| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
 Posted - 05/09/2006 : 20:48:28
|
Hey everybody,
I have recently been turned onto Jazz. I know that it's an incredibly diverse genre of music, but I have not had much exposure to it before now and am just wondering what everyone else's opinions of it and preferences are.
I have been listening to Miles Davis (of course), Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
Little Black Francis
> Teenager of the Year <
3648 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 20:49:51
|
I like Medeski Martin and Wood, if you've never heard of them you might like. But it's not old-school. They've been together for about 15 years I think. I think they're awesome.
What's up glacial!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teabagging |
 |
|
|
Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11690 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 20:51:21
|
Cue Brian. Or even queue up his podcast.
 "If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 21:00:34
|
Brian as in Broken Face?
What's up, Andy?
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11690 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 21:01:57
|
Yeah, he's a jazz fan...
"If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
|
|
|
ScottP
= Cult of Ray =
USA
618 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 21:48:16
|
| Today's Jazz isn't nearly as potent as the Jazz of the early 1990's. Stockton and Malone gave my Sonics fits during the Kemp and Payton years. |
|
|
|
misleadtheworld
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
1222 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 02:09:35
|
I quite like jazz, but my taste in it is hardly refined (ie. I like the usual suspects, but that's about it). I really like Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire album 'Oh! The Grandeur'. It's nothing like 'Mysterious Production of Eggs'. It's like gypsy jazz, Django Reinhardt style, with some other things thrown in. It's a little bit 1940s sounding too.
|
|
|
|
vilainde
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Niue
7448 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 02:26:30
|
I don't listen to as much jazz as I'd like to. I love jazz but I never buy any cause the jazz section at my record store is hidden on the 2nd floor... So I go with the classics too. My fave jazz musicians are Coltrane, Mingus and Pastorius. Someone (Owen?) said Coltrane played too many notes. The fool! Check out his works with Eric Dolphy, especially the song India featuring Dolphy on clarinet. It's the craziest tune I've ever heard. I think it's on the LP "Impressions".
Jaco Pastorius' "Word Of Mouth" is my 3rd fave record ever (right behind Trompe le Monde and Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" if you wanna know). Pastorius is the most impressive bass player but it never turns into a guitar-hero like demonstration (well it does on some of his live records but not on the albums). He's done a bit of annoying jazz-rock but Word Of Mouth is perfect to me. Big Band, free jazz, soul, pop (there's an awesome cover of Black Bird on it). Check out also "The Birthday Concert". Big Band at its finest with the Brecker Brothers and Bob Mintzer on horns, Peter Erskine on drums, Don Alias on the congas, steel drums everywhere...
Uh, I'm no expert really so I'll stop there. Ask Brian or darwin, they know.
Denis
I love Guitar Wolf from the Erath! |
|
|
|
hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1594 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 05:16:12
|
My opinion of it...Yes sir, I like it.
I think I saw my last Rock'n'Roll show with the Pixies, unless FB comes back here.
When it's done at its best: I like the thrill of Jazz, I like seeing musicians taking chances (I never want to hear a band that sounds like the record ever again). I like the raw brain power it takes to navigate through songs at will, the quickness of wit and humour. I like the interaction and effort with the air of the effortless. Man, I like Jazz.
But you can't take that home.
In glacial's current roster, one of my most favourite albums is Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson. Ella and Louis Again was recorded right around the same time, I think it was the same sessions. Duke Ellington's The Far East Suite that Branford Marsalis likes, with a rockin' back-beat in the "Far East of the Blues". Thelonious Monk Alone in San Francisco. My pick for Miles Davis is In A Silent Way, similar to Bitches Brew.
Charles Mingus is new to my ears, Haitian Fight Song is nasty powerful. I'm on a binge listening to the unfathomable, holy Art Tatum, The Best of the Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces and Art's Art are mind warping.
My guitar album of choice, Lenny Breau with Dave Young Live at Bourbon St., I just picked up a new copy as I wore out the old cd.
|
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 05:35:08
|
Sorry i'm late...
For jazz, i'm a firm believer in figuring out what your boundaries are first. Can you take a little 'free jazz' - ie. chromatic runs ala Ornette Coleman? Or are you more of a swing (to me, its not jazz, but...) person? Do you like piano trios? Or do you prefer horns? Figure out where your ears lie before going too far in any direction. When i was in 9th grade i tried to become a jazz head overnight, and a friend lent me a Pat Methany CD called ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SILENCE. Well, imagine how melodic that was? That turned me off to jazz guitar for years. I generally don't like the Soprano saxophone, i tend to dislike an electric bass used in a jazz band if it is attempted to be used like an upright (in other words, play it like it should be played), and despite Ron Burgundy's proficience on it, i'm not a jazz flue man.
I like all varieties. I like some fusion-y stuff (Miles Davis post 1968), i like modern piano trios (Brad Mehldau, the Bad Plus), i love Mingus. Coltrane's A LOVE SUPREME is one of the most perfect records of all time. There is a great Aussie jazz band called The Catholics that forum member Crispy Water turned me on to that features pedal steel, trombone and sax. I like some free jazz (Ornette Coleman, Happy Apple), but that is usually not where my tastes roam.
But really, i love what jazz has done to rock and roll. Take a rock band, give them a few great jazz CDs and you start to see some more interesting chords find their way into the music, you'll see the band play a little looser and generally you'll see musicianship improve. Now, some bands take it too far and become Phish or some other grossly indulgent band, but i think a jazz influence can be really great.
Brian's Top 5 Jazz Records of the Moment:
1. John Coltrane - A LOVE SUPREME
2. Charles Mingus - MINGUS AH UM
3. The Bad Plus - THESE ARE THE VISTAS
4. Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach - MONEY JUNGLE
5. Reid Anderson Quintet - THE VASTNESS OF SPACE
-Brian
|
|
|
|
Newo
~ Abstract Brain ~
Spain
2674 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 05:36:33
|
quote:
vilainde Posted - 05/10/2006 : 02:26:30
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone (Owen?) said Coltrane played too many notes. The fool! Check out his works with Eric Dolphy, especially the song India featuring Dolphy on clarinet. It's the craziest
did I fuck. there´s no such thing as too many notes.
there´s a great record of alternate takes from Mingus albums has a wonderful version of Better Git It In Your Soul where the the horn section fuck up and bring back the theme too early, it´s a gorgeous imperfection.
At moment jazzwise I´m listening to more than usual cause I live with a jazz guitarist who has my Eric Dolphy records on constantly. Some of South African clarinetist Kippie Moeketsi and then Bird, the American Kippe Moeketsi apparently, is an everpresent. And lots of things with Trevor Dunn on it.
--
Gravy boat! Stay in the now! |
|
|
|
hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1594 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 05:54:38
|
#4 Money Jungle is on my list to purchase, but I fear there may not be a copy to be found for hundreds and hundreds of miles, although there are still two stores to check.
It has caught your fancy? |
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 07:13:39
|
Oh, it is great. Really fantastic. What i love about trios, and good trios especially, is you can hear everyone's personality. You hear Duke being Duke, Mingus pushing and pulling the music in directions that Duke probably doesn't want it, and you hear Roach trying to keep the two together.
-Brian
|
|
|
|
darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5456 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 12:55:51
|
quote:
Originally posted by glacial906
I have been listening to Miles Davis (of course), Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.
That's a great start. Some of the giants.
I particularly love Monk. There's nothing like him. I don't think the critics particularly care for it, but one of my favorites of his is Solo Monk. It's just him in all of his glory. It's was one of his first albums I had. Brilliant Corners is one of the better ones. And the newly found show with Monk and Coltrane is very good.
Ellington to me is the King. I've got a few of his live albums and when that band kicks in it just sends shivers down my spin. It always swings with Duke.
Others I would add to your list are Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. If you like jazz piano check out Oscar Peterson and the Bill Evans Trio. Art Tatum is reknown for his speed on the piano. It's fun, but often wears me out after a few tunes.
Like Brian I have a few personal biases. I hate jazz guitar, with Django Reinhardt being the lone exception. And unlike Brian (I think) I enjoy jazz vocalists. You mentioned Ella Fitzgerald. I would add Peggy Lee, Joe Williams (he was in Count Basie's band), and Mel Torme.
________________________________________________________________
Working on the T.V. show Emergency! was particularly nice because I was working with a real pro “Randy Mantooth” - Dick Van Patten |
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 15:05:43
|
Yeah, vocal jazz is not my thing at all.
-Brian
|
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 18:12:58
|
I'm just surprised by what a diverse genre jazz is. It's like this whole other world of music, with many distinct sounds all of it's own. There seems to be a huge spectrum of what encompasses the term "jazz."
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 19:38:45
|
Excellent point glacial, and that's why i get annoyed when people say "i don't like jazz" - there must besome permentation of the genre that you can enjoy. It's like saying "i don't like rock."
-Brian
|
|
|
|
kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2006 : 19:45:28
|
quote:
Originally posted by Broken Face
Excellent point glacial, and that's why i get annoyed when people say "i don't like jazz" - there must besome permentation of the genre that you can enjoy. It's like saying "i don't like rock."
-Brian
Guilty as charged.
I’m the only one who can say that this light is mine
|
|
|
|
IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2006 : 20:22:22
|
quote:
Originally posted by Broken Face
Excellent point glacial, and that's why i get annoyed when people say "i don't like jazz" - there must besome permentation of the genre that you can enjoy. It's like saying "i don't like rock."
-Brian
I know some people who don't like rock, and normally I think it's justified. rock is the devil's music.
And why don't you like Phish? Put all the marijuana and all their masturbatory jams aside, "Frankie Says" is one of the greatest tunes of all time. "my friend, my friend" and "rift" are also exemplary songs. And "stash". |
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2006 : 21:14:47
|
I think Phish are 4 talented guys, and i think they have some good songs, but they just go on and on and on. Plus, an old roommate of mine had their documentary DVD (Bittersweet Motel?) and they appeared to be pretentious pricks.
-Brian
|
|
|
|
Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2006 : 15:57:09
|
I love jazz mags.
Seriously, though, my Dad is a jazz fan, and used to hang out with some famous American jazz guys who were living over here years ago. And a friend of mine got really into jazz a few years ago, and has good collection of CDs, a lot of Miles, of course.
 |
|
|
|
apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2006 : 11:30:28
|
Not sure how much time you have to set aside for listening to an internet radio stream, what with kids and all, but Dick Buckley's Jazz show on WBEZ (Chicago) is a great way to get introduced to some other stuff. He generally follows his motto of playing only "the good-old good ones", which means a lot of dixieland, swing, well-known and forgotten big bands, pre-war jazz, and some good post-war bebop and more modern stuff.
Now that we're no longer Chicagoans, we record the show off WBEZ's web stream every Sunday. He's a great personality too - ornery, witty, and grandfatherly but still hip to a lot of obscure info about the musicians and the surrounding history. Rarely there are a few duds (I can't get into vibes/xylophone in jazz 99% of the time), but it's a great way to get into new things, and learn the background.
You can stream it here noon to 3 PM CST on Sundays: www.wbez.org
info on the host:
www.wbez.org/programs/jazz_buckley/jz_buckley.asp" target="_blank">http://www.wbez.org/programs/jazz_buckley/jz_buckley.asp
a list of part of Buckley's Jazz audio archive, to get some ideas:
www.chipublib.org/008subject/001artmusic/buckley/buckley.html" target="_blank">http://www.chipublib.org/008subject/001artmusic/buckley/buckley.html
I like too much Jazz to go into a list at the moment, but I will say there is one contemporary band that's well worth seeing live or grabbing a cd of - Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble. They're incredibly good. A mix of Bebop, Swing, and experimental improv that's hard to describe. If you can get it, Mean Ameen is a good album to pick up, but of course it's never as good as seeing it live. I don't know if they play much outside of Chicago.
|
Edited by - apl4eris on 05/16/2006 11:30:50 |
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2006 : 12:53:26
|
Thanks for the info, apl. I was just in Chicago recently on vacation; too bad I didn't know about Dawkins then.
I will have to check out Dick Buckley's show; sometimes I listen to the jazz stations on iTunes, but most of the time it's more contemporary "Kenny G" type stuff, which I don't particuarly like.
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5456 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2006 : 16:17:01
|
| To paraphrase the Dead Milkmen, "if there's a God in Heaven, surely Kenny G will burn in hell". |
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2006 : 16:56:39
|
From Wikipedia:
"In addition to his critique from fellow jazz musicians, Kenny G has recieved criticism from a number of Born Again Christians for saying, "My music is very spiritual. I try to summon and empower the spirit realm through my playing. It's not just jazz...its magic." The saying is viewed by the Christians as a sign that he sold his soul to the Devil for his hit records, or at the very least that he is in league with 'principalities and powers of darkness.'"
Sounds like he's already got his place in hell earmarked.
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
Newo
~ Abstract Brain ~
Spain
2674 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2006 : 10:59:38
|
A new genre of music, elevator magic. Like Kenny G ever had a soul to sell in the first place. I think the devil is going to get screwed on that one.
--
Gravy boat! Stay in the now! |
Edited by - Newo on 05/18/2006 11:01:10 |
|
|
|
apl4eris
~ Abstract Brain ~
USA
4800 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 11:40:44
|
quote:
Originally posted by glacial906
Thanks for the info, apl. I was just in Chicago recently on vacation; too bad I didn't know about Dawkins then.
I will have to check out Dick Buckley's show; sometimes I listen to the jazz stations on iTunes, but most of the time it's more contemporary "Kenny G" type stuff, which I don't particuarly like.
Yeah, there's a lot of horrible shit being called jazz these days. It's not jazz at all.
There seems to be a lot of very good contemporary jazz, but most of it takes some digging (for us anyway). Dawkins is affiliated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), so there are probably some others worth checking out in that arena.
We also recently discovered another great jazz artist that's also been around for ages, via the latest Jarmusch film soundtrack (Broken Flowers - I enjoyed that movie far more than I had expected. phew!): Ethiopian-based Mulatu Astatqe
here's some of his music on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/mulatuastatke
Feel free to pm me if you'd like to sample some older tunes before you drop a paycheck. What ever happened to all those cheap jazz and classical releases? |
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 12:50:37
|
Well, I did find a used copy of "Kind of Blue" the other day at a bookstore for $4.95.
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 13:22:49
|
That seems to be 'the' jazz record to get!
|
|
|
|
darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5456 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 14:50:57
|
Miles Davis was great, but Dizzy Gillespie was better.
Miles Davis was a master at using space and playing it cool. But, he has become an icon where "Kind of Blue" is the beginning and sometimes end of jazz collections. Dizzy Gillespie was way more technically proficient on the trumpet than Davis and with Charlie Parker established bebop. I like Miles Davis, but feel his reputation is overblown if he's seen as the Jazz great. |
|
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5157 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2006 : 21:19:46
|
I just got a great version of Eric Dolphy doing "God Bless the Child" solo on the bass clarinet.
-Brian
|
|
|
|
Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2006 : 09:10:40
|
RIP jazz bassist Jack Fallon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5016072.stm
I remember reading about the fiddle player on The Beatles' Don't Pass Me By protesting about them using what he played, thinking it was just a rough track.
|
Edited by - Carl on 05/25/2006 09:11:08 |
|
|
|
Coldheartofstone
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
2025 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2006 : 09:21:55
|
You know who's cool...
Medeski, Martin and Wood.
If time is my vessel, then learning to love
Might be my way back to sea |
|
|
|
glacial906
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1738 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2006 : 10:10:14
|
Yeah, Andy mentioned them above, though I've never heard them. Have to check them out.
Signature censored by forum moderators. |
|
|
|
Coldheartofstone
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
2025 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2006 : 10:50:09
|
I probably should have read the rest of the post....OOps...
If time is my vessel, then learning to love
Might be my way back to sea |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Jazz
