What Jazz are you listening to now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, June 12, 2015, 06:16:31 AM

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aligreto

The Genius of Louis Armstrong


   

aligreto

Quote from: Stürmisch Bewegt on May 01, 2021, 05:26:41 PM
I've never outgrown my affection for June Christy and not expecting to, nor do I agree with most - actually I reckon all - jazz authorities that her silken voice was best paired with big bands.  I sure enjoy the more intimate settings with this group, recorded early in her career; the Guarnieris are not exceptional, but they are hand in glove and the spotlight is ever on where it belongs.




My ignorance of the jazz world is boundless. I will investigate June Christy on line if I can.

Alek Hidell

Recently, on Spotify:



Nate Wooley (t); Matthew Shipp (p); Whit Dickey (d) [Wooley plays only on CD2]

And yesterday:



Amir ElSaffar (t, vocal, santour); Ole Mathisen (ts, ss); Tareq Abboushi (buzuq); Zafer Tawil (oud, perc); Carlo DeRosa (b); Nasheet Waits (d)
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Hélder Pessoa Câmara

aligreto

Ellington: Such Sweet Thunder





Truly wonderful music making for the ages.

Stürmisch Bewegt

Quote from: aligreto on May 02, 2021, 10:36:22 AM
My ignorance of the jazz world is boundless. I will investigate June Christy on line if I can.

A course of action, aligreto, I recommend.  Some place her (I number myself among those) alongside such jazz diva royalty as Vaughan, Holiday, and Fitzgerald; most unfortunately do not.  She wields a tiny shade of vibrato to wonderful effect and a sure and nuanced understanding of her songs.  Consider starting with her acknowledged hit albums: Something Cool, The Misty Miss Christy, and The Song is June. Later in her career she veers toward darker material, to poignant, overpowering effect.
Leben heißt nicht zu warten, bis der Sturm vorbeizieht, sondern lernen, im Regen zu tanzen.

aligreto

Quote from: Stürmisch Bewegt on May 03, 2021, 04:13:02 AM
A course of action, aligreto, I recommend.  Some place her (I number myself among those) alongside such jazz diva royalty as Vaughan, Holiday, and Fitzgerald; most unfortunately do not.  She wields a tiny shade of vibrato to wonderful effect and a sure and nuanced understanding of her songs.  Consider starting with her acknowledged hit albums: Something Cool, The Misty Miss Christy, and The Song is June. Later in her career she veers toward darker material, to poignant, overpowering effect.

Thank you very much for those recommendations.

aligreto

Golden Hour Of Chris Barber and his jazz band





There is nothing complicated here; just good sounding swing jazz from a tight unit. Some tracks are studio recordings and some are live performances. Some tracks have vocals but most do not. It is an entertaining album.

aligreto

Bill Evans: Jazzhouse





Wonderful playing from all concerned on this live recording from Copenhagen [November 24 1969]. The piano and double bass take precedence but the drumming definitely helps to hold it all together.

aligreto


aligreto

I thought that I would post this recent article that appeared on Discogs. I am sure that jazz aficionados here know of these musicians already but they are all totally unknown to me and all sound fascinating.

7 Extraordinary Women of Jazz
[Nicole Raney posted April 30, 2021]

Take a moment to learn more about some of the women of jazz who revolutionized instrumentation and performance during the height of the genre's popularity.

Mary Osborne

Mary Osborne (1921-1992) is a celebrated guitarist who regularly performed and recorded with her fellow jazz greats of the era. She would go on to co-found the Osborne Guitar Company. Recommended listening: A Girl and Her Guitar and A Memorial.

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Toshiko Akiyoshi (b. 1929) is a jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist. Although her classic big band works have received the most accolades, she also incorporated her Japanese heritage into some of her music. Recommended listening: Long Yellow Road and Hiroshima: Rising From the Abyss.

Terry Pollard

Terry Pollard (1931-2009) is a pianist who, although often overlooked, was a major player in the mid-century jazz scene of Detroit. She performed often with Terry Gibbs. Recommended listening: Terry Pollard and  A Detroit Jazz Legend.

Dorothy Ashby

Dorothy Ashby (1932-1986) is a composer and jazz harpist, one of few who have carved a space out in the genre for the unique instrument. She blended several unique musical influences in her work, scored several plays, and helped popularize improv jazz on the harp. Recommended listening: The Jazz Harpist and Hip Harp.

International Sweethearts of Rhythm

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1937-1949) are a swing and jazz band from the 1940s the first integrated group in the United States. While popular in the 1940s, they received a resurgence of recognition in the 1960s-1970s due to feminist movements of the time. Recommended listening: International Sweethearts Of Rhythm.

Alice Coltrane

Alice Coltrane (1937-2007) is a bandleader, pianist, harpist, and experimental musician. She is a massively influential figure in the jazz of the 1960s-1970s and wove her Hindu philosophies into her work, resulting in more spiritual work later in her career. Recommended listening: Ptah, The El Daoud and Journey In Satchidananda.

Bobbi Humphrey

Bobbi Humphrey (b. 1950) is a flutist and singer who explored jazz fusion, specifically funk and soul. She has recorded alongside her fellow greats as well as laid down some truly improvisational tracks on her own albums. Recommended listening: Black and Blues and Fancy Dancer.





Old San Antone

#4750
Some more names:

Teri Lynn Carrington - drums
Geri Allen - piano (deceased)
Carla Bley - piano, composer
Mary Lou Williams - piano, composer/arranger (deceased)
Eliane Elias - paino
Joanne Brackeen - piano
Marilyn Crispell - piano
Jane Ira Bloom - sax (deceased)
Emily Remler - guitar (deceased)
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Esparanza Spaulding - bass
Anat Cohen - sax

The names in bold are among my favorites of either sex.

aligreto

Quote from: Old San Antone on May 07, 2021, 10:44:31 AM
Some more names:

Teri Lynn Carrington - drums
Geri Allen - piano (deceased)
Carla Bley - piano, composer
Mary Lou Williams - piano, composer/arranger (deceased)
Eliane Elias - paino
Joanne Brackeen - piano
Marilyn Crispell - piano
Jane Ira Bloom - sax (deceased)
Emily Remler - guitar (deceased)
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Esparanza Spaulding - bass
Anat Cohen - sax

The names in bold are among my favorites of either sex.

Thank you for those names.

Alek Hidell

I didn't know Jane Ira Bloom was deceased!

Anyway, here are a few more:

Tomeka Reid (cello)
Nicole Mitchell (flute)
Lotte Anker (sax)
Susie Ibarra (drums)
Sylvie Courvoisier (piano)
Aki Takase (piano)
Angelica Sanchez (piano)
Kaja Draksler (piano)
Irène Schweizer (piano)
Ingrid Laubrock (sax)
Joëlle Léandre (bass)
Savina Yannatou (voice)
Jaimie Branch (trumpet)
Jessica Pavone (violin)
Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar - yes, really :))
Okkyung Lee (cello)
Susana Santos Silva (trumpet)
Eve Risser (piano)
Lina Allemano (trumpet)
Alexandra Grimal (sax)

And the list goes on. There's never been a better time for women in improvised music.
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Hélder Pessoa Câmara

T. D.

I could add a few more female names, but specifically want to put in a good word for the deceased Melba Liston (trombonist, arranger, composer). Remarkable body of work (much probably uncredited), I particularly like her collaborations with Randy Weston.

aligreto

The Legend of Billie Holiday





It seemed appropriate, somehow.

aligreto

Piano Rags by Scott Joplin [Rifkin]



SimonNZ

#4756


George Cables - New York Concerto (2001)



Egberto Gismonti - Em Familia (1981)

aligreto

Ellington: New Orleans Suite





There is some really very fine part writing here. It is a wonderful album.

aligreto

Spotlight on: The Dutch Swing College Band





This is a 2 X LP with great swing jazz, a lot of it is performed live. Great music and great fun too.

aligreto

Menuhin & Grappelli: Fascinatin' Rhythm





There are many standards played here but they always receive the distinctive treatment of these two stalwarts.