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John Tapscott
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Posts posted by John Tapscott
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This a a tough one. Had to go with Benny, though. I think his playing with Brown was outstanding, generally more interesting to me than on his own Blue Note dates. And having the great Jeff Hamilton on drums didn't hurt a bit, either.
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George.
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All the Zoot Sims Pablo sessions are very good to excellent as well. My favorite is Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers - a swinging session, if they ever was one.
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Despite its problems (the under-rehearsed big band, Miles playing too close to the mic, Mobley's squeaks, and the truncated "Prince') I would take the 2Cd set Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall. The small group tracks swing incredibly hard (perhaps even harder than the Blackhawk tracks), and the whole thing has a fire and depth that feeds my musical soul every time out.
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Well, thankfully, I was about 3 miles from home when the lights went off, so arrived home with no problem. Here in Mississauga, Ontario (20 miles west of Toronto), the power in our area came back on at 1 AM, though areas of the province (some very close to here) are still without power. My mother who lives 60 miles north of here in a rural area is still without power. But so are parts of the city. Our premier asked everyone but essential workers to stay home today, so it's pretty quiet. But it's busy at gas stations and grocery stores. Some gas stations sadly jacked their prices way up last night and this morning. (Hopefully, they'll lose customers in the long run). One Ontario city, Peterborough, got power back last night, but lost it again when residents began turning on lights and other other electrical devices.
Last night was kind of neat. No power but we were able to use our gas Bar-b-que for supper. With no computer or TV we spent the evening outside getting to know our neighbors a bit better, playing with the neighborhood kids, and then when it got dark, taking in the wonder of the night sky. Thankfully we had a radio with batteries, so were able to keep up with the latest news (and it's still quite confusing as to what happened and when the power will come back for everyone). Hopefully soon. It's one of the hottest days of the summer and even those of us with power don't want to turn the
AC on yet. This is especially hard on the sick and the elderly.
How may of you remember the famous 1965 blackout? I do - I was 10 years old and recall that it caused a mini-crisis for a day on my dad's farm, because the dairy cows had to be milked in the old-fashioned way. An emergency generator was purchased for the farm as a result of that blackout.
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This week I've been listening to some recordings with Ron Carter on bass -
RC and Jim Hall - Live at Village West
Benny Green - Kaliedoscope
and the AOTW Nefertitti
I am far from a bass expert and to me, Carter sounds fine on these recordings, though his sound is a different than that of many bassists. I know that Carter is one of the most controversial bassists in jazz and I'm curious as to why this is the case. So I hope some of you might like to discuss this - Ron Carter, pro and con.
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Personnel on this one:
Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Owens, Eddie Henderson, Frank Greene, Sean Jones (tpt), Benny Powell, Luis Bonilla, Dennis Wilson, Douglas Purviance (tb), Jimmy Heath (ts), Frank Wess (ts, fl), Jesse Davis (as), Jerry Dodgion (as, fl), Jay Brandford (bari), Kenny Barron, Renee Rosnes (p), Anthony Wilson, Oscar Castro-Neves (g), Larry Ridley, Trey Henry, Bob Cranshaw , Lewis Nash, Stix Hooper (ds), Lenny Castro (perc).
Good heavens!! This should be excellent indeed!
Yes, the Mosaic is very, very good. There are a few so-so pop tunes which are almost (but not quite) redeemed by Wilson's arrangements, but the rest of it is first-rate. I recommend it highly.
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Pryan: As you can tell my strong recommendation is to buy the set. Here's another recently issued CD I think you'd really like - "Ben and Teddy" (Webster and Wilson) on Sackville. The first 7 or so tracks are by a much later trio of Teddy's (1970), but they are absolutely stunning and very enjoyable examples of swing piano trio. I was so impressed that I just had to buy the Mosaic set.
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I love this set. Beautiful, relaxing (in the best sense), swinging piano trio music. Teddy is so musical and tasteful and interesting, even though the trio format is the same throughout. (Am I wrong or does Teddy hit his only clunker of the entire set on the opening phrase of "Stompin' at the Savoy" on the Newport date?) In any case, I disagree with those (like Yanow) who advise listening to this set in small doses. I listen to the 5 CD's of this set straight through and feel like listening to the set all over again!
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If we can go beyond guitarists, then I would add Bill Evans. One chord and you know it's him.
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So far:
Keith Jarrett - Up For It
Miles Davis - Blackhawk
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - Can I Persuade You?
Charlie Parker - The Ultimate Collection
Lester Young - with the Oscar Peterson Trio
Walter Davis Jr. - In Walked Thelonious
Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band
Bill Mays/Ed Bickert at Maybeck
Now playing : Sonny Stitt Mosaic Disc 2
To come: Time Warp Plays Duke Ellington
Don and Tom Vickery - Double Take
Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Mosaic
Walter Norris - Lush Life
Ray Anderson - Wishbone
Art Blakey - Indestructible
Guido Basso/ Dave Turner - Dedications
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I voted for "Trane.
To place the others in some order, Brecker, Shorter, Henderson, and then at the bottom, sadly, Rollins.
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Who was, in your opinion, the most influential, innovative, in short: the greatest tenor player of them all? Not necessarily your favourite, but the greatest?
Most Influential & Innovative - in that category, I would only consider 3 - Hawkins, Young and Coltrane. I voted for Hawkins, because he was first. Yes, somebody else might have come along made the saxophone into a genuine jazz instrument, but the fact remains that he was the one who did it. Plus he continued to play so well throughout most of his career. Hawk is the man! (Had the poll been limited to the '50's and later, Coltrane, for sure. Much as I like Rollins, for every upcoming tenor player who plays in his style, there's got to be at least 10 'Trane clones.)
As far as the greatest tenor player goes, has anyone ever played the tenor better than Stan Getz? I listened to several Getz CD's on vacation, and my goodness, that man could play the tenor, flawlessly, melodically, beautifully. I think his very consistency has sometimes made me overlook his brilliance.
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A week ago tonight, while still on vacation, I had the privilege of seeing and hearing the Sam Rivers Trio in concert at the Atlantic Jazz Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This was truly one of the GREATEST LIVE PERFORMANCES I have ever experienced. The sold-out crowd of 300 (in a small theatre) loved the 75 minute concert, giving the group a a lengthy standing ovation and demanding an encore. Rivers, now in his seventies, still plays with lots of fire, creativity, and joy. He has an outgoing, sunny personality and connected very well with the audience. Yes, much of the music was on the free side, but it was very substantial, and presented with taste and variety, along with a good sense of where to draw the line. (I'm sure Rivers' vast expereince helps in these matters). The other members of the trio, bassist Doug Matthews and drummer Anthony Cole are incredibly flexible musicians, and double convincingly on piano and reeds. (Rivers himself played tenor, soprano, flute and piano). The group even revisited "Beatrice " from Sam's first Blue Note album. If this trio ever travels anywhere near your home, drop everything to run and hear it. You won't be sorry.
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A non-jazz loving (former) friend of mine fell in love with Brubeck's Take Five so that may also be an obvious choice.
Agreed. Time Out would be a great choice.
Others that come to mind:
Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond
Miles - Someday My Prince Will Come
Getz/Byrd - Jazz Samba
Oscar Peterson - Night Train
Zoot Sims - and the Gershwin Brothers (turning up the swing temperature a bit)
You might want to hold off the big bands for a while, though Miles Ahead and something like Ellington's Three Suites might be OK. Somewhere I read that surveys done for jazz radio stations put big bands are way down the list in popularity. I guess all that brass and the wide dynamics tend to startle more casual listeners. (Personally, I love big bands, far more than vocal jazz which seems to be quite popular these days).
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Trombonist Steve Davis (as a leader). Recently someone (on this Board, I believe), recommended his "Portrait in Sound" CD. I recently picked it up, and have to concur. This is a superb recording.
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A very nice player, even if his Ben Webster influence was so pronounced. I pulled out his Mapleshade release,Just for You and the one CD I recommend most highly, On The Sunny Side of the Street on Timeless to listen and remember. RIP.
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His Ellington association leads me to wonder-who else is left who played with Duke? I'm not as familiar with the later-era Ellington bands but I imagine there were younger guys in those bands who are still around. But is Harold the last from his generation?
I don't think there's all that many - Duke didn't hire guys right out of college like the other name bands. I can't think of many that are left - Clark Terry, trombonist Art Baron, trumpeter Barrie Lee Hall, tenor Ricky Ford (who played in the short-lived Ellington band Mercer led after Duke died;
Mercer just seemed to let the thing fade away, for some reason.) There must be others that I just can't recall at the moment.
BTW, I was surprised that Keepnews referred to Ashby as THE featured tenor player during his tenure with the band. Surely, Paul Gonsalves, despite his inconsistencies, would have qualified for that title right to the end. IMHO, Gonsalves is one of the most underrated tenor players of all time.
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I have this LP and shouldn't answer without checking it first, but I believe it's a compliation and as I recall, details in the album notes are rather sketchy. I think it may contain some of the stuff Woody recorded in the '50's for the Mars label. My recollection is that it's OK, (just about everything Woody recorded is OK or better), but it doesn't stand out in my mind as prime Herman material.
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My favortie Fuller is a BeeHive LP from '78 - Fire and Filigree. It's probably never been out on CD, but definitely worth picking up if you ever see it in a second-hand store. Curtis sounds very good on this - he was just coming off his gig with Count Basie when this was recorded. And the rest of the band really lights it up, too. Sal Nistico, Walter Bishop Jr., Sam Jones, and Freddie Waits.
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Mobley, as simplistic as it sounds, makes me feel good. I don't think I've ever really gotten excited by one of his solos, but I do nod my head, and sometimes even find myself saying aloud: yeah.
I don't think it's simplistic at all. I agree. Hank's playing always uplifts my spirit. I can't quite put my finger on why, but to me there's a certain balance and thoughtfulness in his playing (and his composing) which is most satisfying to mind and soul. Hank had a real gift. He doesn't always grab you like Rollins or even Henderson, but after his solos end, you know you've been listening to something very special. I'm not sure he was the most consistent soloist, and on certain sessions where he's a sideman he's a bit overshadowed a bit by the others. I generally prefer his playing on his own dates. "Roll Call" is a desert island disc for me. Two other favorites include the quartet session for the Mosaic set plus a seldom mentioned disc called Far Away Lands. This is a heavy Hank recording. Darn near wore out the cassette from constant listening in my car some years ago. Hank is probably my overall favorite tenor player.
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What I've heard of it is fine, though pretty lightweight. I am not going to buy it. Norah's future is pretty secure with all of her fans and no doubt a big contract looming. That's great. No problem. So she doesn't need me, or any hard core jazz fan, to buy her CD. We're always wailing about how underappreciated most jazz artists are, so why not spend the money instead on a CD by some excellent but relatively unknown jazz musician who probably sells about 2-3,000 of each CD he or she makes. That's what I'm going to do.
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...for some reason I kept falling asleep as I watched the Burns series. Just me I guess...
Nope, that happened with me also.
Simon Weil
Andrew Hill has reported that the "Jazz" series put him to sleep every night it aired.
The series has lots of flaws for sure, though in places, it's not bad (enough to rouse me from my slumber for a few moments, especially some of the live performance clips). But the biggest mystery to me is how the series could take something as VITAL and INTERESTING as jazz and make it seem so DULL. Something got lost in the translation. Of course, with a few exceptions, jazz and TV have never meshed all that well. The apologists for the Burns series often say something like, well it's a good introduction to jazz for newcomers to the music. Personally, I doubt it. Can you imagine showing this series, as it is, video by video, to high school or college students? I may be wrong, but I think the converts to jazz from such an approach would be few and far between.
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PBS has been showing Ken Burns, "JAZZ" on Monday evenings.
I'm glad you're enjoying it. As for me, if I'm having a bout of insomnia Monday evenings, I know where to find something that will put me to sleep real fast. Usually jazz stimulates me and wakes me up, but for some reason I kept falling asleep as I watched the Burns series. Just me I guess, but the word "boring" keeps coming to mind.
Favorite Montmartre Recordings
in Artists
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Dexter. I love his recordings there with Jackie McLean.