Simon8

Thanks to this thread I picked up this Hardman album, which is quite good - a standout (if not outstanding) hard bop session: good band, excellent originals (by Hardman, Tom McIntosh, Cal Massey), and Hardman in top form, sounding significantly less "stiff" to me. He's great on "Angel Eyes" and wonderfully fast on his feet on the brisk "Capers" and "It Ain't Happened Yet".

How do you like it ? Moore is one of my favorite writer ("Birds of America" was brilliant).

Pretty much the same for me. I've never truly connected with POD, but very much so with "Black Fire" (I like "Dance with Death" for late 60's Hill).

Ethan Iverson' s take on Mr Harewood: RIP Al Harewood Back in the heyday of hard bop, when everyone played a similar folkloric ride cymbal beat, it was up to the drummer to make sure his pattern was distinctive. A quarter note is a quarter note is a quarter-note: Al Harewood’s version was effortless and Caribbean-inflected. His left hand coughed and bumped. Of course the bass drum was feathered just right. There was probably no moment of his professional career as a musician where Al Harewood wasn’t swinging. Harewood can be heard on the following albums, all of which are lifted up by his beautiful beat. The 60's music is the most famous: the many albums with Horace Parlan and George Tucker show that unit was a canonical rhythm section. Later, through Betty Carter, Harewood linked up with Norman Simmons, another musician with whom he shared similar ideals and taste. Completed by Lisle Atkinson, that unit was canonical too. [follows a list of records featuring Harewood] http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/2014/03/rip-al-harewood.html

It's not quite this session's 50th, but ESP-Disk' is a half-century old and has re-released it as a "50th Anniversary Remaster": has anyone heard it (the remastered version) ? Does it sound significantly better ?

bump (stumbled upon it: fun thread ! curious to read more "confessions")

Thanks to the recommandations on this thread, I discovered and quite like "Wherever the Five Winds Blow" and "Clickin' with Clax".

He makes a great team with Ike Quebec (& Bennie Green & Sonny Clark, Blakey & Hinton) on that one. Love his solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQKC5jL_0lQ

I'd liked to see (and finally hear) Don Joseph's "One of a Kind" on cd. Paul Bley's 60's output remastered and/or (re)issued on cd would be nice too...

I was surprised to see so many favorites here, as I find myself almost always disappointed by the liner notes (never evocative enough for my poetic taste) - but then last night I listened to Lester Young "Kansas City Sessions", with Loren Schoenberg providing clear, informative and very well written notes, followed by Paul Bley's "Ramblin'" with an inspired Philippe Carles beautifully describing Bley's music and thought process (speaking of Bley, love his comments in the excellent liner notes of "Diane", the duo album with Chet.)

Günter Kronberg sounds mighty good with the Albert Mangelsdorff Quintet (Tension, Now Jazz Rammong...)

Where Higgins' spirit lights up the composer's "darker" sides.

PM sent on Rex.

Grabbed a copy of Ayoub's "Montreal Scene" yesterday (actually somewhere down there in the album cover picture). Very happily impressed so far: catchy originals, cleverly arranged, delivered with gusto by a well-seasoned, inspired band. You can hear that the session was carefully planned and executed. Very good recording and remastering. The tenor/trumpet frontline and the music’s allure made me first think about hard bop à la west coast, say Kamuca/Candoli (or Land/Gordon?)… but an east coast echo just struck me: Tina Brooks/Blue Mitchell.... "Back to the (Montreal) Tracks". Ayoub (tenor) and Al Penfold (trumpet) both have a really appealing sound on their instrument.

Its historical (from Jelly Roll to Polar Bear), geographical (Komeda to Ibrahim) and stylistic (Brötzmann to Sinatra) range sets it favorably apart, for me, from most lists I remember. I'll certainly explore some of the albums mentioned.

Followed some of your Polish steps, king ubu: Stanko's "Music for K" is perhaps a little too out for me (I'll listen some more for sure); I like what I'm hearing from the Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet right now.

Thanks to all for these recommendations ! Listening right now online to Hans Koller indeed excellent "Exclusiv"; heard him also on Oscar Pettiford's very good "Lost Tapes" (also featuring Rolf Kuhn). Listened to Michael Naura as well (W. Schlüter quite impressive on vibes !). Special thanks to Joe for that Nick Ayoub MONTREAL SCENE heads up (didn't know about that album recorded in my back yard, shame on me).

Excellent observations, Steve. True that most of (American) jazz could be called "pastiche" of the few innovators. And I certainly cherish (and perhaps prefer) the "little masters" of the music, those that came "after" and did their non-innovative, authentic swinging thing. So I'll edit my original post ! I really like Lars Gullin (I'm all for the cool side of things as well) . Any album in particular ? Heard some very good Doldinger and Koller (album ?), don't know Naura. Thanks !

You're right, Jeff: it was my McCarthy joke attempt (and coming from a Canadian; worse, a Québécois). Thanks for Solal, forgot about him. I have his arresting, 2-bass trio "Sans tambour ni trompette". Will lend a ear to "Astigmatic", B. Culgston !

Hello all, I'm looking for some good non-American jazz records from the 40's, 50's and 60's: Polish, Danish, Japanese, South African, whatever's worthy of hearing (I know that the Jazzhus label has some very good albums that fit the bill: I have and very much like Albert Mangelsdorff's "Tension" and Wolfgang Dauner "Dream Talk"). Thanks !

I like it. (made me think about "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat" for some reason).

A few melodies that sound good even when they come out mangled by my amateur trumpet "playing": Beirach's (often played by Chet) "Broken Wing" Bird's "Yardbird Suite" and "Steeplechase" (à la Wardell's "Easy Swing" mode) Tadd Dameron's "Good Bait" Rollins' "Doxy" Ornette's "Peace" Mulligan's "Festive Minor" Monk's "Mood" & "Crepuscule..." Brassens "Les copains d'abord" and "Je me suis fait tout petit" Phil Sunkel's originals for Fruscella have great melodies as well ("Metropolitan Blues", "His Master's Voice"). Schumann's "Auf Einer Burg" (played by Jason Moran) is mightily poignant.

"Contes cruels" is good one, indeed. Makes me think of his contemporary, Barbey D'Aurevilly, and his excellent short stories book, Les Diaboliques. I'm intrigued by Laforgue (read some of his poetry).

A few favorites: Lorrie Moore: Birds of America Denis Johnson: Jesus' Son Tim O'Brien: The Things They Carried Marcel Aymé: Le Passe-Muraille Donald Barthelme: 60 Stories Raymond Carver: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Barry Hannah: High Lonesome David Means: Assorted Fire Events