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Live version of Ahmad Jamal's "Poinciana"


Shrdlu

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Most of you will have been familiar with the 1958 live version of "Poinciana" for a long time.

I just found this version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cytUz9KkK9M

This rivals the 1958 version. The percussion swings like crazy. High recommended!

The percussion guy has a pair of the Latin Percussion Giovanni Hidalgo "Galaxy" tumbas. It's hard to make out which sizes he has, but it looks like the requinto and quinto. Usually, if a guy has just two, they are the quinto and the conga. Although I am mainly a reed player, I have all four in this range: requinto, quinto, conga and tumbadora. Nice pieces of kit. I have most of LP's gear, including about 15 cowbells. I just love Latin percussion sounds.

It would be great to have all of that Jamal concert available. They don't look exhausted after "Poinciana".

I also like the original (studio) version of that piece, which has Ray Crawford on guitar instead of Vernel on drums.

The trio with Israel and Vernel plays a sensational version of "Darn That Dream" here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2--wlJmYN0

 

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1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

When you guys have a second, you should check out Les Baxter's avant-garde arrangement of "Poinciana."  He keeps the melody in the major key, but harmonizes it in the relative minor.  it is by far the darkest and weirdest version of "Poinciana" that I've ever heard.

It begins at the 11:18 mark:

 

That is weird indeed.

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4 hours ago, mikeweil said:

The percussionist is Manolo Badrena. Most of you will know him from his tenure with Weather Report.

Ok, so on that stage, there is a way to connect Jaco Pastorious & Israel Crosby.w/o interruption by anything except death, But in this game, death is not a factor.

17 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

When you guys have a second, you should check out Les Baxter's avant-garde arrangement of "Poinciana."  He keeps the melody in the major key, but harmonizes it in the relative minor.  it is by far the darkest and weirdest version of "Poinciana" that I've ever heard.

It begins at the 11:18 mark:

 

I like that! Imagine being one of the hired guns who showed up to play that session, you got blahblahblah all day long from different sessions, this one's no different, yeah, read it down tweak as needed, then take it, and then ok, next, downbeat, and THAT starts happening...WHOA!

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3 hours ago, JSngry said:

I like that! Imagine being one of the hired guns who showed up to play that session, you got blahblahblah all day long from different sessions, this one's no different, yeah, read it down tweak as needed, then take it, and then ok, next, downbeat, and THAT starts happening...WHOA!

I love how he ends it on the Hendrix chord, 11 years or so before Hendrix recorded!

Les Baxter does not get the respect he deserves, IMO.  He is often dismissively placed in the "lounge music" category, but his arrangements have all kinds of incredible stuff going on.  He is the missing link between Duke Ellington an Sun Ra. 

 

Edited by Teasing the Korean
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