Jazz, c. 1950-1970: Recommendations (and jazz in general)

[Josquin des Prez]

Even if it is only half of the recording of Kind of Blue, then masterpiece it must be.

Well, it may not be as great, but it is similar in that it is note perfect, down to the last detail.

[jowcol]

The playing of Wild Bill Davis on the organ on track 14, Sans Snyphelle, was worth the cost of this disc alone.  I need to dig around and see if he and the Duke recorded an entire album together.

Not sure about an entire album but the New Orleans Suite is definitely an Ellington to pick up.  The opening track "Blues for New Orleans" has Wild Bill, and the track "Portrait of Mahalia Jackson" is really amazing, in that Duke manages to duplicate an organ sound without the organ.

There are some real gems in the last decade of Duke's works-- I'm a big fan of the Far East Suite and Afro-Eurasian Eclipse.  ALso, although the album Soul Call is uneven, "La Plus Belle Africaine" (sp?) rocks my world.

[jowcol]

Yeah it's OK (don't know about "masterpiece" tho). And Kind of Blue is over-rated & over-hyped, simple, modal...kinda boring after awhile....even Miles didn't understand what the fuss was all about (I have to agree with him)...not all of it works, Cannonball sounds out of his element, his presense/vibe doesn't really fit... and Coltrane sounds as if he's in his own world in places and not really paying attention to what's going on...

I'll admit  I typically focus on So What and All Blues and skip the other tracks-- I agree that the others don't click as well.

Not sure if Coltrane was that far out of touch with the others on this album- his solo on So What still gives me chills.  Miles like to set up contrasts, and felt the need for Coltrane's presence, which is why he brought him back into the band after firing him earlier. Miles also states in his autobiography that he though Trane's playing in that incarnation of the band was better than he solo work afterwards.  (I don't personally agree, but YMMV)  Although Miles would chide Trane for the length of his solos, he makes several statements in the autobiography about how important Trane was for his sound, and the struggles he had afterwards finding a strong enough presence until he found Wayne Shorter.

I would also agree that, in this second iteration of the Cannonball/Coltrane band that Cannonball was  often a third (or fifth?) wheel.  I'd strongly suggest picking up some of the live shows from the 1960 European Spring tour that did not have Cannonball and had Wynton Kelly instead of Evans.  There is a real spark in the performances.  There are several available-- I tend to like the Copenhagen show the best.   Note that the fall tour from that year did not have Trane-- but Sonny Stitt instead.

[jowcol]

Few other things--
I'm a big fan of Herbie Hancock's Inventions and Dimensions (1963)-- a very spontaneous set with no horns, but two latin percussionists.  It's by far my favorite of his pre-electric albums.

SOmeone mentioned Donald Byrd's A New Perspective in an earlier post-- this is a great album (combo + wordless chorus) and has Duke Pearson's immortal Christo Rendentor with is worth the price of Admission.

The live Dave Brubeck album "We're All Together Again for the First time" has two horns (Gerry Mulligan is added), Alan Dawson doing a great job on Drums( mentor to Tony Williams), and a great setlist including an epic Take 5.  Dawson's brushwork on Unfinished Woman is breathtaking.

I'm also a big fan of Alice Coltrane's work after the death of her husband.  She tempered down some of the real free ear-shredding elements of Trane's final period, but added a meditational, eastern vibe that created some wonderfully hypnotic music.   Ptah the El Daoud is probably her masterpiece-- it may be my favorite Jazz album as an album.  (And I'd take that over Kind of Blue to a desert Island if those were my options. )  Journey in Satchiananda is a bit more uneven, but the opening track is astounding, and the use of the Tambura in the background totally fits what she was doing.  Her work with string orchestras after that is a bit uneven-- her arrangement of the final to the Firebird doesn't come off as well (although, according the the liner notes, she had a conversation with Stravinsky a year after his death), but she pursued a very intriguing fusion of jazz, eastern, and classical music for the next few years until she retired to her ashram and focused on chants.  She did release a final album prior to her death, Translinear Light which was excellent.   

Also, I'd have to add McCoy Tyner's album "The Real McCoy" as a suggestion, even though it is only one track I listen to regularly.  Contemplation is a tune I can listen to on infinite repeat, and one of the greatest examples of the telepathy Tyner and Elvin Jones shared.  If you like the "classic" Coltrane Quartet, this is a track you cannot live without. 


And-- Grant Green's Matador has the Tyner/Jones rhythm section, and a solid My Favorite things, and an really wonderful cover of Duke Pearson's Bedouin.   

[Bogey]

Not sure about an entire album but the New Orleans Suite is definitely an Ellington to pick up.  The opening track "Blues for New Orleans" has Wild Bill, and the track "Portrait of Mahalia Jackson" is really amazing, in that Duke manages to duplicate an organ sound without the organ.

There are some real gems in the last decade of Duke's works-- I'm a big fan of the Far East Suite and Afro-Eurasian Eclipse.  ALso, although the album Soul Call is uneven, "La Plus Belle Africaine" (sp?) rocks my world.

I agree.  With the little listening I have done of Duke, I am guessing I am going to work backwards as far as piecing more of his music together.  The later stuff seems to catch my ear at this time. 

[Bogey]

Now:

The Duke
Live from The Crystal Ballroom in Fargo, ND
Vol. 1
Recorded 1940
Tax CDs

[Bogey]

[KevinP]

Musically very good, but I have to admit that my ears tire of an entire album where the  baritone sax is the only horn.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Musically very good, but I have to admit that my ears tire of an entire album where the  baritone sax is the only horn.

I definitely dig that one, and don't have the problem you speak of. The encounter of these very differing personalities produces some nice results (their version of "Round Midnight" is my favorite ever). The album doesn't seem to get much attention, though.

[Bogey]

Musically very good, but I have to admit that my ears tire of an entire album where the  baritone sax is the only horn.

Actually, I blame it on Monk.

I keep coming back to this album hoping for more "sound".  However, I listened to it on a Sunday, lazy afternoon and it just clicked with that setting.  Timing is everything.

[Bogey]

Now:

[Bogey]

Snagged these tonight:

[Bogey]

Now listening:

[Bogey]

Now listening:

[Bogey]

Recent purchase:

[karlhenning]

Jazz photographer Herman Leonard dies at 87

[Bogey]

Jazz photographer Herman Leonard dies at 87

Thanks for the link, Karl.  RIP, Mr. Leonard.

[rubio]

I need some CD recommendations for artists like Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie. 2 to 4 CD sets with nice selections and the best remastering on the market (not too much filtering...) would be very desirable . I don't know these artists too well so I need some nice starting point with some of the hits included (like A Night in Tunisia).

[KevinP]

For Basie, go with either The Original American Decca Recordings (three discs) or America's #1 Band (four discs) or both (no overlap). That would cover the Old Testament phase well. The New Testament era (he reformed the orchestra right around the start of the LP era) I can't help you with. There's some absolutely brilliant music here, a completely different brilliant than the OT era, but I'm just not familiar with compilations. But if Verve has one, that'd probably be the one to get.

Duke Ellington. There are two compilations that are commonly recommended: The Blanton-Webster Years and Never No Lament featuing almost the same material. The masterings on both of these suck. The former is NRed to death and the other is harshly bright and very digital sounding.

Charlie Parker: Love the music but not up on the compilations that are on the market today.

[rubio]

It seems like it's difficult to navigate to some excellent recordings of these old artists. I'm especially looking for some good-sounding Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington.