So, What Are You Listening To NOW?

[jlhoots]

Jason Moran: From The Dancehall To The Battlefield

[jazzbo]

“The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury, Vol. 5 (1956-1958)” disc 1

[HutchFan]

  On 4/17/2023 at 3:42 PM, jazzbo said:

Interestingly the arrangements by Clare Fischer went uncredited on the original LP. An intriguing treatment of Ellington pieces.

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I've never quite connected with that album -- despite loving Clare Fischer's arranging in all sorts of other contexts.   

It's likely my own inability to get beyond my ingrained notions of what Ellington's music is "supposed" to sound like.  Then again, it might also be a case of two artist that I love who don't necessarily sound great together.  (See also: Thelonious' album Monk's Blues, arranged by Oliver Nelson.)

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by HutchFan

[jazzbo]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:30 PM, HutchFan said:

I've never quite connected with that album -- despite loving Clare Fischer's arranging in all sorts of other contexts.   

It's likely my own inability to get beyond my ingrained notions of what Ellington's music is "supposed" to sound like.  Then again, it might also be a case of two artist that I love who don't necessarily sound great together.  (See also: Thelonious' album Monk's Blues, arranged by Oliver Nelson.)

 

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I really have fallen out of "like" with Oliver Nelson's arrangements in general, and never really have liked the Monk that much. 

I know what you mean about the Gillespie. . .I was pretty lukewarm to chilled about it for some time but the last few times I've spinned it I have liked it more. And this time through I thought the way Dizzy wove in and out of the arrangements very interesting, and I liked that the arrangements didn't follow usual "Ellingtonian" directions.

[AllenLowe]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:23 PM, jlhoots said:

Jason Moran: From The Dancehall To The Battlefield

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I am going to say something self-promotional here; Jason is a great pianist, but that album to me represents the worst kind of pseudo-interpretation of older materials. It sounds like just another stiff white version of old-timey music (in spite of some "contemporary" sounding soloists who end up just sounding like they are at the wrong session). Musicians who do these kinds of projects tend to expose themselves as having not really listened to that old sound - black and white - and have ended up with these awful, polite examinations of what should be unruly music.

Now the self-promotional aspect of this post - on our new release I do a JR Europe reference of sorts with a thing we did called Castles in Sand, which is miles above anything on that Moran album. It's frustrating to hear people flocking to fame, when the music is what should be essential.

Edited April 17, 2023 by AllenLowe

[HutchFan]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:41 PM, jazzbo said:

I know what you mean about the Gillespie. . .I was pretty lukewarm to chilled about it for some time but the last few times I've spinned it I have liked it more. And this time through I thought the way Dizzy wove in and out of the arrangements very interesting, and I liked that the arrangements didn't follow usual "Ellingtonian" directions.

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I'm fully open to the idea that my problems with the Gillespie/Fischer album are MY problems. 

But that's not case with the Monk/Nelson album.   

 

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:41 PM, jazzbo said:

I really have fallen out of "like" with Oliver Nelson's arrangements in general, and never really have liked the Monk that much. 

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That's interesting.  Oliver Nelson arrangements are still thrilling to me*.

 

 

* with one exception.

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by HutchFan

[mjazzg]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:23 PM, jlhoots said:

Jason Moran: From The Dancehall To The Battlefield

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I wish he didn't price his download releases so high (I pay sales tax on top in the UK) he has every right to of course.

I saw that in concert and really enjoyed it. Maybe I should pony up the money

Edited April 17, 2023 by mjazzg

[HutchFan]

Fania All Stars - Historia de la Salsa 
I think of salsa/Latin music & jazz as a Venn diagram with varying degrees of overlap.  The two genres are not the same thing, but there's often (maybe even usually) loads in common.  That said, I think there's enough jazz feeling in this compilation album for me to post it here.

Just in case anyone was wondering ...   

 

[gmonahan]

[jlhoots]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:47 PM, AllenLowe said:

I am going to say something self-promotional here; Jason is a great pianist, but that album to me represents the worst kind of pseudo-interpretation of older materials. It sounds like just another stiff white version of old-timey music (in spite of some "contemporary" sounding soloists who end up just sounding like they are at the wrong session). Musicians who do these kinds of projects tend to expose themselves as having not really listened to that old sound - black and white - and have ended up with these awful, polite examinations of what should be unruly music.

Now the self-promotional aspect of this post - on our new release I do a JR Europe reference of sorts with a thing we did called Castles in Sand, which is miles above anything on that Moran album. It's frustrating to hear people flocking to fame, when the music is what should be essential.

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Glad you liked it. 💀

[AllenLowe]

  On 4/17/2023 at 6:05 PM, jlhoots said:

Glad you liked it. 💀

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I found it edifying. Since I've listened to it I have become a MAGA person, since the recording fits the persona of people who are deathly afraid of real blackness.

[Rabshakeh]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:47 PM, AllenLowe said:

I am going to say something self-promotional here; Jason is a great pianist, but that album to me represents the worst kind of pseudo-interpretation of older materials. It sounds like just another stiff white version of old-timey music (in spite of some "contemporary" sounding soloists who end up just sounding like they are at the wrong session). Musicians who do these kinds of projects tend to expose themselves as having not really listened to that old sound - black and white - and have ended up with these awful, polite examinations of what should be unruly music.

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This reflected half of my view, but I found the record greatly improved in the second half, when there was more Moran. In the first half it had a very academic stiffness, which felt pedagogical. It reminded me of some of the dreaded later era Wynton Marsalis records, where he is doing little more than re-enact early jazz as an educational tool.

[AllenLowe]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:11 PM, Rabshakeh said:

This reflected half of my view, but I found the record greatly improved in the second half, when there was more Moran. In the first half it had a very academic stiffness, which felt pedagogical. It reminded me of some of the dreaded later era Wynton Marsalis records, where he is doing little more than re-enact early jazz as an educational tool.

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I also note how sterile the recording sounds - basically everything sounds completely isolated, which is probably the way it was done. There is no real space, no harmonic interaction between the instruments, like it was phoned in. Honestly, and this goes counter to some other things I have said, but white audiences of a certain kind love this kind of b.s, think it's socially edifying.

[Rabshakeh]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:25 PM, AllenLowe said:

I also note how sterile the recording sounds - basically everything sounds completely isolated, which is probably the way it was done. There is no real space, no harmonic interaction between the instruments, like it was phoned in. Honestly, and this goes counter to some other things I have said, but white audiences of a certain kind love this kind of b.s, think it's socially edifying.

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Moran is not the only piano-playing jazz educator that I think sells this sort of socially edifying (nice way to describe it) but rather arid stuff. 

I like this record quite a lot more than other socially edifying recent albums by some of Moran's piano-playing jazz educator peers, where the music comes packed with some sort of Albert Murray-meets-academic lecture but wouldn't be able to locate a sense of swing if it was in a playground.

At least I remember it.

[jlhoots]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:34 PM, Rabshakeh said:

Moran is not the only piano-playing jazz educator that I think sells this sort of socially edifying (nice way to describe it) but rather arid stuff. 

I like this record quite a lot more than other socially edifying recent albums by some of Moran's piano-playing jazz educator peers, where the music comes packed with some sort of Albert Murray-meets-academic lecture but wouldn't be able to locate a sense of swing if it was in a playground.

At least I remember it.

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Name some of these peers so I'll know what to avoid.

[Rabshakeh]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:48 PM, jlhoots said:

Name some of these peers so I'll know what to avoid.

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I'm thinking 2023 Iyer and Iverson in particular. Both musicians who I certainly have enjoyed in the past, at points.

[jlhoots]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:02 PM, AllenLowe said:

I found it edifying. Since I've listened to it I have become a MAGA person, since the recording fits the persona of people who are deathly afraid of real blackness.

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I suppose that's satire or sarcasm - otherwise I have no idea what it means.

[mjazzg]

  On 4/17/2023 at 7:25 PM, AllenLowe said:

I also note how sterile the recording sounds - basically everything sounds completely isolated, which is probably the way it was done. There is no real space, no harmonic interaction between the instruments, like it was phoned in. Honestly, and this goes counter to some other things I have said, but white audiences of a certain kind love this kind of b.s, think it's socially edifying.

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I'm sorry but that's just b.s. in itself. Some of us enjoy music for how it sounds to us and don't need a whole heap of history to do so.

I'm sure all your peerless research gives you the right piss on other musicians, but possibly only in your world. You seem intent on setting yourself above so many others, both musicians and listeners, it's tiresome 

There, that's off my chest now. I'm off to listen to some Jason Moran and be socially edified (whatever the fk that actually means) whilst doing so

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by mjazzg

[John Tapscott]

  On 4/17/2023 at 2:00 PM, EKE BBB said:

1955 Verve Take 2 edition, including

and

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👍

  On 4/17/2023 at 6:40 AM, EKE BBB said:

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👍

  On 4/17/2023 at 6:51 AM, BillF said:

👍

Now playing:

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👍

  On 4/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, HutchFan said:

NP:

Duke Ellington - Hot Summer Dance (Red Baron)
A concert recording of an ordinary night on the road that captures the nonchalant, extraordinary brilliance of EKE & his orchestra.

 

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👍

Now:

Very much of its time ( 1974), but the Herd is in great form and Gregory Herbert (RIP) is heavily featured here. He was a a superb tenor player. 

[jazzbo]

  On 4/17/2023 at 4:48 PM, HutchFan said:

That's interesting.  Oliver Nelson arrangements are still thrilling to me*.

 

 

* with one exception.

 

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Not me. I was never a big fan, I'm less of a fan now.

Edited April 17, 2023 by jazzbo

[mikeweil]

[Peter Friedman]

[HutchFan]

Excellent!

 

[jazzbo]

Olivia Byington “Anção do Amor Demais–Canta Tom e Vinicius”

[T.D.]

  On 4/17/2023 at 9:54 PM, HutchFan said:

Excellent!

 

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That's one I happen to own (collection in this general area is not extensive). I'd like to get more recordings with Harry Miller as leader but they're not easy to find.

Excellent indeed!