So, What Are You Listening To NOW?

[Peter Friedman]

[felser]

Anita O'Day Mosaic.  I'm not really a fan of Mosaic sets, but couldn't pass this one up in an ebay auction.  The music is great - she makes me actually listen closely to songs I have otherwise ignored through the decades ("Goodbye", "Stella By Starlight" etc.).

 

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by felser

[Ken Dryden]

18 minutes ago, felser said:

Anita O'Day Mosaic.  I'm not really a fan of Mosaic sets, but couldn't pass this one up in an ebay auction.  The music is great - she makes me actually listen closely to songs I have otherwise ignored through the decades ("Goodbye", "Stella By Starlight" etc.).

 

 

 

I am more of a fan of Mosaic than Anita O'Day. It's a shame she abused herself so much that her voice was shot by the time she recorded her last dreadful CD for Pablo.

An artist who worked with Hank Jones told a funny story at IAJE. Hank was having unnecessary difficulties with a singer during a tour of Japan, so after his trio played an instrumental to open a set, he announced to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Onita A'Day!" She must have been a real terror to cause a seemingly mild mannered artist like Hank Jones to deliver such an introduction.

[jazzbo]

36 minutes ago, felser said:

Anita O'Day Mosaic.  I'm not really a fan of Mosaic sets, but couldn't pass this one up in an ebay auction.  The music is great - she makes me actually listen closely to songs I have otherwise ignored through the decades ("Goodbye", "Stella By Starlight" etc.).

 

 

 

I agree--this was a surprisingly good Mosaic for me.

[gmonahan]

Surprisingly good sound on this one.

 

[felser]

3 hours ago, Ken Dryden said:

I am more of a fan of Mosaic than Anita O'Day. It's a shame she abused herself so much that her voice was shot by the time she recorded her last dreadful CD for Pablo.

An artist who worked with Hank Jones told a funny story at IAJE. Hank was having unnecessary difficulties with a singer during a tour of Japan, so after his trio played an instrumental to open a set, he announced to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Onita A'Day!" She must have been a real terror to cause a seemingly mild mannered artist like Hank Jones to deliver such an introduction.

I can even hear the wear on her voice by the end of her Verve era.  Like so many musicians from that era, not a great personal life.    Amazing to me that she lived to 87.  But I do like her Verve work a lot.

[jlhoots]

I like All The Sad Young Men.

[Chuck Nessa]

An interesting anthology assembled by my old friend Bob Porter -

[Gheorghe]

17 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Archie Shepp and pianist Jasper van 't Hof- Mama Rose (Steeplechase)

I sometimes wonder what the backstory is behind this one.

Who was van't Hof? I don't think I've ever heard of him apart from this record.

Was Shepp looks for some sort of Richard Teitelbaum partner?

Was it meant to be a more "modern" corrective to his recent traditionalist exercises?

Added to that is the fact that Shepp at this period really sounds thin and on edge, as if the 1980s had hit him hard. In the film Imagine The Sound from the previous year, he looks and plays like he's in the middle of some sort of terrible collapse and on the verge of tears (although that's true of everyone in that film except for Bill Dixon).

Jasper van´t Hof was quite a familiar figure in the 70´s , his name figured often in the german jazz magazine "Jazz Podium" which I had subscribed for about 10-15 years. 

The record got very much attention here in Vienna in the early 80´s . That long improvisation in Ab, it was very often spinned at jazz clubs and jazz cafés and many young folks who usually would not listen to jazz, liked it. Sometimes I would take some girl to some club and many of them liked that thing. 

But it also may have mislead young amateur players who thought they must not know a theme and just go on. 

For example: A few years ago when I led the house band on a open jam session at some club, where we would play the first set and after intermission let other musicians sit in, there was a lonesome kid in his early 20´s who had a trumpet case. Since on that evening there were also some saxophonists and a guitar player who would like to sit in and jam, I went to the kid and said to him "got a horn? wanna play with us?" and he nodded and I said, don´t be afraid, come on, what tune would you like to start with ? 
The kid said, well ....... something like......, I asked again, what tune ? and he said "Do you know Archie Shepp-Jasper van´t Hof"? So my conclusion was, that he doesn´t know tunes or how to play solos based on tunes. Just for not embarrassing that kid I said just listen and if you know a tune, play it , but when we started the second set with guests, the kid packed his horn and left. 

[BillF]

[mikeweil]

5 hours ago, BillF said:

Will play this next, after this one:

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by mikeweil

[Rabshakeh]

Just finished:

Jihye Lee Orchestra - Daring Mind (2021)

I can't remember where it was recommended but I thought it might be worth checking out. It's a big band record featuring young NY musicians. It has the strong taste of something written by a student on a composing programme then played through by junior musicians. No doubt this is true for all recent big band records, but it shows here in particular: All of the section parts are in small little bits. Not that bad but I can't imagine I'll return to it.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[jazzbo]

I'm learning to keep this one near my transport because it is one of those rare convergences of recorded sound, musical material, and musicians where everything is so marvelous. I would take this one to a deserted island, definitely.

Betty Carter "I'm Yours, You're Mine" Verve cd

[Rabshakeh]

Now, I'm returning to this one:

Carla Bley - Social Studies (Watt, 1981)

One of my overall favourite Carla Bley records, save for the middling cover.

[BillF]

[Peter Friedman]

[jazzbo]

Another great singer and another great release. What a storyteller she was!

Carmen McRae (with the Ramsey Lewis Trio) "After Glow" Decca, Japanese cd

 

[Chuck Nessa]

28 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

Another great singer and another great release. What a storyteller she was!

Carmen McRae (with the Ramsey Lewis Trio) "After Glow" Decca, Japanese cd

 

Looks like Ray Bryant is subbing for Ramsey.

[mikeweil]

Indeed Ray Bryant!

Now listening to Harold Mabern's Rakin' and Scrapin', from this twofer:

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, Rabshakeh said:

Now, I'm returning to this one:

Carla Bley - Social Studies (Watt, 1981)

One of my overall favourite Carla Bley records, save for the middling cover.

I'd put Social Studies right up there at/near the top of CB's discography also.  

 

 

 

I'm now listening to this album by the trio Scenes:

[Rabshakeh]

1 minute ago, HutchFan said:

I'd put Social Studies right up there at/near the top of CB's discography also.  

My only problem with it is that the first track, which is the longest, is perhaps a little weak. Great name "Reactionary Tango", but I've heard it before. Other than that, probably in my top three.

I'm now on this one:

Jimmy Lyons & Sunny Murray trio - Jump Up - What To Do About (Hat Hut, 1981)

Revisiting for the first time in a while. Not my favourite by anyone involved. Lyons and Murray seem a little self-parodic at times, which is a shame, given how few records Lyons was lead on.

[mikeweil]

[Dub Modal]

2 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Just finished:

Jihye Lee Orchestra - Daring Mind (2021)

I can't remember where it was recommended but I thought it might be worth checking out. It's a big band record featuring young NY musicians. It has the strong taste of something written by a student on a composing programme then played through by junior musicians. No doubt this is true for all recent big band records, but it shows here in particular: All of the section parts are in small little bits. Not that bad but I can't imagine I'll return to it.

This one was on the Jazz Times Top 40 jazz albums for 2021. I listened and enjoyed it, but that was after listening to Mike LeDonne's new big band album (also from that list). I think the contrast made it interesting. Haven't played it since, so I'll have to give it another listen.

[Rabshakeh]

7 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

This one was on the Jazz Times Top 40 jazz albums for 2021. I listened and enjoyed it, but that was after listening to Mike LeDonne's new big band album (also from that list). I think the contrast made it interesting. Haven't played it since, so I'll have to give it another listen.

That might have been it.

Let me know if you think I've been cruel and should relisted.

[jazzcorner]

16 hours ago, gmonahan said:

Surprisingly good sound on this one.

 

Indeed!  I do agree.

1 hour ago, BillF said:

Excellent!

On the same label this one: