HutchFan

More Charlie Palmieri con The Alegre All-Stars... ( The Alegre All-Stars (Alegre / Vampi Soul, 2005) Super compilation.

Next up:

Yeah, I saw that too. Bummer.

I'd be more interested if these initial five releases weren't compilations. Then again, many of us are probably not their target demographic. If these reissues pull in some newbies, that's a good thing, I suppose.

I wonder if that's a typo... or if they're really announcing the book more than a year in advance? I hope it's the former. I don't want to wait a whole year! 😉

Now spinning: Dollar Brand / Abdullah Ibrahim - Ode to Duke Ellington (Inner City / Philips Japan, 1974) One of his finest albums, IMO.

Jerome Sabbagh - The Turn (Sunnyside, 2014) Outstanding record and band.

Gil Evans & The Monday Night Orchestra - Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 2 (Evidence)

Listening now. Nice selections!

Rather than Salsa, I would say that there are some "Latin Jazz" titles in my survey. Palmieri is one of those guys who lives in both of those worlds. Often he'll make a record that's more oriented towards dancers (Salsa) and then follow with one that's more of a listening record (Latin Jazz). Of course, the line between the two is often very blurry with plenty of overlap. ... But I think there is a distinction. Palmieri has discussed this in interviews, how his dancing audience gets upset when he releases music that's "excessively jazzy." And likewise his jazz fans are less likely to enjoy his records pitched at a Salsa audience.

Tim Bern's Fractured Fairy Tales (JMT, 1989)

Eddie Palmieri - La Verdad / The Truth (Fania, 1987) and Eddie Palmieri ‎- Sueño (Intuition, 1989)

One of Cannonball's finest, I think. Wynton Kelly !!! NP: McCoy Tyner - La Leyenda de la Hora (Columbia/Koch, 1981) with Paquito D'Rivera, Ignacio Berroa, Daniel Ponce, Bobby Hutcherson, Chico Freeman, Marcus Belgrave, and others McCoy in a Latin-Jazz bag, which -- to be honest -- doesn't sound all that different than his "regular" music. McCoy is McCoy, regardless of the setting, no? In any case... me gusta mucho.

Magnificent music !!! And it still sounds completely contemporary and fresh!

Disc 1 - Slavonic Dances, Opp. 46 & 72

Jerry Bergonzi - Inside Out (Red, 1990) and Batacumbele - Afro Caribbean Jazz (Montuno, 1987)

I have heard a few of Weller's Prokofiev recordings, and I think they're very good. But Rozhdestvensky seems to find much more complexity and nuance in his interpretations. I think conductors from the Soviet Union (and Eastern Bloc in general) may have had insights into the music written by composers like Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and other Soviet composers. Not always, of course. It's not axiomatic. But in interviews Rozhdestvensky talked about having to explain some aspects of the music to "Western" orchestras who had no idea what life like was like under Stalin & communism. Of course -- unlike Shostakovich -- Prokofiev only returned to the USSR later in life. I don't mean to simplify his music in any way, make it all about Stalin or politics or anything like that. I just feel like Rozhdestvensky captures some sort of "Russian-ness" that's absent in many other interpretations I've heard. One other particularity about Prokofiev's Seventh, which I shared above: When it was written, Prokofiev had been denounced by the authorities in the USSR. He wrote the Seventh Symphony to get back in their good graces. Ostensibly, it was written as a "Children's Symphony" -- since proletarian simplicity was the order of the day. And, on one level, it is simple music. But, on another level, there's a darkness and a sadness that hangs over the music. That darkness and ambiguity "seeps" through. There's a double-meaning. Most wonderful art is paradoxical, and I think Rozhdestvensky mines this double-meaning-ness in Prokofiev's music more than others. **************** One last thought: If you enjoy Weller's readings, keep riding that horse. I don't mean to imply that I'm "right." I've just found that I enjoy Rozh's interpretations of Russian music. I'm a bit of Russia/USSR nerd, so digging about for these sorts of meanings is something that appeals to me. I don't mean to convey anything other than, "Listen to this! You might enjoy it too!"

Now spinning: Orchestra U.S.A., Music Director, John Lewis - Debut (Colpix, 1963)

I think that's because many of Cannonball's strengths aren't (or haven't been) regarded as important by those who've established the jazz canon. The thinking goes like this: "Cannonball is a descendant of Bird; therefore, he is less important than Bird." I think these sorts of assessments are simplistic because Cannonball brings all sorts of musical qualities to the table that Bird did not. But if your conceptual model of jazz -- the way that you go about figuring out what is "historically significant" -- is based on some sort of ascending, evolutionary progression that many critics & authors love (because it makes an often illogical rat's nest of a jumble into something "sensical" and even inevitable), then Cannonball doesn't fit in all that well.

I would say that Cannonball is certainly among my very favorite saxophonists. It's a small handful, and he's in there. No doubt. I'll leave other sorts of assessments -- historical judgments and the like -- to other folks who are more qualified than me.

Unfortunately, it's out of print -- and it fetches absurdly high prices in the used marketplace. But downloads still are available. Initially, I bought the downloads. But I've enjoyed the music so much that, over time, I've tracked down the music on vinyl. During the 70s, Melodiya partnered with various "Western" record labels to issue music outside of the USSR. These Prokofiev Symphonies were issued on Angel/Melodiya. I haven't heard any other conductor who captures the contradictory aspects of Prokofiev's music better than Rozhdestvensky. Lyrical and sarcastic. Innocent and knowing. Pounding and soft. If you'd like to sample, here's Rozh's performance of Prokofiev's Seventh Symphony:

Now streaming via YT: Mambo Show - Featuring an Ensemble of Latin Music Legends (Tropical Budda, rec. 1985) with Charlie Palmieri (p); Mongo Santamaria (cga); Johnny Rodriguez (bgo, cowbell); Nicky Marrero (timb, perc); Jose "Chombo" Silva (sax); Barry Rogers (tb); David "Piro" Rodríguez (tr); Ray Martinez (b); Adalberto Santiago (vo); Ray De La Paz (vo); Yayo "El Indio" Pequero (vo) Viva Charlie Palmieri !!!

That painting of Lester is particularly good, I think.