A slice of Danish, Pizza-flambéd

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 23 Sept
4 pm Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton with requests including music by Florida-born pianist Don Shirley. His jazz work experimented with unusual timbres and he treated every improvisation as a composition.

Must admit - a name completely new to me...

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

5 pm - Jazz Line-Up
Julian Joseph presents a set from Grammy Award-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis and his quintet, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland. Lewis's playing mixes elements of gospel, blues, soul and funk, and his music has reached out to a wider audience through a string of million-selling hits in the 1960s, including The In Crowd and Wade in the Water.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095py6m

12 midnight - Geoffrey Smith's Jazz
From 1964 to 1968, trumpet icon Miles Davis revolutionsed jazz with an all-star quintet featuring saxophonist Wayne Shorter and tghe fiery young rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Geoffrey Smith chooses highlights by a classic band.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095q0db

Mon 25 Sept
11 pm - Jazz Now
Soweto Kinch introduces a set by the Firebirds from the Sounds of Denmark festival at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London. The band draws inspiration from such classic works as Stravinsky's Firebird and interprets them through a heady mixture of compostion and improvisation. Also, Al Ryan talks to saxophonist Dave O'Higgins about his new album, and Emma Smith meets African-influenced jazz group Vula Viel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095qdv2

More write up about the Firebirds on the above link.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

JRR - the Miles Davis Quintet (with Hank Mobley) - "I thought about you" request is mine. Many thanks to Alyn once again. There's a lovely bit in Miles solo where he merely infers a quickening time, the rhythm section (Wynton Kelly et al) immediately pick up on it and drop right back in when he doesn't double up. And a lovely solo from Hank Mobley. I've listened again and again to the Miles live "Blackhawk" CDs (tracks and uncut solos) and my respect for Hank Mobley increases each time. He really got a bad rap from Miles...

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

JRR - the Miles Davis Quintet (with Hank Mobley) - "I thought about you" request is mine. Many thanks to Alyn once again. There's a lovely bit in Miles solo where he merely infers a quickening time, the rhythm section (Wynton Kelly et al) immediately pick up on it and drop right back in when he doesn't double up. And a lovely solo from Hank Mobley. I've listened again and again to the Miles live "Blackhawk" CDs (tracks and uncut solos) and my respect for Hank Mobley increases each time. He really got a bad rap from Miles...

BN.

Those recordings between Trane's departure and the arrival of Hancock, Carter and Williams are deserving of positive reassessment, no question about that.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

In one of Alyn's Jazz Libraries, Brian Morton was a big defender of those sides. And "Old Folks" from Miles' Prince Will Come album was one of Charlie Haden's favourite ever records, just for the brief Mobley solo.

[Ian Thumwood]

There ought to be a thread on "transitional" records as there are some tragically over-looked recordings that are damned simply because of the "superior" records made between two different, stellar groups. One of the last records I have bought is Duke Ellington's "Masterpieces by Ellington" which was made in the late 1940's several years after the classic Webster / Blanton band and before the band was rejuvenated by the Newport concert. At the time the perceived wisdom was the Ellington was well behind the curve and had been by-passed by the be-boppers. From the hindsight of 2017, this record is actually far more modern than Charlie Parker in many respects and musically of greater sophistication than your typical head-solos-head bop recording. For starters, the harmonic language is on a different plain and then there are issues with the recording of "Mood Indigo", for example, where Ellington experiments in 3/4 before ultimately jettisoning the form of the composition. I read a review on line which was suggestive that this record was Ellington's greatest achievement and it is not too far from the truth due to the extended nature of the arrangements. Yet, if you read most accounts of Ellington's work, by the late 40's the band was in the doldrums.

I would have to say that I would find it difficult to be as enthusiastic about Miles' "Some day my prince will come" as Bluesnik and would suggest that this is probably Miles' least successful studio recording on Columbia. There is a lot of mediocre material on this disc ("Drad dog" "Old folks" "I thought about you") and the disc is filled out with blues as if Miles wasn't bothered. It is no surprise that, other than the title track, the record remains so little known. A lot of the negativity centres around Mobley and Miles' dissatisfaction is audible. Mobley is not terrible on this record but is hardly his most inspired appearance on disc and his sunny tone is ill-matched to Davis' approach. I don't think Mobley can be faulted for not gelling with the leader in the front line. The appearance of Coltrane on a couple of tracks does not help his cause either. On top of this, there is the issue of Jimmy Cobb's drumming, right in the pocket but only Frank Butler's drumming on "SSTH" is less dynamic in the Miles Davis canon. I feel that Cobb had great time yet could sometimes be a bit monotonous. He certainly lacks the spark of Philly Joe and Tony Williams.

The "problem" with this record is that it is clearly Miles' attempt at making a response to what Blue Note were churning out at the time (Thinking if the blues tracks in particular ) and although it has moments where the music is ok, it is nowhere near as good as "SSTH" which, I feel, is probably the most under-rated Miles Davis record of the lot and includes the leader's finest efforts as a soloist. "Some day my prince will come" is not of the same class despite Wynton Kelly's efforts. It is , perhaps, the one Miles Davis studio record where he went backwards and it is difficult to escape it's retrospective feel. Whilst "milestones" and "kind of blue" are seen as classics (both by transitional groups!!) I would select "Steps" as my ultimate Miles record for this era even though it combines two different and contrasting groups.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Well, we disagree on Mobley and that's long standing but "Prince" is certainly no disgrace as an album. As I said, listening to the full Blackhawk recordings over four CDs (the original LPs were heavily edited) I'm struck by how hard it swings, Kelly is phenomenal, and there's actually an odd affinity of Mobley with Miles, Hank melodic and rounded, Miles being far more thoughtful and sensitive a ballad player than he's often credited. If the partnership was "wrong" it's for the lack of a stark contrast and dynamic.

I agree with you about the Miles/George Coleman group, that does seem to passed by in the rush to praise Wayne, and some of the more recently appeared live recordings are exceptional. There's also the excitement of a band just finding its feet. And themselves.

BN.

[elmo]

You are so right - that Blackhawk band was very special. Miles said some pretty awful things about a lot of fine musicians Cecil taylor, Ornette, Eric Dolphy, Stanley Turrentine, Barney Wilen to name a few so Hank was in good company. Besides the lovely ballads on those albums Hank goes into his solo on "well you needn't" like an express train and
plays a brilliant solo. "

Eddie Henderson in the sleeve notes makes a very pertinent point about this band quote - The difference between the band with Trane and Cannonball and the Blackhawk band was that the band with Mobley, Kelly and PC was more in touch with the people". The audience could recognise the tunes, and it swung. You could see the people's heads moving but eventually the community lost touch with his music and Miles lost touch with the community.

"But there was no other band like this one".

Indeed
elmo

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yes, Henderson's was actually "there". And if Mobley was such a bad choice (and he joined Miles on Coltrane's personal recommendation), then it took Miles long enough to work that out. It was a working band, not some ad hoc unit. And was later expanded with JJ Johnson. THAT would have been interesting.

[Ian Thumwood]

In Miles' autobiography I recall that he stated something to the effect of being bored with music in the early 1960's. There were a number of line-ups which did not record including one with Frank Strozier and there are even supposed to be tapes where Davis was working with a big band. None of these recordings have ever materialised commercially and Davis was scathing of Columbia because he assumed that they would ultimately be released after his death when the label would clean up commercially. This obviously didn't happen.

I don't have the Blackhawk album although I probably have for MD in my collection than anything else. The curious thing about the live albums is that they contain a lot of the same repertoire. In some respects Davis is almost like a Classical musician insofar that we concentrated on a narrow repertoire during this period until he honed his skill. This would account for the music being familiar to audiences or "in touch with the people." You can pick up samples on line on the Blackhawk session but it seems to reinforce the impression of working very much within the Bop idiom whereas the exploration with modal music in the studio suggested a move in a different direction. It is weird how the more interesting repertoire on studio records rarely got performed in concerts and music that had been performed live in the 1950s remained in the book.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yes, the repertoire had something to do with acceptance, and with establishing an audience, Eddie Henderson talks about people "dressing up" to see Miles at the Blackhawk. It was an event. There was a community identification with THAT band as hip to a black audience. Hank Mobley was a crucial part of that, the style and the comprehensibility. There are other figures, Gene Ammons being a prime example, who while being also rans critically, commanded huge community loyalty. And that is not to diminish him. What he did also was "art". Clifford Jordan said that when he and his friends were coming up they derided Gene Ammons as passé. It was only when he matured as a musician that he realised just how good Gene Ammons was and his sheer craft. "They also serve etc..." I'm no longer interested in who advances, only who connects.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

In the early 60's jazz could still be considered to be "popular" and CBS were really good at marketing Miles as well as Ellington who were their prize assets. The point is that Miles was looking for something new and whatever the audience response, my understanding was that he was not that enthused with the bands he had in the early 60's even though they were strong from a perspective of that era. He was looking to move the music forward and bring about jazz - all part of his restless energy.

It is really interesting looking at the "transitional" Davis groups as they seemed to juggle the line up around by incorporating more "modern" soloists but not always doing this with each addition. On "Milestones" it appears to my ears that Red Garland was the one musician who seemed a bit behind the times whereas Adderley seemed more advanced. You could strongly argue that Mobley was in his prime in the early 60's when he was making his best records for Blue Note as well as his best studio moment which was on Kenny Dorham's "Whistle Stop." I am not sure what alternative Davis would have had in replacing Coltrane other than say John Gilmore. I like Mobley's better Blue Note records which attain a level of perfection in that Hard Bop field yet I feel that the reason Davis' groups were so good was the he employed soloists who were capable of drama. Personally, I miss that element when I hear "Someday my Prince will come" and Mobley sounds too comfortable in that context. You cannot fault Mobley's playing but he just seems miscast in a Miles Davis group. You don't sit up and take notice like you do with either Coltrane, Adderley or Shorter when they commence a solo. Davis' misjudgement of Eric Dolphy is bizarre as I really feel he would have fitted in very well with Davis.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Well, he wanted Jimmy Heath but Heath was still subject to parole restrictions and was limited as to tours. Buddy Montgomery (Wes's brother) was taken on board on vibes, apparently very successfully, but he suffered from a huge fear of flying and had some kind of "incident" just as they were about to fly to Paris. Sonny Stitt came in, fine but not really Miles, but again apparently very popular. Rocky Boyd in and out...

I always wondered what 60s Miles would sound like with Jackie Mclean and Vertigo (with Herbie and Tony) give a kind of idea & with Donald Byrd playing very well. Demon's Dance has a "kind" of Miles feel on some

[Ian Thumwood]

Picking up on the idea of music being "for the people", the concert by Ramsey Lewis on JLU last night was woeful in the extreme. Whilst fully understanding the Gospel influence, this still did not explain the uninspiring interpretation of standards which ultimately owed more to cocktail music, especially when the synthesized strings kicked in. The whole effect was like listening to an episode of Dinner Jazz on Jazz FM. I can appreciate why this might have appealed to upwardly mobile elements of the community but it is something when the music is far more interesting for it's social context than the music itself. Curious to hear Ramsey make a statement about the music being art as the gig seemed to have little to do with art itself!

It is intriguing how the paucity of individuals in jazz to established a household name for themselves in music since the 1970s has led to the likes of Ramsey Lewis being booked by festivals in Europe as it becomes increasingly impossible to find big names to play at festivals. It is weird to hear someone like Lewis in concert because you can hear the antecedents of many of today's piano trios in his music as they too try to reach out to a popular audience. For me, Lewis is like an 1960's version of a trio like Go-Go Penguin who have similarly tapped in to popular culture and come up with music which can scarcely be considered jazz. I feel the same about Ramsey Lewis' efforts .

[Ian Thumwood]

Should have added that the Laura Perrudin track was extremely odd. There was a lot of over-dubbing and I wasn't convinced by her voice which seemed to me to sound like a second-rate Esperanza Spalding.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

It's now that kind of Festival...

"Now you know the history of the Montreux Jazz Festival, you'll understand its appeal to international music legends. But that's not all that Montreux is about. It's forever giving new, cutting-edge acts a break and showcasing younger artists who will, one day, replace its big-name headliners.

So alongside Youssou N'Dour, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Herbie Hancock, Grace Jones and Yello – and more recent breakthrough artists like Phoenix, Solange, Bonobo, The Lumineers and London Grammar – are a clutch of acts who'll be hoping to enjoy a similar stature in years to come. We've selected five to check out below. of Festival..."

I've got a friend who religiously goes there every year and she loves it. Ramsey Lewis was completely sold out and she thought he was superb. The Duke Bluesnik Contemporary Five, not so much.

BN.