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Posted (edited)

This thread is started based upon Micheal Weiss's suggestion from the other thread on "artists with great careers but never really composed much."

Today I listened to 3 Tadd Dameron CDs

1. The Dameron Band (Featuring Fats Navarro)

2. Mating Call

3. The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron

Number 3, The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron really shows Tadd as a great composer and arranger. There doesn't appear to be many session with Tadd as a leader, but he did compose some wonderful tunes.

Edited by Hardbopjazz
Posted

Tom McIntosh. I distinctly remember seeing musicians like Tommy Flanagan, Milt Jackson, and perhaps James Moody, among others who always seemed to play at least one of his tunes.

Andrew Hill! Super Genius
Posted (edited)

Tom McIntosh. I distinctly remember seeing musicians like Tommy Flanagan, Milt Jackson, and perhaps James Moody, among others who always seemed to play at least one of his tunes.

McIntosh is a really good choice. Also, Billy Harper, Charles Tolliver, Gigi Gryce ("Minority" alone would be enough to make him an all-time great). And, as well-known as he is, Wayne Shorter's writing in the 60's is so stunning it still isn't fully appreciated (and the same applies for Herbie Hancock, though I think for Shorter even moreso). And I'll take abuse for this one, but Chuck Mangione did some great writing in the early 70's up through "Land of Make Believe" before the sell-out.

Edited by felser
Posted

I can see Tom McIntosh and Jimmy Heath being listed, Kenny Dorham to a lesser extent, but can't for the life of me understand how Tadd Dameron or Gigi Gryce could be said to not get the recognition they deserve. What recognition they get (and to me its entirely commensurate with their considerable talent) is entirely predicated on their compositions.

Posted

While he's probably not underrated around these parts -- in the wider (jazz) world I suspect Herman Blount doesn't get anywhere near the cred as a composer, as he probably should.

(Probably didn't help that he was from Saturn.)

Guest Bill Barton
Posted

Lots of "deserving" names mentioned already. Of course, it's all relative... Most folks on this forum know Henry Threadgill, but, as Chuck points out, he still deserves wider recognition.

Julius Hemphill

Bob Moses

Abdullah Ibrahim

Steve Coleman

Daniel Barry

Up 'n' comers:

Darcy James Argue

Rob Mazurek

David Schumacher

Matt Ulery

JC Sanford

Posted

Greg Osby (at least for a while there), and Jason Moran.

I guess one question is whether we expect other people to play these "tunes," and for the most part I wouldn't expect it with the originals from Osby and Moran, though they can be very nice pieces. Now is that because they are too personal, too tied to the performer? Is it because everyone needs their own originals and if they cover anything it will be a "true" standard? Is it because recording opportunities to say nothing of gigs are so much harder to come by?

Anyway, in the same group as Osby and Moran, I would put Stefon Harris, Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa. Really interesting pieces but not music that I would expect to become a jazz standard in the traditional sense.

Posted

Sonny Rollins

He is greatly appreciated as a player, but people often don't think of him

as a composer.

Here are some of his better known compositions.

Oleo

Doxy

Airegin

Valse Hot

Sonnymoon For Two

Pent-Up House

St. Thomas

Tenor Madness

Paul's Pal

Posted

Kenny Dorham never seems to be mentioned, but I find his compositions stunning and highly original.

Bertrand.

Agreed. Kenny Dorham is the first name that came to my mind.

Also, Freddie Hubbard wasn't quite as under-recognized, but he wrote some stunning compositions during the Blue Note days.

Posted (edited)

Vince Wallace has written good unique tunes that are fun to play.

Howard Small wrote many good jazz tunes that were respected by people who played them.

Edited by flat5

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