Milestones

Now we have it--that is Joe Lovano playing "Donna Lee," which is of course usually uptempo. It's found on the album Bird Songs.

My offhand guess is that this is the usual length for a Frisell album: 65-70 minutes.

If it comes to universal, it is perhaps more useful to think of that kind of success belonging as much (or more) to individual pieces rather than specific performances. These include both standards and jazz compositions. Thus we would be thinking of "St. Louis Blues," "One O'Clock Jump," "I Got Rhythm," "Take the A Train," "Body and Soul," "Round Midnight," and "So What."

I'm afraid I must ask, who is Bob Meyer?

Tonight I went on Facebook and watched and listened to Bill Frisell spin the 4 vinyl sides of his new record, Valentine. It's a trio record with Rudy Royston and Thomas Morgan. It was a great experience, and this is a fine record from start to finish. It's good to hear him commit this trio to vinyl (of course there are the digital versions as well), and this is so much more compelling than the duo records with Morgan. It's probably his best group project in a decade (I did greatly enjoy the solo Music Is).

It seems to me the issue is a thorny one. Jazz has rarely, if ever, managed to attain huge recognition with anything post-1960. I would still consider the 1960s to be one of the great decades for jazz music. But for rock, pop, and folk, that decade is simply THE GREATEST of the 20th Century. There are phenomenal stone cold classics like "A Hard Day's Night, "My Generation," "Cherish," "Like a "Rolling Stone," "Good Vibrations," "A Change is Gonna Come," "Groovin," "Light my Fire," and I could name a hundred more. They evoke time and place, yet also timelessness and usually pure joy. There are many jazz masterpieces since 1960, but they can't begin to have the impact of the songs I have named.

Anyone know what happened to comments on news stories at Yahoo? They don't seem to be present at all anymore. Isn't the input of the ordinary person part of living in a democracy? Sure, you had some nutty comments, but also some astute ones. I usually got more out of the comments than the (typically) poorly-written Yahoo articles.

I don't think I'm getting the premise of this thread. It seems to be suggesting that great jazz virtually cuts off after 1960. No "stone cold classics" after that, or perhaps just a few? This is cutting off the most significant part of Coltrane's career. It cuts out virtually the entirety of Wes Montgomery, Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy, and many more. It pretty much suggests there are no "stone cold classics" in free jazz or fusion.

Speaking of McCoy, I would say "Passion Dance" and "Blues on the Corner," and possibly "Fly with the Wind" a bit later. They are pieces that are glorious to listen to, no matter how often I hear them. I would add Mingus' "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," which in my book is one of the greatest pieces ever from one of the greatest artists in jazz history.

I've been listening to some of my personal playlists of Burrell. One features him playing the blues; another is his work in intimate settings (solo, duo, trio); I have two of him playing nothing but Ellington and Strayhorn. I have a total of 18 Kenny Burrell playlists.

10) Good modern tenor—perhaps Joshua Redman or Chris Potter. Or it could be someone lesser known. 11) Catchy little piece. It has some of those Americana qualities found in Bill Frisell and Charlie Hunter. Mark Feldman on violin? In any case, not bad. I like the violin as a change of pace in jazz. 12) Somehow this reminds me of Henry Threadgill or Art Ensemble of Chicago. Just the joyous rhythm of it. This is played very straight and doesn’t really have avant garde elements. Nice spirited performance to close out the BFT! I really love this Blindfold Test. Clearly we have pretty similar jazz tastes.

1) This is “Solitude” played solo and with a great touch and sensitivity. I don’t listen to a lot of solo piano (mainly Tyner and Weston), and I don’t have any idea who this is. But it is a lovely performance. 2) That’s a curious piece; I don’t know what of make of the vocal opening. Then it’s full-blown New Orleans, though almost certainly a very modern or recent recording. It made me think of Wynton Marsalis, but I doubt it. However you regard him, he is a more distinctive player than this. But it is a fun little performance. 3) “Ask Me Now”—Monk masterpiece! Others besides Lacy can do Monk solo. This guy sounds quite masterful. It reminds me of Joe Henderson, but is more likely someone who has Joe as a pretty significant influence. 4) “The Single Petal of a Rose”—Ellington masterpiece. That’s Ben Webster. I don’t think I’ve heard Ben perform this before, but it is unquestionably him. 5) This is “Valse Hot.” I believe Sonny wrote this one and performed it with Clifford Brown. This comes from the Roy Hargrove album with various tenor players. Is it Branford and the more obscure Ron Blake? I think Roy has the standout solo. 6) Joe Lovano…that was clear within seconds. I can listen to Lovano on ballads all day. Not sure what this is. The drummer makes me think of Bill Stewart, whom I have been checking out lately. But it doesn’t appear to be from Landmarks. DeJohnette on drums? This is likely an original—not a standard. I have tons of Lovano; I should know this. 7) Not sure here. It certainly has a bit of a Blue Note sound; but whether it’s BN or not, it seems to come from the 70s. Then again, some artists in the past couple of decades have been returning to this sound. I kind of like it, especially the tenor solo. Joe Henderson? I seem to have him on the brain. 8 “In Your Own Sweet Way.” Biff F I probably correct on the artist. It’s pretty cool, but it does lose the sweetness. 9) “Shenadoah” by Bill Frisell. Talk about pure beauty! This is the version found on Good Dog, Happy Man. I saw/heard him do this live, and it was just about the greatest concert experience I’ve ever known! Thanks for putting this on the BFT.

Happy birthday to an artist who has always delivered great pleasure. While not as innovative as some others, he is my favorite among all mainstream guitarists.

Three pieces from late in his career come to mind (the first two very late). "Something" from The Goutelas Suite--a beautiful ballad. "Loco Madi" from The Uwis Suite--perhaps the last of his train pieces and quite enjoyable. I will include "Fleurette Africaine'" as well. What a masterpiece from The Money Jungle. I don't know of Duke ever doing it with a larger ensemble. James Newton's version is also a thing of beauty.

Happy birthday, Mr. Spaulding. I've been a fan for almost as long as I've been into jazz, which is nearly 40 years now. I first got into him through his work with Freddie Hubbard, and soon became to discover his sterling contributions to many Blue Note sessions. Yes, he is very under-recorded. But one of his outstanding albums as a leader is Brilliant Corners--pretty much a Monk tribute.

I find it odd (and disappointing) that apparently there have been no Joanne Brackeen records in the past 20 years. If there are any, they must be severely under the radar.

A long life indeed. The Heiress, based on a Henry James novel, is probably my favorite among her films; and it's one of her Oscar-winning performances. R.I.P.

Yes, my wife likes Bill Evans, Wes, Miles, Bill Frisell, the softer side of Trane, Randy Weston, and a lot more. For all the concerts I have attended over the past dozen years or so, she has been with me.

Yeah, who' still around at 90 or above? We lost some of them: Randy Weston, Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Cobb. There's still Ahmad Jamal and Roy Haynes

1. This is “Weird Nightmare,” the Mingus tune. I have no idea on the singer or the artists, but this is nicely done. 2. Interesting piece. It seems dominated by bass, which is a bit reminiscent of Charlie Haden. Nice use of marimba (I think) and some Methney-esque guitar. But I have no idea who this might be. 3. I thought this was going to break into “My Favorite Things.” Tenor is brawny and shows the Coltrane influence. In fact, the entire band is emulating the Trane quartet. 4. That’s a Jackie McLean tune. I can’t think of which one, but I have heard it many times. Sounds like sax-bass-drums. The short length and overall sound suggest an older piece, but I have no guess. For some reason, this is not very compelling. 5. The tenor sounds very mellow and relaxed; nice piano, not overplaying. This is “Lush Life,” though it takes awhile to become clearly apparent. This is a fine performance, and it holds up well to what Coltrane and others have done with it. This version is distinctive, but I can’t place the artist. 6. Ah, very cool swing feel. It makes me think of Basie, though some elements suggest someone else. But now Jimmy Rushing enters, so maybe it is Basie. Ah, Dizzy for sure! This is from Ellington’s Jazz Party. But that was not Duke at the piano (pretty sure of that). This is pure jazz joy! 7. Classic jazz…I should know this. An Ellington piece? It sounds like someone with a good feeling for this style of tenor playing. Ricky Ford? Scott Hamilton? 8. More cool tenor, traditional sounding. Nice drive and rhythm from piano/bass/drums; I especially like the bass. Reminds me a bit of George Adams, though George nearly always played in a more over-heated style. Good stuff, whoever it is. 9. This sounds like Coltrane modal style, though I don’t think there’s any tenor or any sax here. Trumpet is kind of thick and blurry; the pianist is over-busy in some spots. Not bad. You just have to let this flow over you. 10. Cool enough mix of elements—burnished trumpet and thumping deep baritone, drums usually playing rather freely. No guesses. 11. I’ll just say that I have no idea. 12. Sort of like tropical jazz, a little too close to smooth for my taste.

Ain't that the truth?

I would say RTF was popular in some sense, such as simply having a decent-sized audience. Chick returned to touring and live records with the band about a decade ago.

Yeah, a lot of talk of Benson and now Corea. Just goes to show the winding nature of a thread. Whatever else you wish to say about Corea, the man is eclectic. I've enjoyed various trios (especially with Vitous and Haynes), the duo with Burton, Origin, the latin stuff, some of the electric stuff--and that's just scratching the surface.

For all his criticism of Benson, I'm curious as to why SGCIM even read his autobiography. Then again, a few posts back he had a paragraph expressing real admiration of George Benson. So is it the presumed Parker comparison that makes you so upset?

Since Benson has jammed in the Village, why haven't there been any releases of this material? Some artists do a pretty good job of balancing (in performances and on records) a lighter or smoother type of music with legitimate jazz music. It seems to me that Herbie Hancock did this for quite awhile.