[jazzcourier]

Miles Davis 1945-1995. .Exactly 50 years of making music .Most of it Jazz.
   That 4 year gap from 1976 till the 1980 "Man with a horn" must have been a bitch because when he got back into it the music was borderline interesting and the playing was tentative. 1970-76 some darn interesting stuff,some of it sounds well beyond Jazz and into some 20th century stuff dealing with sound and form,but it had credibility.Even the funk had that sinister edge we came to expect and was fun and a little naive, like driving blindfolded on a country road. It always sounds like that when rules are broken and listeners patience tested. Some of those later records are tough going,but he he landed on his feet in the last chapter.Count me in as one who has little tolerance for his last ten years of recording.Count me in as one of those who was in awe of his bravery as an artist.We will always want Miles.

[neobop]

Interesting take on the '70s. I see it a little differently. More like the decent of a great musician. IMO the transition to electric was as much to cover up his fading facility with the horn as it was to expand the genre. But those were the hippie days and rock was everything. Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way were extended solos spliced together - tape loops and multi-tracking,  it worked, they were good. Not only that, Bitches Brew was the perfect double LP to stack on your record changer and zone out. The Stockhausen influenced "space music" was kind of interesting. Then Miles became the opening act for rock bands, it was sad. I remember buying On the Corner, hoping it would be good, but I could hardly get through it. I think a bunch of LPs released around the time of his long layoff was stuff from the vault.

Whatever, Miles was still the man who played with Bird and defined modern jazz. But he's not exactly a little known gem. Tina Brooks was a little known gem. I'm sure he's better known now then he was during his lifetime. He recorded 4 albums for Blue Note as a leader and one with Jackie McLean as co-leader. Only one of his was released during his life. True Blue was released at the same time as Freddy Hubbard's Open Sesame. Tina played on that Freddy album. He didn't record after his stint with Blue Note. He was a junkie and got sick. Died of liver failure, age 42.

neo

[jazzcourier]

Hats off to the Japanese ....again.They released the Tina Brooks stuff and finally Mosaic got the box set out and the rest is ....well,historyBefore that Tina Brooks "True Blue" was just a high priced record no one had.Any discussion of post war Jazz tends to gravitate to the Miles thumbs up or down in the 70's.Time to pull out "Live at he Blackhawk" and hear a happy, radiating,cohesive Miles improvising on long lines that he could never put together in the studio.Honest to god little known Miles gems..."Ezz- thetic" with Lee Konitz -Miles flames with his mute in and the Debut session with Britt Woodman,pensive and melodic.These from the "gray" area of the early 50's.Miles and Lee Konitz had an amazing rapport on that date.

[jimdgoulding]

How about Kenny Kirkland? He died in 1998!

Swung his ass off with Branford Marsalis.  Fine, hip player.

[neobop]

+1 on the Blackhawk - great couple of albums. Maybe the CD has previously unreleased. Same for Live at the Plugged Nickel (1965) - released as a double LP around late '80s, now a CD. Miles and Monk at Newport was a good one.
You could get the idea, from my last post, that I was anti-Miles. Well, I happen to think he was one of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen. There was a time when he could bend one note or finish a phrase and make the groove really happen. Herbie Hancock gave a great description of that in a video. He said, "Kind of like being in heaven" or something like that.

Tina Brooks was a killer tenor player. Right up there with the best of them. Tragic story.
I got that True Blue record when Liberty cut out the whole catalogue. I guess that shows how bad things were for jazz back then.
neo

[jhm731]

The master alto sax player at the peak of his powers with a world class back up group:

[neobop]

Things were slim for jazz in the hippie days. But if you want to find out what's happening, go to NY. That's where David Murray started playing in the mid '70s. He plays tenor and bass clarinet, a little out or outside, meaning avant garde. David is interesting to hear. Patterned more after Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster rather than Trane, he sounds different. He can also do that circular breathing thing and play forever without taking a breath. Kind of like Rahsaan Roland Kirk combined with Eric Dolphy? No not really. Kind of like David Murray.

I'm not an expert on David Murray. I only have a couple of his albums. He's made a lot of them, everything from solo to big band and classical ensemble. If you want a taste without going too far out, try Morning Song. It has John Hicks, Reggie Workman and Ed Blackwell, 1983 Black Saint.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=david+murray#/ref=sr_pg_5?rh=n%3A5174%2Ck%3Adavid+murray&page=5&d=1&keywords=david+murray&ie=UTF8&qid=1294375005
neo

[jazzcourier]

He made alot of them -for sure! He has been on over 200 sessions since his arrival  in gotham from socal in 1975.You have to love his massive tone and his reckless way of pushing forward a tune in a swinging,off center melodic sound storm That shows first and foremost a big nod to the tonality of Albert Ayler.     
    As the 80's began  Murray had records coming out everywhere. the World Saxophone Quartet,Jack Dejohnette's Special Edition,quartets,duos,trio's but i think his most established vision was his Octet.
     Recording for the Italian Black Saint label we have MING in '80, HOME in '81, MURRAY'S STEPS in '82 and his memorable Big band in '85.All worth a listen,favorably reviewed then and pretty much forgotten now.
    He began a lengthy relationship with the DIW label from Japan and reached the pinnacle with "Special quartet" from 1990 with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones.This is all exciting and relevant Jazz that stood at the head of the line at the time for musicians,critics and in the know listeners.
     I would welcome his return to the forefront of the music now,we can use him,the question is he "used" up?
Can he recapitulate the excitement of these past glories,current works say nay.Too bad we could use that edge.

[neobop]

Murray now lives in Portugal and plays in Europe. I believe he's still recording.
neo

[neobop]

Since we're talking a little about outside or free jazz, I thought I'd mention Greg Osby. He is another guy who made the NY scene in the '80s. He's usually associated with free jazz or M base. That's a term coined by Steve Coleman meaning macro-basic array of structured extemporization. Much of Osby's work doesn't seem all that out, or inaccessible, but it seems to vary widely, including some rap & sax. Don't let that put you off - the little bit I've heard was pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjwMHYKXlY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GI4GsYiWsQ&NR=1
neo

[neobop]

I have a couple of Martial Solal records I got in the '80s. Niels Pederson is on these LPs. That's really why I bought them. I Love Niels, he's awesome, and I was curious and hopeful. I had never heard of Martial Solal. Wow! this guy can play. Kind of like free form Art Tatum. He's not only different, he kills.

The thing is, this isn't your straight up solid in the groove swinging like Gene Harris and Ray Brown. Martial can be going a mile a minute with runs and progressions and stop mid phrase and go off in another direction. It really gives you something to listen to, something different. The first record is called Four Keys (1979), with Lee Konitz, John Scofield and Niels Pederson. Without a drummer, Niels mostly provides a solid foundation for the rhythm section. It's a good thing too. Apparently Lee Konitz played quite a bit with Martial, and the interaction is great. John Scofield also seems pretty much at home. This isn't like atonal or cacophonous, more like free form inside, if that makes sense. All the tunes are originals.

The other record is a duo called Movability (1976). This one is mostly standards with 2 by Martial. Here Niels really soars, and the interaction between the 2 masters is dynamite. These 2 records are out of print. I did see quite a selection at Amazon of other albums. I'm gonna get some more.
neo 

[neobop]

Check out these videos. This first one is really about Wes Montgomery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUAjcno1fOg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SYCoaD0hT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z4WxYeWg-o

[RadioWonder]

Great videos...

[neobop]

Sometimes it's hard to find videos there, on some of the more obscure musicians. I really like that one with Wes Montgomery & Johnny Griffin. This one might actually better illustrate Martial Solal. Some of his solo seems kind of out of place. This is from 1965, Jazz Workshop like the other one. The comments below the video are interesting -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLdcBqzjDVw&feature=related

[neobop]

I was just looking over this thread. There's lots of interesting stuff here. This Roy Haynes album is a classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwU8CZnkW4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DeJVBxEtjo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXLhBQ52_iQ

Man O man that's priceless.
neo

[jimdgoulding]

This thread is NOT about Kind of Blue, Giant Steps, Take Five, etc. This thread is about great but lesser known albums. I thought it would be a cool idea to read about albums that others think are worth getting. Please let us know something about the album, style, players....

Straight up - Cedar Walton Eastern Rebellion Billy Higgins, George Coleman, Sam Jones. Timeless Muse TI306 - 1975. This album grabs you and doesn't let go. You'll probably play it 3 or 4 times straight, first time you hear it. Here's the first paragraph on the back:
"There's something very special about this album. I can't help but play it repeatedly - it's one of those magical dates where a tight group of monster musicians play music that will still sound fresh and invigorating years after fads like "fusion" are forgotten. This music is 100% pure and unadulterated dynamite!"

1) Bolivia
2) Naima
1) 5/4 Thing
2) Bittersweet
3) Mode for Joe

I don't know about the fusion stuff, but this album is worth looking for.

neo

http://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Rebellion/dp/B000025XEX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292512153&sr=1-1

I got that album, dude!  Someone in some audio/music chat room- I can't remember where-  recommended it to me.  Could that have been you under another moniker, say, four years ago?  Maybe not that long.

[jimdgoulding]

Jack McDuff - "Bringin' It Home" .....Concord Records...Samples...



Jack McDuff made his name in the early sixties by having one of the hottest combos specializing in the type of swingin' fatback soul-jazz so prevalent in the era. On this Concord release "Bringin' It Home", McDuff rekindles that good feeling by inviting old bandmates Red Holloway, George Benson and young lion Mark Whitfield for some great music. Things strike a joyous groove when the disc starts out with the Eddie Harris soul-jazz favorite "Cold Duck Time". Benson and Holloway state the theme in unison while the rhythm section of bassist Frank Gravis and drummer Grady Tate keep a tight groove. Benson churns out a solo recalling his earlier, funkier days, and Holloway heats up from the get go. Later on the disc the same band sans Gravis tackles a memorable "Summertime". George and Red carry the tune and have shimmering solos. According to the liners, before they rolled the tape, George said "We're gonna tear this one up!" and do they ever! George's imaginative cadenza at the close will make any detractors eat their words about him not choosing to play pure jazz in recent memory. "Pettin' The Cat" is the albums' closer. A funky blues featuring "The Heatin System", McDuff's working with the bonus of Red Holloway added to the front line. Other highlights include Jack playing piano on "After Hours", and a nod to George Benson as Mark Whitfield plays "This Masquerade" in a cooking mid tempo take. Up and coming alto saxophonist Andrew Beals has a gorgeous statement on the ballad "A Time For Love" playing with a soulful conviction that is hard to come by with young players these days. All in all everyone enjoys themselves on this fine date, indeed Bringin' It Home!

BUY IT !!

Ok, Chris!  And look at Rockadanny swinging his ass off !  Eclein, I'm with you on Solstice .

[neobop]

Checking out things on the tube can really be fun. Sometimes I just plug in a tune and see what comes up. As you can imagine, one thing leads to another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvfNsZaDk-A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ayQq5AQxF0&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtgUbJN8oPE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLHCR0OTqhs&feature=related

[neobop]

Kirkeionitronic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUYtlMuN_V4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiI2ZHmxPPo&feature=related

[jazzster]

Just picked Walter Benton Quintet at my local record store.  Amazing album featuring Freddy Hubbard, Paul Chambers Wynton Kelly and Jimmy Cobb.  I believe this was Walter's only LP he recorded.