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

[Robert]

Shrunk
Miles lost me in his later period.  We know what a great  innovator he was. For me he just went too far over. I had some conversations with Miles about just that. He was def a man of few words. He just kept saying he felt he had to do it....never went into it....I asked him how about a Bitches Brew concert, he said it would be impossible to get all those cats together. It seemed their schedules would not permit it at that time...Anyway with Miles I am just happy to have heard and seen a lot......

[Bogey]

Shrunk
Miles lost me in his later period.  We know what a great  innovator he was. For me he just went too far over. I had some conversations with Miles about just that. He was def a man of few words. He just kept saying he felt he had to do it....never went into it....I asked him how about a Bitches Brew concert, he said it would be impossible to get all those cats together. It seemed their schedules would not permit it at that time...Anyway with Miles I am just happy to have heard and seen a lot......

Keep these stories coming Rob....in a few years I will be able to cut and paste them from this and the non-classical thread and I am sure we will have No. 1 seller on the NY Times Book List.

[Robert]

Yeah, for the most part me too, he lost the plot and f'd himself up too much. The music became increasingly watered down and much meandered nowhere...crap with a backbeat... it really when downhill after the 2nd Quintet....but even the 2nd quintet, though good, wasn't as good as the 1st one IMHO. His prime years were from about 1955 to about 1968...

James
Well I consider his Evans collaborations to be essential. I also liked the move into Bitches Brew, Miles in the Sky and In a Silent Way (although this is just a music loop) and many others in this particular bag. The problem was the next level which totally lost me....The jazz period you are referring to was a thing of the past and Miles felt he had to move backwards.... (oh sorry I mean forwards)

[Heather Harrison]

Thanks for the posts about Miles Davis; it is nice to have a quick reference of his history.

Here is one more recently-purchased jazz CD.



Dave Brubeck Quartet - Brubeck Time.  This is a reissue of a 1954 LP with surprisingly good sound quality.  It predates his better known "Time Out" LP and is more conventional in style, but it is impeccably performed, energetic, and entertaining.

Heather

[Robert]

Keep these stories coming Rob....in a few years I will be able to cut and paste them from this and the non-classical thread and I am sure we will have No. 1 seller on the NY Times Book List.

Sure Bill glad to share. I went to many Miles concerts. What was happening was the more eclectic his music got his clothing did the same....In almost all his later concerts he NEVER faced the audience, he always played with his back to the audience. The only time he didn't was when he walked around the stage talking to the musicians. He also spit a lot on stage.. At times he seemed very angry....Did not matter to me you see,  I alway forgave him after every concert.... 0:)

[Robert]

Thanks for the posts about Miles Davis; it is nice to have a quick reference of his history.

Here is one more recently-purchased jazz CD.



Dave Brubeck Quartet - Brubeck Time.  This is a reissue of a 1954 LP with surprisingly good sound quality.  It predates his better known "Time Out" LP and is more conventional in style, but it is impeccably performed, energetic, and entertaining.

Heather

Once Desmond wrote "TAKE FIVE," that changed everything.....

[Robert]

Which was typical of his career/nature, though he got very mixed results and not everything worked...

amen brother for sure......

[Bogey]

Here is one more recently-purchased jazz CD.



Heather

Nice.

[Bogey]

Snapped up these two today:

 
The first looks a bit misleading as the title makes it sound like a box set, when actually it is a single disc.  Getz is "Parker-like" (based on the very little I have heard of Parker) on the '46 sessions and that alone was worth the price of the disc....some serious "bop" from Stan here.  Here is a little story from the liner notes that I thought worth sharing:

Shorty Rogers told Getz's biographer, Donald Maggin, about a night in 1941 when they (Stan and him) first met, four months after Getz switched from alto to tenor sax.  Rogers was seventeen, Getz fourteen.  Stan had been called to play a dance in the Bronx with a band which Rogers was working.  The job demanded that Getz sight-read stock arrangements.  Rogers kept an eye and ear on the new kid to find out what he could do.  "I listened," Rogers said, and to my amazement he never made one mistake.  Then we did a Glenn Miller thing, In the Mood, and he stood up and played Tex Beneke's solo...with the same sound and everything.  And I said, "What's going on with this guy?"  And then we played One O'Clock Jump.  He did Lester Young's solo.  Just perfect.

and this one:



That puts nine Getz cds on my shelf and I enjoy everyone of them....I guess his work/sound just suits me.

[KevinP]

I dislike Miles' post-retirement career as well, but, that said, I absolutely his We Want Miles double LP. No keyboardist!! Plus Mike Stern's rockin' guitar.

[KevinP]

I absolutely his We Want Miles double LP.

That was supposed to be 'I absolutely *love* his...'

It's better to experience a loveless sentence than be sentenced to a loveless experience.

And glad I'm not the only one here who appreciates it.

[Bogey]

Courtesy of Mr. Handy, some wonderful Satch from '54 spinning right now:

[Bogey]

Louis Armstrong - The California Concerts (4 discs)

On my wish-list.  Almost bought a used set last month.

[bwv 1080]

Got a 3-disc set of Rahsaan Roland Kirk yesterday.  This is smoking:
http://www.youtube.com/v/-uRnvMwD6jM

[sidoze]

Which one of you beautiful people wants to upload Armstrong's St James Infirmary for me to download and hear?

Thank you very kindly.

[sidoze]

hardly ever a mention of Ayler on this board. I have been listening to this 2CD live set and man does it ever smoke. The description of "salvation army band on LSD" fits snugly but it's so much more than that. There's a piece called For John Coltrane written for the master after he passed and it's the free jazz equivalent of the best classical requiems. Absolutely overwhelming music, strong and subtle playing from Albert on alto sax and two basses (or is one a cello?) playing in opposite registers throughout -- grinding, singing, moaning and squealing till your ears pop . You don't need classical music when you've got this much emotion and creativity going on for 13 minutes. Recommended to anyone who likes to feel out of control!

[Shrunk]

Got a 3-disc set of Rahsaan Roland Kirk yesterday.  This is smoking:

Smoking is right!  That goes straight to the top of the "All-Time Hottest Bacharach and David Covers" list.  Thanks for sharing that.

[Grazioso]

hardly ever a mention of Ayler on this board. I have been listening to this 2CD live set and man does it ever smoke. The description of "salvation army band on LSD" fits snugly but it's so much more than that. There's a piece called For John Coltrane written for the master after he passed and it's the free jazz equivalent of the best classical requiems. Absolutely overwhelming music, strong and subtle playing from Albert on alto sax and two basses (or is one a cello?) playing in opposite registers throughout -- grinding, singing, moaning and squealing till your ears pop . You don't need classical music when you've got this much emotion and creativity going on for 13 minutes. Recommended to anyone who likes to feel out of control!

A very powerful set for sure. I always recommend that one to anyone willing to step outside the box.

Re: the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk, this is a fun intro:



That man was out of this world: blind, able to play a slew of instruments (often a few at the same time), totally open to blending different strands of music, and ridiculously hip in his own weird way.

Speaking of out of this world, any mention of Sun Ra yet? Evidence have re-released many of his albums: B-movie sci-fi meets big-band jazz meets free improv. He surrounded himself with some great, under-appreciated talent over the years like John Gilmore and Marshall Allen.

[longears]

Enlightenment is my tomorrow.

[Bogey]

 

May be the start of another run of 'Trane listens.