What Jazz are you listening to now?

[elmo]

Continuing with Blues and Boogie today - 'Kansas City' (no idea if there are any Eb's in this)

https://youtu.be/OQj5sxq7N04?feature=shared

elmo

[Jazzrook]

Roswell Rudd with Steve Lacy, Misha Mengelberg, Kent Carter & Han Bennink playing Herbie Nichols' '2300 Skidoo' from the 1982 album 'Regeneration':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=XN4idc124pc

JR

[Serial_Apologist]

Roswell Rudd with Steve Lacy, Misha Mengelberg, Kent Carter & Han Bennink playing Herbie Nichols' '2300 Skidoo' from the 1982 album 'Regeneration':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=XN4idc124pc

JR

This is a lovely album to go back to from time to time - there's always something new or some previously missed aspect to it that calls for repeats. I love it when some free players turn provisionally back to refresh tunes and conventional structures as long as such reversion is not permanent. I rather suspect Ian will disagree with me there.

[Ian Thumwood]

This is a lovely album to go back to from time to time - there's always something new or some previously missed aspect to it that calls for repeats. I love it when some free players turn provisionally back to refresh tunes and conventional structures as long as such reversion is not permanent. I rather suspect Ian will disagree with me there.

SA

i totally concur with your comments.

I wish I had bught this album. A concert by this a revised line up group of this group with Lacy / Mengelberg / Reijseger / Bennink /George Lewis was played on Radio 3 back in the late 1980s and this concert probably equipped my ears to listen to freer elements of jazz than any other performance. Most of the material was by Monk although they did perform some originals by Lacy too, For me, this is what Free jazz does the best - gets it's teeth into an earlier jazz tradition and makes it seem even more relevant.

As far as repertoire goes, I feel that the work of Thelonious Monk has never lost it's ability to sound outside of the confines of being "normal." From a technical point of view, Monk's music does use a lot of standard progressions and, indeed, if often built from the harmonic structures of harmonic language/ However, the themes always strike me as having a degree of mischief about them which really plays into the hands of improvisors like Lacy and Mengelberg. The only other composer whose work has that same quality is, perhaps, Ornette Coleman. Both musicians display an almost child-like approach to melody - meat and drink to avant players.

If there is a "problem" for me with the freer elements of improvisation, it is taking the music away from it's connection with jazz. This is what I find difficult but anchoring the approach to a composer like Monk seems common sense.

I would through the guantlet down and say I think that there is still an element of repertoire where this is not possible such as the American song book which I feel is rarely attacked in the same fashion as a composer like Monk. I have heard Paul Motian's trio take more radical approaches to standards and am aware that improvising pianists are diverse as Lennie Tristano and Paul Bley have "gone outside" whilst using song book forms to improvise on. It would be great to hear someone "disrespect" Broadway material but I think the time for that has probably passed. Having too many standards on an album these days is a turn off for me. The material has been done to death. I do like more "radical" approaches to 20's / 30's repertoire like Josh Berman's "Here now" which deconstructed Dixieland standards and is probably one of the most interesting jazz records of the 21st century. However, I have heard similar experiments such as Steve Bernstein's MTO which pulls apart the music of 1930s Territory Bands with aplomb.

For me, the question is one of repertoire rather than "reverting" back from freer styles. I wish jazz musicians would make more use of the 110 years worth of jazz repertoire as opposed to the umpteenth version of "All the things you are." It is a common problem with jazz. The music moved so fast in the 20th century that a lot of the music did not have the chance to be fully explored and most of this is far more interesting that Broadway material. After the work by Keith Jarrett's trio and Paul Motian's Trio, there does not seem to be much left to say with this stuff..

[Ian Thumwood]

Continuing with Blues and Boogie today - 'Kansas City' (no idea if there are any Eb's in this)

https://youtu.be/OQj5sxq7N04?feature=shared

elmo

This is my favourite track in this idiom. Peter Johnson on piano with Big Joe Turner. For some reason, I find this track really moving/ I believe Piney Brown was a bar tender who was benevolent to jazz musicians in Kansas City in the 1930s.

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=youtube%20piney%20brown%20blues%20peter%20johnson&mid=03BA0A2C8E8F3442893F03BA0A2C8E8F3442893F&ajaxhist=0

[Jazzrook]

This is a lovely album to go back to from time to time - there's always something new or some previously missed aspect to it that calls for repeats. I love it when some free players turn provisionally back to refresh tunes and conventional structures as long as such reversion is not permanent. I rather suspect Ian will disagree with me there.

Here's another fine tribute to Herbie Nichols from Misha Mengelberg, Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Arjen Gorter & Han Bennink playing the title track from 'Change of Season'(Soul Note) recorded in 1984.
Delighted to buy a copy of this elusive album today from 'Crazy Beat Records'(https://crazybeat.co.uk/) in Upminster.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=WWpO-aeHaFY

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

I have been listening to the Tuba Skinny album "Some kind of shake." The choice of repertoire for a more "traditional" NEw Orleans ensemble is fascinating. There are a few originals in the mix which is a surprise (you would not be able to distinguish from the genuine, vintage tracks) but the "Classic" jazz material covers a wide range of bases from Dave Nelson/ King Oliver, Duke Ellington and obscure territory band, the St Louis Crackerjacks. However, the stand out tracks have been covers of compositions by the likes of Blind Willie MCTell, Memphis Minnie and Blind Blake. All of this stuff fits extremely well in this format. In fact, I feel that the relaxed nature of the playing and the fact that the soloists really play for the benefit of the ensemble adds an air of authenticity about this record. It is fascinating because players like the cornetist Shaye Cohn have managed to capture the style of playing that which fell out of favour in the 1930s. The more I listen to this band, the more I feel they have added to a tradition.

[elmo]

Can't remember where I got this album but it is a good one, both tenor players are Trane influenced - Azar Lawrence played with McCoy Tyner and Miles in the 70's. The group play this nice version of Freddie Hubbard's " Up jumped Spring"

https://youtu.be/2UK0nc1ecig?feature=shared

elmo

[elmo]

Can't remember where I got this album but it is a good one, both tenor players are Trane influenced - Azar Lawrence played with McCoy Tyner and Miles in the 70's. The group play this nice version of Freddie Hubbard's " Up jumped Spring"

https://youtu.be/2UK0nc1ecig?feature=shared

elmo

[elmo]

This is my favourite track in this idiom. Peter Johnson on piano with Big Joe Turner. For some reason, I find this track really moving/ I believe Piney Brown was a bar tender who was benevolent to jazz musicians in Kansas City in the 1930s.

https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervie...93F&ajaxhist=0

Kansas City spawned some great musicians and bands, this track is a great example - here is another Jay McShann with Bird "Swingmatism"

https://youtu.be/96cp57GjoaQ?feature=shared

elmo

[Ian Thumwood]

Elmo

I love Jay McShann;s band. For me "The Jumpin' Blues" is one of my favourite records of all time. With a combination of a hard swining KC- style big band, the gret blues shouting of Wlater Brown and a solo by Charlie Parker. I would suggest jazz does not get much better. Oddily enough, the other saxophonist in the band (John Jackson) also sounds like Bird and must have been the first musician to have been influenced by him.

I actually met Jay McShann went I went to Edinburgh Jazz destival back in 1987. I was fortunate enough to briefly chat to him and he was a quite a character. He told me about who wrote the scores for the band ( ultimately stolen ) and made some comment about how much fun you could have in those days. For my money, Mcshann's band was under-recorded and I believe this was a consequence of the executive from Decca being more interested in recording McShann's playing and the singing of Walter Brown in particular. The McShann band was the last great big band to come out of KC in the 1940s. It is fascinating to learn how many excellent bands came from there with the likes of Basie, Kirk, Leonard and Moten.

[elmo]

Elmo

I love Jay McShann;s band. For me "The Jumpin' Blues" is one of my favourite records of all time. With a combination of a hard swining KC- style big band, the gret blues shouting of Wlater Brown and a solo by Charlie Parker. I would suggest jazz does not get much better. Oddily enough, the other saxophonist in the band (John Jackson) also sounds like Bird and must have been the first musician to have been influenced by him.

I actually met Jay McShann went I went to Edinburgh Jazz destival back in 1987. I was fortunate enough to briefly chat to him and he was a quite a character. He told me about who wrote the scores for the band ( ultimately stolen ) and made some comment about how much fun you could have in those days. For my money, Mcshann's band was under-recorded and I believe this was a consequence of the executive from Decca being more interested in recording McShann's playing and the singing of Walter Brown in particular. The McShann band was the last great big band to come out of KC in the 1940s. It is fascinating to learn how many excellent bands came from there with the likes of Basie, Kirk, Leonard and Moten.

Ian
As you say such a great band, I didn't realise John Jackson was in the band - that would account for his Bird like work in the marvellous Diz band of 1948.

I love the Benny Moten band which has to be a precursor of all the KC bands you mention, such great arrangements and what about "William's" piano playing on this!

https://youtu.be/eZwwU39PsU8?feature=shared

My Blues and Boogie track today is an early one (1929) by Rufus Perryman aka Speckled Red, great track

https://youtu.be/5G1mOjbZO54?feature=shared

elmo

[Ian Thumwood]

Those December 1932 tracks recorded by Moten are incredible, I can near work out what tune "Prince of Wails" is based upon. I know Moten Swing is "You're driving me crazy" I think Moten's band was fascinating as the earlier tracks did not really take on board the more modern rhythmic feel initiated by Armstrong and only really took shape from about 1928 onward. Basie and Eddie Durham were repsonsible for taking the band in the more modern direction albeit Basie was also influential in convincing Moten to replace all the musicians in the band Basie did not consider "modern" enough for the new concept. They effectively rebuilt the band and you can hear it evolve up until those last recordings where it really started to sound like a proto-type Basie band. The recent book about Chick Webb offers some interesting insight into how influential dancers were in shaping the evolution of jazz rhythm at that time. There was always pressure on bands to provide different approaches to rhythm and especially from those dancers who were more professional. The Moten band was popular in New York as they originally played in a stomping style which was different from how many of the bands sounded in that city. Eventually, they started to model themselves on McKinney's Cottonpickers before Durham and Basie totally re-shaped the band. Although the 1932 tracks are exceptional, the Hep double CD of Moten's better work is absolutely brilliant since you can hear the band evolve. There are some earlier recordings that the band made which are really in the vintage jazz mould and give little indication of how the band would change. At that time I think Basie was still in New York.

Incidentally, the drummer on the McShann tracks was Gus Johnson who later went on to play with Basie.

[Jazzrook]

Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra(1943-45 Broadcasts) with the rarely recorded, but influential trumpeter, Freddie Webster playing 'Yesterdays':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=ADDkJNC5glM

JR

[Tenor Freak]

NP Back Road from Joe Henderson's LP Our Thing. The next solo for my auto-didactic jazz improv study course and one of my all time favourites. He makes great use of space at the end of his solo, leaving a near two-bar gap before his closing phrase.