Jazz in the 80s

[montg]

I started listening to jazz in the 90s--most of my listening has concentrated on the mid 30s through the mid 60s, with some newer releases thrown in for good measure. I realize I'm casting the net very broadly, but where are some good places to branch out--what interesting stuff was happening in jazz during the 80s?

[md655321]

Don Pullen, a very aggressive pianist who has been compared to a (much) more melodic Cecil Taylor, created easily some of the best music of the 1980s. He also worked with Charles Mingus in the 70s.

His Mosaic Select set gets my 5 Star reccomendation for anyone whil likes jazz with a bit of an edge.:

http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MS-013

[Guy Berger]

It's not a decade I know a whole lot about, but some jazz recordings from the 80s that I like:

Horace Tapscott, The Dark Tree (Hatology) -- quartet with John Carter (cl), Cecil McBee (b), Andrew Cyrille (dr). Intense inside/outside music. Tapscott was an excellent composer and pianist somewhere along the Duke-Monk-Cecil continuum (apologies if I am stealing someone else's phrase).

Don Pullen & George Adams, At the Village Vanguard vols 1 & 2 (Black Saint or Soul Note) -- Similar group to the one on the Mosaic Select above. Excellent inside/outside music.

Paul Motian, Monk in Motian (JMT/Winter & Winter) -- Motian's unusual and noteworthy trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell tackles the music of you know who. Geri Allen & Dewey Redman guest on two tracks apiece. Not necessarily my favorite album by this group, but it's excellent nonetheless.

Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell, Red and Black: Live in Willisau (Black Saint or Soul Note) -- Is this 80s or 70s? Either way, great musical dialogue by two underrated musicians.

Pat Metheny, 80/81 (ECM) -- One of Metheny's more jazz-oriented albums, with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette and Michael Brecker. Some intense stuff. I like it better than the album with Ornette (Song X, also worth checking out) due to a smaller dose of guitar synth.

Keith Jarrett, Still Live (ECM) -- Not necessarily my favorite standards trio set, but disc 1 (w/a superb "The Song Is You") is really really good.

Joe Henderson, State of the Tenor vols 1 & 2 (Blue Note) -- w/Ron Carter and Al Foster. More "academic" than the 60s BN Joe, but also one of those albums that you put on and think, "this guy is damn good".

Weather Report, Procession (Columbia/Sony) -- w/Victory Bailey and Omar Hakim. Better than the 80s albums with Jaco, IMHO; not sure why, but it seems like Wayne and Joe made a special effort once Jaco and Peter Erskine left.

Guy

Edited December 3, 2005 by Guy

[ep1str0phy]

It's not a decade I know a whole lot about, but some jazz recordings from the 80s that I like:

Horace Tapscott, The Dark Tree (Hatology)

Don Pullen & George Adams, At the Village Vanguard[/] vols 1 & 2 (Black Saint or Soul Note)

Paul Motian, Monk in Motian (JMT/Winter & Winter)

Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell Red and Black: Live in Willisau (Black Saint or Soul Note)

Pat Metheny, 80/81

Really--Black Saint, Soul Note, Hat (late-70's too, actually), ECM... a lot of excellent material on small labels, too. I know some of us were there--I was born in the 80's, so all of this is retrospect for me. So... downtown avant scene? Euro free improv? The fallout from the loft scene? Ornette goes electric= sub-culture harmolodic movement? Great suggestions so far.

[ghost of miles]

Definitely check out the Pullen-Adams... not just the Mosaic, but the Black Saint stuff too. I also really like John Zorn's News for Lulu and Voodoo albums, which are 1980s updates on classic hardbop.

[JSngry]

Henry Threadgill

[ep1str0phy]

Henry Threadgill

Cripes, he's still kickin'. The AACM was in high gear.

[CJ Shearn]

montg check these out,

Herbie Hancock Trio '81 with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. great acoustic playing in an era where Herbie's main releases were kinda industrial.

ditto on 80/81, there is no guitar synth on this record, BTW

Gene Harris Trio + 1 with Stanley Turrentine, swingin!

Milt Jackson: Mostly Duke and Memories of Thelonious Sphere Monk, excellent set of live albums with a quartet featuring Monty Alexander, Ray Brown and Mickey Roker

Freddie Hubbard, Friday and Saturday/Sunday Nights Keystone Bop with Joe Henderson and Booby Hutcherson

Pat Metheny Question and Answer- with Dave Holland and Roy Haynes

Edited December 3, 2005 by CJ Shearn

[montg]

Geez, this is a fallow period for me. I've got none of the CDs suggested. Thanks, for the ideas.

[Rosco]

Some of my favourite 80s jazz-

Joe Henderson with Chick Corea- Mirror Mirror (MPS)

Art Ensemble of Chicago- Urban Bushmen (ECM)

Abdullah Ibrahim at Montreux (Enja), Water From an Ancient Well, African River (Enja)

David Murray- Ming (Black Saint)

Jaco Pastorius- Word of Mouth (Warner Bros)

Jimmy Lyons & Sunny Murray- Jump Up (hat Art)

Jack DeJohnette- Tin Can Alley (ECM)

Art Pepper- Winter Moon (Galaxy)

Chick Corea- Three Quartets (Stretch)

Stan Getz- The Dolphin & Spring is Here (Concord- reissued as a twofer 'My Old Flame'), Pure Getz (Concord), Serenity & Anniversary (Emarcy)

Billy Bang- Rainbow Gladiator (Soul Note)

Miles Davis- We Want Miles, Aura (Columbia)

Carla Bley- Live!, Fleur Carnivore (Watt)

Chico Freeman- Destiny's Dance (Contemporary)

John Scofield- Out Like a Light & Shinoloa (Enja)

Sphere- Four in One & Flight Path (both Elektra)

Zoot Sims & Joe Pass- Blues for Two (Pablo)

Ron Carter & Jim Hall- Telepathy (Concord)

Kenny Wheeler- Double, Double You (ECM)

Kenny Barron- Green Chimneys (Criss Cross), Scratch (Enja)

George Adams & Don Pullen- Live at the Village Vanguard

Pat Metheny- Rejoicing (ECM)

Chet Baker- Blues for a Reason & Chet's Choice (Criss Cross)

Slide Hampton- Roots (Criss Cross)

James Newton- African Flower (Blue Note)

Keith Jarrett- Standards Live (ECM), Stanards in Norway (ECM)

Jimmy Raney- Wisteria (Criss Cross)

Steve Lacy- Morning Joy (hat Art)

Mulgrew Miller- Work!, Wingspan (Muse)

Michel Petrucciani- Power of Three (Blue Note)

Bobby Watson- Love Remains (Red), In The Year of the Rabbit (New Note)

Zakir Hussain- Making Music (ECM)

Charlie Haden- Quartet West (Verve)

Woody Shaw- In My Own Sweet Way (In & Out)

Art Farmer- Blame it on my Youth & PhD (Contempoirary)

Tommy Flanagan- Jazz Poet (Timeless)

Don Grolnick- Weaver of Dreams (Blue Note)

Tom Harrell- Sail Away (Contemporary)

[kh1958]

A few personal favorites from the 1980s:

George Adams-Don Pullen--Breakthrough and A Song Everlasting (Blue Note)

Jack DeJohnette Special Edition--Album Album (ECM)

Freddie Hubbard-Kirk Lightsey--Temptation (Timeless)

Woody Shaw--In My Own Sweet Way

Don Pullen and the Afro-Brazilian Connection--Live Again (Blue Note)

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society--When Colors Play and Texas (Caravan of Dreams)

McCoy Tyner--Dimensions and Just Feelin'

David Murray Octet--Home (Black Saint)

James Blood Ulmer--Odyssey (Columbia)

George Adams--Old Feeling (Blue Note)

Ornette Coleman--In All Languages (Caravan of Dreams)

Sun Ra--Mayan Temples (Black Saint)

Max Roach--Scott Free (Soul Note)

Frank Morgan with the McCoy Tyner Trio--Contemporary

Horace Silver--Spiritualizing the Senses (Silveto)

Art Pepper--Winter Moon (Galaxy)

[ghost of miles]

John Carter:

DAUWHE

CASTLES OF GHANA

FIELDS

I haven't heard DANCE OF THE LOVE GHOSTS yet, but hope to soon.