What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Ian Thumwood]

Jackie McLean 'Lights out' with Donald Byrd, Elmo Hope, Doug Watkins and Art Taylor from the album 'Lights Out' 1956

I haven't played this album for ages and had forgotten how good it is, superb early Jackie and Elmo at his idiosyncratic best. Such a great pairing Doug Watkins and Art Taylor, not so obvious on this track but they really drive the band on the faster tracks. Donald Byrd in fine form also

Jackie and Elmo - Right up your street Bluesie......!

https://youtu.be/AIXV2ZHJeIg

elmo

Elmo

I really enjoyed that track.

I have been listening to "Tarbaby", the trio of Orrin Evans, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits with Oliver Lake guesting on alto. The opening track is "Blessed ones the EternalTruth" which is sung by Evans and which sets the overall impression of more mainstream styles flirting with the avant garde. I find the juxtaposition of styles prevent this disc from being too comfortable . Lake is over-looked these days and plays with a tone which recalls Ornette . The trumpeter Josh Lawrence is a new name to me.

I am finding myself compelled to listen to Orrin Evans' music. He seems to stride across the avant garde and contemporary styles with the consequence that the music always has an element of bite about it. Unsettling is the wrong word but you certainly cannot describe his music as being comfortable. Much to enjoy on this disc which would probably be most in keeping with Jazzrook's tastes albeit there is enough in here to keep Elmo onside too.

[Stanfordian]

‘The Honeydripper’ – Brother Jack McDuff
with Jimmy Forrest, Grant Green, Ben Dixon
Prestige (1961)

I love this!

[Stanfordian]

‘Heavy Soul’ – Ike Quebec
with Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton, Al Harewood
Blue Note (1961)

[Joseph K]

[Ian Thumwood]

I have been working my way through a pile of Clean Feed CDs having exploited their summer sale where muh of the back catalogue is going for about £4 a pop. Last week I was listening to Tony Malaby perform some pretty outside music with Slovenian guitarist Samo Salomon. I had the impression that Salomon, who studied with Scofield, was pretty mainstream but I have subsequently found that he tends to operate more towards more outside projects that are closer to Improv. The trio disc was something which yielded more with successive listening but saxophonist Malaby is a revolation. I am now listening to him with Mario Pavone's "Vertical" sextet hwich also features another Clean Feed regular, trumpeter Dave Ballou. I like the lack of a harmony instrument in jazz and the 4 horns make this a good album albeit I will need to give it a closer listen before judging whether it is as good as the two postumus Pavone albums from last year. Pavone strikes me as someone who had a more measured and considered approach to post-bop and I feel deserved a much bigger profile. The music does not leap out at you and I suppose you could call it cerebral . It is a bit like what ECM might have released in the ECMs albeit lacking the austere quality of the music.

Picking up on Joseph's comment about Chopin, the Daniel Bernades trio augemented with quartet of mallet - waving percussionists offers a tribute to Oliver Messiaen on "Litugrgy of the Birds." The premise was really interesting and I suppose Bernades is typical of so many European pianists who are coming into jazz from a classical background. The music is surprisingly mainstream and accessible and deserves plaudits for using a percussion quartet to flesh out a piano trio. Rather than using Messaien's music, the group employs his musical langauge to cross over in to jazz. Not really aware of any musicians from Portugal but the evidence on Clean Feed is suggestive that the owners of the label are quite right to support

The other Clean Feed disc I have been enjoying is the latest Tarbaby album which consists of Orrin Evans, Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis. The principle guest soloist is Oliver Lake and the music seems to bridge the gab between contemporary mainstream rather like Branford Marsalis and a more bracing style of avant garde jazz. I love the time / no changes approach but this music is more squarely within a jazz tradition. The groups really pushes things including a belting "Dance of the evil toys" which has trumpeter Josh Lawrence keeping his calm with all the maelstrom of the rhythm section behind him.

[Ian Thumwood]

This is quite interesting too. A mixture of Classical and jazz albeit I am not sure qite how much improvisation is going on here....

[elmo]

Henry Red Allen with Pee wee Russell, Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey, Happy Caldwell, Pops Foster 'Who stole the lock'

Listening to lots of Henry Red lately and this track makes me think of Steve Lacy's comment regarding when everything comes together the band 'lifts the bandstand' in pure exhilaration. this track I think proves it.

What would be your suggestions (all era's of jazz) of bandstand lifting?

https://youtu.be/ibKx1BbVQ9I

elmo

[Jazzrook]

Henry Red Allen with Pee wee Russell, Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey, Happy Caldwell, Pops Foster 'Who stole the lock'

Listening to lots of Henry Red lately and this track makes me think of Steve Lacy's comment regarding when everything comes together the band 'lifts the bandstand' in pure exhilaration. this track I think proves it.

What would be your suggestions (all era's of jazz) of bandstand lifting?

https://youtu.be/ibKx1BbVQ9I

elmo

A recent discovery for me was Henry "Red" Allen's 1957 album 'World On A String' with Coleman Hawkins, J.J. Higginbotham, Buster Bailey, Marty Napoleon, Everett Barksdale, Lloyd Trotman & Cozy Cole.
Here's 'I Cover The Waterfront':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=1H3KCdrtSj8

JR

[Bryn]

This evening:

https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/eddie-prevost-at-80-3/

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I heard this on French radio this morning (France Musique -Jazz), and it's a wonderful performance - a forgotten performance?

Buck Clayton in Paris 1953, excellent little French band, I'm not sure who the alto is, Guy Lafitte? Only tenor listed,

Anyway Buck Clayton - "Buck's Bon Voyage" 1953

http://youtu.be/7kWRB8a6MYo

[Stanfordian]

‘Heavy!!!’ – Booker Ervin Sextet
Booker Ervin with Jimmy Owens, Garnett Brown Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson
Blue Note (1966)

[Joseph K]

Miles Davis: 'Pharaoh's Dance'

[Interval: practice guitar for half an hour]

Miles Davis: 'Bitches Brew' (currently)

[Serial_Apologist]

Miles Davis: 'Pharaoh's Dance'

[Interval: practice guitar for half an hour]

Miles Davis: 'Bitches Brew' (currently)

Often I find that if I hear something really good (like that) I just want to get to the piano immediately after.

[Jazzrook]

Charlie Rouse with Billy Gardner, Peck Morrison & Dave Bailey playing 'Lil Rousin'' from the 1960 album 'Yeah!':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=20lM8-bocaM

JR

[Joseph K]

On this day in 1965: