Head Man Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 This is being released by BGO this month, apparently remastered. I have the Village Vanguard album already but are the others worth having? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) The first two are on the OOP Mosaic set and I have the Ruth Brown on a UK United Artists LP. The 'Presenting' is probably my favourite Jones/Lewis album - studio recorded with pretty well what was the original rehearsal lineup and a stunning mix of arrangements (most by Thad but there is a very fine Bob Brookmeyer 'Balanced Scales = Justice'). The Ruth Brown is more of a feature for Ruth but is definitely worth a listen. Mosaic's fine remastering got rid of the prominent reverb that was on the original United Artists LPs and I wonder if BGO will do the same. Edited October 5, 2012 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaft Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 I like the Ruth LP quite a bit! Some fine playing there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Yeah, this is pretty much Buy With Confidence material here, all of it, assuming that you like the basic thing to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Yeah, this is pretty much Buy With Confidence material here, all of it, assuming that you like the basic thing to begin with. And BGO does a great job on their mastering, and licensing is legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tapscott Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 The first two are on the OOP Mosaic set and I have the Ruth Brown on a UK United Artists LP. The 'Presenting' is probably my favourite Jones/Lewis album - studio recorded with pretty well what was the original rehearsal lineup and a stunning mix of arrangements (most by Thad but there is a very fine Bob Brookmeyer 'Balanced Scales = Justice'). The Ruth Brown is more of a feature for Ruth but is definitely worth a listen. Mosaic's fine remastering got rid of the prominent reverb that was on the original United Artists LPs and I wonder if BGO will do the same. All true, except that I believe "Balanced Scales = Justice" was by Tom McIntosh. Brookmeyer's chart on 'Presenting' is his original "ABC Blues" , a real tour de force and one of my all time favorite big band charts and performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 I'm tempted to get this just to have the Ruth Brown set on CD. All I've been able to find is the LP, several times, and never in particularly good shape. I can see why some might not really go for it, but me, I can, and do. Just listen to that band... I prefer the set w/Joe Williams, but that's been on domestic CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 (edited) I LOVE the Ruth Brown side, more than anything for the charts and the band's spirited performance. Sometime Thad's writing just cracks me up, it's so hip. EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... Edited October 6, 2012 by Free For All Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcello Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 I LOVE the Ruth Brown side, more than anything for the charts and the band's spirited performance. Sometime Thad's writing just cracks me up, it's so hip. EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... Yeah, I love "Fine Brown Frame"! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozw_RdYFQ8U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... A bit more than I care to pay at this time, unfortunately...but hey, this intro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... A bit more than I care to pay at this time, unfortunately... Apparently there's different lsitings for this CD on Amazon, found one with much better prices here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000005HBD/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1CCNT5P0H5WTXRX0XMS7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846 Gracias beaucoup, Paul! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... A bit more than I care to pay at this time, unfortunately... Apparently there's different lsitings for this CD on Amazon, found one with much better prices here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000005HBD/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1CCNT5P0H5WTXRX0XMS7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846 Gracias beaucoup, Paul! That's the one. Sorry, I should have included a link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 I just reflexively look for the original cover http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Jones-Lewis-featuring-Brown/dp/B0000658GK/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_21 But hey... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Now which of the LPs included in the Mosaic box was not reissued on a single CD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 (edited) EDIT: some used copies of the CD available on Amazon, Jim..... A bit more than I care to pay at this time, unfortunately...but hey, this intro! Not only the intro but the half-chorus of ensemble that follows the vocal is just quintessential Thad -- the biting harmony, the superhip and endlessly creative melodic writing, the way the deep swing is written into the ensemble's rhythmic figures, the tactile blend of brass and reeds.Damn!! A masterpiece in just over 2 minutes: no muss, no fuss, no tricks. Just off-handed brilliance on a standard, written on deadline. "Can you have it done by 2? We need it for the record ..." Here's another version of the same arrangement from a few years later in Japan with Dee Dee Bridgewater singing. A little brighter tempo, which I like. Edited October 11, 2012 by Mark Stryker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 DAMN was that a band. Thad Jones...G Sus Cryst, Thad Jones... Miss B. was doing the bald thing back then too, eh? Crazy. But not crazy like Thad Jones!And btw - how do you not dance to that? How do you not justgotta get up and DO something motional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 I hated that band. Skills everywhere but I hated the band. For me they were the Liberace of NY big bands. I have tons of respect for the skills and the players, just hate the result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 In person - I saw them in Jazz Interactions outdoor concerts, late 1960s - that band just levitated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) A good big band will do that for you. Edited October 12, 2012 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 heavy stuff for a 14 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 I hated that band. Skills everywhere but I hated the band. For me they were the Liberace of NY big bands. I have tons of respect for the skills and the players, just hate the result. Miles Davis 1968 Blindfold Test 2. Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Bachafillen (Live at the Village Vanguard, Solid State) Jones, flugelhorn; Garnett Brown, trombone, composer; Joe Farrell, tenor saxophone; Roland Hanna, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Lewis, drums. It's got to be Thad's big band. . . . I don't understand why guys have to push themselves and say "wow! wee!" and all that during an arrangement to make somebody think it's more than what it is, when it ain't nothing. I like the way Thad writes, but I also like the way he plays when he writes. I like when he plays his tunes, without all that stuff - no solos, you know. It's nothing to play off of. Feather: There was a long tenor solo on that. Davis: Yes, but it was nothing; they didn't need that, and the trombone player should be shot. Feather: Well, who do you think wrote that? Davis: I don't really know, but I don't like those kind of arrangements. You don't write arrangements like that for white guys . . . [humming]. That ain't nothing. In the first place, a band with that instrumentation fucks up an arrangement - the saxophones particularly. They could play other instruments, but you only get one sound like that. On that arrangement, the only one that rates is the piano player. He's something else. And Richard Davis. The drummer just plays straight, no shading. I couldn't stand a band like that for myself. It makes me feel like I'm broke and wearing a slip that doesn't belong to me, and my hair's combed the wrong way; it makes me feel funny, even as a listener. Those guys don't have a musical mind - just playing what's written. They don't know what the notes mean. Feather: Have you heard that band much in person? Davis: Yes, I've heard them, but I don't like them. I like Thad's arrangements, but I don't like the guys pushing the arrangements, and shouting, because there's nothing happening. It would be better if they recorded the shouts at the end - or at least shout in tune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 I love Miles and I understand completely what he is saying and I love Thad Jones and I understand completely what he was saying so hey my heart is big and my love is not unlimited although it might seem that way at times but there is loveroom in it for both of those two because genius gonna genius each in their own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) Well, I can dig where Miles is coming from but, well, he's wrong. Or at the least he's missing the forest through the trees. Or he's throwing out the baby out with the bathwater. Or something. That band at its best, playing Thad's best charts, is as good as it gets in a modern big band (Ellington stands alone, sui generis). Obviously, YMMV. Obviously, Miles' does and so does Chuck's. I'm OK with that, but I still think the angels will weep for them. Coda: Jerry Dodgion told me a funny story about Miles hanging out at the Vanguard listening to the band in the 60s. I'm not looking at my notes so I'm going from memory here, but the story is something like this: Miles is sitting at one of the first bar seats and he walks all the way around and whispers something into Pepper Adams' ear and walks back to his seat. When the tune ends, Pepper says to Thad, "Miles has something he wants to ask you." So Thad turns around and says, "What is it, Miles?" And Miles says, "Play a ballad." What?" says Thad, pretending not to hear. Miles says it again as loud as he can muster in his whisper. "Play a ballad." Thad: "Oh, OK." He turns to the band and calls a number and they launch into one of the real uptempo tunes in the book. The next tune Thad calls is the ballad ... Edited October 12, 2012 by Mark Stryker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Another "revealing" anecdote - this once-young arranger I used to know told me that he was hanging with Basie after a gig and mentioned that he was an aspiring writer etc etc etc. Basie asks him who he likes as a writer, and the guy says Thad above anybody. Basie kind of winces and says, no no no...I don't like Thad's band, it sounds too much like Duke's. So go figure. We got Liberace, shouting white guys, and Duke Ellington all as reason why people don't like it. I mean, c'mon, life is complicated, but it's not that complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Funny. To add another layer, David Berger told me this story. As a kid in the '60s, David was a Thad groupie and was in the kitchen with Thad on the break one night in 1968 when Jimmy Hamilton and another Ellington band member came in to say hello. Thad introduced them to David and after they left Thad said: "Duke Ellington -- greatest band in the world." Berger protested: "Your band's the greatest." 'No, no, no," Jones said. "My band's not one-tenth of what Duke Ellington and Count Basie are and never will be." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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