Make a Jazz Noise Here

[Mirror Image]

Greatest pianist I ever heard....any genre.

I could listen to Bill Evans everyday and never tire of him. I love putting him on late at night, especially a recording like Waltz For Debby or Moon Beams. Dim the lights, get a nice cold beverage, sit back, and listen to the man play all night.

[Bogey]

The first of the "quadfecta" from the quintet.

[Mirror Image]

The first of the "quadfecta" from the quintet.

Can't go wrong with Cookin', Workin', Steamin', and Relaxin'.

[Bogey]

Can't go wrong with Cookin', Workin', Steamin', and Relaxin'.

Nope.

Now:

[Mirror Image]

Any truly serious learning musician has a deep appreciation for classical music, because in a lot of ways everything can be traced back to that rich highly documented history .. and as a result "Jazz" .. since the very beginning has always had a significant amount of western european classical heritage in it's blood .. whether players realize it or not.

HUGE vital influence on jazz.

That's true, James.

[Octave]

I have mentioned these Bennie Moten recordings from ~1923~1929 in transfers by John R.T. Davies, from the Frog UK label,



I've spun them again in my car over a period of several days, and I think this is some of the most fun I've had with music since.....probably ever.  It's rough an crude and the musicianship is raw and sometimes in the soloing I wonder if it's actually pretty terrible, and not even by stratospheric haute-bebop standards.  Somehow all this works to advantage and the stuff comes out sounding like punk-hokum.  I'd say it's dated extremely well, which is to say, in a strange way, not at all.  I'm amazed by it, though I guess I'd recommend it gently, because it might be an acquired taste; not everyone who digs the Blanton-Webster band is going to like this. 

I'd like some more recommendations of rough jazz and related musics, if anyone can help me out.  Preferably from the same period (~20s and before), though up to 1940 is probably fine.  Doesn't have to be jazz specifically.  I've spent a chunk of time over the past year with King Oliver (the Off The Record transfers) and of course Jelly Roll Morton (the totally essential JSP box), Bix Biederbecke via the BIX AND TRAM box (JSP); and I have dilettante collections of blues-ish music like GOODBYE BABYLON, the first 9cd volume of REALLY THE BLUES (compiled by Allan Lowe), and an assortment of artist-specific things (collections of Bessie Smith, Willie McTell, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson...I see I am shifting toward blues now).  But other recommendations would be most welcome, even if they are just nudges toward books or resources.  It's okay if the focus is "jazz" proper, but I'm interested in other roots and branches.

[RJR]

Try this link for some 20s jazz:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/royalflush.html

RJR

[Gold Knight]

A little Monk, as interpreted by Tyner and friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZwMPZ7BU73Q

[Octave]

Can anyone vouch for the quality of the following Mingus collections, or for that matter have you heard anything halfway-reliable-sounding about them?  I had a good experience with one Real Gone collection (Everly Brothers), but I still haven't checked to make sure all the original albums tracks were included.   The second of these, with eight albums, gets good but not terribly descriptive Amazon UK reviews. 
It seems that the 8-album collection is only visible at Amazon UK (not US), and that there's a product page for the 16-album collection at Amazon US but w/o any product for sale.

[asin]B00AHXOT3E[/asin]

Mingus Three, Charles Mingus Quartet And Max Roach, The Clown, East Coasting, Mingus At The Bohemia, Pithecanthropus Erectus, Jazzical Moods Vol 1, Jazzical Moods Vol 2, Blues And Roots, Mingus Ah Um Mingus, Dynasty, Mingus Revisited, Mingus, Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus, Reincarnation Of A Lovebird

[asin]B0041TM3KG[/asin]

DISC 1
1. Mingus Three (1957)
2. Charles Mingus Quartet and Max Roach (1955)

Disk 2
1. The Clown (1957)
2. East Coasting (1957)

Disk 3
1. Mingus at the Bohemia (1955)
2. Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)

Disk 4
1. Jazzical Moods Volume One (1954)
2. Mingus in Wonderland (1959)

[jlaurson]

Can anyone vouch for the quality of the following Mingus collections, or for that matter have you heard anything halfway-reliable-sounding about them?  I had a good experience with one Real Gone collection (Everly Brothers), but I still haven't checked to make sure all the original albums tracks were included.   The second of these, with eight albums, gets good but not terribly descriptive Amazon UK reviews. 

Digitally remastered "and enhanced"? [="compressed the f&*# out of"??] By a company that looks to be dealing in non-license re-issues? Yikes. I know that purely on instinct, I would stay the hell away... that's like getting downloads burnt on CD, minus the knowledge where they're coming from.

[Octave]

Does anyone familiar with the Lester Young discography know if the material included in the COMPLETE ALADDIN RECORDINGS 2cd was ever subsequently reissued as part of a larger and more comprehensive package of his work; and if so, is that (larger) collection worth having?

[Octave]

This is a "purchase" post, but since I drifted into rhapsody, I might as well put it in this thread....

[asin]B000001EF3[/asin]
Ben Webster: MUSIC FOR LOVING (Verve, 2cd)
Two albums by Webster and one by Harry Carney.

I am mad for Brute's breathless rush, but my memory of this reissue from many years ago tells me that I liked Harry Carney's 'with strings' album (included here with, it seems, no indication on the cover!) even more.  I read somewhere that Duke Ellington built his music up from the bari sax part, not just the bass (cannot remember the source of this), and hearing Carney featured at length in a risky format (jazz with strings) really brought that home for me: Carney retrospectively visible as a soloist, even when he wasn't soloing: a 'hidden' line.  I only listened to several samples before finally purchasing this for the first time, so I guess I would only recommend it with hesitation; what sounds like dream-recitation or technicolor rhapsody to me might come off as saccharine to someone else.

[bogdan101]

Pianist and arranger, Bruno Heinen was knee-deep in Stockhausen from an early age. The luminous presence of wind-up music boxes from his childhood are at the heart of his exquisite arrangements of Tierkreis. Both Bruno's parents, cellist Ulrich Heinen and violinist Jacqueline Ross, had worked with the composer & electronic music innovator Karlheinz Stockhausen in the 70's in Germany when he composed Tierkreis (1974-5) for 12 music boxes. Bruno's father had acquired 4 of the music boxes, and Bruno's fascination with the piece began in the family home. A 5th was recently presented to Bruno for his birthday in late December - appropriately the Aquarius box - and he returned to the studio in January this year to lay it into this recording. Tierkreis (meaning "the signs of the Zodiac") has 12 melodies based on tone rows, one for each star sign.Heinen has adhered to Stockhausen's brief instructions for the popular work, allowing for any combination of instruments, but that the performance should begin with the melody falling under the star sign of the selected date, and end with a repeat of the opening melody. Heinen's recording in April, begins and ends with Aries, and on which the music box has a particularly vivid presence. Heinen brings his classical training and jazz sensibility, with traces of funk, west coast flavour and Blue Note inflexions, to his substantial reworking of the composer's ideas. Certain movements include improvising with the melodies and music boxes, while others involve re-harmonising. His sextet of distinctive players bring their diverse experience to their readings and improvisations.

[asin]B00BN1QUGI[/asin]

Thanks, that looks intriguing; for some reason amazon.com has no record on it, but I found it on amazon.co.uk

[bogdan101]

Digitally remastered "and enhanced"? [="compressed the f&*# out of"??] By a company that looks to be dealing in non-license re-issues? Yikes. I know that purely on instinct, I would stay the hell away... that's like getting downloads burnt on CD, minus the knowledge where they're coming from.

I got some in this series because it was so cheap, and I can confirm that they are loud and compressed beyond anything someone with an interest in this music would find acceptable. My idea was to try out some stuff I didn't know and the ones I liked I would then find in good sounding versions (preferably on vinyl ). But I'm afraind they're not even good enough for that purpose.

[Mirror Image]

This is a "purchase" post, but since I drifted into rhapsody, I might as well put it in this thread....

[asin]B000001EF3[/asin]
Ben Webster: MUSIC FOR LOVING (Verve, 2cd)
Two albums by Webster and one by Harry Carney.

I am mad for Brute's breathless rush

I love Big Ben. One of my saxophonists of that era along with Coleman Hawkins.

[Octave]

I love Big Ben. One of my saxophonists of that era along with Coleman Hawkins.

You should recommend some Ben Webster and some Coleman Hawkins to me.  I've heard a solid chunk of both guys' music, but really scattershot, unsystematic, without context.  I was looking at the JSP (Proper?) Coleman Hawkins box set, about which I got some good feedback in an Amazon review comments stream; one reasonable piece of advice was to invest in the Mosaic box, but I'm unprepared to pay that much, not that it's not worth it.  It's possible that I own none of Webster's music as a (co-)leader, besides the "with strings" collection above....scandalous.

[Leo K.]

I love Big Ben. One of my saxophonists of that era along with Coleman Hawkins.

Man, that's a great cover! Thanks for the heads up.

I haven't been around because of work schedule changes, but I've been peeking in when I can. Been listening to Bix Beiderbecke mostly

[San Antone]

Jaco

https://www.youtube.com/v/8cpwaq7CxD4

Bass - Jaco Pastorius
Drums - Peter Erskine
Drums [Steel] - Othello Molineaux
Percussion - Don Alias
Saxophone - Bobby Mintzer
Trumpet - Randy Brecker

[Octave]

RIP Caddo Magnet jazz band program.
Teachers: don't touch your students!

[San Antone]

RIP Caddo Magnet jazz band program.
Teachers: don't touch your students!

What is this in reference to?  I grew up in Shreveport and know nothing but good things about this school.