mikeweil

R.i.P. a real versatile musical giant. Will spin two of my favourites with him tomorrow.

I made me CDRs with these tracks in session order - I like it better that way. Lateef's music on these albums is so basic, down to earth ......

Yesterday, only the Clare Fischer tracks:

I will buy this, although I think it would sound more charming on a 100 years old piano. I once gave an evening of Satie's music with excerpts of his writings and letters for our friends - he was not only joking, but a bit out of his world - a true eccentic. After Debussy (they were kind of friends) criticized him for his lack of sense for musical form, he responded by sending Debussy his newly written "Sept morceaux en forme de poire" - seven pieces in pear shape. Tharaud, btw released a very nice Satie album a few years ago: My top recommendation for a recording of Satie's piano music would be this, sadly oop box - Barbier learned the music under tutelage from an acquaintance of Satie:

Neither the original liner notes (which just say that the title was inspired by comedian Flip Wilson who was a follower of the band) nor those on the later twofer reissue discuss the changes of the tune, but composer Marty Sheller just might have heard or most probably kept track of the jazz scene of the time and picked up the inspiration - which is not that unusual. Dozens of jazz musicians picked up the changes from Morton Gould's Pavane as Coltrane did, and Jazz Messengers and other hard bop formulars were common language. Actually Marty Sheller's tunes on that LP are the jazziest. He was underrated as a trumpet player pigeonholed as a Latin player, even more after he had to give up the trumpet after a fighting incident that cost him some teeth. I can't see anything unusual in this combination of things - common jazz lingo. Unusual is the insertion of a passage with Afro-Cuban bembé rhythm for Mongo to solo on - this kind of rhythmic switch between gooves was first done by Cal Tjader and Dave Brubeck in their trio, then continued by Tjader and then probably picked up by Mongo while he was in Tjader's band. Very very few arrangements like this before 1960.

Last night before going to sleep: The latter two contain extremely beautiful music in excellent performances!

Will dig out the LP later ...

https://www.discogs.com/release/20120101-João-Donato-Quem-É-Quem

Brandnew!

Just my thoughts! I think I saw him playing once but cannor recall details. R.I.P.

It should ne noted that the unfamous Adagio is not an original Albinoni composition but a 19th century arrangement based on a bass line taken from an Albinoni composition. It's a shame that he is mainly known for this fake piece instead for his own very good pieces.

I should add that in my ears, Bernard Purdie was not the perfect choice for Cinnamon Flower. He is a great drummer, but while he adpoted fine to Stelly Dan tunes with his pseudo-reggae feel, his Brazil feel is much to funky/soul type. Roberto Silva would have been great on that session, as he combines both without loosing the Brazil feel.

I had the LP back then, but always thought that Rouse and Brazil was a mismatch, and didn't like the arrangements - none of the relaxed feel that most Brazilian music has. I know the title tune inside out, played it with a band back then, but compare Rouse's version with those of Milton Nacimento or Dom Um Romao .... I had similar feelings about the Blue Note LP he made, apart from Congas and shekere in Cuban style being not perfect for a bossa nova themed album. I love Rouse with Monk and on his hard bop albums, but not in a Latin context. So I never got the hype around that album. Just my two cents, of course.

R.I.P., funkmaster.

Cuban percussionist Jose Luis Quintana, known as Changuito, born 18 January 1948 in Casablanca, Cuba, died 6 June 2025. He was known for more or less inventing the Songo style that he popularized with his band Los Van Van, formed by bassist Juan Formell. BTW - the conguero named Changuito on three of Cal Tjader's first albums for Verve, is a different person, Wilfredo Vicente.

Now that makes me curious.

This morning: Highly recommended.

That's a really wonderful album!