What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Serial_Apologist]

- who is "Bic" and why do I need to know s/he's next to the beck, anyway?

That's a seriously hintonesque question, ferney!!

There was a fine British jazz pianist who worked a lot in Europe, and who died not so long ago. His name was Gordon Beck, and I've often thought his name should be made an expression of admiration: "Gordon Beck" - making him an antonym to the reviled Gordon Bennett of Cockney mythology!

[Jazzrook]

Sam Rivers overlooked 1965 BLUE NOTE album 'Contours' with Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter & Joe Chambers.

Here's 'Mellifluous Cacophony':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVyb-a7WHYA

JR

[Pianorak]

Proms tonight. Live at BBC Proms: BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor John Mauceri, with singer Dianne Reeves and trumpeter James Morrison in a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie in their centenary year.

Worthwhile tuning in? Thought I ask the experts.

[Braunschlag]

Proms tonight. Live at BBC Proms: BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor John Mauceri, with singer Dianne Reeves and trumpeter James Morrison in a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie in their centenary year.

Worthwhile tuning in? Thought I ask the experts.

I'd say so, if only for James Morrison, he can play anything (all brass,sax,keyboards, he must have an extremely flexible gob to adjust to all those emboucheres). Don't know much about Diana Reeves but Morrison is a real wizard.

[Stanfordian]

'Cornbread'
Lee Morgan with Billy Higgins, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock & Larry Ridley
Blue Note (1967)

[Braunschlag]

'Embouchures' - lest a moderator pulls me up for my spelling.
If you haven't heard Morrison this is a fine example of his craft

[Braunschlag]

This link was supposed to go in.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kgogPUgym3Q

If it isn't there look up James Morrison Scream Machine on YouTube.

[Serial_Apologist]

Proms tonight. Live at BBC Proms: BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor John Mauceri, with singer Dianne Reeves and trumpeter James Morrison in a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie in their centenary year.

Worthwhile tuning in? Thought I ask the experts.

My ex just rang to remind me of this "gig". Shan't be tuning in.

Ian feels differently towards it, I think.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'd say so, if only for James Morrison, he can play anything (all brass,sax,keyboards, he must have an extremely flexible gob to adjust to all those emboucheres). Don't know much about Diana Reeves but Morrison is a real wizard.

The mind gobbles - I mean boggles!

[Pianorak]

Thanks Braunschlag and Cereal Apologist - I only asked because listening to Dianne Reeves on YouTube I couldn't warm to her voice at all. But I'm no expert and not really into jazz. - Back to Haydn and Andreas Staier.

[Pianorak]

This link was supposed to go in.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kgogPUgym3Q

If it isn't there look up James Morrison Scream Machine on YouTube.

Thanks, Braunschlag. I actually liked that.

[Braunschlag]

Pleased you did - its one of his more insane pieces but does at least demonstrate his enormous range, only Arturo Sandoval can compete with that!
I downloaded the sheet music off JM's website a few years back and threw it at the trumpeters in my school big band and they lived it. Mind you, I had to transpose it down a fifth

[Ian Thumwood]

I thought that this evening's Prom concert was extremely interesting even though there were elements which were a bit mixed. I could have done without the Gershwin piece that opening the concert although I would have to add that I am not really bowled over by him as either a composer of "serious" music (which always seems of it's era and a bit twee) and the standards which are not better or worse than a host of other songwriter's efforts. The other pieces which featured the band without the guest soloists included an instrumental by Ernesto Lecuona which did not belong in the programme as well as the arrangement of "Caravan" - smart enough as this arrangement was, this tune surely deserves to be binned as it is just too unfamiliar.

The "jazz" elements provided the highlights. The element with James Morrison tended to reaffirm my opinion of him as a mechanical technician and whilst the trumpet playing had sufficient about it to keep your interest, his work is devoid of character. I find him a strange player and difficult one to reconcile with his "day job" of presenting the Australian equivalent of "Top Gear" on television. I have never seen him perform in person but this was the first chance I had to hear him since he first burst on the scene. Technically he is very clever yet I am not convinced that he is some sort of heir to Dizzy. That said, there are plenty other "technical" trumpet players whose work leaks me cold whether it be Harry James, Clifford Brown or Terence Blanchard even though they all have their adherents.

The elements with Diane Reeves certainly increased the musicality of the evening. If I a honest, although Ella had a fantastic voice and was as technically flawless as it was possible to be in her generation, I find her shooby-dooby scat singing to be execrable and it has probably done more to put people off jazz than anything else - probably even Anthony Braxton! Her song book interpretations are masterful however and I can totally appreciate why they element of her work is held in esteem. Discussing this concert with my Dad this evening, he thought Diane Reeves was awful and I suppose it is a generational thing because , for me, Reeves has taken the Sarah Vaughan approach to singing and applied the kind of post-bop harmonies to her vocals that give her incredible vocal range the effect of being a double-edged sword. I would take Diane Reeves singing over Ella's every time and, in this post-Betty Carter era, she seems to be able to cover both the pop material as well as jazz charts complete with sophisticate ideas like the 5/8 over 4/4 Billy Childs arrangement of "Fascinating Rhythm" tonight. The wordless vocal tango performed towards the end of the concert was the evening's highlight and just about as adventurous as the kind of improvising you could expect to find at the Proms.

The last point of interest was the rare outing of Ellington's "Harlem", described by the conductor as the Duke's greatest musical achievement. I am not sure that I agree with this but would concur that it was one of his most ambitious compositions and exactly the kind of jazz that the Proms should be presenting. This was the musical highlight of the evening and I applaud the BBC for getting the music dusted off and given an airing. Worth more note-worthy than any jazz I have seen on the BBC television for years and maybe indicative of the need to give Ellington's more obscure and ambitious work a regular spot in the Proms. It is a shame that SA decided to give this a miss and "Harlem" was compelling and further accentuated my affection for all things Duke. It may seem odd to make this statement but I keep on discovering hitherto unfamiliar compositions by Ellington that appear to be neglected masterpieces that I feel Ellington and Strayhorn are actually under-rated. There is so much fantastic material written by the two that deserves to be better known that probably pass many jazz fans by.

[Stanfordian]

‘Here to Stay’
Freddie Hubbard with Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Reggie Workman & Philly Joe Jones
Blue Note (1962)

[Serial_Apologist]

‘Here to Stay’
Freddie Hubbard with Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, Reggie Workman & Philly Joe Jones
Blue Note (1962)

Ah yes, the Jazz Messengers one with the wrong drummer!