Jazz Gems

[Zeeba Neighba]

^
Cool, Sam!

#32) Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue (1965)

One more vibes albums of the day - a little later than the Cal Tjader and MJQ albums and certainly more experimental. Hutcherson was a talented vibist (past away recently in 2016) who played with Eric Dolphy and chose to bring some experimental flavor to his first album released as a bandleader (The Kicker was recorded earlier but released later). Freddie Hubbard's trumpet is always welcome in my book, and Sam Rivers is an interesting reedsman (sax, flute, bass clarinet on this album). Andrew Hill similarly is a top avant garde pianist from the era. Still, it's not a difficult album to get into - the first song is a simple Latin piece. that cooks. Still, Hutcherson isn't your dad's hard bopper, and there are some challenging pieces here. Top notch stuff though - both 5 stars on allmusic and in the Penguin guide

 

[Ojai Sam]

#27) Chico Hamilton - Gongs East! (1959, recorded 1958)

At 500 albums, the original Jazz Excursion covered a lot of ground, but surely didn't cover it all. New to me since the original thread in 2012, Chico Hamilton's Gong East! (interesting title and cover) has a real mellow, cool vibe very different from the hard bop of the time. Drummer Hamilton spent time in such varied outfits as Lester Young (hey, we just played him), Count Basie and Gerry Mulligan, but he went into some different directions from those artists - post-bop, avant garde, even fusion. Here's an early band of Hamilton intriguing for the use of the cello (Nathan Gershman). Also this album contains some of the earliest recordings of Eric Dolphy here playing alto sax, flute and bass clarinet ever so ephemerally (Dolphy's first solo album in his short career would be released 1960). The vibe on many of these tracks here is Eastern and the flute and cello fit in beautifully. Dreamlike, mellow, chill, beautiful stuff here.

All right, I'll admit it. I've been a no show from this thread for far too long. So sue me.

Actually, I've missed several outstanding posts with lots of music that wasn't on the first incarnation. Gongs East! is a great example: new to the Jazz Excursion and new to me, too. Chico Hamilton was an innovative percussionist who bounced around several labels before winding up on Warner Bros., hardly a haven for cutting edge jazz. This record seems like a happy hybrid of West Coast cool jazz and faux Eastern mysticism ala Martin Denny's super successful Exotica, with a bit of Third Stream chamber classicism thrown in. Somehow Chico managed to slip this one by the suits without even resorting to a scantily clad female model.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

 

[axolotl]

Somehow Chico managed to slip this one by the suits without even resorting to a scantily clad female model.

Maybe they thought the dual, dueling gongs on the cover were ...never mind.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Maybe they thought the dual, dueling gongs on the cover were ...never mind.

Somehow this reminds me of a favorite restaurant from long ago...

 

[Ojai Sam]

If you drop by our Document Records series, you will enjoy Fats Waller, Lil Armstrong and many other notable jazzers accompanying Alberta Hunter at her peak.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#33) Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)

So many of Satchmo's early material is essential and influential but challenging given the recording techniques of the day to appreciate just HOW essential and influential. Armstrong was known as a powerful, blow-the-doors off the place trumpeter/cornetist with solos that would excite and wow. In his young heyday, the early 78s are exciting to hear but seem a bit hollow and tempered. Thirty years after his Hot Fives and Sevens (and now at age 53), it's good to have some better-recorded albums with Louis in fine form. Here on an album of W.C. Handy songs with his "All Stars", Armstrong soars with crisps, bold, powerful solos. A lively, fun record with classic New Orleans style jazz filled with great playing as well as some fun vocal interplay between Armstrong and vocalist Velma Middleton (who sadly died at age 43 when touring in Sierra Leone with the band).
Along with Armstrong's album with Duke Ellington and a few of his live discs (e.g. The Chicago Concert), there's some great stuff to be heard in the second half of Satchmo's career.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#34) Bud Powell - Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 (1956, recorded 1949, 1951)

In 1952 and 1954, two 10" records of Bud Powell were released by Blue Note records with tracks being joggled around, extra takes added and then (as the LP era began) was released as the above compilation. Casual listeners might not be into hearing the multiple alternate takes of several of the pieces. Still, this exciting album (that I picked up quite randomly on CD late in college) is one of the great comps of late 40s/early 50s bop not released by people named Parker and Gillespie. Though jazz pianists (like Bill Evans, Monk, Ahmad Jamal) would slow down exploring space and phrasing, jazz pianists like Art Tatum and Bud Powell were rapid-fire machine gun pianists filling their runs with more notes and chords than listener's ears could handle. Aside from a cool solo version of "Over the Rainbow" closing the disc, Powell is here with is small groups including such pikers as....oh, Sonny Rollins, Fats Navarro, and Max Roach (early stuff before Roach's and Rollins esteemed albums as bandleaders).

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#35) Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life (1971)

I've commented before on my love of the early 70s CTI albums produced by Creed Taylor (Milt Jackson's Sunflowers came up earlier in this thread). No one benefited more from this relationship than trumpeter Freddie Hubbard who produced a killer series of album for the label. Straight Life is two perfect long pieces (the title track and the classic "Mr. Clean") and a beautiful duet between Hubbard and guitarist George Benson "Here's That Rainy Day" - just perfect

Not much needs to be said about this album except the lineup:
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor), Herbie Hancock (keyboard), George Benson (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)

Wow! Enuf said!

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#36) Miles Davis - Milestones (1958)

Davis originally when assembling what would become his "First Great Quintet" in 1955 tried unsuccessfully to hire Julian "Cannonball" Adderley as his tenor. Instead he had to settle for John Coltrane. After great sessions that produced albums like Cookin', Relaxin', and Steamin' and a follow up tour in 1956, Davis fired Coltrane due to 'Trane's drug habit. Miles then added Sonny Rollins while Coltrane joined Thelonious Monk. By 1958, Coltrane was clean and Davis assembled a group again with Coltrane back in the fold AND Cannonball. Short lived with only this recording to show (Coltrane and Adderley would be there for the Kind of Blue sessions in a year as would bassist Paul Chambers).

Milestones is a classic with several excellent hard bop pieces with the three blowers on display, but on "Miles" (later billed as "Milestones"), listeners would hear the modal jazz that would appear full force of Kind of Blue). Most of the album contains some high tempo fireworks (even the often contemplative Davis) plays fast and furiously - "Dr. Jackle" and "Two Bass Hit" are highlights. Miles always allows his bandmates room to shine - there's even a nice rhythm section only piece "Billie Boy". The album closes with a great version of Monk's "Straight, No Chaser"

 

[JazzyRandy]

^
Cool, Sam!

#32) Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue (1965)

One more vibes albums of the day - a little later than the Cal Tjader and MJQ albums and certainly more experimental. Hutcherson was a talented vibist (past away recently in 2016) who played with Eric Dolphy and chose to bring some experimental flavor to his first album released as a bandleader (The Kicker was recorded earlier but released later). Freddie Hubbard's trumpet is always welcome in my book, and Sam Rivers is an interesting reedsman (sax, flute, bass clarinet on this album). Andrew Hill similarly is a top avant garde pianist from the era. Still, it's not a difficult album to get into - the first song is a simple Latin piece. that cooks. Still, Hutcherson isn't your dad's hard bopper, and there are some challenging pieces here. Top notch stuff though - both 5 stars on allmusic and in the Penguin guide

Not at all difficult to get into. Good stuff here!

 

[JazzyRandy]

#35) Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life (1971)

I've commented before on my love of the early 70s CTI albums produced by Creed Taylor (Milt Jackson's Sunflowers came up earlier in this thread). No one benefited more from this relationship than trumpeter Freddie Hubbard who produced a killer series of album for the label. Straight Life is two perfect long pieces (the title track and the classic "Mr. Clean") and a beautiful duet between Hubbard and guitarist George Benson "Here's That Rainy Day" - just perfect

Not much needs to be said about this album except the lineup:
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor), Herbie Hancock (keyboard), George Benson (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)

Wow! Enuf said!

WOW, indeed!

 

[JazzyRandy]

No reason this thread can't be about random jazz thoughts in general, right? Feel free to post - here's one for me

I gotta say, I don't know one person (outside of this group) who listens to jazz, enjoys it, or knows anything about the genre. Where they hiding?

When I was in residency I had a friend in NYC who loved jazz and we would bounce albums off each other all the time. "Ya gotta check this one out". I do wish sometimes I knew someone personally that enjoyed jazz. I miss that sounding board, that rapport.

In my regular and not-so-regular group of friends, I don't know anyone who is very much into Jazz. I know some who regularly listen to Smooth Jazz, but none of them would ever choose to attend a Jazz event that was not Smooth Jazz, and none of them ever listen to, say, Joshua Redman or Miles Davis.

Many many years ago, I worked for a guy who loved Jazz. This was just as I was beginning to hone my Jazz bonafides, the owner of a company where I worked LOVED Jazz and listened to it all day in his office. I used to make up excuses to go into his office, where he would invariably be on the phone and point me to a chair to sit and wait while he carried on his conversation. Jazz would be playing softly from his office stereo and I'd sit at that table and close my eyes and hope he never got off the phone.

But back to today, I'm with you. Looking for a fellow Jazz afficiendos is like looking for leprechauns. When I attend live Jazz events, at least 70% of the crowd looks 70 years of age or older. When I see patrons in their 20s and 30s, I wonder if they came only because they received free tickets.

On the other hand, there are several restaurants and bars in the area that feature live Jazz on a regular basis, and all seem to be doing well. So I guess there are enough Jazz fans around to support the cause. Then again, I wonder how many of those patrons actually listen to Jazz outside of those venues. I know one close friend who frequents Beyù Caffè in downtown Durham and she loves going. However, she never, NEVER, listens to Jazz outside of that establishment.

/rambling off

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Wow, indeed! The same can be said of the return of JazzyRandy!
I was actually gonna PM you to tell you about the uptick in Jazz Excursion posts - so glad you're here

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

^^
Live jazz especially if it's not too "out there" has a certain vibe that I think can interest, excite even non-fans. Every year when I go to JazzFest with my kids, I always take them to the Jazz Tent or the tent that focuses on more traditional New Orleans style jazz. Though I don't keep them there hours, they always seem interested (perhaps fascinated is a better word) and never yawn or ask to leave.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#37) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - A Night at Tunisia (1961)

The prolific Art Blakey has a ton of albums with various permutations of his "Jazz Messengers" throughout a long career (in fact, there are at least three different Blakey albums titled "A Night In Tunisia" that I know). Ranking Blakey albums is difficult because they are so damn consistent - I've never played a Blakey album with which I've been disappointed, though certainly I have my favorites

I am astounded Jazzy popped up because I was all set to paraphrase him (or most likely, given my memory, misquote him). I seem to recall that this is not among his fave Art Blakey albums primarily because the focal piece, an 11-minute version of Dizzy Gillespie's standard "A Night In Tunisia" is so often covered and, to Randy perhaps, overdone. Though it's not my favorite version of the timeworn piece (the tempo is a bit too brisk), I can't help loving it because of the INCREDIBLE solos traded off by trumpeter Lee Morgan and tenor Wayne Shorter, so vigorous that the piece seems to end like a car motor giving out after it's been driven to the limit.

Still the rest of the album is pretty darn good too - Shorter's "Sincerely Diana" especially. Wonderful hard bop, that does tend to suffer because of the bravado and fury of the opening title piece.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#38) Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Keystone 3 (1982)

In a career spanning 50 years, drummer Art Blakey produced a tremendous output of music with a number of combinations of his group The Jazz Messengers. If I'm being honest though, I don't really check out much Blakey stuff outside of his 1954-1965 heyday. The strength of the albums in that timeframe is so tremendous as are the artists involved (Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter). There's stuff to be gleaned from his material 1965, but hey there's only so much time in the day and why wouldn't one return to such great albums like Moanin', Free For All, Indestructible, and Caravan rather than spin, say, 1978s In This Korner (with Russian trumpeter Valeri Ponomarev (?!)). Also, Blakey did not really bring too much new to the table from 1965 to 1980 while the rest of the jazz world was experimenting with free jazz and fusion.

Still, branching out can be a good thing so I wanted to highlight a late-Blakey album that was not in the original Excursion - Keystone 3 , a live album recorded in 1982 at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. You may notice two names of the cover both with the last name Marsalis. In 1979, Blakey assembled a larger band than he typically worked with, an 11-piece band to tour Europe with brothers Wynton (trumpet) and Branford (alto sax) among the members. This helped launch the Marsalis Brothers career and brought an interest back on Blakey's band. Wynton stayed with Blakey and Branford would later join again after finishing music school to form this combo that would play at Keystone.

History aside, it's a pretty cool set. Branford and Wynton would each develop their own styles as bandleaders, but hearing them early on, you really appreciate why it was such a big deal when they emerged. Wynton especially has such a crisp tone and really shows his dexterity on pieces like "In Walked Bud". Don't want to forget Bill Pierce, the tenor sax here, who has some nice playing here alongside the bros. Nice live hard bop set worth checking out if you enjoy Blakey's older stuff.

 

[Ojai Sam]

In my regular and not-so-regular group of friends, I don't know anyone who is very much into Jazz. I know some who regularly listen to Smooth Jazz, but none of them would ever choose to attend a Jazz event that was not Smooth Jazz, and none of them ever listen to, say, Joshua Redman or Miles Davis.

Many many years ago, I worked for a guy who loved Jazz. This was just as I was beginning to hone my Jazz bonafides, the owner of a company where I worked LOVED Jazz and listened to it all day in his office. I used to make up excuses to go into his office, where he would invariably be on the phone and point me to a chair to sit and wait while he carried on his conversation. Jazz would be playing softly from his office stereo and I'd sit at that table and close my eyes and hope he never got off the phone.

But back to today, I'm with you. Looking for a fellow Jazz afficiendos is like looking for leprechauns. When I attend live Jazz events, at least 70% of the crowd looks 70 years of age or older. When I see patrons in their 20s and 30s, I wonder if they came only because they received free tickets.

On the other hand, there are several restaurants and bars in the area that feature live Jazz on a regular basis, and all seem to be doing well. So I guess there are enough Jazz fans around to support the cause. Then again, I wonder how many of those patrons actually listen to Jazz outside of those venues. I know one close friend who frequents Beyù Caffè in downtown Durham and she loves going. However, she never, NEVER, listens to Jazz outside of that establishment.

/rambling off

@JazzyRandy it’s always great to see you. I’ve been absent a lot myself lately.

Sad to say that my circle of friends is similarly jazzless apart from long time pard Paul Cohen who plays drums when he’s not practicing law. LA has a high hipster quotient, especially in the revived Downtown area. These folks seem to be drawn to jazz along with martinis and oversized eyeglasses. As a result, it’s easy to find lots of jazz venues filled with people born after Miles died. However, I suspect they may get bored and cast jazz aside along with pastel hair. We’ll still be here though, digging the grooves.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Thought a periodic album list might be in order considering how spaced out the posts have been
The Series so Far:
1) Original Dixieland Jazz Band - 75th Anniversary (rec. 1917-1921)
2) Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris (1963)
3) Vijay Iver Trio - Historicity (2009)
4) Stanley Turrentine - Sugar (1970)
5) Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)
6) Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (1973)
7) Milt Jackson - Sunflower (1973)
8) Lionel Hampton & Stan Getz - Hamp and Getz (1955)
9) Stan Getz - Captain Marvel (1972)
10) Stanley Clarke - School Days (1976)
11) Dexter Gordon - Tangerine (1975)
12) Thad Jones - The Magnificant Thad Jones (1957)
13) Duke Ellington with Charles Mingus and Max Roach - Money Jungle (1963)
14) Duke Ellington - The Duke at Fargo 1940 (Special 60th Anniversary Edition)
15) Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson (1960)
16) Roy Eldridge & Dizzy Gillespie - Roy and Diz (1954)
17) Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (1957)
18) Wes Montgomery & The Wynton Kelly Trio - Smokin' At The Half Note (1965)
19) Horace Silver - Song For My Father (1965)
20) The Buddy Rich Big Band - Mercy, Mercy (1968)
21) Charlie Christian - Genius of the Electric Guitar (rec. 1939-1941)
22) Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (1968)
23) Ella Fitzgerald - Ella at Zardi's (rec. 1956)
24) The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction to Afro-Cubop (rec. 1948-54)
25) Bix Beiderbecke - Vol 1: Singin' The Blues (1927)
26) Lester Young - Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio (1952)
27) Chico Hamilton - Gongs East! (1959)
28) Sonny Rollins - Newk's Time (1959)
29) John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (1960)
30) Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce (1960)
31) The Modern Jazz Quartet - Lonely Woman (1962)
32) Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue (1965)
33) Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)
34) Bud Powell - Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 (rec. 1949, 1951)
35) Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life (1971)
36) Miles Davis - Milestones (1958)
37) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - A Night in Tunisia (1961)
38) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Keystone 3 (1982)

Obviously a big focus on any jazz "greatest" series is going to be the golden age of recorded jazz from 1955-65 when jazz was being released on the new LP form, and releases were prolific and popular (before the advent of rock). Still I am surprised that out of 38 albums there are 6 from the 1970s so far, often unfairly/wrongly derided as a fallow period in jazz. Periodic summaries will provide a good overview of the series.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#39) Grant Green - I Want to Hold Your Hand (1966)

Scanning the list of albums so far, I realize how many great artists and albums we haven't gotten to yet. Let's remedy that. Some fantastic albums out there by the wonderful jazz guitarist Grant Green (example: Idle Moments or the great Matador) but will start with a less acclaimed gem, I Want to Hold Your Hand. Yes, the title cut is the Beatles song to which Green gives a bossa touch. Some interesting song choices here including Antonio Carlos Jobin's Corcovado, Tonight Show host Steve Allen's song (and theme) "This Could Be The Start of Something", and "Speak Low" (a song from the 40s musical One Touch of Venus written by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash (!)). A few standards thrown it there for measure too. This gumbo all works surprisingly. Green is a guitarist supreme, but also here (and always welcome) is tenor Hank Mobley. No bass on this set with Larry Young's organ taking its place and adding a soul jazz flavor.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#40) Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue (1963)

Sticking with some jazz guitar for another album -Midnight Blue is a stone cold classic that I haven't broken out in awhile. Soul jazz saxophonist supreme Stanley Turrentine as well as Latin percussionist Ray Barretto. Burrell along with this team creates as vibe that is both bluesy and soulful. Always a chill listen.