Playing Favorites: Reflections on Jazz of the Later 1940's

[Gheorghe]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

I don’t know if you’re thinking of these but Verve issued two LP sets, The Genius of Bud Powell, Volume 1, in 1976 and The Genius of Bud Powell, Volume 2, in 1978.

Yes right. In spring 1978 the first one, with the sessions from 1949-1951 was purchased by me.

The second (Vol. 2) came out in autumn of the same year and has his later Verve recordings from 1954-56. 

[BillF]

In my youth it took me a long time to get what Lennie was doing, but then it clicked and my enthusiasm was cemented by meeting Lennie at the Harrogate Festival in the late 1960s, courtesy Peter Ind who was teaching on the newly formed jazz course (Britain's first!) at Leeds College of Music.

Of the two selections here, it's the 1949 tracks that I like most, though I'm not partial to the free form "Intuition" and "Digression". My favourite is the aptly named "Wow" with its crazy changes and sensational double tempo bridge. Must have blown minds in 1949!

Edited January 29, 2021 by BillF

[Quasimado]

Always enjoyed this 10 inch LP. My version (I think there were several) had "Boplicity", some of the '49 Tristano sextet tracks plus  a trio version of 'Yesterdays' ...

[Big Beat Steve]

5 hours ago, BillF said:

Of the two selections here, it's the 1949 tracks that I like most, though I'm not partial to the free form "Intuition" and "Digression". My favourite is the aptly named "Wow" with its crazy changes and sensational double tempo bridge. Must have blown minds in 1949!

Your post prompted me to relisten to these sessions (I have them on a late 60s LP from the Capitol Jazz Classics series).
Actually the much-commented upon "Intuition" and "Digression" have always sounded rather logical and accessible to me as a sort of somewhat abstract "tone paintings" of that era - certainly much much easier to digest for me than most of the "new thing" recordings of Ornette Coleman and his follow(up)ers, and even easier than some of the free JImmy Giuffre recordings of the 50s.
And on relistening to "Wow" now, I find it perfectly natural and in tune with what to expect. It may have sounded mindblowing in 1949 but once you have been listening to the classic early 50s Lee Konitz sessions the lineage is clear (at least to me).
Probably all a matter of what your ears have already been attuned to (just like I found the 1945 bebop sessions by Bird and Diz a perfectly natural extension, expansion and follow-up to 40s small group swing when I used these recordings  as a starting point to work my way into bebop - unsure of what to expect when I bought the LP - back when i was still in high school in 1976). But this only goes so far - most of "avantgarde"  jazz still isn't my cuppa even after all these years ...

Edited January 29, 2021 by Big Beat Steve

[BillF]

47 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Your post prompted me to relisten to these sessions (I have them on a late 60s LP from the Capitol Jazz Classics series).
Actually the much-commented upon "Intuition" and "Digression" have always sounded rather logical and accessible to me as a sort of somewhat abstract "tone paintings" of that era - certainly much much easier to digest for me than most of the "new thing" recordings of Ornette Coleman and his follow(up)ers, and even easier than some of the free JImmy Giuffre recordings of the 50s.
And on relistening to "Wow" now, I find it perfectly natural and in tune with what to expect. It may have sounded mindblowing in 1949 but once you have been listening to the classic early 50s Lee Konitz sessions the lineage is clear (at least to me).
Probably all a matter of what your ears have already been attuned to (just like I found the 1945 bebop sessions by Bird and Diz a perfectly natural extension, expansion and follow-up to 40s small group swing when I used these recordings  as a starting point to work my way into bebop - unsure of what to expect when I bought the LP - back when i was still in high school in 1976). But this only goes so far - most of "avantgarde"  jazz still isn't my cuppa even after all these years ...

Interesting thoughts! 

[BillF]

Peak Maggie! 

[sidewinder]

3 minutes ago, BillF said:

Peak Maggie! 

That would be 1987..

[Big Beat Steve]

3 hours ago, sidewinder said:

That would be 1987..

"I Want My Bebop Back"!

[BillF]

 

 

 

Speaking of which ...

[BillF]

Sensational band, of course. Not overkeen on the more commercial vocals - prefer Mr B on the blues, my favorite "Jelly Jelly" with its great bop arrangement. Amazing to think that a guy who'd worked with Bird 'n Diz rose to the top of the pop charts. I'm old enough to remember that before the arrival of rock 'n roll in this country in 1956 the chart toppers were Johnny Ray, Frankie Laine and Billy Eckstine. Fascinating to hear Blakey in 1945 droppin' bombs in the manner of J C Heard or Don Lamond.

Edited February 20, 2021 by BillF

[BillF]

Great 1949 McGhee session, particularly for Brew Moore's contribution. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by BillF

[BillF]

1942-53

[Brad]

This record collects 12 songs from the Jubilee Broadcasts while the band was in LA in 1945.

[Larry Kart]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

This record collects 12 songs from the Jubilee Broadcasts while the band was in LA in 1945.

[BillF]

Surprisingly, this is a Parker I didn't own when I was young and some of of its contents seem to have gone under the radar as far as I'm concerned.

For example, I hadn't realised there was another studio version of "Star Eyes", apart from the one with Miles and Bishop. Now I'm wondering which one Supersax used - or perhaps both? (Too lazy to start listening )

[BillF]

[Gheorghe]

I love that Billy Eckstine album with Fats Navarro on trumpet. I bought it in 1978 and we, some friends listened much to it and tried to imitate Ernie Bubbles Whitman´s voice 

Very nice that dialog with Lena Horne: Whitman to Lena:  Nice green dress you are wearing. Lena, thanks Ernie, that´s a nice red tie you are wearing. Whitman: Red tie ? Oh, thats my tongue hangin out.

Jazz perennial also fine, it´s more a sampler of different sessions. The addition of Tommy Turk to the Quintet is a bit strange. Tommy Turk was a helluva trombonist, really fast, but the style..... not really my stuff.

Fat´s last studio session: It´s okay, but some compositions, mostly the first sound a bit strange. 

It´s strange, that Fats sounded much stronger and more inspired on that legendary One Night at Birdland from 1950, very near to his death.

On 19.2.2021 at 7:13 AM, BillF said:

 Fascinating to hear Blakey in 1945 droppin' bombs in the manner of J C Heard or Don Lamond.

I saw Dizzy in 1983 and he had his old buddy from the 40´s J C Heard on drums. Fantastic ! The others were Ed Cherry and Mike Howell.

And a day before Blakey played and Dizzy sat in on "Wee", isn´t that great ?