obviously Kenny Dorham must have been a fan to have nicked this theme."

Kenny recorded Villa Lobos' Prelude as a duet with Bobby Timmons on the Matador album from 1962. Which I think followed a tour of Latin America with Jackie Mclean, as per the album.

Here's that Dorham/Timmons duet on Villa Lobos' Prelude.
Beautiful. Deserves an airing on JRR sometime.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=5rEh5-tVOT4

JR

[Padraig]

"Get in there Morton" - a phrase of doubtful authenticity - but one which I believed in my boyhood imagination referred to Stanley Mortenson a footballer of note. It meant 'Save the Day!', and I use it now to cheer on a valiant team keeping the game alive in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Morton abu!


Tuba Skinny "Kansas City Stomp" French Quarter Fest New Orleans #tuba - YouTube

[Tenor Freak]

Tyshawn Sorey is due to appear in a duo with Pat Thomas at Café Oto in Dalston, this coming Saturday evening - a pretty heavy gig I'd anticipate. Also at 4pm at the same venue, same day, on his own, which I'll try and make it to.. 15 smackers on the door seems fair enough.

Tyshawn Sorey is excellent - hope you got to Café Oto to see him.

Oh yes, NP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htXenU4a9cE

[Tenor Freak]

The Trio in Prague 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOLXF9Kv1Ps&t=29s

[Serial_Apologist]

The Trio in Prague 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOLXF9Kv1Ps&t=29s

[Serial_Apologist]

Tyshawn Sorey is excellent - hope you got to Café Oto to see him.

Sadly not - transport services are all bugled up today, as so infuriatingly often on Sundays. Corey mentioned on his programme a possibility Café Oto will have to close, which would be a terrible blow for live "alternative" musics in London. No please NO!!! But many thanks for the Witchdoctor's Son link - one much-praised album I had not previously heard.

[Ian Thumwood]

"Obviously Kenny Dorham must have been a fan to have nicked this theme."

Kenny recorded Villa Lobos' Prelude as a duet with Bobby Timmons on the Matador album from 1962. Which I think followed a tour of Latin America with Jackie Mclean, as per the album.

My mistake!

The Dorham recording was of the original Preludes and not the "Epitath " from "Whistle Stop." The liner notes from the latter mention that Dorham wrote works with strings in a more classical vein that were due to be performed by an ensemble led by Gunther Schuller. I am not sure if this ever happened or whether the music still exists.

[Tenor Freak]

Listening to more Surman now but this time it's a mere five years old - his CD Invisible Threads which is more background music and a lot gentler than The Trio (no drums for a start) as I try to study for an exam.

[Ian Thumwood]

Listening to more Surman now but this time it's a mere five years old - his CD Invisible Threads which is more background music and a lot gentler than The Trio (no drums for a start) as I try to study for an exam.

I listened to loads of ECM records and plenty of Paul Bley disc when I was studying for my exams. These more introspective discs pull you in to the music and I have always found that really useful for focussing on technical literature I had to get through when I was studying. I am not sure I can focus like that now but it is interesting how listening to some music can affect your behaviour. The worst thing to listen to when driving in my experience is probably Louis Armstrong Hot 5 & 7 recordings which are too distracting for me to focus on the road, I tend to spend alot of my "free" time finishing off work from the office (including most of this current weekend) and find that time passes by quicker if I listen to vocal music. This weekend I have been playing a lot of Dianne Reeves. If I have to work late, I would try to listen to something more introspective and throughout September and October I was listening to alot of Enescu's music. The other composer I find interesting to listen to without being a distraction is Scalatti. I have about 50% of the Naxos series where this music is played on a modern piano. Haydn piano sonatas are another new discovery for me and they are good to have on in the background.

One composer I think would be a poor choice for driving / work / study would be Charles Mingus. Last Sunday I came back from Qatar having flown out there earlier to propose to my partner and listened to alot of Mingus' 1970's Atlantic recordings on the inflight entertainment. This seems to change everytime I fly out there and I had slept on the outbound flight. I was not familiar with these recordings and i felt that there were some tracks like "Orange was the colour of her dress, then blue silk." which would rank as some of the best music he produced. I really enjoyed listening to this box set but did not manage to get all the way through it having watched an excellent dinosaur film with Adam Driver in beforehand. I cannot recall these Atlantic records being discussed in this board . The musicians involved included the great Don Pullen, George Adams, Dannie Richmond and a very young John Scofield. I sometimes find Mingus to be a mixed bag, to be honest . The better music on this box set was amongst the best work I have heard by him. Some of the ballads were incredible. I also quite liked the Manu Dibango collection they had to. He is a musician I had seen perform live. I suppose you would call it jazz-infused pop music but it was fun none-the-less. It was a shame the flight ended !

I am quite staggered by the inflight entertainment on Qatar Airlines. When you initially search "jazz", there is a lot of lightweight stuff on there. However, you can do a search on the menu and this always throws up a much wider selection beyond the obligatory Miles and Coltrane. I think the contemporary jazz they have selected is depressing - all groove orientated and with little clout. From time to time, they seem to be right on the money and I just wonder who is making the selections. A lot of the jazz is really obscure and I have listened to the likes of , Charles McPherson, Tony Malaby and Jane Ira Bloom . It is fascinating to pour over the selections as there are always a few gems

[Tenor Freak]

Ian - I am a fan of Mingus' early/mid 70s Atlantic LPs Changes One and Changes Two. In fact I got a request played on the Mingus centenary JRR from that period: Remember Rockefeller At Attica (also known as Just For Laughs when it was on a late 1970s LP I borrowed from Hounslow Library once called Lionel Hampton Presents Charles Mingus). According to Wiki, so assume some caution on this, Mingus changed the title because Hampton was a Republican and a friend of Rocky's. I also warm up on my tenor by trying to play Duke Ellington's Sound of Love which to me is one of the greatest jazz standards out there. Don Pullen and George Adams are on both LPs and are excellent throughout.

Oh yes: NP The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon but just about to put Changes One on.

[Tenor Freak]

NP Charles Mingus - Changes One

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Kenny Dorham 1964 in the Olso home of Randi Huitin, patron,friend and accommodation provider for a host of US musicians, particularly Sonny Rollins. There's a fine book of her remembrances plus cd. This is "Fairweather", Kenny's own, not the Golson tune, just Kenny singing and playing piano. Very informal but lovely.

It also showed up (how?) in the Round Midnight soundtrack played by Chet and Herbie...http://youtu.be/xqvCDwKikGQ?feature=shared