Milestones

This was a great Blindfold Test. I enjoyed so much of the music on here, and it was a fine idea to do the theme (or partial theme) of jazz firsts.

Carla Bley is a truly major figure in jazz. You will be greatly rewarded by going deeply into her work. The range from duos with Steve Swallow to big band is phenomenal, and of course her many compositions. Not to mention what she brought to Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra. She is unique and very gifted.

Who knew Grant Green played with Lawrence Brown and Johnny Hodges? See Joe's Blues.

That sounds like it's worth checking out. But I'm principally interested in Brown's solos with Ellington.

I have always enjoyed the work of Lawrence Brown. I think he is one of the great trombonists, and he spent many years in the Ellington Orchestra (not a lot of work outside that great ensemble). Of course, Duke really knew how to utilize Brown, and credited him as a superb accompanist. I've taken more notice of his solos. Any recommendations of Brown solos are welcomed. I have over 600 Ellington tracks on my computer, so it would take some time to go through them. Or if there is an online listing of his solos, that would be great. I have searched a bit, but I've not found a thorough listing.

Clearly a lot of classic Blue Note albums featured studio get-togethers, and this appeared to be pretty common with Prestige and Riverside as well. But there are an awful of live albums in jazz (and many great ones at that), and presumably they would feature working groups. It seems to me that Miles, Coltrane (once past the Prestige phase), Monk, Blakey, Mingus, Silver essentially stuck to the same groups in the studio and on the road.

Well, a cadenza usually comes at the end (or near the end) of a piece. But they can occur anywhere. Isn't banning a "Sonny Rollins" a bit like banning cadenzas?

I will never tire of Joe Lovano and I will be seeing him in concert in June. With Lovano you find little gems like this (Three Days of Rain) with some frequency. There is much to enjoy here. The title track features Lovano in fine ballad form.

Just saying that for that price it ought to have belonged to a legend.

Was this Wes Montgomery's guitar?

Also a huge fan of The Quest--a great record even when great jazz records abounded. It sure doesn't hurt to have Dolphy and Ervin in the band!

Wasn't the topic Mal Waldron?

Part of the appeal of all those studio jam sessions comes from Mal's composing, which were included pretty regularly. They helped these records feel less like jams. I'm thinking of records like Dakar (usually under Coltrane's name), although Teddy Charles did more of the composing on that one.

A gem indeed. The world would be a lesser place without Miles' ballads.

8) “Body and Soul” with lyrics that pay tribute to Hawkins. Cool enough, and I know that voice. 9) Now we have quite a change with this soulful and noirish tenor sax. It could anywhere from the 1950’s to today. I’m guessing it’s closer to our present time. Some vibes, nice…that’s an instrument that I think is under-utilized in jazz. 10) Cool ensemble with baritone sax pretty much leading. I like the ensemble sound, but it’s a little static. Now picking up a bit. Could this be World Saxophone Quartet with rhythm? Wait, it’s “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Interesting. 11) We seem now to have moved fully into avant garde territory. This one doesn’t do much for me. 12) Sounds like some 60’s Blue Note…maybe early Freddie Hubbard. Maybe it’s Booker Little? Andrew Hill on piano and leading?

I see we have some old-time stuff. This first track is Satchmo doing “Heebie Jeebies.” Very enjoyable and just hits the spot this morning. Ah, Ellington with “Creole Love Call.” Great, great track—just about at the top (for me) among Ellington’s early recordings. We keep on with early jazz. Some of this stuff is hard for me to identify. This is another enjoyable track. Nice ensemble work, and I really like what the tuba contributes. This sounds a bit like Ellington from a few years in—maybe late 30s. But probably not. It sounds a little too smooth. Then some flute in there, which is unlike Duke. I don’t recall the flute appearing until maybe the last decade of his career. This is a nice track, but doesn’t have the timeless appeal of the first two tracks on the BFT. I was never a big follower of early piano. This is pretty cool and has hints of a more modern approach, moving away from stride and boogie woogie styles. That sure sounds like Coleman Hawkins. If not, someone with his kind of mastery. A solo piece, it appears. Is this his first solo piece, which is famous. I should know the title. …ah, “Picasso.” “Woody ‘n You”…that certainly sounds like Dizzy. Nice chart and performance.

I don't recall EVER hearing jazz at a grocery store. But I believe I once heard Eric Dolphy at Panera. That was a jaw-dropping moment.

I can see a possible mental/emotional advantage, but you'd think the physical effects would be detrimental.

I am not a musician, but surely music depends on reflexes and timing--and you'd think these would be f---ed up by using various substances. Yet most types of music (jazz, rock, pop, rap) have had, at various times, the strong presence of drugs.

How do musicians play music when they're strung out half the time? Just asking?

Never heard a bad recording by her. She was a player with great talent and soul.

I would like (and possibly love) to hear McCoy and Freddie from this period.

An interesting "what if?" scenario. I can picture/hear Mingus' music being every bit as effective, if not more so, as John Lewis's score for Odds Against Tomorrow.

R.I.P. I have heard Ron Miles on several Frisell releases, but not very much on his own projects. A talented guy, and from what I hear a wonderful human being. He will be missed.

Hmmm, if one hears a tuba with Blythe, it's almost bound to be Stewart. I've followed Blythe extensively and can't think of him working much with singers. Is it the vocalist's record? Or is that asking too much?