Can't .. stop..... posting..... videos

For those trombone lovers out there:

JJ Johnson with Kai Winding

JJ with Sonny Stitt, Howard McGhee

The PBS series Independent Lens did a nice film on Billy Strayhorn last year. Here's a link to the site:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/billystrayhorn/

Not anymore. That was great. In return here is Billie Holiday with Coleman Hawkins lester and others doing Fine and Mellow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=644lZ...eature=related

-Zeno

Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_whk...eature=related


^

Have you guys heard Jamie Cullum? He's been one of my favorites for a while. I love how he mixes classical with contemporary. Its definately not for Jazz purists though.

Tell that to Bill Evans

And here's an interesting piano duet by Chick Corea and Hiromi Uehara

(yeah, I'm just looking for excuses to keep posting videos)

Good, but I'd still tell him Gene Harris is my favorite. I just can't get over all the different places Gene takes you on that track, and it's amazingly fun to dance to.

Keep posting, all...good good stuff...

My contribution for the day will be the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk, both my favorite Kirk song, and this mini-documentary..

Wook, your comments about dancers being great listeners is a very interesting statement. I agree, I think they listen far more than some may think. Keep in mind, most musicians don't dance, so if the source of a disparaging comment comes from a curmudgeonly sort like Artie Shaw, consider both the personality and the perspective.

As an old musician, nothing used to make me happier than the butts shaking. It's the best kind of applause. Dancing is probably the most instinctual and pure reaction to music. The other day, after writing about Bird, I got up and put some on. The Complete Verve Master Takes, disc two. I got up to get something, and when I came back, "Au Privave" started playing. I started dancing, without even thinking about it. Well, "dancing" may be a charitable designation. But it was so good it just made me move. And that was Bird. I'm sure many bebop purists would have cast a disapproving glance. You're just not supposed to dance to Charlie Parker. **** that. I did, and I highy recommend it.

Anyway, dancers do listen for different things in music, but that doesn't mean they are ignorant of the "complexities" us pretentious dweebs love to gush about. Nor does it mean they don't appreciate it, even music that may not be, at first listen, "danceable". But dancers are probably even more tuned to the nuances that sometimes get overlooked by us musical egghead types.

By the way, I love Bill Evans, and I love Bud Powell. Horace Silver, and John Lewis, and alla them piano cats. But Gene Harris, God bless him, was funky as a bag full of *** holes.

In honor of his birthday today:

Wardell Gray

And in case I don't post tomorrow,

In honor of their birthdays on 2/14:

Rob McConnell

Maceo Parker

(talk about your color contrasts)

jamie cullum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTxGkB46IZY

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x14...n-skies_events

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ertB...eature=related

http://www.myspace.com/jamiecullum

I saw the Maceo Parker band in a bar about 18 years ago. It was quite a show.

Cellar Door Sessions is awesome. But can get repetitive, as many of the songs appear 3-4 times (though played differently every time.) As much as I like Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew, I think I'm getting convinced that the peak of Miles' electric period was Cellar Door. Really incredible stuff.

I've never heard the complete On The Corner, but the original album has always been meh to me, so I'll be interested to hear your views of it. It just seemed that all the power and energy of Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and Cellar Door are just gone in On the Corner.

Also, if you have a choice of Bitches Brew or The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions, get the former. The box set is a rip-off. For those that don't know, Bitches Brew was recorded much like Kind of Blue, a few one off sessions with little rehearsal. Still great music. The box set is the full album, plus a lot of stuff recorded later with different band configurations. None of it sounds a bit like Bitches Brew. Most of it is quite lame, actually. I've probably listened to discs 3 and 4 (the "extras") maybe 3 times. It's just not compelling at all.

Errol Garner:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5S0d_JLKQ - 94k

For another Miles one-off, you might want to watch Louis Malle's intriguing film Elevator to the Gallows with a score by Davis.

One from the late great Blossom Dearie who died this past week. I've owned this album for almost as long as I can remember:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncel1...eature=related

I still believe that "Kind of Blue" is the greatest American album of all time.

Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters" got me started when I was 13 and had just joined a youth band as the pianist (haha I said pianist) and is an incredible album.

I see that I only made it two days before failing to post daily "birthday videos."

My apologies to Kirk Lightsey, who was born yesterday.

And congratulations to today's birthday boy, Pete Christlieb

I think Pete Christlieb played the sax solo in Steely Dan's "Deacon Blues".

Oh really? I had one album of hers that I'd gotten digitally, so, not knowing exactly when it came out, it sounded to me like the recording was fairly current and that she was fairly young, so this news is a surprise to me. I liked the album, but it didn't really have much for me to dance to, so I hadn't sought out more from her. This track here has a nice sweet, easy swing to it. I like it, and I'll see about getting it. It would have been good for Saturday!

In the days before the inter-webs made such things more attainable, this was considered a "lost" classic. It was recorded around the same time as Kind of Blue, but with an entirely different band (I think it was all European players, except for drummer Kenny Clark). Efficiently impressionistic in it's delivery, with short incidental music being less realized than is normal on a Miles album.

Very nice set, although the CD, like some of the other Miles stuff gusmahler mentioned, contains some alternate takes and stuff that really only serves to highlight how good the final cuts were.

Also, I did not know Blossom Dearie died. A truly underrated vocalist.

Originally Posted by Zeno
Thanks for the very informative post. Just ordered:

Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus
Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition) - Miles Davis
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Time Out - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane


-Zeno




I received all the above two days ago. I listened to Time Out three times in a row yesterday and the pleasure increased each time. The first cut, Blue Rondo a La Turk, I like the off-syncopation and change in rhythms and the transitions to the smooth driving beat. The famous Take Five cut has symmetry reminiscent of pop tunes that probably accounts for its wide popularity. Personally I enjoyed Three to Get Ready much more that the Take Five cut. Three To Get Ready has a building theme on a simple structure, and more excellent feedback and interplay among the musicians. Kathy’s Waltz was special also and had a shadow of ragtime intermixed with the main theme that really adds a kick. Everything seemed to ‘fit’ and this was a most enjoyable album. Perfect for a Sunday Morning.


Mingus AH UM. Flat out wonderful. I wrote down some pithy comments for a few of the tracks:

Better Get It In Your Soul – Just plain fun
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat – Soulful
Boogie Stop Shuffle – Rat-a-tat-tat
Open Letter to Duke - Flats and Sharps
Jelly Roll - YAZ and STOMP

There are three extra tracks on the re-mastered CD and all are great also. I think this album is somewhat better than Take Five only in that takes more chances and dives down more alleys, all to the good. Perfect for a Saturday Evening.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps. The interplay of all the musicians is masterful and held together wonderfully by John’s saxophone work. In the cut Spiral I especially enjoyed the bass and piano duo. My simple comment on the track Countdown is – ZAP. This re-mastered CD also had alternate takes on some of the tracks but I haven’t listen enough to parse out any great differences. But listening to this album makes me want to get out my Charlie Parker Millennium edition CD and compare these two great saxophone artists.

Have yet to crack open the Miles Davis Kind of Blue or A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. I'm at present relistening to the above three CDs again, they are so enjoyable. I'll post a review on the above two, soon.

-Zeno

You guys might enjoy Ashley Kahn's books on the making of A Love Supremeand Kind of Blue.

(Disclaimer: I used to play poker in a home game with Ashley.)

In lieu of a birthday video, I note the passing of Louie Bellson.

Bellson drum solo from the 50s

Bellson on Tonight Show, about 30 years later