My Journey to Jazz

[theteach]

Hello everyone,

Looking back, I've really loved my journey to jazz. I found myself heavily into the avant garde in college, journeying back to post bop and eventually to the basics as I grew older; however, recently I'm venturing back to the avant garde. There was a lot before and in between that got me to my college days. These are the albums that were most influential to me; here is my story:

Mingus was it for me. I had a college buddy who had probably the largest jazz collection I ever saw--Monk, Mingus, Sun Ra, O. Coleman. I listened to them all, but nothing grabbed me like the bass line on Pithecanthropus Erectus.

To this day, it's been a fun, fun ride.

Lou

[John L]

I came mostly from R&B, and expanded to jazz in the 70s out of curiousity. When I got to Coltrane, I never turned back. My story looks something like this:

[Shrdlu]

Hi, Teach! My journey started when I was about 4. My Dad had 78s of Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman's Quartet, Sinatra and others. He didn't mind me playing them on our clockwork phonograph. I also had a hip uncle who had some primo stuff. Then, I got into Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond. Then, wow, I got a cheap LP with Bird, which led to about 20 more LPs. I was also blessed with an older lad next door who used to borrow LPs from his mates and pass them on to me - notably Trane's "Live at the Village Vanguard".

My first two LPs were "The Music from Peter Gunn" and "Southern Scene", by Dave Brubeck, albums that I still love.

Lol, I didn't like Trane's sound at first, and on the Miles albums I couldn't wait for Trane's solos to end so that I could hear Cannonball. (Adderley's intonation was a lot better than Miles' or Trane's - Miles went a bit sharp at times on some of the low notes, and Trane often sounded a fraction sharp.)

The late 60s were horrible years politically, but they were a real golden era for jazz collectors. I had a current Blue Note catalog ("For free catalog write to ..." and I did) and I used to order Prestige LPs through the mail direct from Marcia Weinstock.

[Jim R]

Music was omnipresent in my environment growing up in the late 50's and 60's, but as a kid I didn't hear much jazz other than what found its way onto tv and radio (perhaps I downplay it too much, because I know I probably soaked up what I heard by those artists who were deemed acceptable for tv variety shows and such). I think I was always very curious, and I paid attention (sometimes unconsciously, as I realized years later) to anything and everything in music that I came in contact with. After spending several years buying albums by The Beatles and some other rock and pop stuff, I started appreciating the melting pot of music that was going on in the early 70's (my high school years). I was seriously into The Crusaders when I was in high school, but I was unaware of their earler incarnation and style as "The Jazz Crusaders" (discovered that years later). There were any number of bands at that time that had a jazz influence (Tower Of Power was a favorite, for example), but I was basically listening to everything that was going on. I'm trying to remember other jazz-related things I was into... I remember having a Larry Coryell album, and George Benson got my attention when he became popular. At any rate, at that time I think I just thought of it all as music, and wasn't thinking in terms of looking for jazz in particular. Around that same time (mid-70's), one of my older brothers got me interested in the blues, particularly the T-Bone Walker->B.B. King urban electric guitar lineage. By immersing myself in that for several years, I think I began to really develop more of an awareness of improvisation, individual style, tone, arranging, etc. Then around '77, the same older brother gave me a copy of Jimmy Smith "At The Organ, Vol. 1" on Blue Note, and soon after that I remember getting Kind Of Blue, Bird's Complete Savoy Master Takes, Monk's "The Complete Genius", Wes Montgomery's "Beginnings", Dexter's "Our Man In Paris", and what is now just a blur of other great recordings... I was buying jazz albums like there was no tomorrow, and I didn't really slow down until a few years ago. Alhough I still enjoy a variety of musical genres, jazz has been my main focus ever since getting that Jimmy Smith LP.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I think I had three parallel routes into jazz, starting while I was still in school.

I started exploring Modern Jazz with the MJQ, Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi starting from 1960, and eventually got to Miles Davis by 1964 and "A love supreme" by 1965.

I was also buying some big bands like Goodman, Ellington, Basie and Kenton, but a lot more singers who had been with the big bands, like Ella, Peggy Lee, Sinatra and Torme and Chris Connor, who immediately became my favourite, as well as a few others singing in the same style - like Keely Smith and Bobby Darin.

At the same time, I was a huge Blues/R&B/Soul fan and got into Soul Jazz, via Ray Charles' and David Newman's jazz albums, which I also started buying in 1960, then Nat Adderley's "Work song" made a big impression on me. So did singers like Dakota Staton and Della Reese. I couldn't afford Blue Notes, which were very expensive here, until 1965, but I knew the music. I'd take a Blue Note LP and something else into a listening booth at HMV, listen to the BN but buy the other LP Once I was earning enough to start buying Blue Notes, with "Back at the Chicken Shack", I didn't look back because I just found so much wonderful stuff, on BN, then Prestige, Atlantic, PJ and Argo/Cadet, that looked like it wasn't going to be around very long - because the critics hated it - and was hard to get here anyway, that I gave up pursuing Modern Jazz and swing and have only taken a marginal interest in ever since.

My route OUT of jazz was through Africa, of course But I haven't really left it, just found a lot more to please me.

MG

[Shrdlu]

Interesting about the Jimmy Smith, you guys, because during the mid 60s I found a used copy of "Back To The Chicken Shack". Its cover was badly water-damaged, but it was only $3.00, so I took a chance on it. Well, the disk was mint, and what a wonderful album! It's Smith's best ever, I think, having since heard all the Blue Notes and a lot of the Verves. (For my money (and it was only $3.00, lol), it's way ahead of "The Sermon", because it is much more focussed, having only two soloists apart from Jimmy. "The Sermon", I think, goes on way too long, and the solos by Tina Brooks and Lou Donaldson are boring. It's good at the start, as the first two solos are by Smith and Kenny Burell; I stop it at that point usually.)

[AllenLowe]

I made a wrong turn on the way to Beach Boys Avenue, got beat up by a couple of wizened old junkies, ended up in the joint, where I was degraded by a series of former alto saxophonists, took parole, started drinking, found myself in a recording studio feeling underqualified, went into rehab, married my former Nanny (a broad by the name of LeTourneau), and than came here.

if I had to do it over again I'd listen to Larry Kart and sell the Nazi memorabilia.

Edited January 26, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Jazzjet]

Interesting about the Jimmy Smith, you guys, because during the mid 60s I found a used copy of "Back To The Chicken Shack". Its cover was badly water-damaged, but it was only $3.00, so I took a chance on it. Well, the disk was mint, and what a wonderful album! It's Smith's best ever, I think, having since heard all the Blue Notes and a lot of the Verves. (For my money (and it was only $3.00, lol), it's way ahead of "The Sermon", because it is much more focussed, having only two soloists apart from Jimmy. "The Sermon", I think, goes on way too long, and the solos by Tina Brooks and Lou Donaldson are boring. It's good at the start, as the first two solos are by Smith and Kenny Burell; I stop it at that point usually.)

Thats a coincidence! One of the very first jazz LPs I bought ( about 64 I think ) was 'Back At The Chicken Shack'. This, too, had no sleeve but was otherwise OK. I got it at the Petticoat Lane market in London as a schoolboy. Previously to that, my main route into jazz was via our local record library. I particularly recall digging Sonny Rollins Vol 2 and various MJQ and Shelly Manne albums from the library.

[jazzbo]

We've done this several times before.

The short version is. . .coming back from Africa at sixteen I was sort of at odds with the radio and discovered "Filles De Kilamanjaro" in the library and that started me off. I was pretty well preconditioned from my father's record collection which contained some jazz.

[Niko]

though they didn't listen to Jazz themselves, my parents decided it would be the thing to do for me, so when i was fourteen (hadn't listened to music before) they got me JE Beherendts Jazz history and two best-of cds (bennie goodman and duke ellington); i more or less memorized the book and then started to explore the music; lost interest at 19 (more or less stopped listening to music) and then got started more seriously again at 23... i still like the stories about as much as the music i guess

Edited January 26, 2010 by Niko

[king ubu]

Abdullah Ibrahim's "African Marketplace" was one of the most played records at our home when I was a kid... later on (CD age, which began at the end of the 80s at our place, Dylan's "Under the Red Sky" was just out, "South Africa" and "Pearl" by Ibrahim and Janis Joplin were my dad's first CDs) my mother played "Amandla" by Miles a lot... I just went from there...

At the same time, I got into funk and soul (rather than the drab pop most of my classmates would listen), and that opened up another entrance point to jazz (via Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, the Crusaders, then Les McCann/Eddie Harris' "Swiss Movement").

[bluesbro]

Mine would be something like:

Beatles - White Album

Hendrix - Are you Experienced?

Muddy Waters - Best of

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

[brownie]

Louis Armstrong - Sidney Bechet - Lester Young - Duke Ellington - Charlie Parker - Miles Davis - John Coltrane - Cecil Taylor - Albert Ayler -

the journey continues...

[theteach]

Great responses. Here is one honorable metion that should be included in my journey. This was an important album for me:

[A Lark Ascending]

Things like this between 1970-75:

led me to things like this in 1975-6:

[Bright Moments]

this was my first jazz album - i was 7 years old, jammin' to sun ra!

[carnivore]

Growing up in New Zealand in the 40s we were fortunate to have state owned radio that provided both commercial and commercial- free stations that played a very wide cross section of music, both popular and classical. Not much jazz - but as a child I was attracted by the 'hot' backings on many popular records of the day by Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Connie Boswell et al. There was plenty of big band stuff - Les Brown, Goodman, Shaw, Miller, Harry James, Woody Herman to be heard too. The sound and style of 'dixieland' bands like Muggsy Spanier's, Bob Crosby's, the Condon guys was what hooked me first - then I began to play the saxophone.....

[kenny weir]

Growing up in New Zealand in the 40s we were fortunate to have state owned radio that provided both commercial and commercial- free stations that played a very wide cross section of music, both popular and classical. Not much jazz - but as a child I was attracted by the 'hot' backings on many popular records of the day by Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Connie Boswell et al. There was plenty of big band stuff - Les Brown, Goodman, Shaw, Miller, Harry James, Woody Herman to be heard too. The sound and style of 'dixieland' bands like Muggsy Spanier's, Bob Crosby's, the Condon guys was what hooked me first - then I began to play the saxophone.....

Interesting ... I'm probably a little younger than you, though I do remember a "jazzy" content on NZ radio of the sixties when my ears first started flapping.

In any case, those ears soon went off on a journey of their own:

[rdavenport]

Edited January 26, 2010 by rdavenport

[WorldB3]

I grew up with some Monk and the Les McCann and Eddie Harris Swiss Movement album that my dad always played when I was a kid in he early 70's. I liked Be-pop in high school but i mostly listed to stuff that was popular with kids my age for the most part.

Wasn't till my mid-late 20's that stopped playing in rock bands and took private jazz lessons that the Jazz bug took effect. The 60's Miles Quintents and Blue Note Wayne Shorters were eye and ear openers and 15 years later I haven't looked back. I don't limit myself to only Jazz but its still my favorite musical passion.

Edited January 26, 2010 by WorldB3

[PHILLYQ]

I read an article in the Village Voice that called 'The Inner Mounting Flame' by Mahavishnu the album of the year(it was 1972 when the article appeared). Curious, I got hold of it, played it every day for a month straight and I couldn't quite get it. Luckily, Mahavishnu was playing in NYC about a month later, so I went and I'got it'!!! That led to Miles(Live/Evil, Big Fun,etc)and that led to everybody by branching out.

[Jim R]

... and Eddie Harris Swiss Movement album that my dad always played...

I KNEW I was going to completely overlook something like this. I was listening to this album soon after it came out (thanks to a hip older brother of a friend of mine), and I even bought "Second Movement". For whatever reason (probably that there were SO many options in music at the time), these discs didn't cause me to go out and discover mainstream jazz or its history right away, but I really dug those albums (especially the first one). Now I'll wait patiently for somebody to remind me of another great recording from my developmental years that I'm blanking on.

By the way, Kenny, I had all the Sons Of Champlin records, as well as that Allman Brothers LP, and I definitely heard me some Commander Cody too.

[kenny weir]

By the way, Kenny, I had all the Sons Of Champlin records, as well as that Allman Brothers LP, and I definitely heard me some Commander Cody too.

Yes, well by the time I gots around to Pops, Jelly Roll, Count Basie, Jimmy Smith, I was primed on swing 'n' funk and ready to go. Cody & Co could swing like hell! Oddly, these days so much of their source material is available that I have little incentive to lay hands/ears on their stuff again.

Sad thing is, I know there's a whole bunch of cats who dig Bob Wills and so on but would NEVER EVER turn an ear to, say, Eddie Condon or Basie.

Edited January 27, 2010 by kenny weir

[carnivore]

Growing up in New Zealand in the 40s we were fortunate to have state owned radio that provided both commercial and commercial- free stations that played a very wide cross section of music, both popular and classical. Not much jazz - but as a child I was attracted by the 'hot' backings on many popular records of the day by Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Connie Boswell et al. There was plenty of big band stuff - Les Brown, Goodman, Shaw, Miller, Harry James, Woody Herman to be heard too. The sound and style of 'dixieland' bands like Muggsy Spanier's, Bob Crosby's, the Condon guys was what hooked me first - then I began to play the saxophone.....

Interesting ... I'm probably a little younger than you, though I do remember a "jazzy" content on NZ radio of the sixties when my ears first started flapping.

In any case, those ears soon went off on a journey of their own:

The Bob Wills above was my first introduction to his music. I now have the Bear Family set which is magnificent.

[BillF]

Late 1940s aged 5-10: radio pops included "Open the Door, Richard", "Woody Woodpecker's Song" and Nelly Lutcher's "Hurry on Down".

1954-55 aged 14-15: fascinated by "novelty" sounds of "Big Noise from Winnetka" and "Honky Tonk Train Blues" in trombone-playing older cousin's 78s collection.

1956 aged 16: rock'n roll craze sweeps Britain. Bought first records - Bill Haley's Comets on 78.

1957 aged 17: lent Bechet with Claude Luter EP by schoolmate. Abandoned rock 'n roll and bought Lyttelton's "Bad Penny Blues" on 78. Read Rex Harris Jazz. Bought Morton, Armstrong and Oliver on LPs. Influenced by boogie piano playing teacher: bought Yancey, Ammons and Lewis and learnt to play very elementary blues piano. Saw Hines and Teagarden in concert and Rushing with Lyttelton.

1958 aged 18: heard Bird, Monk and Miles on record. Abandoned New Orleans jazz and bought some Bird Dials and Savoys and Miles/Monk 1954 session. Saw Basie in concert.

1959 aged 19: local record library opened, introducing me to Gillespie 40s big band, 40s and 50s Herman, Prestige catalog including Gene Ammons, Contemporary issues including Hampton Hawes, etc, etc. Saw package of Dizzy quintet, Buck Clayton All Stars and Brubeck quartet. Had little time for then mass following for Brubeck and MJQ.

Edited January 27, 2010 by BillF