Brown doff? Be Molleyfied.

**Ian Thumwood** · 27-07-17, 18:19

SA

Some food for thought in this post.

Not sure that I can agreed with some of the comments. SF Jazz Collective being pretty much dismissed. Having seen one incarnation of this band I would have tp say that they attract some of the best musicians around. The edition I caught include Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and Miguel Zenon. Their records are really hard to get hold of but they usually pursue interesting projects and if anyone is going to make Michael Jackson work in a jazz context, it will be this band. Curiously, I think Jackson is one of those pop acts who was more widely respected amongst jazz musicians than amoingst the jazz audience. This could be an interesting gig.

Reagrding the Proms concert with Dianne Reeves, I have to disagree 100%, She is probably the greatest jazz singer of her generation and I would not expect her to produced "dolled up museum pieces." Curiously the repertoire includes tunes from her tribute album to Sarah Vaughan from abut 12 years ago, I have the disc and saw her tiur this repertoire and she was pretty incredible. The repertoire may be quite old but the renditions were contemporary. For my money, she is not only the best jazz vocalist of this generation but one of the best live gigs you can expect to see. Never been less than over-whelmed by her shear musicality and professionalism whenever I have seen her live. 9three gigs so far.)

I think the "museum" aspect is valid regarding programming but I am left wondering just how pissed off musicians must be having to do an Ella / Count / Miles / Coltrane / Billie tribute gigs, This is becoming an overbearing problem in jazz and demonstrates a real lack of imagination by the people producing these concerts. Are they genuine jazz fans and how much jazz do these people actually listen to? I am beginning to think that people outside of the music are having too strong a say in this kind of unimaginative programming. Dianne Reeves is a major artist in her own right and the albums she has put out do deserve to stabd on their own merit. Something like "A little moonlight" is as good as anything by Ella or Sas.

That said, nice to see some obscure Ellington programmed in. If anyone's music needs to be hauled out of the musician and accorded proper treatment, it is Ellington's. For a composer of his stature, I think his music is woefully underexposed these days. Full credit for the Proms to giving "Harlem" an airing.

Final point, no mention in the Laura Jurd comment of her Mercury nomination. The competition doesn't look too great but who, other than journalists trying to look cool, really gives a **** about this award. Not heard the record although caught this band touring the music and felt it was very underwhelming. Most people I have discussed Dinosaur with seem to think she is much better outside of the context of this band which seemed like a water-down Herbie Hancock record from the early 1970's. Not unlistenable but head-scratchingly baffling if this is the best British Jazz album of 2016. ( The Zoe Rahman disc seemed far better from what little I have heard.) There was a link on the BBC news that explained who Laura Jurd was ( without explaining that she comes from Alton - maybe no famous concerts but the second British jazz musician from this area after Gwyneth Herbert - whatever happened to her?) but seemed more interested in quoting her protestations that what she played was not jazz.

I cannot find the link to the particular BBC page but this seemed a massively stupid statement to make as what she is playing is obviously jazz. I have heard some of the concert music she has produced as well and whilst this does include elements of Classical music, it remains still more informed by jazz. It is a bit annoying to say the least. She almost seems ashamed to say she is a jazz musician as if it somehow limits her. Wouldn't it be better for her to say that she was a jazz musician and that this is what jazz can be in 2017? Instead of denying all associations with the music I would much prefer it if she was far more positive. It will be interesting to see if her position changes as she gets older and it no longer seems credible to be "down with the kids,." That said, the audience for Dinosaur last year was largely made up of post-40 year olds and there was a distinct absence of younger faces in the crowd. A marked contrast to when I was getting in to jazz in the 1980s when my contemporaries could be found in the crowd. Maybe my generation had a better handle on what was credible music making and those musicians who had integrity. Come on Laura, start standing up for jazz as opposed to denying it.

I must

**Serial_Apologist** · 27-07-17, 18:59

Er

- I wasn't actually dismissing the San Francisco Collective, if that's what you're claiming, Ian; nor was I disrespecting Dianne Reeves, agreeing 100% with what you say. Most of what's there I've just reproduced from Radio Times, as per usual.

**BLUESNIK'S REVOX** · 29-07-17, 12:45

The Coltrane "You leave me breathless' request on JRR today should be mine. Jazz record shop, first purchase etc. And tenor ballad. Rings ALL ze bells. Fifty years this month from Trane's death. The new Coltrane film part voiced by Denzil Washington, "Chasin' Trane" has got v. good reviews. CK/out Richard Williams who has seen it. His "Blue Moment" blog. Essential.

BN.

**Serial_Apologist** · 29-07-17, 13:04

Originally posted by BLUESNIK'S REVOX View Post

The Coltrane "You leave me breathless' request on JRR today should be mine. Jazz record shop, first purchase etc. And tenor ballad. Rings ALL ze bells. Fifty years this month from Trane's death. The new Coltrane film part voiced by Denzil Washington, "Chasin' Trane" has got v. good reviews. CK/out Richard Williams who has seen it. His "Blue Moment" blog. Essential.

BN.

Good to see you back!

**burning dog** · 29-07-17, 16:24

Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post

Good to see you back!

**BLUESNIK'S REVOX** · 29-07-17, 18:10

Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post

Good to see you back!

Just "Traneing Through". MANY thanks to Alyn for playing Trane's "Breathless", went down really well with its dedicatees. "So romantic, its like being in a Paris jazz club after midnight!" First time my ex wife has been that enthusiastic about jazz! Trane, Red, Paul and AT, they doooooo reach the parts etc...

BN.

**Ian Thumwood** · 29-07-17, 18:38

The 'Trane film was shown at Vienne but the weather was too nice to sit in a cinema and there were other things to do.

It was good to hear the Benny Goodman track "Peckin'" again as this is one of the most exciting performances by his 1930's band. The track illustrated how good Goodman's band was, the dynamics and integration of the solos (almost continuous in this chart which I believe was written by Harry James) tended to dismiss the perceived opinion that this band was over-rated and that soloists were often cut out of the picture in the Swing Era and had to be liberated by Be-bop. James was an extremely potent soloist with Goodman , even if his solos seemed to be based on the originals by Red Allen on the Henderson arrangements where Fletcher's band had got their first. Goodman was an entry point in to jazz for me as my Dad was a very big fan at that time. Although I think the more modern 1940's band was actually much better, tracks like "Peckin'" must have been a revelation to white audiences now aware of what had been going on musically with black American bands. At that point in time, it must have seem inconceivable that James to mutate in to the rather tasteless ballader he became when fronting his own band and together with the quartet track "Just a mood" which was requested a few weeks back, I feel this represents his apogee.

It is amazing at the speed with which jazz evolved in the 1930's that you could hear a performance like "Peckin'" within about five years after some of the later recordings made by the likes of Venuti / Lang which I have been playing yesterday. I love Eddie Lang's music ( although a bit surprising to see how many of the "originals" produced by Lang / Venuti were contra-facts on "Tiger Rag") but the whole rhythmic feel seems an age away from Goodman's first big band. Last week a record of a similar vintage by Teddy Hill was requested which included Dizzy Gillespie. Something of a legendary record, I really enjoyed that one last week but it takes some getting around the idea of bands using bass saxophones as bass lines and Dizzy Gillespie making his debut all happening in the space of five years.

**Jazzrook** · 30-07-17, 09:35

Originally posted by BLUESNIK'S REVOX View Post

The Coltrane "You leave me breathless' request on JRR today should be mine. Jazz record shop, first purchase etc. And tenor ballad. Rings ALL ze bells. Fifty years this month from Trane's death. The new Coltrane film part voiced by Denzil Washington, "Chasin' Trane" has got v. good reviews. CK/out Richard Williams who has seen it. His "Blue Moment" blog. Essential.

BN.

Enjoyed hearing your request for Coltrane's version of 'You Leave Me Breathless' which prompted me to order a copy of 'Traneing In', inexplicably missing from my Trane collection.
Hope the 'Chasin' Trane' film will soon come out on DVD.

JR

**Alyn_Shipton** · 30-07-17, 16:31

We did feature the Coltrane film on Jazz Now on 31 Oct last year for its US premiere, with an interview with director John Scheinfeld. Fallen off the i-player now of course but maybe someone has a C120 with the interview - which was a postlude to Gary Crosby and Denys Baptiste interpreting Love Supreme.

Brown doff? Be Molleyfied.

Brown doff? Be Molleyfied.

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