So let's talk about jazz

I heard on WPFW last night that Dave Douglas will be at Sangha in a few weeks. I've never been there but now I have a good reason to go. Seems like a small venue for him. Any idea how they managed to book him?

 

Most of their performances are booked through Transparent Productions, so maybe someone there has worked with him before? I don't know. But you're right, I was surprised when I heard he'd be performing there, given the size of the space.

 

Anyone has the blue note collector ceedees. They have been compiled by different artists and aren't all jazz really but they are great albums. I have the 'blue note saturday night and sunday evening', the 'blue note carnival' and 'a warm blue note session'.

 

I've been checking box sets out of the college library where I teach. I just returned Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve which has too much Bird with strings for my taste (about 4 cds, of which I copied one, it's just not my thing) and is very comprehensive on the complete part (about ten 15-20 second outtakes of Cherokee), but it has some live stuff I've never heard that's just jaw dropping. There's a version of "Perdido" with Bird, Lester Young, and Roy Eldridge playing and Ella Fitzgerald singing that hit me like a hammer the first time I heard it.

I just checked out The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks.

 

Now there's a hot tip. Sounds great, thanks.

 

They're excellent. The Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart ones are the best.

Her version of "Begin the Beguine," a tough number to sing, is the best I've ever heard from a female singer.

 

I've got the cole porter and the george and ira gershwin songbooks on vinyl. I checked it out mainly for the Duke Ellington Songbook, but the Rodgers and Hart has really grabbed me.

Great call on Begin the Beguine. Her sense of timing on that song is amazing.

 

I love that version.

I also really love this Sammy Davis Jr's version I have with nothing but bongos and his own snapping -- talk about tough. That's just crazy.

Sammy Davis Jr was incredible.

 

Oh, I always wondered what happened to Transparent. Now I understand why Larry Applebaum is always plugging the Sangha gigs. He booked some great shows back in the mid 90's and then it seemed like Transparent just vanished into thin air.

 

I'm with you, I can't stand the Bird with strings stuff. Funny thing is, he was really upset when they took the strings away. Supposedly he felt more like a "legitimate artist" when he had the orchestration thing going on.

 

Back to Ella for a minute:

Her work with Louis Armstrong is exceptional. Their reading of those evergreen standards is impeccable, plus Armstrong's mostly straight playing is clean and bright. What a wonderful open tone on his horn.



I bet she could pin him in about 24 seconds...

 

Well, that leads to that Dial vs Verve debate that Bird fans get into. I've been reading about the Dial sessions, and while they captured the bop essence well...Bird was a mess! He actually tried to have 50% of his Dial royalties given to his heroin dealer.

I would agree about the string, but it's interesting to to listen to the solos. But of the Verve sessions, the version of "Star Eyes," ...the way he floats over the changes-whew! That's one of my favorite Parker cuts.

 

When I'm in the mood for it (which isn't that often now that I don't really smoke dope) I like On the Corner quite a bit. It's got some really funky grooves (along with the great cover art). Haven't listened to a lot else other than Live at the Fillmore East, which is too spare for me.

 

I want to get that live CD. The only recent thing I have by Dave Holland is Prime Directive, which I really like.

His big band has a new CD coming out soon. I was hoping to see them recently when they came to town but that was the day of the major snow storm. As for older Dave Holland, I love Conference of the Birds. Also, his solo album, Intuition is really good. I was skeptical at first -- a solo bass album, you got to be kidding me. But it delivers.

As for post-Bitches Brew Miles I have to confess ignorance. The only thing I know is his take on Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time".

 

I'll second Conference of the Birds. That's a great album.

 

I would second the Dave Holland props-I've seen that band live about 6-7 times and they are really outstanding.

I was recently refered to this Dave Leibman disc:


I like his playing, and what I've heard of this disc sounds interesting.

 

Eh, I just think that Bitch's Brew is sort of a line of demarcation seperating jazz eras, and some folks simply prefer what went on prior to that. I, myself, listen to mostly bop/hard bop as a matter of choice. It's just what I like although there was certainly some great jazz made prior to that era and after.

Here's a rather tasty album that I absolutely love:



Hank Mobley is just damn good.

 

This is an album I've been listening to a lot recently. IMO, people don't talk about Trane's ballad playing enough. He didn't have the vibrato of some of the early swing guys or the deep sexy tone ala Sonny Rollins, but he had a way of transforming that intensity that you hear in the faster numbers and solos, into a real haunting touch when it comes to ballads. Their version of "In A Sentimental Mood," is my all-time take of that tune.

Also listen to "Alabama," (not on this album) the intro, and then how it breaks into a walking line, without losing that elegiac feeling of the intro. There is also an alternate take of "Naima" where he solos-very moving.

It's easy to come up with favs on the fast numbers, but what are some other favorite ballads by Coltrane?

 

The solos on John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. The most romantic album ever made...

 

I dig me some Johnny Hartman.

He may not be to everybody's taste, but this is a great record.

 

I'll second the choice of "Alabama". "After the Rain" is another gorgeous Coltrane ballad.