mhatta

I didn’t know The Visitors had a third album. I’ve heard "In My Youth" because it was released on CD, and I think "Rebirth" hasn’t been released on CD, but I’ve heard it too, and it’s one of my favorites. I’d really like to give it a listen. I think they were very talented composers.

I recently heard Ben play “Confirmation” in 1964 and was surprised by how good he was. The theme was great, and the solo was in top form. I know there are many who disagree, but personally, I feel that Byas never quite managed to fully embrace the modern style (especially in his rhythmic groove), whereas Webster seemed more flexible with new rhythmic concepts. https://storyvillerecords.bandcamp.com/album/at-ronnie-scott-1964

I think he’s a very technically skilled and good pianist, but to be honest, based on the video, I don’t really understand why Allen Lowe is so excited.

It was a shame I didn’t get to see Geri Allen perform live. I’m probably in the minority here, but personally, while I appreciate her later, more traditional style of piano playing, I feel it was a bit “too serious.” Coming from the M-BASE scene, I preferred her earlier performances, where she really put her keyboards to work. Her music had a unique, ethereal quality—it was bright and open—and I feel like she never fully explored that potential before it came to an end.

Though not a Jazz Messengers album, I somehow like Bluesiana Triangle, where Blakey participated as a drummer. Since it was recorded just before his death, you don't really feel much power anymore, but it has a rich, savory flavor. I think his strength wasn't power, but rather his excellent taste. He plays piano and sings too.

I used to be turned off by this kind of “marketing ploy,” but I've come to think it's important to regularly remind people who don't know about them. Most jazz giants seem forgotten now or misunderstood. Better to be a nagging reminder than forgotten altogether.

Absolutely right! In terms of how a producer's name alone could make you buy an album by a completely unknown artist, Alfred Lion and Don were the twin pillars. Honestly, I had no idea who most of the leaders on Xanadu's albums were until I bought them. I bought them sight unseen, but they almost never disappointed. RIP.

I like it. Buster's bass has a slightly lower center of gravity than Ron Carter's and pushes forward more, so I think he matches better with the heavy Tony and the lighter Hank Jones than Carter does.

RIP. This was recorded in 1972. T

Spike Robinson was like that too. A whole generation of tenor players who idolized Lester Young seemed to hold their mouthpieces at an angle like this, trying to imitate Prez. I don't play sax, so I don't know what effect it has. Back in the day, I tried playing flat-handed across the keys like Bud Powell, but I couldn't play well that way.

Some people might dislike flashy stuff like this, but I actually quite like it. Or maybe I just don't really like the song “Invitation” to begin with...

I also have most of the first recording (which circulated as a bootleg), but I don't have the second recording at all, the one that includes Giant Steps and Satellite. If Tiberi recorded the second one, were there other taper(s) in Philadelphia besides Tiberi at the time? (I can't recall the name, but I remember hearing there was one). The sound quality of the first recording is terrible, so I hope the second one is at least a little better.

Joe Henderson in 1978 may not have enjoyed the widespread popularity he later achieved, but I believe he was in excellent form as a player. Also, Joanne Brackeen was at her peak. Personally, when I think of Steve Rodby, I recall him playing electric bass on Pat Metheny's best albums. However, it seems he originally played acoustic bass. I've heard a live recording of Joe Henderson in France from around the same time (November 1978), and Rufus Reid was on bass for that session (same pianist and drummer). Since Rodby was the house bassist at the Jazz Showcase, he might have been filling in for Reid. Danny Spencer wasn't particularly distinctive, but he was a competent drummer.

I knew there was a live recording of Giant Steps with very poor sound quality (it must be somewhere on YouTube), but I don't know if it's the same one Tiberi recorded. I knew nothing at all about a live recording of Satellite. I disagree with everyone about Satellite; it's a composition I really like. I think it has a sentimental yet futuristic soaring melody. Though the core is How High The Moon, of course.

I clearly remember the first box set I ever bought: Rahsaan Roland Kirk's Mercury Complete Box. It was really good. The top shelf of my closet is filled with Mosaic and other LP-sized box sets, and recently I discovered a Mosaic box set of Mildred Bailey that I had completely forgotten I had bought. Thank you, past me! Back in the day, Mosaic would send paper catalogs and pamphlets to Japan, and they were a valuable source of information on Jazz at the time. I feel like there was a stronger sense of belonging to the community than there is with social media today. Nowadays, you can often listen to the audio from CD box sets via music streaming platforms. You don't even need to rip it from a CD anymore. The other day, I found Woody Herman's Mosaic Select at a used CD shop in my neighborhood and bought it in ecstasy, but it is available as The Philips Recordings on many streaming services. In the end, most of the value of box sets today lies in the liner notes, which contain information you can't find anywhere else. However, that would be meaningless unless you're a jazz researcher or enthusiast.

RIP. I'd heard he was seriously ill, so it's inevitable, but it's still sad. While Richie Beirach is famous for his ECM recordings, I'd also recommend checking out his lesser-known albums produced in Japan. On the Trio label, albums like Sunday Song (a duo with Frank Tusa), Omerta (a duo with Dave Liebman), and Maracaibo Cornpone (where he appears as a sideman for George Otsuka) showcase a powerful side of Beirach quite different from his more decadent ECM music, and I really enjoy them.

For some reason I don't remember anymore, but apparently I bought this set nearly 20 years ago. And while I did open it, I “apparently” put it in the closet (probably without listening to a single track) – I don't even remember putting it there. Today, while cleaning out the closet for the first time in about 20 years, I unearthed it. The box is slightly damaged, so I can't even sell it! I plan to listen to it now.

Pepper Adams (and Byrd) played that tune as The Long Two/Four on "10 To 4 At The 5 Spot." I guess probably it doesn't have a canonical name.

I'm hoping someday Mosaic will release “The Complete Paul Bley GNP/Savoy/ESP/BYG/Fontana/Polydor/IA/Limelight or whatever Recordings 1957-1970.” Not holding my breath, though. For now, I wish at least someone would properly release Fontana's ‘Blood’ and Limelight's “Mr. Joy.”

I liked Blodwyn Pig's Ahead Rings Out. The music was good, but I wanted to make the pig on the album cover my profile icon. RIP.

Actually, the comparison between Hampton Hawes and Phineas Newborn, Jr. is interesting. Hawes had a father who was a pastor and roots in the black church, while Phineas was in his father's blues band in Memphis and performed with B.B. King and others. However, I think from start both of them used more refined and modern harmonies rather than earthy ones. What they have in common is that their styles changed mid-career. I think the early Hawes was heavily influenced by Bud Powell, and he wasn't originally very good at ballads. However, after being imprisoned and pardoned, he became influenced by Bill Evans and began to play lyrically. Phineas's early recordings, such as “Here's Phineas” and his RCA albums, were all about technique and not funky at all. However, on Roy Haynes' "We Three" and various Contemporary label recordings, he developed a sophisticated, unpretentious, yet bluesy style. I think that style became a model for the younger generation, the so-called Memphis Piano Connection. They're all dead now, though...

There was a jazz club in Yokohama called Mocambo. It was a place akin to Minton's in NYC, serving as a gathering spot for young jazz musicians like Toshiko Akiyoshi, Sadao Watanabe, and Masayuki Takayanagi—who later gained worldwide fame—as well as those who died young, like Shotaro Moriyasu. They wanted to study bebop, the latest jazz style at the time, during the after-hours sessions, but information was scarce. Then none other than Hampton Hawes arrived on the scene, and everyone, not just the pianists, imitated him. The only recording left of those jam sessions at Mocambo is a homemade one from the night of July 27 to 28, 1954, recorded by Kiyoshi Iwami, a 19-year-old college student like Jerry Newman. Hawes does play “Tenderly” on it. In the 1985 recording of “It Don't Mean A Thing", a solo piano live album, he plays “Hamp's Blues”. Of course, it gets a bit free here and there, but generally in the Hawes style. https://www.discogs.com/ja/release/15178098-Yamashita-Yosuke-It-Dont-Mean-A-Thing

I've heard rumors about a live recording of the Coltrane group featuring Wes Montgomery (at the Newport Jazz Festival?), but it might just be a rumor. But since there was even a live recording of Giant Steps (awful sound though), it might surface eventually. Wes had pieces like “Impressions” in his repertoire, so I imagine he would have fit right in.

"Blues For Bud" was the first Hampton Hawes album I fell in love with. I still particularly love the opening track, “Blues Enough,” and I think it influenced my own piano playing. "Hamp's Piano" on MPS is also good. The duo with Charlie Haden is also moving. Young Hawes was incredible, too. The Contemporary trio recordings are sound, but you SHOULD listen to his early Vantage recordings! It's really The Amazing Hampton Hawes. Hampton Hawes was stationed in Japan after the WW2 (later he was arrested for drugs and deported). Almost all of Japan's pioneering modern jazz pianists, including Toshiko Akiyoshi, were influenced by him (even Yosuke Yamashita could play almost exactly like Hawes). I'm not sure if it's his sense of rhythm or his phrasing, but I think his style was particularly accessible to Japanese listeners. Given how much technique Hawes had, I was disappointed he had not recorded a solo piano album, but it turns out he did! Apparently, he recorded it when he was pardoned and returned to Japan. I hope it gets released on CD or streaming.

Unfortunately, I've never heard Blakey play live, but from recordings, I think Blakey's playing from the 80s onward occasionally featured off-rhythm or unstable moments. If it's a decline in hearing, that makes sense.