Milestones

Happy Birthday to a true great in the music. Is Mr. Terry now the oldest living major jazz figure?

So what do we know now? Is it a debunked rumor? Horace is a great figure in jazz, and one of my favorites. So much of his music is so thoroughly joyful.

I'm a big Jim Hall fan and I'm kicking myself not keeping up on the forums and getting this news a little late. I really enjoyed his run on Telarc--the varied settings and amazing array of collaborations: Lovano, Osby, Methney, Harrell, etc. Indeed, his late years showed quite an interest in playing with younger guitarists, usually with rock roots--such as Frisell, Metheny, Mike Stern, John Scofield, etc. He was a great creative spirit. R.I.P.

Looking for some recommendations (and especially particular songs) by group strongly featuring harmony vocals. I'm thinking of stuff that is post-1960. I mean everything from Beatles and Beach Boys, to groups not particularly noted as rock such as Seekers and The Association, to stuff up the present day. This can be rock, pop, folk, country, etc.

Any opinions on the relatively recent solo album Senzo?

This is really an artist who must be heard. He now has considerable longevity, and, while he has a tendency to recycle, his best compositions can be mentioned in the same sentence as the works of Duke, Mingus, and Monk.

I do like the big band stuff. Not every artist adjusts well to this, but I think Abdullah did. Bombella, while it initially sounded a bit too slick, really grew on me after awhile; and I find the earlier live record more invigorating.

The Donny Osmond must rank as one of the worst titles and funniest covers ever!

Yep, quite true...I'm sure Kevin is very comfortable.

How great is Abdullah Ibrahim? I would say very great indeed. I have been long aware of him, and even had a record or two. I know that way back I had African Space Program. Not too many years ago I picked up Bombella, which seemed a career summation. Then it was back to the 80s for the classic Water from an Ancient Well. His stuff was not very easy to find, and titles seemed a bit confusing—so many with either “Africa” or “Capetown” in the title. There are interesting similarities to Randy Weston, who is one of my all-time favorites. Both play piano, both have a gift for melody, both play in settings from solo to big band, both are strongly influenced by Ellington and Monk. Of course, Weston had a fascination with African even in his earlier years—and Ibrahim is African. I guess the difference is that despite all the world music elements (especially African) in his music, Weston always retains a very strong pure jazz essence. Ibrahim, while certainly incorporating elements of American jazz, has that celebratory Capetown feeling. Anyway, he has such great stuff: “Mandela,” “African River,” “The Wedding,” “Joan,” “Duke 88,” “The Mountain,” etc. I’ve never heard anything by him that was anywhere close to sub-par. I’m now getting into Ekapa Loduma, a live record with some really long tunes—but it’s great stuff. It’s got a big band sound like Bombella, but sounds a lot looser. Fabulous stuff. What are the best records of Abdullah Ibrahim?

I don't think too much about jazz and money--jazz being divorced, in theory, from such materialism, or so we would like to think! But it is kind of interesting. Put me in there with those stunned by Wilson having 7 houses. Gerald Wilson was pretty much nothing but a name to me until maybe 10 years ago, and I think I still have only 3 or 4 records by him. Yes, he may have made a bundle working in other capacities, often in non-jazz music (in the strictest sense), but enough to afford 7 houses??? Yes, I'm sure some modern guys have a bundle: Hancock, Jarrett, Metheny, the late Michael Brecker. I would think Horace Silver would be pretty well up there, mainly for the extraordinary number of compositions (and the interest taken in them by others). Monk? I mean, Monk is either the first or second greatest jazz composer (I'd personally put Ellington first), so that ought to be worth big bucks. But maybe he wasn't surrounded by useful and honest people. Looking over posts, the mention of Coltrane is intersting. I doubt he was way up there while alive, but had he lived another 20 or 30 years I'm sure he would have raked in a lot.

A record called Pure Genius, Vol. 1. It appeared in the 80s and I don't think it has ever appeared on CD--but certainly worth hearing.

I could go all day on Higgins recommendations. He is not only a great drummer, but he appeared everywhere and with everyone--more so than Elvin or Tony, on a par (and perhaps above) Haynes and DeJohnette. Just a few of the many: Many records with Ornette Several records with Charles Lloyd Interface--Hank Jones Nature Boy--Jackie McLean Rejoicing--Pat Metheny Earth Birth--Randy Weston Quartet West (1st album) Feelin' the Spirit--Grant Green I Could Write a Book--George Coleman Straight Life--Art Pepper Works For Me--John Scofield He was probably the most-recorded drummer on Blue Note in the 1960s.

I was recently listening to After Hours, a late 50's jam technically led by Thad Jones. But Frank should be considered co-leader. He usually soloed on both flute and tenor. Good stuff!

Happy birthday indeed! I'm thinking Jimmy is 88? Somewhere around there anyway. I've seen him only once in concert, about 10 years ago. He was head-and-shoulders the best musician on the stage.

Sadly, I have never seen McCoy in live performance. Something I have missed, and it may never happen. What is he up to these days, anyway?

I know Fly with the Wind has the strings, and from what I gather this works considerably better than a much later album strings album where he plays the music of Bacharach--nobody seems to like that one. As for "Fly with the Wind" (the piece) my favorite version is the one for big band on The Turning Point. My own favorite albums: The Real McCoy Expansions Tender Moments Echoes of a Friend Sahara Sama Layuca Super Trios The Turning Point 44th Street Suite Remembering John Soliloquy And I probably missed some.

That's funny you mention that because I heard one track from this on an Impulse sampler and didn't much care for it, especially Gilmore's solo. It just made me think, "How did this guy get such an exalted reputation?" But I suppose I should hear the whole record.

McCoy Tyner is almost certainly the most well-represented pianist in my jazz collection. I don’t have much from the (solo) Impulse days, I have everything from Blue Note (both stretches), the majority of the stuff on Milestone, a good helping from a long period where he popped just about anywhere, all the stuff on Telarc, all the stuff on his own label. Some stretches are brief, like the last two, but add it all up…and it’s a lot. Then you have all the appearances with Coltrane, and I have lots of Coltrane. I’m still working on Milestone stuff, because there are still some discoveries there for me. He did it all in those years: the Coltrane-inspired quartets, all-star trios, one great solo record, many intriguing mid-size groups, big band, strings, voices. One major discovery is Sama Layuca with Hutcherson, Bartz, Lawrence, and Stubblefield. Great stuff, by turns intense and haunting. Records I have not heard on Milestone are Atlantis, Inner Voices, and Fly with the Wind. I invite your comments and recommendations.

I wouldn't question that for a moment.

Jazzbo, I'm thinking of the period between Tanjah and the Portraits albums, and that's 10 albums, which is actually more than I thought. But I would submit this is his most obscure period. I've only managed to pick up The Healers and maybe two more from this period. These projects all seemed to be solo or very small group.

I don't have much at all from Weston during most of 70s-80s decades....not that a whole lot was put out anyway.

Cool. I've been following Weston a long time, ever seen I heard his group (on the radio) performing at the Chicago Jazz Festival around 1991. He had just put out the large and magnificent Spirits of our Ancestors--my first album of his and probably still my favorite. Weston got on that great run, starting with the "Portraits" albums, where he summed up all his possibilities as player, composer, and visionary. Loved so much from that era, but also went back to discover some great records from the early career: Liitle Niles, African Cookbook, and others. The last really good record he's made (IMO) is Zep Tepi. I have seen him in concert four times (twice solo), and it was fantastic each time. The ablum with Harper sounds intriguing. It will naturally be comparped to The Healers--the duet records with David Murray.

Is the general feeling that Iron City is the best non-Blue Note Grant Green record?

Yeah, I recently saw something about that set with Gene Harris that was never issued.