The Jazz Thread

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

The album took me well over a year to really "get". But when I did it instantly became a favourite.

[darkshade]

now I'm on this


This album is pretty good. Nice lineup of course, but this reminds me of Bitches Brew in terms of mood, but with the creative virtuosic fire than Jaco and Metheny bring to the mix. Everyone should check out this album.

Well, shit. i've forgotten to talk about this particular and rare record. i encourage you all to find this, took me probably months to finally get it.

Damn!  I can't even tell you when I listened to this last.

It was so long ago that I don't even remember what it even sounds like. I keep it at the beginning of my Jaco section (Not sure why I chose to put it there instead of with Metheny--which still doesn't explain why I've haven't put it on in a while since I listen to more Jaco than Metheny on average.)

Might as well put it with Jaco; he only released, like, 3 albums by himself-besides this one. I think this album is the oldest album of his as well, predating his self titled, Metheny's Bright Size Life, or Weather Report albums

[SPNKr]

^Yeah, it's the oldest studio recording of him that's not a demo. He did demos that made his self-titled album with Pat Metheny in 1974. Songs like Continuum sounded totally different.

[ytserush]

If I have time today I'll put on Third, only heard the first track so far and that was on the weekend.

^ Damn man, you NEED Blue Train. One of the jazz requirements for anybody.
I put Jaco (Pastorius/Metheny/Ditmas/Bley) in my Jaco section, and considering his name is written first on the front and he was already capable of being a leader at the time I don't see why it shouldn't be in his section. You can always count it as a Metheny album too, just logically should be in the Jaco section lol.

That's probably the most consistent way to do that. I never thought of that as a rule. (Thanks for the help!)

I suppose that would work for the many other instances were there are collaborations such as that.

I've got my Bruford/Levin Upper Extremities Blue Nights album in the Levin section for reasons I can't even explain (other than I had Tony Levin sign it when I saw him last) when under this rule I should clearly file it with the Bruford albums.  I'm sure there are more inconsistencies I should fix.


I should have made that more clear.

Blue Train is the only pre-1961 Coltrane solo album that I own.  I was fortune to secure a Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs version in the days before Ebay and the Internet. Sitting to the right of it is the Complete Africa/Brass Sessions with the quartet.

Ah ok, I remember reading you don't have it unless you edited that post. Good that you have it
what is that album called anyway? i never got a good look of it on google, i have it digitally. all i got to see was the front of it. anything written on the spine?

I'm confused which album you mean.

The Pastorius/Metheny/Ditmas/Bley album has "Pastorius/Metheny/Ditmas/Bley -- Jaco" on the spine leading me to believe the album is called Jaco which stuns me considering how early in the game it is.

By the way, I have close to a dozen Jaco albums but a good chunk of those are from the Live In New York City series. If I'm honest, I don't really listen to his self-titled album all that much. I prefer his live work or other collaborations a lot more.





My Mobile Fidelity Blue Train has the typical Mobile Fidelity style on the spine "UDCD 547 John Coltrane Blue Train MFSL"

The Bruford/Levin album has " PBCD 4 Bruford Levin Upper Extremities Blue Nights Papa Bear Records" on the spine. I suppose another reason I keep this with the Levin CDs is that it was released on his label.

The Coltrane Affica/Brass Sessions has " The John Coltrane Quartet The Complete Africa/Brass  Sessions IMPD-2-168  Impulse" on the spine. This CD is a mid-'90s reissue 20-bit remaster.

[SPNKr]

^ Wow, ok. that sums it up entirely for me, definitely titled Jaco .. at least in short hand. I'd love to get the complete africa/brass sessions man.

Edit: Picking up the Astrud Gilberto album (that has Gil Evans as well) titled Look To The Rainbow because that Smoke on the water riff was lifted directly from it. Can't wait to hear this, i love some bossa nova.

[jsem]

^ Wow, ok. that sums it up entirely for me, definitely titled Jaco .. at least in short hand. I'd love to get the complete africa/brass sessions man.

Edit: Picking up the Astrud Gilberto album (that has Gil Evans as well) titled Look To The Rainbow because that Smoke on the water riff was lifted directly from it. Can't wait to hear this, i love some bossa nova.

Look To The Rainbow is a great album.

Kenny Burrell plays on it, he's such a beast on the guitar

[SPNKr]

^ Holy shit really? Wiki doesn't have "shit" about the album so thanks for the heads up.

[PuffyPat]

What's the best album to start of the day?

[jsem]

Might be ALS actually.

[PuffyPat]

Funny you say that, because it just finished playing.

[jsem]

Best late-night album though is easily From Gagarin's Point of View by Esbjörn Svensson Trio.

Actually, any of E.S.T.'s albums.

[PuffyPat]

Hmmm, not familiar with them. I shall check them out tonight! Best album to start with?

[ShadowWalker]

I took in the Return To Forever IV concert last week and I was absolutely floored by the performance, particularly Stanley Clarke on bass. It was such an amazing musical journey and the second best concert I have seen this year after the Neal Morse show. I was just awestruck watching and listening to these musicians. If you are into jazz fusion at all and these guys are coming near you, definitely check them out.

And having a set of Zappa Plays Zappa opening up was just the icinig on the cake.

[MasterShakezula]

Cool beans!

I love RTF, as well as much of CC's solo stuff (Mainly the 60s and 70s)!

Do you know if they're doing anything in California?

Also, how many US dollars did the show cost you?

[jsem]

Hmmm, not familiar with them. I shall check them out tonight! Best album to start with?

Best late-night album though is easily From Gagarin's Point of View by Esbjörn Svensson Trio.

[PuffyPat]

Alrighty then. I know what I'm listening to tonight then.

[Kosmo]

I'm stuck on John Coltrane and Miles Davis, what should I check out next that's maybe the same type of Jazz as those two?

[MasterShakezula]

Um, in terms of Miles, are you into his mid-late 60s quintet stuff?

Cause Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock have some amazing albums as leaders from the same general period and later ( 63-75 or so)

Also, if you dig the fusion stuff he did from 69-75, sidemen Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, and John McLaughlin have some amazing fusion works under their belts, as well.

Weather Report, Return To Forever, and Mahavishnu Orchestra, the 3 superbig fusion groups of the 70s, all were lead by former Davis alumni;

WR is essentially Shorter and Zawinul + great rhythm sections

RtF is essentially Corea's primary project after working with Davis, though he does have more traditional works from the 60s, and the Akoustik Band, and some fusion concept albums like My Spanish Heart and The Leprechaun.

MO was J. Mclaughlin's big project during the 70s, and often featured Eastern influence in addition to standard fusion.  Also, their first (I think) drummer, Billy Cobham is phenominal and lead on a great fusion album, Spectrum, if you're interested. 

If you want specific albums named, please ask. 

Edit: Also, try out the Dave Brubeck Quartet.  They're most famous for Take Five and the album it's off of (Time Out), though my favorite album of theirs is Jazz Impressions of Eurasia. 

[jsem]

If you like 50s style hard bop Miles... check out Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

[MasterShakezula]

I don't have much of their stuff, but I do have their first album where Horace Silver is the leader.

Doesn't get much better than The Preacher and Doodlin. 

[Kosmo]

I'M SO OVERWHELMED WITH ALL THIS JAZZ  I'm just gonna check all those out in order.

[jsem]

I'M SO OVERWHELMED WITH ALL THIS JAZZ  I'm just gonna check all those out in order.

Don't rush it. Let it take its time to grow on you, listen to each album a couple of times over a period of time. Don't jump right into it, ease yourself into it.

[SPNKr]

If you like 50s style hard bop Miles... check out Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

Yes ma'am, and the album's also called Moanin'.

I don't have much of their stuff, but I do have their first album where Horace Silver is the leader.

Doesn't get much better than The Preacher and Doodlin. 

Speaking of HS, his quintet did Song For My Father and it's a spectacular record! haven't heard it in a long time. dat title track head, oh man.

[MasterShakezula]

Moanin' you say?

I know the tune.  In fact, back in 8th grade, the jazz band I was in played that tune for much of the year.  Amazing chart.  ^^  I'm assuming the rest of the record's at that goodness level?

Also, I have Song For My Father.  Wonderful record, legendary title track, hope you have the version with 10 songs on it.  The 4 extras aren't necessarily as good as the 6 tunes that made up the original LP, but are worty additions, nonetheless. 

Any other Horace Silver recommendations?

[SPNKr]

hmm it seems that i only have the 6 track version. i found horace silver through rate your music's top 100 of the 60s. i haven't gotten anything else since.

[MasterShakezula]

I see. 

Well, if you come across the 10-track version, don't hesitate in buying it, if you are curious about the other 4 songs, and really dig the original 6 track. 

In the meantime, it appears my copy of Coltrane's Ballads has arrived, and I am currently listening to it. 

1 track in, and I can say that I enjoy so far.  Good and relaxed stuff.  All covers, though, if that's of concern. 

A lot more "in" and traditional than the sorta stuff the Trane's more known for, but very pretty and chill music, and though it's all ballads (obviously), the quartet still end up strutting their stuff and there are many very impressive moments, particularly from Elvin Jones, though that may be me noticing drum stuff well by being a drummer. 

Edit:  Finished listening to the whole album, and my say is about the same.  It's no Love Supreme, nor Giant Steps, but that's cool, because it wasn't meant to be either.  As a collection of runs through standard pops, it's very wonderfully executed and has gotten me hooked in a single listen, being a very accessible record.  Though not seeping  mysticism to the extent of Crescent/ALS, the Quartet's characteristic freeness and spirituality is present, if you're paying attention. 

Overall, I dig. 

[SPNKr]

did I recommend you Ballads? I thinks it's a beautiful record. at that time he was becoming increasingly avant-garde/modal. tonight I have more Miles davis lined up. have to re-listen to his 60s stuff I picked up last week.

[Kosmo]

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers = Amazing

[MasterShakezula]

Hmm, building my 4 mallet vibraphone comping skills for HS jazz tryouts in about 4 weeks is coming along well.  I've seen a lot of improvement this week through comping chords to Real Book standards.  Though it has been mostly ones using the blues progression. 

(What's nice and convenient is that I just have to do 3-7, 6-9 variants for everything.  Seriously; when I asked the director about things to work on to prepare myself to meet his requirements, he said to do only voicing using those notes within a chord.  To paraphrase him, "The bassist will generally always cover the root and the rhythm section excluding the 4th and 5th makes the ensemble sound hip.")

Next stop, Maiden Voyage! 

[SPNKr]

Good luck to you man. I sung Fly Me To The Moon and did a guitar solo over it on Friday in front of my class. I've only sung alone around others maybe 3 or 4 times so far, and this week my teacher's gonna show me another song that i can also solo over, not just sing. It's great for me because it's new stuff i'm trying out. Finally there are opportunities.

I've got Ballads on right now and later i'll have miles smiles, sorcerer, and nefertiti to divert my attention to.

[MasterShakezula]

Yay for playing jazz!  

It's young'uns like us who may be taking on the great responsibility of keeping jazz alive in the 2010s-onwards, so keep up the good work, and if you end up with something you find great, please record and share.

And, that combo of Ballads + Davis Quintet 66-67 sounds heavenly.  May end up with that as my own evening playlist after I get some drumkit time in.  

[SPNKr]

yup, i'm the only one in my class that does jazz. others have sung jazz standards but they really don't know how to swing and sustain the melodies so it barely sounds jazz or swing at all.
i thought about singing something fun like hendrix but do i really learn anything about my voice singing that stuff? not really, but if i wanted to sing hendrix next time i should try voodoo child slight return and not foxey lady. it's more of a soulful song and i can do the guitar for it too.

if i didn't choose to learn so what last semester then the people in my class that maybe never heard jazz still wouldn't know what it sounds like. one of the good reasons to do something nobody's doing, at least correctly.
i'm a blues guitarist and learning jazz properly now, started modes/scales and now trying chords + triads, is definitely my ideal tool to expand on what i already know and adapt it to my playing style.

[MasterShakezula]

If you're getting into playing jazz from a blues background, it's probably one of the smoother genre transitions, considering that from playing blues, you're already down with the swing pulse.  That, plus the blues scale and 12 bar progression are commonplace throughout the genre.  From there, it's mainly a matter of figuring out the more precise theory as you've done/are currently working on, plus being a active listener within a group, and there you go, you're well set to jump in some jamming seshes.

Just make sure that you're reading music and have a Real Book on you.

Odds are, at a typical jam, you'll be reading standards out of there, so it's real beneficial to get to know as many as possible, and be good enough with reading to figure out the rest on the spot, if they're called. What is very nice is that so many tunes are 12 bar blues variations or rhythm change variations.   

[PuffyPat]

I was enjoying my lunch one day in school in my English teachers room, who got me into jazz with his Jazz and Poetry class, while listening to A Love Supreme. About halfway through the record, one of my classmates walks in, sits down and after a minute, turns to me and says, "Don't you just hate this Jazz shit?" I was so mad, but i decided not go off on her, because she just doesn't know better. In my mind however, I was just thinking about how much I wanted to just freak out. I think that was the angriest I ever got in school.

[MasterShakezula]

Well, that's weak.

At my school, I've never heard negative, uninformed statements about jazz. 

In fact, aside from the kids in the jazz band, who I'll be working with for the first time, this year, I don't think anyone on campus has a clue what jazz is, or even know of it's existence.