mhatta

I think the Atlas label recordings are often overlooked. Those were recorded mostly in 1980, with interesting sidemen (including Lee Konitz), and Art seems to be really relaxed and just blows freely. I guess now it can be obtained as 5 CDs set "The Hollywood All-Star Sessions".

I guess some of you hate it (and myself is not usually an avid WM fan), but I do like Wynton Marsalis' "Hot House Flowers". I think it was the most ambitious (and maybe a bit arrogant) project by young Wynton. He obviously knew that it would be compared with Clifford Brown With Strings. Wynton may not have been able to beat Brownie, but I think at least he was still in the game.

Ten (maybe 20?) years or so ago, Junior Mance did a concert in Tokyo. Some tunes were played as piano duo with Cyrus Chestnut. I don't remember anything except the music was fine, and Junior and Cyrus somehow looked like two bumble bees... Anyway, my personal favorite Junior Mance are: Junior (Verve) -- Well, Ray Brown steals the show, but Junior's piano is still very good. Soulful Piano (Jazz Land) -- Very nice mature Junior. Holy Mama (East Wind) -- That Mellow Feeling. Deep (JSP) -- A little known gem. Softly As in Morning Sunrise (Enja) -- Good playing & recording. RIP.

Tremendous music. And it seems at least some of footage like this survived. I hope they release DVD, too...

I'm not sure whether it fits the "Young Lions" category, but I still love the music from the last incarnation of Arthur Taylor's Wailers. It features then young and upcoming players -- Abraham Burton and Willie Williams on saxes, Marc Cary or Jacky Terrasson on piano, Tyler Mitchell on bass, and Art Taylor himself on drums. AFAIK there are 2 albums from 1991 -- Mr. A.T. and Wailin' at The Vanguard. Both are good, but I like the latter (cool jacket photo!). Authentic and very much lively hardbop. It's pity that Art couldn't hold this group long enough.

I don't know the exact reason why, but Paul Chambers, Kelly's regular bassist, was developing severe addiction problem in this period (he died in 1968 at age 33), so I guess sometimes Kelly needed temp replacements. In addition to McBee, Kelly hired Ron McClure. Both are excellent bassists, but don't have much in common -- so I guess the choice was quite random.

A good read. Thank you for sharing! I think Dodo's piano intro for "Relaxin' At Camarillo" from Charlie Parker's Dial Sessions has the most distinctive, almost strange sound. The tune itself is a simple if rhythmically-tricky blues, so I believe this intro somewhat defines the character of it. Now it became "the" intro for this tune (e.g. Tommy Flanagan always used this -- interestingly, Bud Powell never played it even if Relaxin' At Camarillo was one of his staples), so we got used to it, but still sounds very modern even in 2020. Dodo used different intros for other takes, so I guess that's his own. Does anyone know from where he got the idea? Modern classical music? (Stravinsky, maybe?)

Thanks for info. Seems only "Manha De Cranival" was broadcasted (TV show called "Jazzorama"?) at that time. I'm still not sure if the venue was Montmartre.

I'm really glad that they used "Lotus Blossom" in the Low Down OST. This is the most beautiful rendition of this tune as far as I know, probably rivalled only by Duke himself (he recorded right after Strayhorn's death).

Sometime ago I saw Low Down...a bit dull (and too long I think), but still good biopic. Elle Fanning really shines. On the role of executive producers, it depends...sometimes that's what show runners do, sometimes pure name lending, or star actors sometimes become executive producers so he/she will not be treated badly in the film, TV show, etc. I think Flea raised the fund or was the funder himself for that film so he owns part of it. Flea is an avid Jazz fan, and seems Low Down is in a way his own childhood story https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bad-influence-flea-on-jazz-drugs-and-his-role-in-low-down-42923/

Does anyone know the exact date these recordings come from? Sjogren's discography "Long Tall Dexter" notes that there is an unissued Danish Radio broadcast (from unknown venue), "I Want More" "Misty" and "Cheese Cake" from Jul. 20, 1964 (with Tete, NHOP and Alex). I guess these are the last 3 tunes. How about others? From the same night?

AFAIK, no...there were 5 concerts, but only one (Jan. 13) seems to be recorded. Some years ago, live recordings from Oct. 17, 1972 at an Ohio club or such showed up and pretty good. Also a video exists from 1972 Molde Jazz Festival in Sweden. Same personnel, same great music.

http://campber.people.clemson.edu/sunra.html See the entry "Sun31. Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra". It claims that the pianist is Ra...not in his usual outer-space style, but very boppish piano. Sounds like young Junior Mance (I still have some doubt that it was actually Mance). Also, I think the bassist sounds like Wilber Ware. And the arrangements for both sessions might be done by him (some weird vocal choruses reminds me of his early doo-wop works). Except the standards, there are two original tunes: "Flight Eleven" (blues) and "Modern Fantasy". The credits are given to one A.M. Brunner, but looks like this is an alias for Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Savoy Records. So they might be written by Hawk or Ra.

Long time ago, I bought a CD called "The Hawk Returns" by Coleman Hawkins. Very obscure and personnel except Hawk was not listed at all (well, one "Body Smith" was credited, I guess it actually was a Chicago drummer Buddy Smith). I kinda loved it but forgot about it soon. Now I realized that this CD contains music by two legendary figures -- the first half by Les Strand (Jimmy Smith once called him "Art Tatum of the Organ"), and the latter by Sun Ra. I thought the mysterious pianist was Junior Mance or someone like him...

Around 1994, Tokuma Japan re-issued some Freedom releases on CD. I think some of them (including The Ringer and Ornette's "Who's Crazy" ) were the first CD reissues in the world. And yes, The Ringer is something else. One of my favorite young Tollivers (another is "Grand-Max").

Probably like many, I only know his music via Andrew Hill's Compulsion! or some piano recordings with Charles Mingus & Max Roach. Stunning colleagues indeed...

I didn't know until today that Bob Neloms passed away this year (March 2, 1942 - July 28, 2020). R.I.P. He is way overlooked because (I think) he retired early. Neloms was the last pianist of the Charles Mingus group. Recently, I obtained Mingus' Feb. 1977 live recordings at Michigan Union Ballroom, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi. For some reason, Dannie Richmond missed this date, so was done by the Mingus (drumless) Quartet. Neloms simply shines.

Al Haig is the best pianist to listen to in the (rainy) fall. This is somewhat obscure (I guess Japan only?) release of his solo piano. His rendition of "I Remember You" is legendary.

Most of you seem to like group efforts, but I think AH is essentially a solo artist (like Monk). I love his solo pianos, especially this:

Thanks for the information! I thought most of Dexter's Danish Radio broadcasts in 1964/65 have been already issued as Dexter In Radioland series, but it might be from (missing) July 20, 1964? A discography says they played I Want More, Misty and Cheese Cake at that night. Dexter and Tete were really getting along. I really hope someday I can get their private live recordings from Whisky Jazz Club in Madrid, Spain (Nov. 1964). Seems somebody recorded tons of their music.

My personal favorite John Gilmore is his solo on "Thoughts Under a Dark Blue Light" (from "The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals & Crystal Spears", recorded in 1973). Very shaky, ragged performance overall, but Gilmore still pours everything he got -- Some Ammons, some freeky stuff, etc.

I'm kinda surprised that nobody seems to have mentioned "On Fire"...

It's very rare to possess a "triple threat" in Jazz -- talents of composition, arrangement, and instrumental prowess. Jimmy Heath had all. Compositions: possibly "Gemini" is the most distinctive. but personally I love "For Minors Only". Chet Baker was the best interpreter of that tune. Arrangement: The Heath Brothers, Little Man Big Band, etc., etc. Sax: Maybe "Picture Of Heath" (Xanadu) is the best for enjoying Jimmy's saxes. Barry Harris also shines. Red Garland's "The Quota" (MPS) is also a hidden gem. R.I.P.

Well, it is not a balanced introduction, but once I gave my friend (a painter, don't know so much about Jazz) "Monk Alone: The Complete Solo Studio Recordings of Thelonious Monk 1962-1968", she loved it. Seems solo piano is the best starting point of a trail up the Monk mountain.

It's interesting to listen to JD in a bass-less piano trio setting.