EKE BBB

Six years since he left us at age 64 due to lung cancer, I thought he deserved a thread of his own. One of the most underrated pianists, due to his nationality: in the 60s, jazz in Spain was very, very marginalized! Very gifted musician, with astonishing technical skills and a very bluesy approach. Born in Barcelona, 1933, his father was a musician on the Liceo Orchestra and on Barcelona Municipal Orchestra. Though his father tried to orient him to classical music, his mother had a huge collection of jazz recordings... and a mother is always a mother! Early he was in jam-sessions at Hot Club, leading Be-Bop quartet, sharing sessions with Don Byas, but it was his recording with Lionel Hampton in 1956 that brought him to the surface. In 1961 he was called to join the European All Stars troupe. He got wider recognition during his stance in Copenhague, when he played and recorded with Dorham, Shepp, Webster, Golson, Grappelli, Kirk and Dexter Gordon. In that period he alternated Berlin and New York with Madrid (at the Whisky Jazz Club) and Barcelona (Jamboree), where he formed his first stable trio with Eric Peter and Billy Brooks, accompanying guys like Booker Ervin, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer or Ornette Coleman. In 1967 he recorded a legendary record for Impulse! with Elvin Jones and Richard Davis, unpublished. Back to Europe he recorded profusely for Steeplechase and others, and gigs with the likes of George Coleman, Anthony Braxton, NHOP... came along. More stable sidemen alongside his career: Horacio Fumero or John Heard on bass and Peer Wyboris or Tootie Heath on drums. He did quite a lot outstanding solo recordings and performances till the end of his life (August 24, 1997). Favorite recordings? Many! Just to start: -Some Steeplechase recordings: Tete! (1974) or Tootie´s tempo (1976) and above all, the three discs Catalonian nights (1980) with Tootie Heath and John Heard and the 2CD solo live recording Boston Concert (1980). -For the Italian label Soul Note, four solo discs called The music I like to play (1990) -For Ensayo: Blues for myself (1977, with Eric Peter and Peer Wyboris). -For Nuevos Medios: Lunch in LA (1980, with the appearance of Chick Corea, this was released by Contemporary); En el San Juan (1995) And there are two very late recordings, very moving recordings: -his latest (I think) solo recording Piano solo. Palau de la Música Catalana (1997, Discmedi Blau) where he pays tribute to his idols, Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk or Charlie Parker -and Per sempre Tete with Peer Wyboris and Horacio Fumero, live in a small club in Tarrassa, with his suite Monkiana as a shining star. From all his sidemen dates, I´d pick Gentle Ben with Ben Webster, Short story with Kenny Dorham and Ten to two blues with Dusko Goykovich. So, now and forever, TETE RULES!

For only alternates, try NEATWORK label: LESTER YOUNG : VOL.1 - THE ALTERNATIVE TAKES - (1939-1947) : NEATWORK COLEMAN HAWKINS : VOL.1 - THE ALTERNATIVE TAKES - (1935-1943) : NEATWORK COLEMAN HAWKINS : VOL.2 - THE ALTERNATIVE TAKES - (1943-1944 + MORE FROM 1940) : NEATWORK COLEMAN HAWKINS : VOL.3 - THE ALTERNATIVE TAKES - (1944-1949) : NEATWORK

Wynton Kelly: Kelly Blue!

Not American, not coloured, but... TETE MONTOLIÚ

Clifford is the man!

re Donald Byrd: yes, it is that one paired with Grant Green´s Hope your friend will find many RVG at 9€ in Madrid Rock

Spanish saxophonist and flutist JORGE PARDO

Wasn´t Lester Young who said "to play a song you should know the lyrics"? BTW: I like vocalese

Every recording by Sonny Rollins pianoless trio

If I had to pick just one.... BODY AND SOUL (1939) - COLEMAN HAWKINS

A few weeks ago I picked a CD called "Music for Ebbe" (dedicated to Ebbe Traberg and released by Producciones El Delirio), recorded live at San Sebastián Jazz Festival 1997, featuring Spanish saxophonist and flutist Jorge Pardo, altoist Gary Bartz, Jeanne Lee and the Repertory Quartet. It´s a great one, with Lee making wonderful renditions of Swing low sweet chariot and Blue Monk.

Hard to choose! I voted for "Good bait", but could have voted for any other... or "Dameronia" or "Flossie blue" or "Jahbero" or "The squirrel" or "The chase" or...

A bunch of Herbie´s 60s recording as a sideman (apart from Miles´) where you can pick many, many good themes: -Hub-tones (Hubbard, Freddie) Blue note 1962 -No room for squares (Mobley, Hank) Blue Note 1963 -The Illinois concert (Dolphy, Eric) Blue Note 1963 -Some other stuff (Moncur III, Gracham) Blue Note 1964 -Speak no evil (Shorter, Wayne) Blue note 1964 -Up with Donald Byrd (Byrd, Donald) Verve 1964 -The complete Blue Note sessions vol.1 (Rivers, Sam) Blue Note 1964 (64-67) -Adam´s apple (Shorter, Wayne) Blue note 1966

Another "thumbs up" to this record. My favorite Lovano disc (alongside "From the soul") maybe because I´m a big fan of Dameron´s compositions as well.

DUKE Could it be a statistical matter? He´s the musician with the greatest deal of CDs in my shelves (about 70), and sometimes mine is a random listening! (hey, ELLINGTON, not PEARSON or JORDAN)

Sorry, one day late! FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, LON! You´ve made my wallet grow veeeeeeeeeeery thin with all your knowledge. Thanks for it!

I remember Clifford!

Another vote for "After hours" with Mal Waldron. Wonderful! ... and everything she did with Ran Blake!

Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue train!

HAWK. And very close to him, PREZ and TRANE.

Thanks for your recommendations! I´ll put three or four of them in my must-have list!

Wonderful music! I don´t know (as I´m not an expert in oriental music) if this suite only takes this kind of music in a "tourist point of view" (paraphrasing the first title in this record), but I enjoy every spin I give to it. Nowadays I have it on my car stereo, so it´s my first listening of the day when I get to work! It´s one of my favorite late suites from DUKE (alongside Latin American suite and others). Tunes are excellent, the exotic sounds of the orchestra, marvellous solos from Hodges and Gonsalves, and then there´s the trombones section and...Harry Carney (I love his powerful sound) Favorite themes? All of them!

Any fans of him out there? Could you recommend me where to start? Thanks in advance

I´m a big fan of hers. She uses her voice as an instrument, scatting inventively. No wide register, but she holds every note as if it was the last moment in her life. Her new release (HighNote 7096-2), again with the Steve Kuhn trio, features Tom Harrell on four of the thirteen selections. Anybody has listened to it?