What Jazz are you listening to now?

[SimonNZ]

Nat Adderley - Don't Look Back (1976)
Tommy Flannagan - Overseas (1957)

I suppose Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge" has been covered a number of times, yet I'm still surprised I don't hear it more often



Hank Jones - Porgy And Bess (1959)

[San Antone]

Some great players, there.  When I first saw the Hank Jones I thought it was Nancy Wilson's P&B.  MJQ's Porgy is a fave, but I need to look up the Hank Jones record since I have something of a thing for Porgy & Bess jazz sessions.

[king ubu]

Some great players, there.  When I first saw the Hank Jones I thought it was Nancy Wilson's P&B.  MJQ's Porgy is a fave, but I need to look up the Hank Jones record since I have something of a thing for Porgy & Bess jazz sessions.

If possible, try and find this lovely twofer:
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-talented-touch-porgy-and-bess-mw0000326572

Regarding Nina Simone, she's beyond categories and classifications ... but she's THE GREATEST!

Stuff I had on rotation the past days (back to work today, alas):

[San Antone]

If possible, try and find this lovely twofer:
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-talented-touch-porgy-and-bess-mw0000326572

Yeah - found that earlier.  But I've only listened to one track so far, "Bess, You Is My Woman Now".

[Karl Henning]

http://www.youtube.com/v/ujChUYkPvec

[SimonNZ]

Some great players, there.  When I first saw the Hank Jones I thought it was Nancy Wilson's P&B.  MJQ's Porgy is a fave, but I need to look up the Hank Jones record since I have something of a thing for Porgy & Bess jazz sessions.

A few months ago I was unexpectedly impressed by how good Cal Tjader's Porgy And Bess album was. Have you heard that one?

[San Antone]

A few months ago I was unexpectedly impressed by how good Cal Tjader's Porgy And Bess album was. Have you heard that one?

I think so - there was a time when I looked up all available Porgy & Bess jazz records, but I generally don't care for Tjader.  The 2CD Bethlehem recording with (don't laugh) Mel Torme is actually really excellent.  If you can find that, it is great listening and includes more than the highlights.

[SimonNZ]

I think so - there was a time when I looked up all available Porgy & Bess jazz records, but I generally don't care for Tjader.  The 2CD Bethlehem recording with (don't laugh) Mel Torme is actually really excellent.  If you can find that, it is great listening and includes more than the highlights.

I think its arranger Clare Fischer rather than Tjader himself that really makes that album something different.

I don't think I've heard the Mel Torme - I'll check it out.

[San Antone]

[king ubu]

I think so - there was a time when I looked up all available Porgy & Bess jazz records, but I generally don't care for Tjader.  The 2CD Bethlehem recording with (don't laugh) Mel Torme is actually really excellent.  If you can find that, it is great listening and includes more than the highlights.

Mel Tormé put out lots of excellent music at that time! My favourite is "Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Dek-tette" (the one with the fantastic "Lulu's Back in Town"), but there's "Sings Fred Astaire", too, the wonderful crooner album "It's a Blue World", the concept album "California Suite", the live recording from the Crescendo ("At the Crescendo" and "Songs for Any Taste") ... the moving from Bethlehem (went belly-up because of that P&B production ... look at the line-up, it's amazing what cast they assembled!) to Verve, there's "Tormé", "Swings Shubert Alley" (maybe my no. 2 behind the self-titled one with Paich on Bethlehem), "I Dig the Duke, I Dig the Count" ... there's also the corny but lotsa fun "Olé Tormé", and there's "Swingin' on the Moon" which is great fun beyond its classic space age cover ... so yeah, Tormé fan checking in. And not considering this a guilty pleasure, not at all!

Thread duty:

[Karl Henning]

The 2CD Bethlehem recording with (don't laugh) Mel Torme is actually really excellent.  If you can find that, it is great listening and includes more than the highlights.

Confirmed.

[king ubu]

Great one!

[San Antone]

 

Anouar Brahem is one of those artists whose records always say something wonderful.  I have them all. 

Along with the ones you posted, other stand-outs would include:

Thimar with Dave Holland and John Surman
Khomsa with Ricahrad Galliano, Palle Danielsson and John Christensen, and others
Souvenance, the one he did in 2014 that is a double CD and contains some of his greatest writing
His latest, Blue Maqams reuniting with Dave Holland, plus Jack DeJohnette and Django Bates is very good
Madar with Jan Gabarak is also very nice.

But as I said, you really can't go wrong with any of his recordings.

[king ubu]

Anouar Brahem is one of those artists whose records always say something wonderful.  I have them all. 

Along with the ones you posted, other stand-outs would include:

Thimar with Dave Holland and John Surman
Khomsa with Ricahrad Galliano, Palle Danielsson and John Christensen, and others
Souvenance, the one he did in 2014 that is a double CD and contains some of his greatest writing
His latest, Blue Maqams reuniting with Dave Holland, plus Jack DeJohnette and Django Bates is very good
Madar with Jan Gabarak is also very nice.

But as I said, you really can't go wrong with any of his recordings.

"Thimar" is next up, but right now I'm putting this in between:



The other Brahems I have are "Le pas du chat noir", "Le Voyage de Sahar" and the latest one ... some more to get, eventually.

[Alek Hidell]

Count me as an Anouar Brahem fan, too. Looking forward to acquiring and hearing Blue Maqams.

TD:

[George]

I was only able to get one song into this before my girlfriend got home, so I will have to listen to the rest tomorrow night. Incredible sound, though.

[San Antone]

Must have been hard on the musicians, as the first one without Scott LaFaro.  Chuck Israels took his chair and Paul Motian remained on drums.  Has mostly ballads. 

Good one.

[SimonNZ]

Mel Tormé put out lots of excellent music at that time! My favourite is "Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Dek-tette" (the one with the fantastic "Lulu's Back in Town"), but there's "Sings Fred Astaire", too, the wonderful crooner album "It's a Blue World", the concept album "California Suite", the live recording from the Crescendo ("At the Crescendo" and "Songs for Any Taste") ... the moving from Bethlehem (went belly-up because of that P&B production ... look at the line-up, it's amazing what cast they assembled!) to Verve, there's "Tormé", "Swings Shubert Alley" (maybe my no. 2 behind the self-titled one with Paich on Bethlehem), "I Dig the Duke, I Dig the Count" ... there's also the corny but lotsa fun "Olé Tormé", and there's "Swingin' on the Moon" which is great fun beyond its classic space age cover ... so yeah, Tormé fan checking in. And not considering this a guilty pleasure, not at all!

I've heard the Astair album and Schubert Alley and liked both. I'll check out the others on your list.

and playing now:

[SimonNZ]

A few months ago I was unexpectedly impressed by how good Cal Tjader's Porgy And Bess album was. Have you heard that one?

Argh...total brainfart this morning: the Tjader album that impressed be was West Side Story, not Porgy and Bess. if he's done a P&B I don't know it.

Apologies.

[San Antone]

Egberto Gismonti | Charlie Haden | Jan Garbarek : Magico / Carta de Amor

The two albums from the late '70s Folk Songs and Magico were phenomenal recordings.  Carta de Amor picks up two years later with the same trio documenting music captured at Munich's Amerika Haus in April, 1981.