Playing Favorites: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s

[Guy Berger]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:17 PM, HutchFan said:

02/22/20 - Ornette Coleman – The Complete Science Fiction Sessions (Columbia Legacy, 2000)

02/21/20 - The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin – The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia, 1971)

I think the fact that Columbia recorded both of these around the same time highlights why the 70s was such a great era for jazz.  Love them both.

The Inner Mountain Flame had a huge impact on my transition from a rock listener to a hardcore jazz listener.

[mjazzg]

On 26/02/2020 at 10:35 AM, Д.Д. said:

What's so tough? You go to the label's site (http://futuramarge.free.fr/), pay €16 ($17.5) by PayPal and receive your CD in a couple of weeks.  

Easier still go to Spotify or Tidal. No wait for the postman 

[HutchFan]

2 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Easier still go to Spotify or Tidal. No wait for the postman 

Funny you say that ... since I've been working on my blog, I've become even more consciously aware of the fact that I still think about music as something that you've got to go find.  Very "old school"!  To me, listening to new music still means acquiring a physical object (CD or LP) or (to a lesser extent) downloading files.  

Of course, that isn't the way many (most?) people think about hearing music now.  I guess I'm too much of a dinosaur to get on board the streaming train -- other than as a way to sample music before I buy "the real thing."  ... But we've talked about this before, and I don't mean to take us down that rabbit hole again. 

At the end of the day, LISTENING is the thing.  Listening closely. 

The delivery mechanism for hearing music is a part of the listening equation, but it is secondary.

[felser]

6 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

I think the fact that Columbia recorded both of these around the same time highlights why the 70s was such a great era for jazz.  Love them both.

Also Mingus "Let My Children Hear Music" and Jarrett "Expectations" and George Russell/Bill Evans "Living Time" and Bill Evans "The Bill Evans Album", career highlights all (my very favorite Jarrett album).  Then they purged all of them from the label, all at once.

[kh1958]

41 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Funny you say that ... since I've been working on my blog, I've become even more consciously aware of the fact that I still think about music as something that you've got to go find.  Very "old school"!  To me, listening to new music still means acquiring a physical object (CD or LP) or (to a lesser extent) downloading files.  

Of course, that isn't the way many (most?) people think about hearing music now.  I guess I'm too much of a dinosaur to get on board the streaming train -- other than as a way to sample music before I buy "the real thing."  ... But we've talked about this before, and I don't mean to take us down that rabbit hole again. 

At the end of the day, LISTENING is the thing.  Listening closely. 

The delivery mechanism for hearing music is a part of the listening equation, but it is secondary.

I don't know about that. Last Saturday night, I heard the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, and as the drummer leader put it at the end of the concert, "our new CD is for sale out front and if you liked the concert can you buy one so we can put gas in the van to drive to our next concert in Oklahoma?"   

[HutchFan]

24 minutes ago, kh1958 said:

I don't know about that. Last Saturday night, I heard the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, and as the drummer leader put it at the end of the concert, "our new CD is for sale out front and if you liked the concert can you buy one so we can put gas in the van to drive to our next concert in Oklahoma?"   

Good point!  I guess I wasn't thinking about it from that perspective. 😉

 

[mjazzg]

On 27/02/2020 at 4:00 PM, HutchFan said:

Funny you say that ... since I've been working on my blog, I've become even more consciously aware of the fact that I still think about music as something that you've got to go find.  Very "old school"!  To me, listening to new music still means acquiring a physical object (CD or LP) or (to a lesser extent) downloading files.  

Of course, that isn't the way many (most?) people think about hearing music now.  I guess I'm too much of a dinosaur to get on board the streaming train -- other than as a way to sample music before I buy "the real thing."  ... But we've talked about this before, and I don't mean to take us down that rabbit hole again. 

At the end of the day, LISTENING is the thing.  Listening closely. 

The delivery mechanism for hearing music is a part of the listening equation, but it is secondary.

Funny you say that....since I've been reading your blog I've needed to go to streaming sites to avoid bankruptcy 

On 27/02/2020 at 4:48 PM, kh1958 said:

I don't know about that. Last Saturday night, I heard the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, and as the drummer leader put it at the end of the concert, "our new CD is for sale out front and if you liked the concert can you buy one so we can put gas in the van to drive to our next concert in Oklahoma?"   

Yes, I try to buy at least one item from the band's stall at gigs I go to these days. It's such an important income stream for them

Edited February 29, 2020 by mjazzg

[JSngry]

Good to see Gemini getting some love!

[HutchFan]

Amigos!

I'm on a camping trip now.  No web connectivity!  That's why I haven't made any posts on my blog for the last few days. ... I'll be going into town tomorrow, and I plan to catch up then!  

Take care.

 

[HutchFan]

Arrived back home late last night, after a great camping trip in the mountains of NE Georgia.  It was a very restful time, just hanging out with my wife.  No responsibilities.  No computers.  

Now that I'm home, I have some catching up to do.  Most of last week's entries still lack write-ups.  Even so, I thought I'd share my regular weekly recap of albums that I added between Monday, February 26th and Tuesday, March 3rd.

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s

03/03/20 - Gato Barbieri – Bolivia / Under Fire (Bluebird, 2003)

03/03/20 - John Surman & John Warren – Tales of the Algonquin (Deram/Vocalion, 1971)

03/03/20 - Eddie Palmieri – Vámonos Pa’l Monte (Tico/Fania, 1971)

03/03/20 - Doug Carn – Infant Eyes (Black Jazz, 1971)

02/28/20 - Harold Land – A New Shade of Blue (Mainstream, 1971)

02/27/20 - Erroll Garner – Gemini (London/MPS, 1972)

02/26/20 - Joe Farrell – Outback (CTI, 1972)

 

The survey has now reached the end of 1971.  Yesterday's entry, Weather Report's Live in Tokyo, was recorded on January 13, 1972.

 

[felser]

Some great choices there.  You got the right Farrell and the right Carn and the right Land among several worthy candidates.  Those are great Barbieri albums, though I am partial to 'El Pampero', first thing I ever heard by him and a landmark experience.

Edited March 5, 2020 by felser

[JSngry]

Waiting for the write-up to see why that Palmieri, and, to a lesser extent, why those Barbieris.

[felser]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Waiting for the write-up to see why that Palmieri, and, to a lesser extent, why those Barbieris.

I'm not all that familiar with Palmieri's work, but I am a fan/owner of this one, which would have made my list:

[JSngry]

I'm pretty familiar with Palmieri's work (overall,) and all things considered, I think this is his masterpiece (overall). It's a tough call, though.

 

Ok, masterpieces, although he got Marvin Gaye-ed on this one"

 

[JSngry]

As far as LP-experience goes (which is how I came to these records, Side 1 of Unfinished Masterpiece (tracks 1-3) is one of the more, uh...declarative musical statements of the 70s, by anybody, period.

[HutchFan]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

Waiting for the write-up to see why that Palmieri, and, to a lesser extent, why those Barbieris.

A couple reasons for that Palmieri choice:

I know that Sun of Latin Music and Unfinished Masterpiece are the acknowledged "classics" -- but I'm much more drawn to the three that preceded those two: Super-Imposition, Vamonos Pal Monte, and Sentido. Part of that is the singers. I much prefer Ismail Quintana's voice over Lalo Rodriguez's. And Quintana left Palmieri after Sentido. 

Also, listen to Eddie's brother Charlie play the organ on Vamonos. So strange and unique and wonderful. I don't think Charlie ever sounded better than he does here. Charlie is an essential part of this record!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I love the compositions on Vamonos. 

If I hadn't chosen Vamonos, it would've probably picked Sentido, which I think does the exploratory "Latin Jazz Mad Scientist"-thing as well as any of Palmieri's records (specifically on the second half).

Guess I should actually do the write-up. 

Will save Barbieri rationale for the blog entry!

 

 

4 hours ago, felser said:

I'm not all that familiar with Palmieri's work, but I am a fan/owner of this one, which would have made my list:

Great record, no doubt.

I just like the more overt Latin vibe on EP's Tico and Coco LPs. 

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by HutchFan

[JSngry]

Good reasons, well-stated! The point about Quintana is indeed well-taken.

[HutchFan]

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s

03/10/20 - Claude Hopkins – Soliloquy (Sackville, 1972)

03/09/20 - Julius Hemphill – Dogon A.D. (Mbari/Arista-Freedom/IPI, 1972)

03/08/20 - Sonny Stitt – Endgame Brilliance (32 Jazz, 1997)

03/07/20 - Chick Corea – Return to Forever (ECM, 1972)

03/07/20 - Hugh Masekela – Home Is Where the Music Is (Chisa/Blue Thumb, 1972)

03/05/20 - Larry Coryell – The Offering (Vanguard/Wounded Bird, 1972)

03/04/20 - Weather Report – Live in Tokyo (CBS Japan/Wounded Bird, 1972)

 

I was hoping to get caught up on my write-ups this week.  No such luck.  In fact, I've fallen further behind.  ... Work has been incredibly busy.  I work in corporate communications (internal, employee-focused), and we've been scrambling to keep our employees informed in response to COVID-19.  Hard to sprint thru the workday and then come home and focus on this project.  Plus family responsibilities.  Argh.

 

As for the music...  Some unbelievable records this week: 

Dogon A.D.  A blazing masterpiece.  Live in Tokyo.  Scarcely less impressive. 

Return to Forever and Home Is Where the Music Is are both records that are very close to my heart.

And do NOT sleep on that Claude Hopkins record.  It's like eavesdropping on someone quietly ruminating on the past.  SUPER-understated -- but also vivid and unforgettable.  I love it.

And so much diverse music in such a short span!  Blues & Bop. Free jazz. Fusion. Latin. Stride. South African soul-jazz/Cape-jazz.  New, new, new and old too.  All recorded in a period of five months: January to May 1972.
 

Edited March 11, 2020 by HutchFan

[felser]

Not familiar with the Hopkins.  Totally agree with and love and own the other selections. 

[JSngry]

I've always dug the idea of Larry Coryell a lot more than the actual Larry Coryell (musically, that is).

[HutchFan]

17 minutes ago, felser said:

Not familiar with the Hopkins.  Totally agree with and love and own the other selections. 

 

I suppose some folks might be underwhelmed by it. There's nothing overtly virtuosic or impressive about the music.  

But I can't get enough of the vibe, which is a stinkin' way-back machine.  It'll take you to another time and place!

A couple tracks:

 

 

7 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I've always dug the idea of Larry Coryell a lot more than the actual Larry Coryell (musically, that is).

Interesting.  You might say the same thing about a great deal of jazz-rock fusion in general.  The concept is often more interesting than the actual execution, IMO.

But, for me, in this particular case -- Coryell's The Offering -- it works.   

The Offering and Barefoot Boy are perhaps exceptions that prove the rule?

Or maybe I just like them best because they strike me as having the highest "jazz quotient" of all his records??? I dunno.

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by HutchFan

[JSngry]

I've got no problem with fusion, jazz-rock or otherwise. It's actually the "natural order" of things, imo. But Coryell has always seemed undisciplined/unfocused, almost ADD-ish in his playing to me...like the input got irreparably scrambled on the way to becoming output. It was less obvious in Burton's group (then again, Burton has struck me as being one of the more, uh..."disciplined" bandleaders of his time), but you could kinda hear the potential for that happening on The Dealer, and once he went solo....yikes.

 

[Gheorghe]

1 hour ago, HutchFan said:

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s

03/10/20 - Claude Hopkins – Soliloquy (Sackville, 1972)

03/09/20 - Julius Hemphill – Dogon A.D. (Mbari/Arista-Freedom/IPI, 1972)

03/08/20 - Sonny Stitt – Endgame Brilliance (32 Jazz, 1997)

03/07/20 - Chick Corea – Return to Forever (ECM, 1972)

03/07/20 - Hugh Masekela – Home Is Where the Music Is (Chisa/Blue Thumb, 1972)

03/05/20 - Larry Coryell – The Offering (Vanguard/Wounded Bird, 1972)

03/04/20 - Weather Report – Live in Tokyo (CBS Japan/Wounded Bird, 1972)

 

I was hoping to get caught up on my write-ups this week.  No such luck.  In fact, I've fallen further behind.  ... Work has been incredibly busy.  I work in corporate communications (internal, employee-focused), and we've been scrambling to keep our employees informed in response to COVID-19.  Hard to sprint thru the workday and then come home and focus on this project.  Plus family responsibilities.  Argh.

 

As for the music...  Some unbelievable records this week: 

Dogon A.D.  A blazing masterpiece.  Live in Tokyo.  Scarcely less impressive. 

Return to Forever and Home Is Where the Music Is are both records that are very close to my heart.

And do NOT sleep on that Claude Hopkins record.  It's like eavesdropping on someone quietly ruminating on the past.  SUPER-understated -- but also vivid and unforgettable.  I love it.

And so much diverse music in such a short span!  Blues & Bop. Free jazz. Fusion. Latin. Stride. South African soul-jazz/Cape-jazz.  New, new, new and old too.  All recorded in a period of five months: January to May 1972.
 

Really a fine playing list !

[felser]

I don't mind the undisciplined nature of some of Coryell's playing, since I'm such a rock guy.  My complaint is that he decided to suddenly go dinky in the mid-70's around the time of those Eleventh House albums, and never got the fire back.  Also, not sure what ever possessed him to think it was OK for him to "sing".  I do like 'Fairyland','Offering','Barefoot Boy' quite a bit, that is my favorite stretch of his recordings.   Here's a Coryell cut for the ages, everything we love and hate about him (depending on point of view).

 

[HutchFan]

40 minutes ago, felser said:

 I do like 'Fairyland','Offering','Barefoot Boy' quite a bit, that is my favorite stretch of his recordings.

I agree.  That's the stuff.  (That said, I'd put Fairyland a half-step below the other two.)

 

42 minutes ago, felser said:

Here's a Coryell cut for the ages, everything we love and hate about him (depending on point of view).

I dig that.  Never heard it before.  ...Wasn't even aware of the existence of that LP!