Make a Jazz Noise Here

[KevinP]

1966

Don't have that one. How is it?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

So, anyone know what sounds like Theolonius Monk circa 1958?

Unfortunately there really isn't anything that sounds like Monk, especially from around this time, where he's at his most visionary. That's both good and bad, but it speaks to his stature. 

But from what I can determine you seem to be on the lookout for jazz that has something of the "exploratory" or, perhaps, "off the beaten path" to it. IOW, something more colorful and (intellectually?) demanding than simple "straight ahead" jazz.

In that case, your next stop should probably be Charles Mingus. A good place to start is Ah Um (originally on Columbia, now Sony) released in 1959. Further, Mingus's Atlantic and Impulse years come from around this time (and a little later) and are blessed with superb recorded sound. All these are echt Mingus and are just all around good fun!




[asin]B00000I14Z[/asin]

[jowcol]

Unfortunately there really isn't anything that sounds like Monk, especially from around this time, where he's at his most visionary. That's both good and bad, but it speaks to his stature. 

But from what I can determine you seem to be on the lookout for jazz that has something of the "exploratory" or, perhaps, "off the beaten path" to it. IOW, something more colorful and (intellectually?) demanding than simple "straight ahead" jazz.

In that case, your next stop should probably be Charles Mingus. A good place to start is Ah Um (originally on Columbia, now Sony) released in 1959. Further, Mingus's Atlantic and Impulse years come from around this time (and a little later) and are blessed with superb recorded sound. All these are echt Mingus and are just all around good fun!

[asin]B00000I14Z[/asin]

Great choice, I'd also suggest Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which is another one of his best. 



to borrow from Wikipedia:

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a studio album by American jazz musician Charles Mingus, released on Impulse! Records in 1963. The album consists of a single continuous composition—partially written as a ballet—divided into four tracks and six movements.[1]

The album was recorded on January 20, 1963 by an eleven-piece band made up of Mingus (double bass, piano), Jerome Richardson (soprano and baritone saxophone, flute), Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone), Dick Hafer (tenor saxophone, flute), Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Richard Williams (trumpet), Quentin Jackson (trombone), Don Butterfield (tuba, contrabass trombone), Jaki Byard (piano), Jay Berliner (acoustic guitar) and Dannie Richmond (drums). Bob Thiele served as producer and Bob Simpson as studio engineer.[1]

Mingus has called the album's orchestral style "ethnic folk-dance music". Mingus's perfectionism led to extensive use of studio overdubbing techniques. The album features liner notes written by Mingus and his then-psychotherapist, Dr. Edmund Pollock.[1]

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is often characterized by jazz and music critics as one of Mingus's two major masterworks (the other being Mingus Ah Um) and has frequently ranked highly on numerous lists over the best albums of all time. Piero Scaruffi ranked it as the greatest jazz album of all time.[2] Richard Cook and Brian Morton, writers of The Penguin Guide to Jazz, awarded the album a "Crown" token, the publication's highest accolade, in addition to the highest four-star rating.[3] Steve Huey of allmusic awarded The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady five stars out of five and described the album as "one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history."[4] As of November 2010, the album is ranked #15 on RateYourMusic's "Top Albums of All-time" list.[

I'd particularly give kudos to Dannie Richmond's drumming on this one.

First track follows:
http://www.youtube.com/v/17KTUqLyNcU

[jowcol]

[asin]B000002I5I[/asin]
01 The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Buddy Bernier & Jerry Brainin)
02 Central Park West (Coltrane)
03 Liberia (Coltrane)
04 Body And Soul (Johnny Green, Robert Sour, Edward Heyman & Frank Eyton)
05 Equinox (Coltrane)
06 Satellite (Coltrane)

John Coltrane tenor & soprano sax
McCoy Tyner piano
Steve Davis bass
Elvin Jones drums

As a special note- in my book, Equinox is one of my all time favorite Coltrane works, and is alone worth the price of admission.

[jowcol]

After discovering her through the Shweta Javheri album I pointed out a few pages back, I've been exploring Jenny Scheinman's work on violin.  One thing I like about her is that she does so much with intonation, and not just speed, and her double stopping is really effective for me. -- she reminds me of a more polished version of Sugarcane Harris who had such great moments on Zappa's Hot Rats,  Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped my Flesh.  She's more of a stylistic chameleon, she's done Indian classical, Klezmer flavored, straight-ahead and fusion jazz, etc. 

Anyway, here is a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5M8HO5OBVQg

  I've picked up three albums, more details later,

[jowcol]

Yea .. a classic/simple Coltrane blues tune, covered by many; the whole album is very 'sick' tho.

Oddly enough, the material for the album was not released until 4 years after it was recorded (in the same sessions that produced My Favorite Things and the "Coltrane Plays the Blues" album).  I've long wondered why Equinox was not released on the Plays the Blues album, where  most of the other blues-inspired numbers from that  were released.  In 1964, with Coltrane actively recording on Impulse, this album from Atlantic  at first got negative press for being a vault scraping exercise, and may have suffered (unfairly) in comparison to the other stuff Coltrane was putting out at the time.  Which was a shame-- it's a strong and varied outing, and, IMO, ranks with MFT and above the "Plays the Blues" albums that came out of that three day recording marathon for Atlantic.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Great choice, I'd also suggest Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which is another one of his best. 

Yes, more primo Mingus.

[Mirror Image]

Great choice, I'd also suggest Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which is another one of his best. 



to borrow from Wikipedia:

I'd particularly give kudos to Dannie Richmond's drumming on this one.

I agree that this recording by Mingus in one of his best. I love it.

[mahler10th]

That's a Sonny Rollins album .. it wasn't a suggestion to you, it was what I was listening to.
My suggestion was to try another Monk album lol

I am literally laughing at my mixed wires there.  I truly thought you had reached an exceptional level of insight, and decided to test my mettle by placing some kind of Jazz/Country thing, both forms of music I have blasted in the past!  My apologies, but what a funny mix up!
Ok, thank y'all for the suggestions, I will get that recommended Mingus album, see if it continues to broaden an understanding of what I like in Jazz.
I'll get back with a Jazz newbie review soon.

EDIT:  I am listening to the Monk album again, and I feel like I'm sittin' WITH them.  I can hear them talking, and I'm sure I can smell cigarette smoke and Jack Daniels or something.  "Raise Four" ...   I really do like this.  It's jazz for walking around the city.  Deep City Jazz!
Right, that's it.  I've gone too far...
Mingus is on his way.

[Bogey]

Don't have that one. How is it?

First, it a compilation of two different nights....but they arranged the tracks to work nicely and it flows for the most part as one concert.  A few of the tracks were released on 45's, but never as an album

1. Money in the Pocket-think The In Crowd by the Ramsey trio, but not quite as cool
2. Stardust-Adderley does a nice take here
3. Introduction to Samba-meh!
4. Hear Me Talkin-Slow driving and bluesy (sp?)
5. Requiem for a Jazz Musician- Coltranish, but does not pull it off
5. Cannon's Theme-Worth the Herb Lewis bass feature at the start
7. The Sticks-like Money in the Pocket, but not as grabbing
8. Fiddler on the Roof-Trying to be Coltrane's My Favorite Things?  Not even close.

So, buy it if you love the Adderley sound, otherwise there are plenty of other jazz albums you will get more mileage out of I am guessing, Kevin.

[Bogey]

Listened to:



Bought today and now listening to (Thought I saw a rec for this one here, but can't find it now.):

[Mirror Image]

Listened to:



Bought today and now listening to (Thought I saw a rec for this one here, but can't find it now.):

Both killer recordings.

[KevinP]

Thanks for getting back to me on the Cannonball, Bill.

Monk is in the air here at GMG:


The AP SACD:


The original Japanese CD release of:

[jowcol]

And as much as I love Trane, my favorite sax player is Wayne Shorter; not a 'busy' player who plays hordes of notes, but a very very melodic, subtle & creative one .. his huge body of work even before Weather Report has some of jazz's finest albums..I love all of his work tho, right up to his most recent band .. & albums like Atlantis & Joy Ryder are landmark electric albums.

[asin]B00000I8UH[/asin]

01 Witch Hunt
02 Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum
03 Dance Cadaverous
04 Speak No Evil
05 Infant Eyes
06 Wild Flower

Freddie Hubbard trumpet
Wayne Shorter tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock piano
Ron Carter bass
Elvin Jones drums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_No_Evil

I'd also suggest Wayne Shorter's JuJu-- not only did if have Elvin on Drums, but McCoy Tyner on Keys, and Reggie Workman on Bass-- which at one point WAS the Coltrane Quartet  rhythm section.

[Bogey]

Date on that, James?

[Dax]

Fans of free jazz/impro will be sad to hear of the death of drummer Tony Levin on 3rd Feb.

http://www.rousefamily.com/rock_roots/?p=7133

Those unfamiliar with his work may care to spin this 1966 recording with Tubby Hayes, put out by Levin himself from one of his original tapes.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1o7se4

[Bogey]

1997.

Thanks.  From '62



The first album to feature just these four:

Coltrane
Tyner
garrison
Jones

Great album!

[Bogey]

Evans
Sam Jones: Bass
Philly Joe Jones: Drums

[Bogey]

1957

Coltrane: Tenor
Lee Morgan: Trumpet
Curtis Fuller: Trombone
Kenny Drew: Piano
Paul Chambers: bass
Philly: Drums

[KevinP]

.
[asin]B000000Y64[/asin]

One of the best Monk albums!