This record should really be called the Roy Hargrove Quintet with the Tenors of Another Time or the Roy Hargrove Quintet with the Tenors of Our Parents’ Time. I didn’t know Wynton had discovered Hargrove; had I, I wouldn’t have borrowed six of his cds from the library. Oops.
Tag: Jazz
Treme (2010)
This review of Treme contains some spoilers.
Abaton (2003) by Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander
So to make this super confusing, apparently the idea here was to actually credit this trio as Abaton rather than the record, despite the fact that there are at least three other bands in the world with that name. It’s a popular idea, I guess, sleeping in temples…
Camouflage (2004) by Acoustic Ladyland
Coming at an artists backwards is always a big of an issue. Not only as it’s sort of unfair to the artist – we get our notions of what the artist sounds like when they are “mature” and try to apply that to their early work – but also as it’s unfair to the listener, …
The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (1997) by Grant Green
This set compiles the first three albums Grant recorded with pianist Sonny Clark before the band was expanded to a quintet later in 1962. Interestingly, none of these albums were released until 1980 (in Japan) which, given the quality of the music, it’s really hard to understand.
Jazz (2001, Ken Burns)
Jazz is a noble attempt to be the defining documentary about jazz, “America’s art music” and one of the greatest things to happen in human history, in my humble opinion.
Birks Works: the Verve Big Band Sessions (1956, 1957, 1993) by Dizzy Gillespie
I recently listened to this band’s performance at Newport and was underwhelmed. It just goes to show you the power of mood. I guess just wasn’t in the mood and I imagined the Newport show as some kind of semi-modernist response to Ellington’s Newport show of the year before. I think I was over-thinking.
The Complete New York Town Hall and Boston Symphony Hall Concerts (1947, 2006) by Louis Armstrong and his All Stars
So this box includes both the complete concerts of the title and some additional performances from around the same time, including a performance held before a movie premier for a movie Armstrong was starring in, and some other miscellaneous recordings Armstrong features on that don’t really feel apiece.
The Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1937-1949 (1995) by Dizzy Gillespie
Gillespie is probably the greatest trumpet player ever, but this is the first time I’ve really gotten into his discography, a major oversight on my part.
The Bad Plus Live at the Wintergarden Theatre, December 12, 2013
I only knew the Bad Plus from their excellent jazz covers of rock songs and I actually was completely unaware that they were doing their own material for some time.
Ellington at Newport 1956 (1956, 2009)
Though Ellington is one of the most famous leaders in jazz, and probably the greatest composer in the music’s history, this is the first set I have ever heard (deliberately) by his band. The reason for that is simply because I got into jazz through Miles Davis, whose entire career has been played in the …
The Best of Tommy Dorsey and His Clambake Seven (1997 Retrieval)
Dorsey – along with his brother – was often accused of not playing “jazz”, something of a hurtful accusation to someone who felt he was a jazz musician. This was actually a fairly common thing in the ’30s when jazz and popular dance music were pretty tough to distinguish. (To this day, many people will …
RIP Dave Brubeck
I can’t pretend I know all that much about Dave Brubeck, the jazz pianist who just died. Like most jazz fans, I know Time Out well. And I only know the rest of his career from reading about him. I don’t think I have listened to a single other Brubeck album though I have heard the …
Young Miles (1945-50, 2001) by Miles Davis et al. (1945-50, 2001)
For die-hard fans of Miles Davis, or for people really interested in how cool came out of bop, this is probably pretty nearly essential.
The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (1997) by John Coltrane
When Coltrane and his “quartet” recorded these performances, he was just releasing Ole Coltrane, so I think it’s safe to say that much of what was heard here came as a shock to anyone in the audience who wasn’t constantly seeing him live. And even when the LP version came out the next year, much …
The Heavyweight Champion: the Complete Atlantic Recordings (1959-60, 1995) by John Coltrane
If Coltrane had died before he moved to Impulse, I still think he would be ranked as one of the two greatest jazz saxophonists ever. His Impulse recordings may have moved him into first place, but his Atlantic recordings are still a marvel.
Women in Jazz (1998, Retro Music) by Various Artists
The cheapie box set is an interesting phenomenon: Gather some recordings from major artists where the copyright has lapsed (or never existed), Put the recordings in any arbitrary order you choose, Use more discs than are necessary to convince the buyer they are getting a great bargain, Give it a catchy title.
BBNGLive 1 (2011) by BADBADNOTGOOD
Before I get into it, I will say first off that I like this music. I generally like fusion – the idea that this is “instrumental hip hop” is more than a little hilarious, if this isn’t jazz then I don’t know what it is – that stays away from “cool jazz” cliches, as this …
Things
My computer pissed me off last night. So far I’m okay with it today. Maybe not my computer. Rather certain things that happened with my computer (whether it was to blame or not). In the CD player: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I’m on a jazz kick. Had some Coltrane on last night. This …