Quasimado Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 4 hours ago, Gheorghe said: That was "our" music when we were 14-16 years old ... Interesting that you went back to Bird, Bud, Fats, Dameron etc. Many don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gheorghe Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 44 minutes ago, Quasimado said: Interesting that you went back to Bird, Bud, Fats, Dameron etc. Many don't. Thank you very much for that interesting remark ! Yes I did, because one of the guy also had "Steamin´" the old Prestige Album, and another one borrowed me the 3 LP album "The Great Concert of Mingus" (America Label, Paris 1964, with Dolphy) because he didn´t like it (too far out he said, but I loved it and was allowed to keep it). So I got back to Bird by reading the liner notes of Prestige, and hearing "Parkeriana" on the Mingus-Dolphy stuff. I thought "who must be that Charlie Parker if stuff can cook like that "Parkeriana" and "Salt Peanuts" on the Prestige album. Through Parker I got in touch with Bud, Fats, Dameron and all those. And last not least. I was an aspiring piano player and wanted to learn the music, to understand what Bud did, what Monk did....., so I really have a spectrum from Bop to Electric Jazz , others might say it´s too narrow, but I think for one of my generation it´s large enough, in any case for playing some music.... And I got a lot of encouragement from the late, great austrian jazz pianist Fritz Pauer. I´d be around much and during intermissions or after gigs he had, he was very very kind to me and was not bored if I told him about my efforts, and eventually he let me sit in ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 8 hours ago, mjazzg said: "Juicy Fruit" is s classic. Intetestingly, I have seen just as many online tributes quoting that and his dance oriented music as I have his Jazz contributions, possibly more. He was very highly regarded in that field. yeah, I felt kinda weird to be asked to work on this project because I don't know that area of music AT ALL and can't speak much to Mtume's legacy in disco or R&B. Agreed that his conga touch was light -- he told me he was more heavily influenced by Tony Williams and Elvin at that time than traditional Afro-Cuban music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 Look at who was on the first Mtume (the group) album It's like a merge of the Miles & Gary Bartz bands. A kind of "missing link" to both ends of this is the Reggie Lucas Survival Themes album. Recommended listening, perhaps. And, of course, Norman Connors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 yeah, Reggie was a big part of this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 They generated capital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 35 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said: yeah, I felt kinda weird to be asked to work on this project because I don't know that area of music AT ALL and can't speak much to Mtume's legacy in disco or R&B. Agreed that his conga touch was light -- he told me he was more heavily influenced by Tony Williams and Elvin at that time than traditional Afro-Cuban music. Here's an interesting career overview https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jan/11/james-mtume-hits-recordings-jazz-funk 6 minutes ago, JSngry said: Look at who was on the first Mtume (the group) album It's like a merge of the Miles & Gary Bartz bands. A kind of "missing link" to both ends of this is the Reggie Lucas Survival Themes album. Recommended listening, perhaps. And, of course, Norman Connors. Looks interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 An angle to the whole Mtume/Bartz was the notion of Black economic self-sufficiency. In this light, were they selling out or buying in? Obviously(?), capital was being generated. do we know to what extent it was used for family/community, as opposed to vanity/self-indulgency? I don't, but anytime I hear accusations of "sell out" within the worlds of "jazz", I always wonder - selling out or buying in? An independent community does not depend on others for capitalization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 Right, Mtume was involved with the Us Organization and worked on the Ken Gibson campaign in addition to being around for activities at The East, which was community-centered (not only music but a school and food co-op). So I would assume that buying in was a big part of this. Sadly part three of our interviews, where I wanted to dig in further on this, was scuttled for health reasons. More research to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 There was/is a lot going on in this regard that generally doesn't make it into the "mainstream jazz press". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbopjazz Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 RIP Mtume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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