the jazz thread

[chvrchbarrel]

in the past few years of record collecting i have significantly ramped up my jazz intake and ive seen indications of similar interest in other threads. so here is a space for jazz discoveries / recommendations. jazzpolice this is an acab thread so keep it civil!

i am primarily a fan of the still-popular hard bop of the '50s-early '60s, mainly because so many fantastic represses are hitting the shelves which makes it the most accessible era. i would pick up a random jazz record here or there when the mood struck, but it wasn't until blue note started their tone poet vinyl reissue series that i really started to dive in to some of the digging & collecting. hunting for jazz records is endlessly fun for me partly because there's just so many different recordings available that feature key players, since groups were constantly reformed and musicians co-mingled. 


below are a couple current favorites!




this one was a tone poet reissue from last year and it sounds phenomenal. when it was announced, i gave it a listen online and fell in love with turrentine immediately. great sax player, extremely tasteful when it comes to the interplay with his bandmates. played with hammond organist shirley scott on some killer cuts - and her album "girl talk" is a great intro to her playing.




another one i'm back into right now, which is one of the first jazz records i ever got really well-acquainted with, is donald byrd's "a new perspective"



recorded by rudy van gelder, easily the most famous engineer in jazz session history, and my favorite example of byrd's playing from what i've heard (tone poet just reissued "byrd in flight" which is worth picking up too). i tend to prefer sax to trumpet when it comes to boppin' jazz but donald byrd is the automatic exception. here he is with doug watkins leading the band, using soaring phrases with gorgeous vibrato. love when i hear trumpet like this as opposed to more literal bopping, rhythmic trumpet.




nothin' better than a cup of coffee and a jazz record to start the day, so whatcha got, board dot? who ya like? 

[nanatod]

am not a big fan of jazz, but used to go to joe segal's jazz showcase a couple of times a yr, and attended a couple of days of the chicago jazz festival each yr, so there's a lot of jazz in the trapper keeper, especially mid-level elderly jazz musicians who toured a lot in the 1990s.

[thebosma]

I really like a lot of lighter vocal jazz. Talked about it before but this is nice album to go with a cup of coffee in the morning



And when I’m trying to appear classier than I am I throw on Chet Baker Sings



Looking to get more into it all beyond the “standards” as it were

[monasterymonochrome]

This is awesome, I love it! I'll respond to yr Albums thread post w/ what I've been listening to lately. I'm very new to the genre, before the last month or so my jazz history listening was limited to the usual suspects but I've been branching out via newer waves of jazz players (i.e. the International Anthem scene, contemporary London jazz, and Kamasi's LA-based stuff. Add that to all the improv-based rock music I've been listening to over the last year, and I figured it was time for a proper spin through jazz lineage.

So far, that started w/ sampling some free classics (Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Ornette Coleman's This Is Our Music), some cosmically inclined stuff (Alice Coltrane's Journey in Satchatanada and various Sun Ra joints), and some transitional albums (Mingus Ah Um and Coltrane's Ascension). All this stuff is - no surprise - awesome.

So then I decided to finally read my copy of Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz which I bought used on a whim years ago and never ventured into. This means that I'm really working back from Page 1 on gaining some knowledge of the genre's history. Which has been actually super fascinating and interesting, both as musical and American history. The past two weeks I've been doing deep introductory dives into the works of: Jelly Roll Morton, King Joe Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Bix Biederbecke, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Lennie Tristano. If you can't tell, I just finished the bebop section and am moving into cool jazz.

So far my faves have largely been the piano players. I've posted about Art Tatum in the other thread, but today I was totally taken in by Lennie Tristano, who pioneered full-band improvisation, overdubbing improv sections, and some seriously cool, off-kilter piano solos. Hopefully I'll keep up this energy throughout the year - it's been really interesting and rewarding so far.




Not familiar w/ any of the albums you posted up there, Chvrch, but I'll def be adding them to my queue.

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The jazz thread, not the jizz thread as I read at first glance. You’re welcome, people.

[thebosma]

All jizz based humor must go in the jizz thread

[chvrchbarrel]

thebosma I was just listening to Konitz Meets Mulligan earlier today because I was thumbing through Pacific Jazz titles and saw that Baker played trumpet in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. I also am mainly familiar with Baker via his vocal performances but that was a really nice, off the beaten path selection of tunes to ease into today.


monasterymonochrome Abdullah Ibrahim is one of my favorite jazz pianists that you might enjoy. He's definitely not avant-garde or interested in as much freeform improvisation...although he's the bandleader on "Water From an Ancient Well," the piano is still more of a tasteful accompaniment than a driver of the charts. I also have got to recommend Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" - listen to Wynton Kelly (keys) and Paul Chambers (bass)'s chemistry on "Remember."

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Shit cat:

web.archive.org/web/20040810064854/www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/c/coltrane_john/live-at-the-village-vanguard.shtml

[chvrchbarrel]

god pitchfork has gone straight down the tubes

[teekoh]

Very into this thread. Good shouts with the Donald Byrd, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, and Mingus recommendations so far. Ornette might be my favorite overall and Something Else! and Shape of Jazz to Come are highlights.

[monasterymonochrome]

Jan 25, 2021 15:08:47 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

another one i'm back into right now, which is one of the first jazz records i ever got really well-acquainted with, is donald byrd's "a new perspective"

Just dropped the needle on this one - two minutes in and I'm already a fan

[chvrchbarrel]

glad you are enjoying!

it was jazz night on the tables here tonight, that's for sure. i immediately put the stanley turrentine record from the first post on and sank into that for a good long while. mingus ah-um next. then ahmad jamal at the pershing, and finished off with this gene russell record i wanted to highlight:




only posting one track from the album, but i blind-bought this after seeing it was a recent repress of a 1971 record on a label called "black jazz" that i'd never heard of and it looked worth checking out. upon further examination i notice that all songs were written/arranged by gene russell. the album has been produced by gene russell. even the recording sessions were engineered by gene russell.

so i look up black jazz records thinking, shit, if they've got gene russell on their label i want to know who else is on their label.

gene russell founded the label! he did it to specifically promote and showcase black jazz musicians on the west coast. incredible dude.

[thebosma]

Listened to the Stanley Turrentine album chvrch shared last night and it was delightful, just the exact vibe I was looking for

[chvrchbarrel]

Jan 25, 2021 16:14:34 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Wynton Kelly (keys) and Paul Chambers (bass)'s chemistry

further exploring this today to try to offset an extremely stressful day at work!

[monasterymonochrome]

I'm listening to this right now - got some Abdullah Ibrahim and Ahmad Jamal up next. Then whoever my book is talking about in the next section, probably a healthy dose of Miles. But yea - not sure I love it, but this shit is wild! Blows my mind that this album was made when the Beatles were making, like, I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Some seriously heady music here.

[chvrchbarrel]

Jan 26, 2021 9:48:47 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

I'm listening to this right now - got some Abdullah Ibrahim and Ahmad Jamal up next. Then whoever my book is talking about in the next section, probably a healthy dose of Miles. But yea - not sure I love it, but this shit is wild! Blows my mind that this album was made when the Beatles were making, like, I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Some seriously heady music here.

nice. i escaped the hellish part of my morning with wynton kelly as previously mentioned, and have moved on to the lennie tristano selection you recommended 

[andrewvb]

love the thelonious monk quartet w/john coltrane live at carnegie hall release. also like finding random videos of monk playing live.




the pinky ring in this one:

[monasterymonochrome]

Like any new jazz fan, I've been dipping in and around the Coltrane discog in the last couple months. But on first blush, this is my favorite of his I've heard so far. Blew me away this morning and I've been lost in it all day.

[monasterymonochrome]

Today's other listens - alongside the previously mentioned Coltrane Meditations. Faves here were Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Evans, and Jimmy Smith (tho that's an older favorite). They were all great tho - the first track on Birth of Cool was especially moving. Would be interested in hearing more Sonny Rollins recommendations, if anyone has some. His discog is so vast, I just picked an album that was referenced in my book.

[nanatod]

the g man album from sonny rollins. got one of the few A+'s in robt christgau's record guides.

in reply to monastery.

[monasterymonochrome]

I feel freeeeee

Edit: That said, I don't think I'm at the level of free jazz listening where completely untethered improv does it for me.  Like, I enjoyed This Is Our Music much more than Free Jazz, and the "Ghosts" sections of Spiritual Unity than the rest.  Baby steps!

[monasterymonochrome]

Holeeeee shiiiiitt

This was everything I've been looking for but sounds like almost nothing I've ever heard before? I'm only two tracks in and am just floored. Music is so cool.

[perdhapley]

What newer jazz do you guys listen to? I like Terrace Martin, Makaya McCraven, The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Kamasi Washington, Ezra Collective, and Miles Mosley. I think Dinner Party and Dinner Party: Dessert were some of my favorite releases last year.

[chvrchbarrel]

Jan 28, 2021 13:49:38 GMT -6 perdhapley said:

What newer jazz do you guys listen to? I like Terrace Martin, Makaya McCraven, The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Kamasi Washington, Ezra Collective, and Miles Mosley. I think Dinner Party and Dinner Party: Dessert were some of my favorite releases last year.

Only really familiar with super popular stuff like kamasi or bad plus, but would love more recs and will check out the above

[teekoh]

I’d add Georgia Ann Muldrow and Irreversible Entanglements off the top of my head.

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Jan 28, 2021 13:49:38 GMT -6 perdhapley said:

What newer jazz do you guys listen to? I like Terrace Martin, Makaya McCraven, The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Kamasi Washington, Ezra Collective, and Miles Mosley. I think Dinner Party and Dinner Party: Dessert were some of my favorite releases last year.

Really can’t go wrong with just about anything on International Anthem’s catalog, feels like they never miss. In terms of actual albums:







Edit: haven’t gotten to this yet but they’re in my saved pile:

[teekoh]

Yeah, Jeff Parker, Ben Lamar Gay, and Rob Mazurek have put out good to great stuff lately.

[andrewvb]

Jan 28, 2021 12:50:53 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

  

thissy and i saw pharoah sanders at baby's all right once. one of the better shows i saw there.

[monasterymonochrome]

Jan 28, 2021 14:18:29 GMT -6 andrewvb said:

Jan 28, 2021 12:50:53 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

  

thissy and i saw pharoah sanders at baby's all right once. one of the better shows i saw there.

Ahhhh I'm so jealous, that sounds amazing.  Really hoping I can catch him once this is all over.  Also, this album is literally perfect.  

[nanatod]

Jan 28, 2021 13:49:38 GMT -6 perdhapley said:

Ezra Collective

saw their (for me, free, because I won tix off schubas facebook page) show at schubas in 2018 or 2019; it's tough to keep track of live music pre-pandemic dates.