Those OH MY GOD moments in jazz...

[Uncle Skid]

One of the things I love most about jazz are those "OH MY GOD THIS MUSIC IS GREAT" moments, where you hear something for the first time and are completely blown away. Any songs in particular that make you feel that way? Something that you have had to play over and over again?

My recent obsessions include:

1) Miles Davis "Freedom Jazz Dance" (and almost everythine else from Miles Smiles, ESP, and Nefertiti)

2) Art Farmer - "Fairytale Countryside" from "Blame It on My Youth"

I'm just now really discovering Tal Farlow -- can't wait for the Mosaic! Just heard "Medley III Wind / Invitation" from "Tal Farlow 1978" for the first time yesterday. Unbelievable!!! B)

[Rooster_Ties]

Well, not a recording, but Greg Tardy played at a club here in Kansas City about a month ago or so (and he's always amazing, in my book). His pianist that night was Helen Sung. I had to miss most of the first set, but I arrived just as they were finishing the second to last tune from the 1st set. I paid my cover-charge at the door, and glanced for like 2 seconds at the big stack of Ms. Sung's debut 'FreshSound-NewTalent' CD, which they had a stack of for sale at the door.

I quickly moved toward the bar, and they finished playing the opening/head of what would be the last tune of the first set. Tardy played his solo, and then Ms. Sung started her solo. She wasn't even done with the first chorus, and wide-eyed I instantly moved toward the door, to buy her disc, on the strengh of less than 16 bars of just one of her solos (so, like maybe 10 or 15 seconds of just one of her solos, max!!). I got about 10 feet away from the bar and caught myself, and said to myself - "enjoy the solo, dummy -- they're not going to sell out of her CD in the next 10 minutes".

I did buy her disc that night, and I like it quite a bit. But if you ever get the chance to hear her live, jump at it.

FYI: There's about 35-minutes of exclusive live MP3's on her website, HERE, and her FSNT disc is also available through CD Baby. B)

She's very much a "Mulgrew Miller / John Hicks / Kenny Barron" kind of player (in the most general sense), at least to my ears.

Edited May 11, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[doubleM]

I saw Dave Liebman do " My Favorite Things" the other night, and he went so far out (and took me with) that I still haven't recovered!

[king ubu]

Two funny-rat-residents, the russian one and the humble king, have been completely blown away by the Barry Guy New Orchestra - we heard it in Zurich on Sunday. Friggin' great it was! You can read our reviews on page 95 of the rat-thread.

ubu

[Jazzmoose]

Yeah, the Spaceways Incorporated disc Thirteen Cosmic Standards had me dancin' in the living room and preaching to the heathens, just like the early days. As did the recent Drake/Anderson CD. My horizons have expanded again, so I've been having a few of those moments lately.

[king ubu]

Gianni Gebbia, "Arcana Major" - it's da shit!

ubu

[Dan Gould]

I'd share the most recent "OH MY GOD" moment, but its on my upcoming Blindfold Test disc, so I'd hate to ruin the surprise.

[rachel]

Dave Holland Quintet "Metamorphos" live at the IAJE Conference in January.

[sal]

I listened to Warne Marsh's "All Music" last night for the first time. Having never heard Marsh's music before and buying this album strictly on the recommendations of this board, I didn't know what to expect.

HOLY SHIT.......amazing! Definitely the best "OH MY GOD" moment of the year so far.

P.S. Great job on the notes, Jim!

Edited May 11, 2004 by sal

[Rooster_Ties]

I'd share the most recent "OH MY GOD" moment, but its on my upcoming Blindfold Test disc, so I'd hate to ruin the surprise.

Can you at least tell us (here and now) which track number it is on the BFT you're putting together??

[robviti]

a love supreme

[king ubu]

Gianni Gebbia, "Arcana Major" - it's da shit!

ubu

da shit, I wanted to say... really!

[Dan Gould]

I'd share the most recent "OH MY GOD" moment, but its on my upcoming Blindfold Test disc, so I'd hate to ruin the surprise.

Can you at least tell us (here and now) which track number it is on the BFT you're putting together??

I could, but then I'd have to kill you.

[catesta]

I listened to Warne Marsh's "All Music" last night for the first time. Having never heard Marsh's music before and buying this album strictly on the recommendations of this board, I didn't know what to expect.

HOLY SHIT.......amazing! Definitely the best "OH MY GOD" moment of the year so far.

P.S. Great job on the notes, Jim!

That is how I felt, it made me run out a grab a mess of Marsh, which lead me to Konitz.

[clifford_thornton]

Ascension blows my mind every time -- thankfully there are two versions of it! Each offers something new that I never noticed every time I listen to it (which is to say often).

[brownie]

Disc 1 of the Jimmy Lyons box from Ayler Records did it for me recently.

[Rooster_Ties]

[Saxophone__Vagina]

I have been blown away by Satoko Fujii. I got her album Erans and it is absolutely amazing, never really heard anything quite like it.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=Bi7f2zfd7eh7k

[couw]

Still get this after all these years when listening to Roland Kirk doing Blue Roll. The rough-soft alternation he gets into just after that spine tinglingly held note... incredible, total mastery, total control, yet total emotion.

I tell you, THAT is the stuff that dreams are made on!

[garthsj]

Over the years lots of moments in jazz, both live and recorded, have brought me to my knees... Among the most memorable of these are:

1. Buddy DeFranco's solo on "Carioca" on an old MGM '78. (One of my first record purchases). It made me realize that I would NEVER ever be able to play clarinet like that .. perhaps that was not such a good thing after all.

2. Oscar Peterson's 1952 JATP version of "Tenderly" with Barney Kessel and Ray Brown. My small group of 14 year old jazz aficionados would listen intently and "sing along" with Oscar.

3. Art Farmer's solos on the "Modern Art" album .. all superb inprovised compositions in their own right. This made me appreciate all of Art's work with new ears.

4. Oliver Nelson's remarkable solo on "Blues And The Abstract Truth" .... perhaps the best example of a "logical" improvised solo in modern jazz history (Louis Armstrog discovered this fifty years before.)

5. John Lewis's creative "comping" behind Milt Jackson on "Bluesology" and "Woodyn You" on the "Fontessa" album .. when I first heard this in 1956 it opened a whole new world of jazz for me ... John Lewis is like a god to me now!

6. The first time I heard the Count Basie band live at the Hammersmith Ballroom in 1958 .... WOW!

So many moments ..... so little time to savor them all ...

Edited May 11, 2004 by garthsj

[wesbed]

Curtis Amy - Native Land (available on the Curtis Amy Mosaic Select). OMG, it gets me every time.

Miles Davis - Masqualero (from the Sorcerer album)

Edited May 11, 2004 by wesbed

[Uncle Skid]

Great stories!!

NOTES TO SELF:

• Check out Helen Sung (done – this is great stuff, Rooster. Thanks for the info!)
  
• Listen to All Music again (that should have been on my original list!)
  
• Listen to Art Farmer’s “Modern Art” again
  
• Add the Curtis Amy select to the Mosaic wish list
  
• Buy "Blues And The Abstract Truth" immediately
  
• Attempt to figure out what the hell a “Funny Rat” is.
  

[Free For All]

If you want to talk specific moments, here are several that come to mind for me.

Jazz At The Plaza - On Oleo, the transition from Miles' solo to Trane's, where Trane finishes the scale Miles was playing.

On Mile's recording of Stella By Starlight, after the first chorus (Miles plays the head) going into Trane's solo. The rhythm section goes from a two feel to an extremely swinging medium four feel, and Trane just floats on top of it all.

There are several spots on Jack Johnson where Miles' use of space creates some great tension. Then he re-enters, and it almost always makes me smile.

On the Plugged Nickel recordings- Green Dolphin Street, the transition from Wayne's solo to Herbie's.

I'm also thinking of many moments on Miles Smiles that are favorites.

I didn't actually intend for this to be strictly a Miles-related response, but when I think about it, his groups have provided more of these great moments than just about anything I listen to.

[Rooster_Ties]

Miles Davis - Masqualero (from the Sorcerer album)

Frankly, the entire "Sorcerer" and "Nefertiti" albums get me off BIGTIME, nearly every time I listen to them. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

I love the box set (and all it's bonus material), but I also have a burn with just the original Sorcerer and Nefertiti tracks -- in original album sequence -- and it's simply heaven.

As "perfect" as people think KoB is (and it nearly is that perfect), I really think "Nefertiti" is that perfect.

And so too is that opening side to the original "Jack Johnson" soundtrack.

Much like Free For All, many of my best moments in recorded jazz are from Miles, especially during and after 1965.

[RainyDay]

Mine are all live moments:

The first time I saw Kenny Garrett. It was at Stanford U. about three summers ago and I couldn't close my mouth for a week. It was like watching a train that was coming at you and just kept on coming at you. Amazing. He has incredible stamina and he just draws you in to what he's doing. He likes to interact with his audience and make like a revival or something. And Chris Dave on drums is a monster.

Ron Carter playing a solo "Willow Weep for Me" at Yoshi's last year. At the end, the last note hung in the air and there wasn't a sound in the whole place. Then applause and people leaping to their feet. It was the middle of the set, too. He was appearing with McCoy.

Michael Brecker playing a solo of "Naima" with Hancock, et. al. on the Coltrane/Davis tribute tour at Zellerback at UC Berkeley. I was not very familiar with his work and tended to associate him with "lighter" jazz. He was incredible. Just blew everyone away.

Wayne Shorter a year and half ago at the Masonic in SF. He let little Branford Marsalis open for him ( ) then Shorter came out and showed the youngster how to get the job done. Man, it was really something.

Sun Ra at UC Berkeley Jazz Festival a zillion years ago. I don't remember anything about the performance except the feeling. He was amazing and unique. I'd never seen anything like him before or since.