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Jaki Byard - The Last from Lennies

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blajay Newbie

blajay

Posted
Posted (edited)

Was going to list this on the "Which Mosaic are you enjoying right now," but I got so excited by Jaki Byard's playing that I felt more appropriate in this thread.

On disc 1 of the Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions, Byard really impressed me. I don't have any of his solo stuff (Edit: nor leader stuff!)--this all sounds great. Thanks for all the knowledge you've shared on this thread!... The circumstances of his death are tragic.

-Jay

Edited by zanonesdelpueblo
king ubu Apprentice

king ubu

Posted
Posted

Got SOLO/STRINGS not too long ago as part of my Fantasy/OJC rampage, and it's an interesting record--two LPs on one CD, the first self-explanatory, the second a sextet affair with Ray Nance on violin, Ron Carter on cello, and George Benson on guitar (Richard Davis & Alan Dawson completing the rhythm section). "Spanish Tinge #2" from the solo record is borderline-beautiful, and the sextet does "Music to Watch Girls By," a Ray Nance blues shouter, an elongated "How High the Moon," and a weirdly compelling closer called "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag." Probably not the best gateway CD for somebody curious about Jaki, but as a fan I knew I'd want to listen to it again after hearing it for the first time.

Got that one recently and gave it a first spin yesterday - quite a ride! True, the solo material is great, but I quite enjoyed the strings date as well, in fact your last phrase sums it up well for me, too. And it's always a delight to hear Ray Nance!

Also played "On the Spot" for the first time, and there are some stunning bits on it as well... Jimmy Owens does fine on trumpet, and Jaki switches between alto and piano - it ended up being much more interesting than I thought it to be from looking at it.

As for the Lennies material, I guess I'll have to take it out again soon... favourites of mine would be the Candid solo disc, and then I assume "Out Front" next. None of the OJCs/Prestiges I've heard struck me as absolutely great, but all of them are fine at least - a nice run of albums, it seems (I think there's one or two I still miss).

  • 2 weeks later...
Chas Newbie

Chas

Posted
Posted

Got SOLO/STRINGS not too long ago as part of my Fantasy/OJC rampage, and it's an interesting record--two LPs on one CD,....

Got that one recently and gave it a first spin yesterday - quite a ride! True, the solo material is great, but I quite enjoyed the strings date as well.....

Fantasy dropped the ball with that reissue . In my judgment the solo record is more essential than the strings thing and deserved to be reissued in full . Why leave Hello Young Lovers off the CD ? It's the longest track on the LP , and one of the best . Yes , Jaki recorded the tune again at his Maybeck recital , but Byard fans will find much to savor in this earlier version .

Fantasy also missed a chance to pay hommage to Jaki's sense of humor through use of the solo cover for their CD :

JakiByardSoloPianoonPrestige.jpg

Cliff Englewood Newbie

Cliff Englewood

Posted
Posted

Got SOLO/STRINGS not too long ago as part of my Fantasy/OJC rampage, and it's an interesting record--two LPs on one CD,....

Got that one recently and gave it a first spin yesterday - quite a ride! True, the solo material is great, but I quite enjoyed the strings date as well.....

Fantasy dropped the ball with that reissue . In my judgment the solo record is more essential than the strings thing and deserved to be reissued in full . Why leave Hello Young Lovers off the CD ? It's the longest track on the LP , and one of the best . Yes , Jaki recorded the tune again at his Maybeck recital , but Byard fans will find much to savor in this earlier version .

Fantasy also missed a chance to pay hommage to Jaki's sense of humor through use of the solo cover for their CD :

JakiByardSoloPianoonPrestige.jpg

Couldn't agree more with you Chas. I have this but always skip ahead of the "With Strings" stuff and stick to the "Solo" stuff.

"Spanish Tinge #2" is my favorite, great tune.

Ken Dryden Experienced

Ken Dryden

Posted
Posted

I guess the powers that be thought that the two CDs wouldn't sell as individual units. In addition to unjustly dropping "Hello, Young Lovers," I am puzzled as to why they mixed up the order of the performances from the two albums, rather than focusing on each session in turn. Too bad it won't be reissued right.

Ken Dryden Experienced

Ken Dryden

Posted
Posted

The daughter of an artist I interviewed sent me a dub of the complete Berlin Piano Workshop from 1965. The audio came out on a Philology LP in the 1980s.

I also treasure Jaki Byard's solo set at the Chicago Jazz Festival, which I dubbed as it aired straight from the satellite.

  • 2 months later...
felser Veteran

felser

Posted
Posted

I guess the powers that be thought that the two CDs wouldn't sell as individual units. In addition to unjustly dropping "Hello, Young Lovers," I am puzzled as to why they mixed up the order of the performances from the two albums, rather than focusing on each session in turn. Too bad it won't be reissued right.

Look at the bright side, Concord will no doubt save the day. "Hello, Young Lovers" will be the key track when they eventually issue their one and only Byard release, the 34 minute collection "Jaki Byard Plays for Lovers"!

  • 1 year later...

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