What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Undersea]

NP:

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Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'

[SimonNZ]

Duke Jordan and Sadik Hakim - East And West Of Jazz (1962)

[king ubu]

It's been Cecil Taylor all day long today. I know he was old and I know we're all supposed to gonna go, and I am fully aware that is alright and how it's supposed to be - but damn, that was hard blow to take!



Friday I was unable to spin any of his stuff, started with "Jazz Advance" today, continuing more or less chronologically up to the end of the first Candid bunch o' sessions ("World of CT", "Air"), skipping the lousy album with Coltrane (did Tom Wilson put that band together? what the hell did he think - or smoke, or drink?) ... then went on with some later stuff: "Leaf Palm Hand" in duo with Tony Oxley (which is the only configuration I caught Taylor live in - very fond memories), and now "Praxis", a shady solo recital supposed to have been recorded live in Italy (in which of the 50 is that village? oh, wait, it was released in Greece ...) and in July 1968 ... no clue if that is true or not. Sound is far from great, but the music is amazing.

[SimonNZ]

Just learned about that a few minutes ago. Playing Jazz Advance now. Will follow with one of my favorites: Silent Tongues



RIP Cecil.

[Undersea]

Recent listening:

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Jim Hall - Concierto

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Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa - Jazz Samba Encore!

Some mellow music for a Sunday afternoon.

[Bogey]

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Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa - Jazz Samba Encore!

Some mellow music for a Sunday afternoon.

Huge Getz fan and that album is fantastic!

[king ubu]

Same here! My favourite amongst his bossa albums ... was revisiting the amazing 1976 Keystone Korner albums released on Resonance a few years ago after reading the most interesting interview Ethan Iverson did with Joanne Brackeen:
https://ethaniverson.com/interview-with-joanne-brackeen/

--

Thread duty - more Cecil Taylor, more or less chronologically:



The second round of Candid sessions ... Sunny Murray (if it really is him) and Billy Higgins on the trios do make a difference ... I love what Dennis Charles did later on, but at this point, he was probably losing it. Same rings true for Buell Neidlinger (who spent three years playing with the Boston SO later in the sixties!) - when Henry Grimes and Sunny Murray join the boat for the short impulse session initially released on Gil Evans' "Into the Hot", things change dramatically! And we get a first glimpse of Jimmy Lyons, who is already contributing some great stuff!



But then, in 1962, with no bass at all and the trio with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray warmed up, things really get going! This is cathartic stuff - so intense and so amazing, I guess Charlie Parker must have had a similar impact in 1945, but that's about the only comparison I can imagine within jazz.

[king ubu]

Forgot (and can't edit at this time): The "Holy Ghost" set by Albert Ayler, produced by Revenant (who did the 1997 CD/2002 LP reissue of the Montmartre 1962 material, third cover in the bottom row) includes a 23 minutes romp with Ayler and that trio, recorded a few days earlier - more amazing stuff!

[Spineur]

 Stefano Bollani: les fleurs bleues. The liner notes say that the compositions were inspired by Raymond Queneau novel "les fleurs bleues"  which see a character living on a barge meet a duke from the medieval times.  In french "Les fleurs bleues" refer to the myosotis (forget me not in english terminology)

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[SimonNZ]

Igor Lumpert - Intertextures Live (2012)
Cannonball Adderley - Inside Straight (1973)

[Daverz]

I've been reading the obituaries and encomiums, but still not sure where to start with Cecil Taylor.

[Alek Hidell]

I've been reading the obituaries and encomiums, but still not sure where to start with Cecil Taylor.

Mmm ... it may depend on how adventurous a listener you are. His early stuff is relatively more accessible. So you could try his debut, Jazz Advance, or some of the stuff on Candid. His real breakthrough is the Copenhagen 1962 recording (usually known as Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come), with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray - great stuff if you don't mind the wretched sound and the poor piano Taylor was given to play.

I'm very fond of Conquistador!, his 1966 album on Blue Note. It's an unusual sextet (two basses) with Bill Dixon, Jimmy Lyons, Henry Grimes, Alan Silva, and Andrew Cyrille.

Of course, to really dig into Cecil you have to hear some of his solo recordings, of which there are many. Silent Tongues (1974) might be a good intro here.

His Berlin 1988 recordings are essential, so if you're still with him at this point, any of these are worth checking out - the duos with drummers (Lovens, Oxley, Moholo, Bennink, Sommer) being particularly noteworthy. Probably his magnum opus.

Many of his recordings come and go in terms of availability. But I think the ones I've mentioned should be pretty easy to come by. (Well, not sure about the Berlin recordings.)

I imagine our man king ubu will have some suggestions as well. Maybe SimonNZ too.

[SimonNZ]

I imagine our man king ubu will have some suggestions as well. Maybe SimonNZ too.

Thanks for that. But I'll have to bow to your and KUs expertise. Ive heard a few now but am still getting the measure of him. Silent tongues i really like but many i havent found my way into yet.

I'm looking forward to playing nefertiti again later today. With each listen I get a little  loser.

[Spineur]

Last year album from Tigran Hamasayan and his nordic friends.  Beautiful as always.

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[Undersea]

Huge Getz fan and that album is fantastic!

Yes it's a nice one - have spun the album a few times over the last 2 weeks.


NP:

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Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue

[SimonNZ]

I'm looking forward to playing nefertiti again later today. With each listen I get a little  loser.

Lol: "closer".

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Last year album from Tigran Hamasayan and his nordic friends.  Beautiful as always.

[asin]B01CZ7OJFM[/asin]

That one was a letdown for me--there are a couple of nice tracks on there, but mostly rather uninteresting IMO. I am a huge Arve Henriksen fan, but would recommend Strjon and World of Glass, as well as The Magical Forest with Sinikka Langeland and friends. Always interested in opinions on this artist however. Maybe I should give Atmospheres another listen...

[Spineur]

That one was a letdown for me--there are a couple of nice tracks on there, but mostly rather uninteresting IMO. I am a huge Arve Henriksen fan, but would recommend Strjon and World of Glass, as well as The Magical Forest with Sinikka Langeland and friends. Always interested in opinions on this artist however. Maybe I should give Atmospheres another listen...

I got Strjon last year and found it too cold for me.  It is scultured depassionnate sound.  Give a second spin the first disc of Athmosperes.  The material on the second disc is mostly variation of the first and not as interesting.

[SimonNZ]

v/a - Norman Granz' Jam Session 1 (1952)
v/a - Norman Granz' Jam Session 2 (1953)

[Spineur]

Du nectar, sans fard.  Stanko septet, compositions of Krystof Komeda

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Marvellous recommendation of Alek.  Hat tip.  Thank you GMG