king ubu Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 I almost mentioned the Bill Perkins / John Lewis / Jim Hall / Percy Heath / Chico Hamilton GRAND ENCOUNTER. If you can find it, get it. Now available as half of John Lewis, West Coast/East Coast Encounter on Gambit. And also part of a cheapo 4 albums + on 2CDs reissue by Avid (which I recently bought, mainly for the "No Sun In Venice" album and the "At the Opera" side (the other side by Oscar Peterson is on "At the Concertgebouw" as bonus material). The twofer also includes the great "Modern Jazz Society" album (once a Verve Elite with some bonus stuff, worth hunting for!): The Cohn/Perkins/Kamuca Mosaic single is worth picking up. I remember being a bit disappointed with that one but I haven't listened to it in ages, I'll have to re-investigate it. Pleased to have my feeling confirmed, Cliff. I am far happier with Perkins and Kamuca's Tenors Head On. I just got that single, haven't played it yet... but I would have bought it anyway, I'm as much a fan of Kamuca than of Perkins (Kamuca's Mode album is da shit, as they say!). As for "Tenors Head On"... I never found that while it was around, but there's a Lonehill covering some of the same territory... what a mess these sessions/releases were, Shank/Perkins, Perkins/Kamuca, and bonus tracks and stuff on compilations and trio warm-up tracks... would have been a great Mosaic Select if there'd been a couple of more sessions to add! (Or maybe there are but I don't know about them?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Thought I'd chime in as I went through a long period of listening to mainly east coast jazz before becoming aware of the charms of music from the west coast. I looked through my cd list and picked out some things. I've always found it hard to talk the merits or demerits of jazz, I like to leave that to our more learned posters. I like all these, some more than others. The Nocturne Set is very good if you can find a copy anywhere. Chet Baker Chet Baker Sings Chet The Best Of Lerner And Loewe Picture Of Heath The Trumpet Artisty Of Chet Baker Chet Baker Quartet With Russ Freeman The Route On A Misty Night Stairway To The Stars Lonely Star Chet's Choice Grey September Russ Freeman & Chet Baker Chet Baker & Crew Chet Baker In Paris 4 cd Complete PacificJazz Live/ Russ Freeman 3 cd Bob Brookmeyer Traditionalism Revisited Conte Candoli West Coasting Conte Candoli Conte Candoli 4 Mucho Calor Al Cohn & Shorty Rogers East Coast West Coast Scene Bob Cooper Coop ! The Five Gerry Mulligan Tentet & Quartet Concert Jazz Band Olympia 1960 2 cd California Concerts Vol 2 Mulligan Meets Monk Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster What Is There To Say ? Walkin' Shoes Concert Jazz Band At The Village Vanguard Night Lights The Original Quartet With Chet Baker The Gerry Mulligan Songbook Reunion : With Chet Baker Jeru Getz Meets Mulligan In Hi Fi Shorty Rogers Short Stops Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rogers Manteca/Afro Cuban Influence Martians Come Back / Way Up There The Swingin' Nutcracker An Invisible Orchard Complete Atlantic/EMI Mosaic Shorty Rogers & His Giants Cool And Crazy Collaboration Wherever The Five Winds Blow Wizard Of Oz Gigi In Jazz Courts The Count Chances Are It Swings East Coast West Coast Scene Annie Ross Sings A Song With Mulligan A Gasser ! Bud Shank Body & Soul Blowin' Country Complete Pacific Jazz 5 cd Bud Shank-Bill perkins Jack Sheldon The Quartet & The Quintet Jack Sheldon & His All Stars The Entertainers VSOP label Ex Hermanites Don Fagerquist 8 by 8 Vic Feldman On Vibes Herb Geller 4 Gold Coast Jazz Octet Gold Coast Jazz Pete Jolly Pete Jolly3 Red Chimney & Sherry's Bar Recordings Pete Jolly Trio & Friends Richie Kamuca 4 Stan Levey 5 Mel Lewis 6 Warne Marsh 4 Modern Jazz Orchestra Lon Norman Gold Coast Jazz Marty Paich Picasso Of Big Band Jazz Marty Paich 3 Jazz For Relaxation Marty Paich Quartet featuring Art Pepper Jazz Ball Band 1st Set Bill Perkins Tenors Head On with Richie Kamuca On Stage The Bill Perkins Octet Jimmy Rowles Jazz In A Weather Vane Let's Get Acquainted With Jazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Ted Gioia's book West Coast Jazz is well worth reading. Imo one of the very best jazz books and one that will give you loads of ideas. Yes, I refer to that one a lot, together with Robert Gordon's Jazz West Coast, used copies of which are still available. Gordon's annotated discography confirms many of the recommendations made in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Englewood Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 The Cohn/Perkins/Kamuca Mosaic single is worth picking up. I remember being a bit disappointed with that one but I haven't listened to it in ages, I'll have to re-investigate it. Pleased to have my feeling confirmed, Cliff. I am far happier with Perkins and Kamuca's Tenors Head On. I think the problem with the Cohn/Perkins/Kamuca session is that none of them really get a chance to strech out at all, all the tunes are quite short, IIRC. Ah, but "Tenors Head On", nothing but pure :wub: :wub: for that one, great cover too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Englewood Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 (edited) Ted Gioia's book West Coast Jazz is well worth reading. Imo one of the very best jazz books and one that will give you loads of ideas. Yes, I refer to that one a lot, together with Robert Gordon's Jazz West Coast, used copies of which are still available. Gordon's annotated discography confirms many of the recommendations made in this thread. I have only read the Robert Gordon book and would recommend it as a great overview, I'd love to get my paws on Gioia's book though. I'd also recommend some of the Jimmy Guiffre "3" recordings, not strictly West Coast jazz I know but it's in a similar vein. Edited October 7, 2009 by Cliff Englewood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 (Kamuca's Mode album is da shit, as they say!). Da bees knees, you mean? :D Thanks for the reminder, might spin it again tonight, seeing how it's being plugged here. As for "Tenors Head On"... I never found that while it was around ... Remember those greyish/light brown cover Blue Note twofers (and single LPs) that were around for a long time? This one was out as a single LP reissue in that series. Amazing that Blue Note hunters should have missed THAT ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Well, I've never hunted for Blue Note albums, only for CDs. There are NO vinyl stores around here that deserve dropping by to hunt for jazz LPs, just one that moved out of Zurich several years ago. They might have such releases, but I'd call up before dropping by. And they'd ask 15€ for it or something... no cheapo second hand bins here, just for new CDs, usually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Ted Gioia's book West Coast Jazz is well worth reading. Imo one of the very best jazz books and one that will give you loads of ideas. Yes, I refer to that one a lot, together with Robert Gordon's Jazz West Coast, used copies of which are still available. Gordon's annotated discography confirms many of the recommendations made in this thread. This is the book I bought when I decided I wanted to learn more about WCJazz. It may not be perfect but it's well written and the discography and stories on the musicians makes it easy to decide if a particular artist is someone you'd like. I'll second that Paul Horn album as well. I found an original lp in recent months and I've played it a lot. I can also recomend some of Horn's other early albums before he went all new age/world music. The Sound of Paul Horn Impressions Cycle Profile of a Jazz Musician also Shorty Rogers - The Fourth Dimension in Sound These musicians below are more in the hardbop vein but they are West Coast. Curtis Counce Sonny Criss Hampton Hawes Elmo Hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakeostrin Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 The Cohn/Perkins/Kamuca Mosaic single is worth picking up. I remember being a bit disappointed with that one but I haven't listened to it in ages, I'll have to re-investigate it. Pleased to have my feeling confirmed, Cliff. I am far happier with Perkins and Kamuca's Tenors Head On. I think the problem with the Cohn/Perkins/Kamuca session is that none of them really get a chance to strech out at all, all the tunes are quite short, IIRC. Ah, but "Tenors Head On", nothing but pure :wub: :wub: for that one, great cover too. "Tenors Head On" and "Grand Encounter" are two favorites of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 At the risk of repeating someone else, I've got to recommend the five volumes of Shelly Manne & His Men At the Black Hawk. Great live West Coast Jazz. Also have to put in a vote for any or all of the Curtis Counce Group albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 At the risk of repeating someone else, I've got to recommend the five volumes of Shelly Manne & His Men At the Black Hawk. Great live West Coast Jazz. Also have to put in a vote for any or all of the Curtis Counce Group albums. Cue for me to recommend Mark Gardner's very good article on Curtis Counce's recordings in this month's 'Jazz Journal'. Those Counce albums are all great but I've got a particular soft spot for 'Exploring The Future' on Dootone. Worth it just for the cover art ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Those Counce albums are all great but I've got a particular soft spot for 'Exploring The Future' on Dootone. Worth it just for the cover art ! IMHO you are dead right there. The cover of "Exploring the Future" may be an attempt to cash on on the Sputnik fad but a bit of fun that marks the cover as a sign of its times is in order sometime, but I've really never understood why everybody (DB, Gordon, Gioia, AMG) seemed to see fit to put down this particular release in their reviews. It definitely ain't THAT bad and it's a nice, straightforward blowing date, even if the music isn't as adventurous as the album title suggests (but doe sit have to be? The reviewers ought to know best about marketing forces at work ). Seems to me like with all of them the reflex of "This is not on a renowned jazz label, it's on an indie that has got almost no jazz credentials to speak of, and what credentials it has are in the field of the oh so lowly R&B - ouch!" was at work here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiRiIII Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 At the risk of repeating someone else, I've got to recommend the five volumes of Shelly Manne & His Men At the Black Hawk. Great live West Coast Jazz. Also have to put in a vote for any or all of the Curtis Counce Group albums. Cue for me to recommend Mark Gardner's very good article on Curtis Counce's recordings in this month's 'Jazz Journal'. Those Counce albums are all great but I've got a particular soft spot for 'Exploring The Future' on Dootone. Worth it just for the cover art ! I love this one: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:gzfexqygldhe You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce and a GREAT sleeve: You get more bounce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I imagine this book has to contain some Shorty Rogers. Perhaps this one (a personal fave): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtSalt Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Chet Baker: He was our Beatles. Quite, and that was in 1993 with the Pacifc Jazz, 4 CD box set of his. It smells antique now, at least the box and booklet, but it's a good starting point and gateway into the cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnblitweiler Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Warne Marsh was not quite west coast and he was far, far from east coast, but he made some absolute beauties in the '50s and '60s for various labels - Revelation, some now-obscure '50s labels, plus the Marsh quintet sessions under Art Pepper's and Ted Brown's names. Incidentally the intensity with which Marsh and Tristano played is surely the very opposite of Cool Jazz. Be sure to hear Art Pepper's '50s recordings as leader and sideman, including his Tampa-label quartet w/Russ Freeman and the Hoagy Carmichael Pacific Jazz CD. You've got some treats coming. Early Brubeck has some more intrigue. BTW Good Time Jazz reissued some trad-jazz revival recordings with the title "the San Francisco Style." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtSalt Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Of course, Good Time Jazz was Lester Koenig's other label, the one that actually made the most money. I'm not a big fan of that box-set as it happens, there's better places to get my two-beat Lu Watters, FH5+2, WIllie "The Lion" Smith and Jelly Roll Morton kicks, but all is forgiven, for that rather fine and rare version of Albamy Bound by Santo Pecora. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Perhaps the most West Coast of all West Coast jazz albums -- almost incredibly clever/precious (can imagine many people wanting to throw it across the room), but the playing is expert (in fact, I can't imagine any players today being able to re-create its needle-point precision -- it's a matter of sensibility as much as instrumental skill). The whole thing is very entertaining and arguably entirely nuts. Too bad this reissue doesn't have the original Flora cover, one of his best: http://www.amazon.co...n shorty rogers http://www.google.co...7&bih=948&dpr=1 On one side, Rogers arranges three Cole Porter songs, and Previn writes three originals based on those songs, with the Rogers arrangements and Previn originals alternating. On the other side, the roles are reversed -- three Previn arrangements, three Rogers originals. Lots of Rogers trumpet/flugelhorn and Previn piano (poised between his neo-Tatum mode and his later Hampton Hawes-inspired period). Rest of the band: Bud Shank (alto and flute), Bob Cooper (tenor and oboe), Milt Bernhart, Al Hendrickson, Curtis Counce, and Shelly Manne. On some tracks IIRC there's a different guitarist and bassist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Perhaps the most West Coast of all West Coast jazz albums -- almost incredibly clever/precious (can imagine many people wanting to throw it across the room), but the playing is expert (in fact, I can't imagine any players today being able to re-create its needle-point precision -- it's a matter of sensibility as much as instrumental skill). The whole thing is very entertaining and arguably entirely nuts. Oh, if THAT'S What we're looking for... here ya' go! Not even West Coast, yet fits all those bills! https://mitrebox80.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/unknown-1950s-jazz-lp-on-rca/#comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTP_HapyUrM&spfreload=10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Too bad this reissue doesn't have the original Flora cover, one of his best: I bought the LP specifically for the Jim Flora cover! I should give the LP a spin sometime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Perhaps the most West Coast of all West Coast jazz albums -- almost incredibly clever/precious (can imagine many people wanting to throw it across the room), but the playing is expert (in fact, I can't imagine any players today being able to re-create its needle-point precision -- it's a matter of sensibility as much as instrumental skill). The whole thing is very entertaining and arguably entirely nuts. Oh, if THAT'S What we're looking for... here ya' go! Not even West Coast, yet fits all those bills! https://mitrebox80.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/unknown-1950s-jazz-lp-on-rca/#comments Hey, I picked that up out of pure curiosity, never thought I'd see it mentioned here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 ... almost incredibly clever/precious (can imagine many people wanting to throw it across the room) ... Didn't throw it across the room, but it's one of the few Rogers albums I parted ways with. That was about fifteen years ago. Who knows, maybe I wouldn't mind it so much now. Back then, I felt like I should wear a pastel polo shirt and eat sugar cookies while listening to the record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtSalt Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Not mentioned yet: Contemporary C3509, Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars with Bud Shank, Bop Cooper, Frank Rosolino, Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Red Mitchell and Shelly Manne, Lighthouse At Laguna. I've always considered this the ultimate calling-card of what was happening on the west coast in the mid-50's. Essential in any exploration of the genre and indeed the period IMCO. The first track alone throws the whole precious and effete playing argument out of the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) @TTK: The Jim Flora cover was the very reason I hunted down Nick Travis' "The Panic Is On" on vinyl (not that I wouldn't like the music, though ...), and no facsimile reissue being available and original vinyls being fairly rare at that time, i finally settled for the 3-EP set. Speaking of Jim Flora covers, though, i like this "Panic" cover as well as "Redskin Romp" and "Sons of Sauter-Finegan" better than "Collaboration". To each his own ... Perhaps the most West Coast of all West Coast jazz albums -- almost incredibly clever/precious (can imagine many people wanting to throw it across the room), but the playing is expert (in fact, I can't imagine any players today being able to re-create its needle-point precision -- it's a matter of sensibility as much as instrumental skill). The whole thing is very entertaining and arguably entirely nuts. Too bad this reissue doesn't have the original Flora cover, one of his best: http://www.amazon.co...n shorty rogers http://www.google.co...7&bih=948&dpr=1 Not wanting to criticize the STYLE of a renowned and respected critic unduly but one (recurrent!) thing keeps bugging me nonetheless: What's all this "precious" business and the derogatory use of THAT term? "Precious" is "valuable". And that's that. Yes I know that "Webster's" give another (subordinate IMO) meaning to "precious" which is what is apparently evoked - but: Do you realize how affected the USE of this term sounds by all accounts ? Isn't there any more straightforward way of describing this and what the gripes one has when one feels like resorting to such a term? Honestly, I really find the use of that word in this context so very affected and mannered that it really clouds the subject as such. Whatever debatable aspects there may be, there invariably must be more straightforward way of expressing one's personal negative opinion about it. One man's meat is another man's poison anyway, but what is "precious" or (derogatorily) "clever" to one might be "elegant" or "intelligent" to another one, and in the same vein the playing of Brötzmann and others of that ilk might be described by some as "vulgar blaring" (a term you no doubt would strongly object to ) etc. etc. Lists of such qualifiers could be extended endlessly yet would only amount to exchanges of personal tastes and opinions of no overriding objective judgment. BTW, IMO there are lots of Shorty Rogers LPs around that are more Westcoastish than "Collaboration" (which I don't pull out that often either). Seems like it all depends on what you would like to see as particularly Westcoastish in the recorded body of WCJ. @Art Salt: Correct about Lighthouse at Laguna, but wanting to see WCJ as a kind of "we can bop hard too and can be (sorta) Eastcoastish too" is a bit short of what WCJ is all about. Just like I don't believe in that "effete" denominator to lump in WCJ per se either - not nearly as often as it is evoked anyway. If you want to approach the subject negatively from the start instead of taking the music for what it is and in the context of its times and area (important IMO!), then, yes, there ARE WCJ records that sound a bit bloodless but for almost each pale and gutless 50s WCJ recording there is a formulaic and immature thrown-together East Coast blowing session of bunches of guys milking the "angry young men" tag to death. Edited January 31, 2015 by Big Beat Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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