Late

I probably should not have been the one to start this thread, as I was 0-10 in the 70's, but what the hell. For some reason, this decade has really taken hold of my listening lately (along with a large side order of Shorty Rogers, which is another thread). So, here's a new question, for those more in the know: • What would you list as three indispensable "jazz" recordings from the 70's? I've put the word jazz in quotes because of its relative ambiguity. I'd personally call most fusion "jazz," but I'll leave that up to you all. Instead of "favorite" or "most important" or "best" in this question, I thought that the word indispensable might allow for a freer range of responses — what you think is indispensable, and you would hate not to have in your collection. I wish I would have had a chance to see some of those big bands you guys are naming. The first two authentic "jazz" shows I attended were in 1984 — Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and the Wynton Marsalis Quartet.

Hands down, no contest — my favorite "short" solo, which, and dig this ladies and gentleman, consists of only one pitch, is by Cecil Payne. On Coleman Hawkins's recording of "The Big Head," Payne repeats only one note (with the rhythmic figure of dotted quarter note, followed by an eighth) and somehow grooves all hell out of it. Thunder rolls down from the heavens, and even Bean is infected by the groove, picking up this figure for his solo.

This is almost too general a topic ... but maybe not? Sometimes it seems that a lot of "jazz" fans bring down the iron gate on their listening right around 1969. Why? Now, besides the fact that a lot of the posters here were likely emulating the general template look of Andy Gibb in this decade (myself not excluded), what's the stigma? More importantly, I'd like to hear what some of your favorite albums from the 70's are. Labels too. Strata East comes immediately to my mind. And, within that label, Glass Bead Games is a favorite album from the 70's. Such a beautiful record, and it seems almost beside the point that it was recorded in 1973. The reissue market seems to have not yet fully tapped this curious decade. What gems have the archaeologists not yet dug up?

Thanks for the heads-up, Peter! Swede — you are the mang! (Shorty-mania over here on the West Coast right now. Well, at least this little part of it.)

Thanks to a kind soul on this board, I'm now able to listen to this set. Thanks again to you-know-who-you-are! Great music ... and I only had to wait around ten years to hear most of it! Now I'm trying to track down the song list, times, and personnel (from the Mosaic). So far, internet searches have yielded dead-ends. Could anyone point me in the right direction here? I wish that Mosaic would list this kind of information on their site — I'm speaking of the discographies of OOP sets, that is. The traffic they'd get for that feature alone ... I bet they'd see at least a small rise in sales! Thanks in advance to anyone who could help out. Late

I think it would be even more interesting if we typed "down."

Oh yeah? Well ... yjl7klook56! :rsly: — Sly reference to Kenny Clarke

The alternates on Our Man in Paris aren't actually alternates, but bonus tracks ("Our Love is Here to Stay" and the minus-Dex trio version of "Like Someone in Love"), which were on the 1987 compact disc. Now, unless someone at Blue Note has discovered something new, I think this is the case! Is "Like Someone in Love" on the Dexter box? I don't suppose it would be, but I like when tunes without the leader, but still from the same session, are included in "complete" sets. For this reason, I wish that Sonny Rollins' Freedom Suite would finally be reissued in total — including the minus-Newk duo of Roach and Pettiford on "There Will Never Be Another You" (which was, admittedly, reissued on Deeds, Not Words).

I'd go for Chicago Piano Solo. It gives you Irène straight, no chaser.

You're right, Brownie. I was just doing an image search when you posted! I think the title is actually Shorty Rogers Meets Tarzan as well. (My mistake earlier.) Still would like to hear what Shorty came up with. Here's one (little) image I did find, that was nice:

I think that Shorty Rogers Swings Tarzan would also have to be on that list. I've never heard that album, and don't even know if it's supposed to be "jazz," but I've seen the cover (a Tarzan model holding Shorty in his arms, as if Mr. Rogers were a newly wed bride), and have always been curious. Does anyone have it? Another RCA album that might also (technically) be on that list is one that Rogers doesn't play on, but did all the arrangements for, and receives album cover credits for: The Five, which is a quintet session with Bill Perkins, Conte Candoli, Pete Jolly, Buddy Clark, and Mel Lewis. Perkins has some attractive ballad spots on this album (also on disc through RCA Spain), which are the high-points for me. I think the one indispensable album from the RCA lot is Wherever the Five Winds Blow, which highlights some great Giuffre on clarinet. I also like Cool and Crazy for the swingin' big band arrangements (where Maynard is in top form). I have about 2/3 of the list up above on disc, but would probably still plump for a Complete RCA Recordings Mosaic. The Spanish cd's are often tinny sounding to my ears, and (judging by the new Bluebird reissues) I bet Shorty's RCA work would have new life were it freshly remastered.

Would love to simply have a of this long OOP set (— the Rogers). Happy to reciprocate too!

Uh?

Lon, single cup filters are the way indeed. What is a "coffee maker"? Kinuta, you forgot to substitute Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Green Tea for the coffee in your list!

Forgot to add that anything "remastered" by Larry Walsh is usually in grave need of upgrading. Poor Larry.

This is not really responding to the question at hand, but since Mike mentioned the date with Walter Norris, I thought I'd chime in and say that I've always been a huge fan of Something Else!!!, and I don't even know why. It would seem like Tomorrow is the Question would be the "better" record of Coleman's two Contemporary sessions, as his musical vision seems more developed here, but the debut recording has always had a special place in my listening to Ornette. The piano here seems to work (though I've read elsewhere that it was "already" gratuitous), and the compositions ... that's why I like this album so much. Beginning with "Invisible" (which I'm guessing is what Ornette felt a lot like at the very beginning of his career), the ride gets even better. This session has additionally seemed to me like a good example of Billy Higgins' freer side, even though it's 1958. I've never heard him quite play like this on any other session.

Why? Don't know this story, but would like to hear it! As for We Insist!, I've always thought that the choice of Coleman Hawkins was, if somewhat unlikely, enlightened and damn-near perfect.

You guys are probably right. In the documentary Triumph of the Underdog, who's the tenor player in the concert scene from the 70's where Mingus says "Turn the fuckin' mike on"? For some reason, I got it in my head that that was Billy Harper. It doesn't look like George Adams, but could it be Ricky Ford?

The tenor player's name on the tip of my tongue was ... Billy Harper. But now I don't know if Harper even played with Mingus! Sheesh.

I'd guess that M. Fitzgerald might have a solid response to this one. I played this composition in high school (that intro is not easy to articulate cleanly!), and I'd have to say that the intro is simply Wayne's, and likely not borrowed. I could easily be wrong, but that's my hunch.

A mother indeed. It would be nice if the Changes albums were remastered once again, perhaps with a new remixing stuck in there. As they are now, they're actually not too bad. Thank goodness we at least have them on disc! (Were any of the later Atlantics reissued in Japanese editions?) That 1974 band — I can't think of a single member who didn't bring a certain type of "fire" to that group's sound. George Adams' solos are often just as ecstatic as Roland Kirk's, say, on "Hog Callin' Blues" from Oh Yeah, Don Pullen is virtually nonpareil (with only Jaki Byard, as I hear it, matching Pullen's brilliance, though in almost an entirely different manner), and I think Jack Walrath may very well have been Mingus's most fully realized trumpet player ever (though Lonnie Hilyer's work seems largely under-documented, and what I've heard is pretty eye-and-ear opening). There were other 70's editions, too. The group with Charles McPherson, Lonnie Hilyer, and Bobby Jones was tight, and — argh! — I can't remember the other tenor player who figured in prominently around this time. His name is on the tip of my tongue ...

Good Jesus. When was the last time you listened to these volumes? I think now that George Adams likely had the greatest intuitive understanding and handle on what Mingus wanted out of his horn players. Jackie McLean? Booker Ervin? Shafi Hadi? Roland Kirk? Eric Dolphy? All, I would say, hugely successful in their respective Mingus units, but to my ears there's something additional about Adams' work. Perhaps this is because he had the lucky advantage of coming after these other luminaries in the long, long line of Mingus saxophonists. Oh well. It doesn't really matter. Just listen to Adams' solo on "Free Cell Block F, 'Tis Nazi U.S.A." Then listen to Jack Walrath on "Black Bats and Poles." Good Moses. Almost better than that first crushing love you had in college.

Connie, if you don't have Bud's The Scene Changes, you're in for a treat. I think this is the perfect starting point for getting into Bud (though most I think would argue that his earlier sessions are better starting points). You may already have some Bud on disc, but The Scene Changes ... how can I put it? It's worth the $8.99 or $11.99, or whatever price you can find. The track "Danceland" should have been included in the soundtrack for Barfly (though there actually never was any formal soundtrack): Mickey Rourke standing there in the hallway, trying to get his damn key to work in the lock (which it finally did, but accidentally to someone else's apartment). Just a thought ...

OK, next time no clues. But ... the ice cream will be blueberry-lime. And the garment? Authentic Croatian knickers.

If you like Betty Carter, check out Cary on Carter's Droppin' Things. Some of the hippest (and left-hand only, I think) comping I've heard.