fasstrack Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Clifford Jordan has been gone 20 years now, and I hardly hear his name mentioned these days. Talk about overlooked masters.... I had an opportunity to play with him once, by a fluke. Wish it were more. So let's call this a tribute thread. Favorite recordings? Stories? Give testimony..... Quote
JSngry Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Huge Clifford Jordan love here. In the World. Quote
colinmce Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 He's one where if he's on it, I'll check it out. I certainly need more but really enjoy what I have. Blowing In From Chicago and The Highest Mountain are favorites. One of the great examples of a player evolving with the times. I wish someone would collect all the Magic Triangle recordings in one package. Quote
Larry Kart Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Two favorites are "Bearcat" and "The Adventurer." Won't ever forget buying "Cliffcraft" when it was brand new. Didn't yet know who Jordan was, but listening to one track in a record store listening booth (it was that long ago) was proof enough. Quote
mjzee Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Was listening to a track from this just yesterday: Quote
Stereojack Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Favorites: Starting Time (Jazzland) Two Tenor Winner (Criss Cross) And his many performances with Mingus, particularly "Right Now" (Fantasy) Quote
Steve Reynolds Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 He is great on Mal Waldron's What it is on Enja from the 70's Quote
kh1958 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 A direct to disc Clifford Jordan LP, Hello Hank Jones, has amazingly vivid sound. Quote
six string Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 I've enjoyed the albums I've picked up over the years including The Glass Bead Game, Spellbound, Live At Ethel's, the latter on the Mapleshade label. I bought the Music Matters Cliff Craft lp last year so I've been getting into that one more recently. I never saw him perform but he was a solid player imo. Quote
jeffcrom Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 A direct to disc Clifford Jordan LP, Hello Hank Jones, has amazingly vivid sound. Agreed! I know that some folks have issues with the Mapleshade label's ethics, but for those who aren't boycotting them, they have issued Jordan on CD in a wide variety of settings. Live at Ethell's is a fine performance, and is perhaps the most realistic-sounding jazz recording I've ever heard. His album with Ran Blake, Masters From Different Worlds, is unlike anything else he recorded. Quote
colinmce Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Can you expound on the Mapleshade issue? Quote
Peter Friedman Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 I like Clifford Jordan a lot. He has made a great many fine recordings. Here are some of my favorites. The Adventurer - 32 Jazz Mosaic - Milestone Live At Ethell's - Musical Heritage Two Tenor Winner - Criss Cross Cliff Craft - Blue Note Quote
paul secor Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Early fave - Blowin' In Late faves - Masters from Different Worlds and The Mellow Side of Clifford Jordan I've told this story before, but it probably bears repeating: About 25 years ago, Clifford Jordan was playing a concert in Poughkeepsie, NY. I guess money to put on the concert was tight because although he brought his own bass player, the drummer was local (I believe it was the guy who financed the concert) and the pianist was a guy who played piano on the side (someone told me that he was an IBM engineer.). At one point, Clifford Jordan called a standard. The pianist was unfamiliar with it and read the chords from sheet music on the piano. The bassist was unfamiliar with it also and was reading the music from the other side of the piano. When they finished the tune, Clifford Jordan announced that he had advised the bassist to stop reading. Mr. Jordan's comment: "I told him that he could hear better than he could read upside down," got a big laugh. Quote
brownie Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 I second a Magic Triangle box recommendation! Great unit it was! Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly - wierd concept, fine listen. YMMV, etc. Quote
LWayne Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Gotta go with "Glass Bead Games". Great CD! At a recent concert, Chris Potter also reminisced on how this record was a big influence on him as well. Good enough recommendation for me. LWayne Quote
mikeweil Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 The ones I love the most are probably the Mapleshade Live at Ethell's CD, Repetition on Soul Note with Barry Harris, and the Blue Note Sonny Clark session with Kenny Burrell (on the My Conception CD). Quote
fasstrack Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Posted March 29, 2013 These Are My Roots was already mentioned. I like it b/c it was a little off the beaten track with Leadbelly tunes (it was traditional blues-themed) and a bigger group sometimes. Weird choice for banjo: Chuck Wayne. Then there's Remembering Me-Me, also with a larger ensemble and featuring on one tune Chris Anderson---on Fender Rhodes! Quote
fasstrack Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) And his many performances with Mingus, particularly "Right Now" (Fantasy) There's a video out there of a Mingus performance---sorry, don't remember where or when. Clifford Jordan, Dolphy, Jaki Byard were on it. Don't remember the trumpet player. Johnny Coles? Anyway Mingus is purposely throwing rocks in the soloists' paths, playing little rhythmic games, etc., making it hard to play ---and encouraging Danny Richmond to do so too. Dolphy just breezes through it like a walk in the park. Clifford Jordan, though, looks utterly disgusted in one close-up---head down, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Looks like he aged about 20 years. Oh, the trials of Mingus sidemen.... Edited March 29, 2013 by fasstrack Quote
Jim R Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 Clifford Jordan has been gone 20 years now, and I hardly hear his name mentioned these days. Talk about overlooked masters.... I had an opportunity to play with him once, by a fluke. Wish it were more. So let's call this a tribute thread. Favorite recordings? Stories? Give testimony..... Always dug his playing, and his beautiful and distinctive tone. Some favorites... Spellbound (Riverside) Bearcat (Jazzland) Royal Ballads; Two Tenor Winner (Criss Cross) The Adventurer (Muse) Cliff Craft; Blowing In From Chicago (BN) Live At Ethell's (Mapleshade) Repetition (Soul Note) Expoobident; Here's Lee Morgan (Vee Jay) A Story Tale (Jazzland, with Sonny Red) More good CJ discussion here: Quote
fasstrack Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Posted March 29, 2013 What was the name of the Art Farmer Quintet recording with Jordan and Fred Hersch? They played The Smile of the Snake (Donald Brown), Santana (Fritz Pauer), and some Strayhorn. It's a beautiful recording. Just think of the blend of that front line. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 I love Clifford Jordan. I first became a fan of his upon hearing Highest Mountain on Muse. About a month ago, I found a couple of his Mapleshade CDs for $1 apiece. I was so happy. Quote
sidewinder Posted March 29, 2013 Report Posted March 29, 2013 These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly - wierd concept, fine listen. YMMV, etc. Totally agree. Award for 'album that exceeds expectations by largest margin'. Quote
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