What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/DfS7QkxywDU

Sweet!

[king ubu]

I'm liking the playing of Rene Thomas on this. And the sound of his guitar is cool.

René Thomas is da shit, as dey say!

Seriously, you need his "Guitar Groove" (with the great J.R. Monterose on tenor and the late Hod O'Brien, two more unsung heroes). And you may look into anything else he has recorded, there's not all that much, alas, and plenty of what there is isn't easy to find. There's a website that's not fully functional (anymore/at this time? I don't know), but the chronological discography is working:
http://thomasia.free.fr/chrono1.php

The Jazzland album ("Guitar Groove") was out on Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics series and has since been reissued by PD labels (the most recent reissue is on Freshsound, I think, coupling it with the okay-ish "United Notions", an all star date with fellow Belgian Bobby Jaspar, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Nat Adderley, Rolf Kuhn a.o.),

The other must have is Eddy Louiss/Kenny Clarke/René Thomas Trio (or just Eddy Louiss Trio) - this one:
https://www.discogs.com/de/Eddy-Louiss-Kenny-Clarke-Ren%C3%A9-Thomas-Trio/release/3356582

Then there are two rather nice discs in the Jazz in Paris series, "Meeting Mr. Thomas" and "The Real Cat".

[NikF]

René Thomas is da shit, as dey say!

Seriously, you need his "Guitar Groove" (with the great J.R. Monterose on tenor and the late Hod O'Brien, two more unsung heroes). And you may look into anything else he has recorded, there's not all that much, alas, and plenty of what there is isn't easy to find. There's a website that's not fully functional (anymore/at this time? I don't know), but the chronological discography is working:
http://thomasia.free.fr/chrono1.php

The Jazzland album ("Guitar Groove") was out on Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics series and has since been reissued by PD labels (the most recent reissue is on Freshsound, I think, coupling it with the okay-ish "United Notions", an all star date with fellow Belgian Bobby Jaspar, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Nat Adderley, Rolf Kuhn a.o.),

The other must have is Eddy Louiss/Kenny Clarke/René Thomas Trio (or just Eddy Louiss Trio) - this one:
https://www.discogs.com/de/Eddy-Louiss-Kenny-Clarke-Ren%C3%A9-Thomas-Trio/release/3356582

Then there are two rather nice discs in the Jazz in Paris series, "Meeting Mr. Thomas" and "The Real Cat".

Yeah, he's something else.

I already have the 'Guitar Groove' release on Fantasy Original Jazz Classics and also 'The Real Cat' on the Gitanes/Jazz in Paris, but the others are new to me. So thanks for the tips - it's appreciated.

[NikF]

John Lewis: Grand Encounter.

[asin]B00NJ1MR3K[/asin]

John Lewis has been mentioned recently and this is a further fine, fine outing for him. Also, although I shouldn't single him out of such a great line up, Jim Hall is another of my favourite guitarists and he's cool on this too. Good stuff.

e: and now listening to -

Barney Kessel: To Swing Or Not To Swing: Vol. 3.

[asin]B000026EOA[/asin]

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Disc 3, Miles and the 1st great quintet® box.

[SimonNZ]

Mario Pavone - Boom (2004)
Vijay Iyer - Historicity (2009)

[king ubu]

John Lewis: Grand Encounter.

Great album, that!

Myself, digging into this one - full of great, great music that never fails to surprise and win over, although I've known it for more than 20 years now:

[NikF]

Myself, digging into this one - full of great, great music that never fails to surprise and win over, although I've known it for more than 20 years now:

And look at that line up. Good stuff.



At the moment I'm taking this route -

George Shearing: The Shearing Piano.

[asin]B00005JH4U[/asin]

[bwv 1080]

[NikF]

Stan Getz: At the Shrine.

[asin]B0000046LQ[/asin]

[SimonNZ]

Kenny Barron - Live At Fat Tuesday's (1988)

and learning that Kenny is going to be playing here next weekend, though the tickets are very pricey

[HIPster]

Harriet Tubman - Ascension

[asin]B004OKFIPE[/asin]

Harriet Tubman's mission is to show how we ve digested the ideas our jazz mentors passed to us and how we applied them using the musical tools of our generation. Melvin Gibbs

There are multiple dimensions to the name of the pioneering band Harriet Tubman. The name certainly is a tribute to the African-American hero and leader, but it also alludes to freedom seeking in music, a paramount goal of the band. The combo of guitarist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer J.T. Lewis leads listeners to planes where music is free of stylistic limitations and designations. Ascension, Harriet Tubman s new recording on Sunnyside Records, introduces an expanded Double Trio that channels the spirit of earlier masters (namely, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane) in reaching new musical heights.

Harriet Tubman has pushed the boundaries of musical expression since 1998. The group s members combine solid performance experience with inventive skills to create a unique sound that blends jazz, rock, funk, soul and blues. Guitarist Brandon Ross has been a leader in advancing guitar vocabulary and has played alongside Henry Threadgill, Cassandra Wilson, Leroy Jenkins, Me Shell Ndegéocello, among others. Melvin Gibbs is regarded as one of the best electric bassists in the world, known for performing with bands such as the (Henry) Rollins Band, Power Tools (with Bill Frisell and Ronald Shannon Jackson) and the Sonny Sharrock Band, along with producing artists such as Arto Lindsay and DJ Logic. Drummer J.T. Lewis is a founding member of the legendary Living Colour jazz/rock band and has performed with several legends like Herbie Hancock, Don Pullen, Sting, Lou Reed and Tina Turner.

Echoing the legendary expanded ensemble work of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane during their creative heights in the 1960s, Harriet Tubman bolstered its aural palette with the addition of three open-minded musicians: trumpeter Ron Miles and turntablists DJ Logic and DJ Singe. The bassist suggested recreating Coleman s remarkable Double Quartet recording Free Jazz (Atlantic, 1960) with Harriet Tubman and the addition of Ron Miles and four DJs. When two DJs dropped out of the project, the idea of the Double Trio emerged. The group invited Miles to lead what became a second trio, thus loosening the focus on Coleman s masterpiece. They widened their scope and found inspiration in John Coltrane s landmark recording Ascension (Impulse!, 1965), which also included an expanded ensemble. The band s restyling of the Ascension themes has provided a frame of reference for listeners. The group s unique performance ability and aesthetic have a model to which it may be compared (much like measuring a musician s mettle by his/her ability to cover standards becoming jazz tradition).

Harriet Tubman Double Trio aims at achieving the same high level of performance attained by these historic recordings. The members of Harriet Tubman have been steeped in the music of the African-American avant-garde and regard these progenitors as important influences. The music created on Ascension was informed and structured using different systems of spontaneous composition learned from heralds like Coleman, Coltrane, Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith.

[NikF]

Hank Jones: Quartet-Quintet

[asin]B0013A2MXO[/asin]

While I don't find this his most memorable outing I consider Hank Jones always to be a worthwhile listen.

[SimonNZ]

Enrico Rava - Animals (1987)
Maxine Sullivan - Tribute to Andy Razaf (1956)



Tal Farlow - '78

[NikF]

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz. Red Hot and Cool.

[asin]B000056EVE[/asin]

[HIPster]

Miles Davis - The Mute

[asin]B0000562Y8[/asin]

Excellent mute-focused, Japanese release.

A compilation of cuts from the Prestige releases.

JVC gets the sound right. 

Glorious mono of course: the BIG sound. 

[NikF]

Chuck Wayne: String Fever...Plus.

[asin]B00005B7RT[/asin]

[king ubu]

Coltrane! Coltrane! Coltrane!





Played tracks from throughout his career, and also the above albums in their entirety. Also played portions of this:



After that, went on with the two Coltrane (John, that is) tracks from this:



And now am digging stuff out of this lovely box:



The studio cuts with Roy Haynes from 1963 and 1965, and then more 1965 sessions that appeared mostly on posthumous albums ("Transition" and the two "Mastery of John Coltrane" sets).

[SimonNZ]

Vijay Iyer - Accelerando (2012)

[NikF]

Marty Paitch: The Modern Touch.

[asin]B0009RS614[/asin]

Jimmy Giuffre, Scott LaFaro, Art Pepper, Victor Feldman, Mel Lewis...some big (and good) names taking solos here.