Milestones

1. Moon Rays 2. Peace 3. Song for My Father 4. Cherry Blossom 5. Lonely Woman 6. Senor Blues 7. Que Pasa 8. Nutville 9. Nica’s Dream 10. The Jody Grind At least that's my list for this week.

Not that there's anything too new in the sound, but for me a recent discovery is You Gotta Take a Little Love. This is pretty much my last Silver record (chronologically) in my collection until It's Got to be Funky. It dates from 1969, and the band is Randy Brecker, Bennie Maupin, and Billy Cobham (forget the bassist). Still very much in the Blue Note sound mode, and you'd never guess that Maupin and Cobham would soon be contributors to Miles' fusion sound. Randy Brecker was quite a contributor to Silver's music (over a long period), and he sounds great here; and he and Maupin sound so tight. The tunes are very happy and infectious.

It's kind of strange, as there has been some rather fruitful work between Holland and Kevin Eubanks in the past. On the record, I'd say my favorite track (interestingly, the shortest one) is "Choir."

Our concert this year at Tri-C JazzFest was Dave Holland’s group Prism. Holland is of legendary status, so I figured I’d better not miss this chance. However, I’ve not been a big fan of the record, and as it turned out the group stuck to only pieces from their one CD. I remember reading about the excitement of this group (among themselves) and how they were composing more and getting ready to record a second CD. Holland has had serious connections to two of these musicians: Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland. I thought Eubanks made a fine contribution to Extensions, a record from more than 20 years ago. However, while admiring his facility, I just couldn’t get that much into some of the most-heavily distorted guitar I’ve ever heard. Harland has got some chops, but he did strike me as overly busy and bombastic. Craig Taborn seemed the odd man out, though when he did get the spotlight he went into show-off mode. In fact, this was very much my impression of the players, other than Holland himself. Yes, Holland played on Bitches Brew, but this type of fusion sound was never (or so I thought) really his kind of thing. I never did catch Holland’s quintet in concert. They put out several CDs and were his main group for many years. Even the bigger ensembles usually had key members of the quintet. It would have been cool to see Robin Eubanks and Steve Nelson. I don’t hear players on these instruments enough, and Holland certainly fashioned them into (along with Chris Potter on reeds) into a distinctive sound. Well, I don’t want to lament too much over what (or who) was not on stage. But as a jazz show goes, I just was not that impressed by this current group.

So one has to be fully American? Hasn't Holland lived in America pretty much since he joined Miles? McLaughlin...I don't know, but certainly he's played with a lot of American musicians and his work has usually been issued on American labels.

Yeah, it looks like you need to be pretty old, which is perhaps not a problem since we don't have too many jazz guys dying young anymore. Am I missing something? Have Dave Holland and/or John McLaughlin never won?

I agree about Lloyd. Twenty or so years go he started releasing some fine albums with the likes of John Abercrombie, Brad Mehdlau, and Billy Higgins. He plays fine tenor sax (owing something to Trane, but so what?), and a ton of somewhat exotic instruments. He's got some memorable compositions. Rabo de Nube, the live record with Jason Moran, is a killer. I also saw Lloyd live in 2005 or 2006 (with Geri Allen in the band), and it was a great show.

It would be interesting to see a list of all winners, since offhand I have little idea. I get the impression that you don't win until you are ancient. I mean, everyone in the new class was born in the 1930s. Have relative youngsters like Joe Lovano and Pat Metheny gotten it, or on the verge?

Wow, I would really like to hear those tracks by the Tentet. I second "In Pursuit of the 27th Man." To me it has a bit of the sound of Tyner and Hutcherson from 60s/70s. There can't be much of Silver's work featuring guitar. The only stuff I've heard is an early Kenny Burrell session. As far as I know, not even Grant Green (ubiquitous on Blue Note).

I think that short piece from Silver 'n Strings is the only Silver solo piano I have ever heard.

In contrast to what I said earlier about enjoying his trio work, I also wish he'd more often used bigger groups. There were some cases of this, such as It's Got to Be Funky and The Hardbop Grandpop. I'd like to hear his essential sound using 4-6 horns. His arrangements employ some big band elements, and I think he could have worked this style really well in mid-size combos.

I too wished there had been more trio work. I did make up a 14-song playlist of trios--some from trio sessions very early in his career, but most from the quintet records, where he often had a trio feature (sometimes even two). I also included the very late "Brother John and Brother Gene" from Prescription for the Blues.

It's odd that so many are complaining about his guitar "sound." I'm sure he had many detractors early on. How could this be jazz music in any respect when the guitar is played LIKE THAT? And now his (often former) fans feel he's adopted some kind of horrible sound(s)--as if, in this exceptionally long career, McLaughlin is not free to explores many sounds, tones, and approaches.

He had several connections to Basie over a long period of time, but never an actual member of the orchestra.

I'm surprised Roy was never a member of the Ellington or Basie Orchestras. He would have been a great contributor in both.

I'll keep checking out some vocals and see if I come around.

My god, there is hardly any love for Johnny McLaughlin and any of this recent music (count that as 30 or 40 years). I'm not a fan of everything, but I certainly respect his adventure and eclecticism. And 4th Dimension strikes me as the best fusion band he's had since Mahavishnu. It should appeal to those who long for those days.

R.I.P for a wonderful man and musician. Would we even have the "Blue Note sound" without Horace? So many great tunes. So much that was catchy and simply joyful. Your music will always live with me.

Roy Eldridge (Little Jazz), my god, what a great player. I’ve always had some appreciation of the man, but I’ve come to realize he’s one of the greatest and most vital figures in jazz history. While not such a pioneering figure as Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, or Dizzy (the man he inspired most directly)—he is nonetheless right up there. I had mainly heard Eldridge with Dizzy and in a variety of sometimes interesting and (even add combos, such as with Mingus and Dolphy. More recently I’ve heard him on a Herb Ellis record and also the meeting with Art Tatum. I was looking through one of my old jazz references books, and they called the record with Tatum a failure. WTF! It’s great stuff. I can hear a tune like “I Won’t Dance” in my head all day long…so mellow and melodious. I grabbed a 4-CD set out of the library, covering 1930s through mid-1950s. It’s a lot to digest, but certainly plenty of jewels. I have to say, though, I’m not a big fan of Roy’s singing. I’ve also checked a bit into Swing Goes Dixie. I guess it is what the title suggests: stomping New Orleans music featuring the pulse of Walter Pages and Jo Jones. While my tastes have always run toward post-bebop, I have made a place for the older music. I think we all must do it; otherwise we are missing great treasures. I can now even see the point-of-view those who really don’t care much for jazz after the bebop revolution. I will always love most types of jazz from every era. And more than three decades into being an obsessive fan of jazz, I will keep searching for jazz greats that I have under-valued. Roy Eldridge is a big one. I once heard him described as the greatest trumpeter between Louis and Dizzy. Easy enough to accept, especially once you do some serious listening. But let’s just call him one of the greatest trumpeters the music has ever known.

I don't find Now Here This unlistenable in any respect. Man, some tough customers here.

I’ve been listening a lot to John McLaughlin, who strikes me as being in quite a renaissance. Certainly one of the most eclectic musicians of all time, he has never been one to do a certain type of music and then leave it forever. I came to McLaughlin through Mahavisnu and electric Miles. These were the first jazz records I ever owned, and they remain some of the best. The excitement of Maha is just amazing, especially on the first record. Anyway, I have followed the great guitarist through Shakti, orchestral stuff, fairly straight ahead jazz, acoustic guitar trios, etc. But I still think of McLaughlin as the great fusion man. He has come back to fusion many times, such as a revitalized Mahavishnu (didn’t do much for me), the Heart of Things, and other projects. But nothing has sounded as good as the 4th Dimension. To me it is very reminiscent of Maha—a bit stripped down, no violin. McLaughlin supposedly used the first record, To the One, as a tribute to Coltrane; but mainly it was a return to his own past. I don’t think it is fair to call the music nostalgic. This is fiery music that stands completely on its own, and McLaughlin has been cranking out plenty of new tunes. Only on the new Boston Record does he dig out an old Mahavishnu piece: “You Know, You Know.” McLaughlin’s playing sounds as great as ever he sure has a tight band. I especially love the firestorm of percussion from Ranjit Barot. The McLaughlin/Cobham connection was special, but so is this current one with Barot. Does McLaughlin love this group? I would say so, given the 3 straight releases. Each one is deeply rewarding.

Yep, that fits the bill!

Interesting comment about Metheny and Frisell having the influence of making Jim Hall sound more "placid." Hall, who from the beginning was one of the most subtle and genteel of all jazz players? Well, he could be adventurous, to be sure, but he tended to be low volume. "Raw" sounds can certainly be heard from Metheny and Frisell (both bearing rock influences), though more so in older days than nowadays.

Clearly a lot of great stuff. I'd forgotten about some of these records (usually trios) in my own collection.

Just responding to the Tony Williams comments. When he was playing in some jazz trios about a decade after the Miles period, he did not sound at all "too loud." Tony played just fine with such amazingly subtle pianists as Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan.