So, What Are You Listening To NOW?

[Peter Friedman]

With - Eddie Harris (tenor), Flip Nunez (piano), Jimmy Witherspoon (vocals) and others

[duaneiac]

[HutchFan]

Richard Beirach - Jeremy Steig ‎– Leaving (Storyville, rec. 1976)
Originally released on Trio Records in Japan.

 

[Justin V]

6 hours ago, HutchFan said:

 

That is indeed incredible.  

Justin, your comment made me think of this famous photo of Roy with Bird, Monk & Mingus:

The others have been gone for DECADES ... but not Roy, God bless him.

 

I made three separate treks to New York last year to catch Roy, driving the 400+ miles solo.  I had tickets for his 95th birthday celebration before the pandemic hit.  Whenever he plays again, I'll be there.

I met a drummer a few years ago in New York at Roy's show and have since seen him a few times at Roy's other shows.  He told me that he made it a point to see Roy as much as possible starting in the early '80s because he didn't know how long Roy would be around.  He's seen Roy for decades now and I've seen him 11 or 12 times.  We both are delighted and surprised by Roy's playing every time. 

[Peter Friedman]

[Referentzhunter]

he ate to much cheese ...

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Referentzhunter

[Balladeer]

Antonio Zambrini plays Nino Rota (Abeat)

[jazzbo]

Trying this one again. I had to adjust the ZROCK2 as this is very compressed sounding otherwise. I like Kurt best when his lyrics were more conventional as they were at the beginning of his career. That said I am liking this one more this time around.

Kurt Elling "Secrets are the Best Stories"

Edited August 27, 2020 by jazzbo

[Peter Friedman]

[jazzbo]

Revisiting "Just Coolin'" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the previously rejected session finally released by Blue Note.

Not the best Messengers album and I can see why it went unissued, but still glad it came out.

[Justin V]

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

12 hours ago, Justin V said:

I made three separate treks to New York last year to catch Roy, driving the 400+ miles solo.  I had tickets for his 95th birthday celebration before the pandemic hit.  Whenever he plays again, I'll be there.

I met a drummer a few years ago in New York at Roy's show and have since seen him a few times at Roy's other shows.  He told me that he made it a point to see Roy as much as possible starting in the early '80s because he didn't know how long Roy would be around.  He's seen Roy for decades now and I've seen him 11 or 12 times.  We both are delighted and surprised by Roy's playing every time. 

I have great memories of seeing Roy Haynes live many times. Those memories will be with me forever.... but...

I stopped going to Roy's shows a few years ago. At the last show I saw, he was acting like someone who was not "all there" and I was a bit sad to see him that way. Sure, when he played, he was great, but the long, odd diatribes between songs just didn't sit well with me and the vocal numbers he sang were not very good.

[jazzbo]

Hank Mobley "High Voltage" from the most recent (now OOP) Mosaic box set of Blue Note recordings. Great sound!

[jazzbo]

Ella Fitzgerald "Sings the Gershwin Songbook" 3 cd VERVE Edition, disc 2. I find when I hit the "Out" position on my DAC''s Phase button the sound is less thin and the sound stage opens up.

[mikeweil]

[Peter Friedman]

Claude Williamson - Solo Piano - The Way We Were - Venus Records

[Peter Friedman]

[HutchFan]

Charlie Palmieri - Impulsos (Coco, 1975)
with Andy Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, Manny Oquendo, a.o.

 

[Justin V]

5 hours ago, bresna said:

I have great memories of seeing Roy Haynes live many times. Those memories will be with me forever.... but...

I stopped going to Roy's shows a few years ago. At the last show I saw, he was acting like someone who was not "all there" and I was a bit sad to see him that way. Sure, when he played, he was great, but the long, odd diatribes between songs just didn't sit well with me and the vocal numbers he sang were not very good.

Like I said, I've seen him several times, at least once a year for the last several years, so I can offer some recent perspective.

First, I believe that your use of the word 'diatribes' is flat-out wrong, as if he is onstage talking negatively about promoters, the band, the crowd, etc.  He may go on an occasional verbal tangent but I've never seen him say anything that wasn't positive in engaging with the band or the audience.

As far as the 'vocal numbers' go, that is also a major stretch, as if he is belting out 'My Way' or a string of songs for a substantial portion of the set.  He is fond of singing Kenny Rogers's 'The Gambler' and getting the audience involved.  On occasion, the band have gamely joined in behind him as he then went behind the kit to lay down a backbeat for a brief instrumental.  I remember hearing him once good-naturedly encourage Jaleel Shaw to 'Growl into that mother[...].'  Jaleel obliged and uncorked an intense solo.

It's in good fun.  He's a showman.  He may tapdance.  He once said, 'I never thought that I'd live this long...I never thought that I'd be this loose!'  At Dizzy's in 2018, he moved his drum solo to my table and started playing on my table mate's magazine (a DownBeat with Tony Bennett on the cover, IIRC).  My table mate was a drummer from Chicago who also couldn't believe his eyes. 

At one of the last shows I saw, he asked a young guy if he played, handed the kid some sticks and then had the kid play a rhythm on the table, saying, 'You sound good, man!'  That surely made the kid's day/week/year.  Last fall, I chatted with a Roy fan from Sweden who couldn't believe that he happened to be in the country for a conference at the right time to see Roy.  He was glad to see Roy playing so well.

As far as not being 'all there' goes, he's 95.  His short-term memory seems affected, but I've seen him talk about his childhood in Boston.  He sometimes will go to repeat a song, usually Pat Metheny's 'James', which seems to pretty much be the band's theme song.  When that happens, Jaleel will sometimes say they already played it.  At one of the concerts last year, Roy just smiled, said, 'Ahhhh...' and struck his snare with a mighty crack.  Other times, Jaleel will just transition into another song and Roy will instantly be right there.  I've also seen Roy start to repeat 'James' and purposely use it as just a short theme before the next song.

So, nothing major.  His playing is so in-the-moment and joyful.  I like to sit right in front or next to the drums.  Roy can still drive a band like no other or pare his playing down to this minimalist approach that is audacious in its restraint and sometimes unorthodox.  His propulsive, unsentimental (yet sensitive) approach to a ballad is still something to behold. 

He has his core repertoire and then there'll be a surprise nearly every set, often in the form of a ballad.  Roy still leads the band from behind the kit and you'll see him him making eye contact to cue them here and there. 

It's been something to see his band develop over the years.  They are all top-notch and there is a lot of love on the stand.  Last year, Graham Haynes sat in for one set and Nicholas Payton for another.  David Kikoski subbed for Martin Bejerano last time and I've seen John Sullivan and Ed Howard sub on bass as well.  Roy has responded well to any subs and additions and it is interesting to hear how an additional musician or one sub can change the sound of a regular band.  I've also seen Savion Glover tapping like his life depended on it with Roy pushing him.

I guess we all have our own takes on things, but I've never seen Roy and been in the least disappointed.  The majority of times have involved that long drive to New York as well, which I wouldn't make for just anyone.  Anyone who gets the chance to see him should.

[Peter Friedman]

[HutchFan]

 

and

[Bluesnik]

It' such a pleasure hearing Costa interplaying with Salvador. Specially when Costa is on vibes. But also on piano.

[Peter Friedman]

[Gheorghe]

18 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Hank Mobley "High Voltage" from the most recent (now OOP) Mosaic box set of Blue Note recordings. Great sound!

My favourite on this Album is the bossa tune "Boss Bossa" or how it´s titled. And Jackie McLean´s playing is a highlight on this.

On 27.8.2020 at 7:23 AM, Referentzhunter said:

he ate to much cheese …

 

very nice. Grant Green made a lot of Albums under a Motto. This one with latin tunes, others with spirituals, with western/Country tunes, really a very versatile player who could play anything. 

[Peter Friedman]