Jazz

[lovescene4]

I saw Duke Ellington's band when I ws really young, conducted by the Duke's grandson. I think it was my first jazz experience.

Excellent... it was Ellington's music that got me interested in jazz. I think it may have been a beautiful slow piece like "Blue Light" or "A Gypsy Without a Song..."

What a vast universe of music--Duke started recording in 1924 (actually 1923, but those are lost) and didn't stop until he died in 1974. The 'Blue Light' LP--dreamy mood pieces from the '30s--was just reissued on CD...

[HeckTo]

Utah Jazz were great when Malone & Stockton played there.

[lovescene4]

Utah Jazz were great when Malone & Stockton played there.

Yes, they were tough. Formerly the New Orleans Jazz...

[PublicImage]

This thread deserves to be revived.

[Massed Gadgets]

Right now I'm reading the book The House That Trane Built...an excellent look into the Impulse Label and it's artists. I think Impulse released some of the best and most adventurous and groundbreaking jazz of the 60's and 70's. It's very interesting reading some of the stories behind those releases, as well as the story of the label itself. I'm glad that Universal (who now owns Impulse) has re-issued many of those classic albums on CD, and had the care to beautifully remaster them with extensive liner notes, and they kept the distinctive black and orange spines of the original LP's.

[Idisaffect]

About Miles:
I listened to Bitches Brew a few times and I don't think I'm ever going to listen to it again.
I will listen to In a silent way again. Miles & Zawinul at their best. If this didn't exist then maybe I would listen to Bitches Brew.
I will definitely listen to the song Flamenco Sketches again and again. Bill Evans brought a lot of beauty out of Miles' horn.
Everything with Ron Carter/Tony Williams.
Some of the '73 - '75 stuff, for sure.
Haven't felt like hearing On the Corner since about a year after I bought it.
Jack Johnson is Miles doing the Allman Brothers. I don't need it. There's too much other good stuff.
Live Evil? A work in progress that was never finished.
Big Fun sounds like left overs. How many times did I play it? At least 5.
Post '75? I have no idea. I did read his autobiography. Funny.

[Massed Gadgets]

You know, I bought Bitches Brew about 8 years ago, and gave it a couple of listens, and just couldn't get into it. A couple of years later, I tried again, and I just didn't really get it. It wasn't working for me. About a year ago, I tried again, same thing. Then about 2 months ago, I put it on again, and I don't know what it was, but the clouds opened above and the light streamed down. I got lost in it and listened to it maybe about 10 times through the next couple of weeks. I became enraptured by the beauty and mystery of it. It certainly took a long while, but out of nowhere, after years of trying, the veil was drawn aside and Bitches Brew suddenly revealed itself to me.

[PublicImage]

I love what I've heard from Impulse. My favourite is probably 'Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)' by Pharoah Sanders. The percussion on that album is crazy. And I'm glad they're still putting out old recordings, like the One Down, One Up album by Coltrane.

Bitches Brew is a strange album. It took me a while to get into it, but I think it's worth perservering with. It took me so many listens to finally 'get' Ornette Coleman and late Coltrane, but I know that was worth it.

As for Live Evil, I think it would be better to get the unedited Cellar Door albums to hear the pieces performed as they were actually heard by the audience. I like Teo Macero's edits, but the original versions are obviously far more true to what they were trying to achieve when they were playing.

My favourite part of Miles' electronic period is post-On The Corner. 'He Loved Him Madly' from Get Up With It is one of the most intense pieces I've ever heard, despite being pretty laid back in sound. It's too hard to describe it, but it's definitely the most fitting tribute to Ellington that I can think of. And the Japanese live albums, Agharta and Pangaea, are incredible. They're unbelievably heavy. I think Miles' electric-era bandleading was at its best at the time, and his playing seems far more subdued than it did on the earlier albums, which gives the other band members a chance to take the lead properly. I wish I could find more recordings with Pete Cosey on guitar.

I think Big Fun is leftovers. I still like it, though.

[2066]

And the Japanese live albums, Agharta and Pangaea, are incredible. They're unbelievably heavy.

Yeah, man!

[Idisaffect]

I think Big Fun is leftovers. I still like it, though.

Me, too. Miles' leftovers are better than most musicians main offerings.

I just read my last post and I am not happy with it. It sounds like I don't like some of the stuff as much as I do. I forgot to mention that Miles is very important to me. I loved Bitches Brew the first time I heard it. I was ready for it. It's not like I didn't get it. I just don't think about it anymore. It didn't resonate with me. I devoured it when I first got it. I reach for In a silent way, now, when I want that era of Miles.

Agharta and Pangaea are my favorite Miles albums of all. And the favorites of almost everyone I know who is into Miles. I don't love all of Dark Magus and Get up with it and that is why I said I like some of the '73 -'75 period. That is the Miles I listen to most and I made it sound like I was more into the 60's Miles which is not true. That 60's stuff is more consistent. Not better. There's a part about 10 minutes into He loved him madly that is the most mournful, beautiful sound I've ever heard.
I like electric jazz best. Not counting the obvious pioneers of the earlier forms. Ellington, Monk, Bird, Diz, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Trane, Ornette, Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra (who am I forgetting?).
I'm into the 70's stuff. Zawinul and Shorter are huge influences on me. John McLaughlin. Donald Byrds' Blackbyrd and Street Lady. Not really jazz but filed under jazz. The future of soul and funk is in those grooves. Sampled to death.
J Ed...you out there? Have you heard Blackbyrd?

PI, don't forget to check out Billy Cobham and Lee Morgan on the song Happy 'cuz I'm going home on the LP Intensity by Charles Earland. Cobham is bad ass. It's not cerebral music like Mahavishnu O. It's the kind you feel deep down in your bones. A 2 chord groove kind of thing.
(The brass is mixed too high but only for about 20 seconds. Twice)

[pompeii purple]

I like a bit of Paul Desmond/Dave Brubeck Quartet. I know very little about jazz, though. Also, I enjoy some old bossa nova, but I don't know if you all would consider that actual jazz.

[PublicImage]

I did like Bitches Brew the first time I heard it, but I didn't really love it until I listened through it a few more times. Maybe because I was listening to it because of McLaughlin, because I was already into Mahavishnu and Shakti and I needed more. But I do prefer In a Silent Way. It's more concise, Teo Macero's production is better, and the whole band seem a bit more focused. I actually listen to the '50s stuff the most. The Steamin'/Workin'/Relaxin'/Cookin' series with the first quintet still get a lot of airplay over here, along with the early modal albums.

One thing I've never been able to get into is Weather Report. I really love Shorter and Zawinul's work with Miles, but there's something about WR that I just don't like. I haven't heard their earliest albums, but the Jaco stuff bores me to death.

And I'm just getting that Charles Earland LP right now. It looks pretty goood.

[Idisaffect]

One thing I've never been able to get into is Weather Report. I really love Shorter and Zawinul's work with Miles, but there's something about WR that I just don't like. I haven't heard their earliest albums, but the Jaco stuff bores me to death.

And I'm just getting that Charles Earland LP right now. It looks pretty

Miroslav Vitous played acoustic bass (with wah wah peddles and stuff!) on the first 4 Weather Report albums. Plus a little electric. They are a whole different band than the Jaco line up. The mid to late 70's Weather Report is too cosmopolitan. Yuppie Jazz. Although I love certain tunes from that era. But check out mysterious traveller or the self titled debut. Airto is great on the 1st one.

Charles Earland: The first song is my favorite. A couple of songs are sort of commercial. I'm not really a Charles Earland fan. He's good and all that but it's really about the first track and Cobham/Lee Morgan. 11 minutes long. Plus, they redo speedball which is interesting.

[PublicImage]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZ8eZSz2oo

A high quality video of the Pangaea/Agharta lineup. Finally, a chance to see Pete Cosey going crazy.

[Massed Gadgets]

Miroslav Vitous played acoustic bass. Airto is great on the 1st one.

Vitous did some nice work on Jon Hassell's Earthquake Island album too. And I love Airto, he's an amazing percussionist. I saw him performing live earlier this year with Chick Corea.