More Favorites: Reflections on Jazz in the 1980s

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, felser said:

...  Carla Bley is hit/miss for me, not sure if I know this particular title.

Carla can be hit or miss for me too.  But I think Fleur Carnivore hits the bullseye. 

 

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

That's a 3-for-3 outing in my book! 

 

 

[JSngry]

Honestly. Carla always hits for me. She's worked across a lot of superficial terrain, but underneath it is always Carla Bley, figuring out different ways to get to an audience and still keep true to herself. 

I believe that she will only grow in esteem as time passes, and people start looking at Carla Bley instead of periods and styles and shit. THAT stuff is immensely fluid. The one constant has been Carla Bley. 

[HutchFan]

Entries from the last two weeks:

- George Coleman - At Yoshi's (Theresa/Evidence, 1989)
- Anthony Davis, James Newton, Abdul Wadud - Trio² (Gramavision, 1989)
- Von Freeman - Walkin' Tuff! (Southport, 1989)

- Airto Moreira - Struck by Lightning (Venture, 1989)
- Eddie Palmieri - Sueño (Intuition, 1989)
- Robertinho Silva - Speak No Evil (Milestone, 1991); originally released as Bodas De Prata (CBS Brazil, 1989)

 

[felser]

I like that Coleman album a lot!

[HutchFan]

My entries for the last two weeks:

- The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra - Hearinga Suite (Black Saint, 1989)
- Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian - In the Year of the Dragon (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)
- Art Farmer - Ph.D. (Contemporary, 1989)

- Claudio Roditi - Slow Fire (Milestone, 1989)
- The Jimmy Giuffre 4 - Liquid Dancers (Soul Note, 1991)
- Rod Williams - Hanging in the Balance (Muse, 1989)

 

My 1980s Jazz project with my buddy Dan Robey is winding to a close.  There's about one month remaining, since we're scheduled to conclude in mid-December.  I'm disappointed that I haven't been able to write more this year.  For a variety of reasons, I just haven't had the energy or bandwidth.  But I'm still happy to have taken on the project because I've discovered some outstanding, new-to-me music.  And there's not many things better in this world than uncovering music that hits you right in the gut! ... By the way, Rod Williams' terrific-but-unheralded album Hanging in the Balance is one prime example of just such a discovery.

As always, let me know what you think!   

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by HutchFan

[Rabshakeh]

I've really enjoyed the project.

Great to see so many recommendations. I have known more of them this time around, in contrast to your 1970s blog - not sure of the reason.

Great job to you and to Dan!

[HutchFan]

52 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

I've really enjoyed the project.

Great to see so many recommendations. I have known more of them this time around, in contrast to your 1970s blog - not sure of the reason.

Great job to you and to Dan!

Thanks Rab!   

 

[Eric]

On 10/23/2022 at 6:55 PM, felser said:

I like that Coleman album a lot!

Yes, that is fantastic, my favorite of his.

[Rabshakeh]

A sudden swerve with today's posts from co-writer Dan. Georg Graewe stands out as a name that we haven't seen until now.

 

[Peter Friedman]

On 11/6/2022 at 3:07 PM, HutchFan said:

My entries for the last two weeks:

- The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra - Hearinga Suite (Black Saint, 1989)
- Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian - In the Year of the Dragon (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)
- Art Farmer - Ph.D. (Contemporary, 1989)

- Claudio Roditi - Slow Fire (Milestone, 1989)
- The Jimmy Giuffre 4 - Liquid Dancers (Soul Note, 1991)
- Rod Williams - Hanging in the Balance (Muse, 1989)

 

My 1980s Jazz project with my buddy Dan Robey is winding to a close.  There's about one month remaining, since we're scheduled to conclude in mid-December.  I'm disappointed that I haven't been able to write more this year.  For a variety of reasons, I just haven't had the energy or bandwidth.  But I'm still happy to have taken on the project because I've discovered some outstanding, new-to-me music.  And there's not many things better in this world than uncovering music that hits you right in the gut! ... By the way, Rod Williams' terrific-but-unheralded album Hanging in the Balance is one prime example of just such a discovery.

As always, let me know what you think!   

 

I am an Art farmer fan, and this is a good one.

Not familiar with this Claudio Roditi album, but will try to check it out.

Have been enjoying your list of favorites, though a number of them are not to my taste.

After doing the 70's and 80's, hope you will continue either with another decade, of in some other formulation.

[Rabshakeh]

57 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said:

After doing the 70's and 80's, hope you will continue either with another decade, of in some other formulation.

It is a lot of work, but I do really enjoy this sort of thing. Post 1960s (maybe post 1970s, these days) the jazz canon is so much in flux that there's always new things to be discovered. Plus I enjoy the strange late period and straight ahead records you often pull up that other bloggers ignore.

Just now, Rabshakeh said:

It is a lot of work, but I do really enjoy this sort of thing. I got a lot out of this blog.

Post 1960s (maybe post 1970s, these days) the jazz canon is so much in flux that there's always new things to be discovered. Plus I enjoy the strange late period and straight ahead records you often pull up that other bloggers ignore.

 

[HutchFan]

Last week's entries:

- Bobby Watson & Horizon - The Inventor (Blue Note, 1990)
- Tim Berne - Fractured Fairy Tales (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)
- Randy Weston - Portraits of Duke Ellington: Caravan (Verve, 1990)

 

 

On 11/9/2022 at 1:47 PM, Rabshakeh said:

It is a lot of work, but I do really enjoy this sort of thing. Post 1960s (maybe post 1970s, these days) the jazz canon is so much in flux that there's always new things to be discovered. Plus I enjoy the strange late period and straight ahead records you often pull up that other bloggers ignore.

 

On 11/9/2022 at 12:48 PM, Peter Friedman said:

Have been enjoying your list of favorites, though a number of them are not to my taste.

After doing the 70's and 80's, hope you will continue either with another decade, of in some other formulation.

 

Thanks for the positive feedback, gents.  I really appreciate it.   

Not sure what'll be next.  I'll probably just bide my time for a while.  Usually projects like these just sorta bubble up and present themselves.  So I guess I'm gonna just wait & see what happens.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I saw Bobby Watson and Horizon twice back then, great band, so high energy.  The records are ok but don't quite capture what I saw and heard live.

[Gheorghe]

On 11/9/2022 at 6:48 PM, Peter Friedman said:

I am an Art farmer fan, and this is a good one.

 

 

 

I almost "grew up listening to him" since he was a Viena-Resident and lived here (or better said: stopped here for rest between tours all over the world) . Naturally, at least 2 , 3 times each year he played some days of gig at Jazzland. 

The first time I heard him, long long ago the first tune he played was Parker´s "Red Cross", that rhythm changes tune in Bb. 

I remember two "stories" in context with Farmer: Since he was famous, fellow musicians from the States, who did a concert in Viena, would like to meet him, and so Max Roach came into the club to see Art Farmer playing, it was in 1978. We all hoped that Roach would sit in, but he did not (maybe contractual reasons). 
The next day Roach played a big concert and Art was there and Roach greated him from the stage. 

Shortly before Art died, I don´t know if he still could play, he came to see James Moody who was sheduled. I think this was 20 years later. Art was happy and they talked very much together, but Art looked very old and sick, though James Moody who was even some years older, looked much younger, 

Art Farmer died a few weeks after that I think. 
And one year later my wife and me met James Moody in Miami and  we talked about Art Farmer.....

[sidewinder]

Strangely enough, the only time I can recall seeing Art Farmer play he was in a Big Band lineup with James Moody. Never saw him on any of his UK tours, which is a shame.

Last time I saw Moody was around 2006 at Northsea and he was playing great, part of a big band lineup conducted by Slide Hampton. Shame that Slide wasn’t also playing.

8 hours ago, danasgoodstuff said:

I saw Bobby Watson and Horizon twice back then, great band, so high energy.  The records are ok but don't quite capture what I saw and heard live.

I would agree with that. The Blue Note albums are excellent but live, that band could really smoke. Victor Lewis on drums a major factor in that I think. As I recall it, this was also a hard working band on stage.

If you saw them in Portland, was it around 1992/3? They would have been touring Western Canada/NW USA. It was certainly Winter - around -20C outside when I saw them !

Edited November 15, 2022 by sidewinder

[danasgoodstuff]

4 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Strangely enough, the only time I can recall seeing Art Farmer play he was in a Big Band lineup with James Moody. Never saw him on any of his UK tours, which is a shame.

Last time I saw Moody was around 2006 at Northsea and he was playing great, part of a big band lineup conducted by Slide Hampton. Shame that Slide wasn’t also playing.

I would agree with that. The Blue Note albums are excellent but live, that band could really smoke. Victor Lewis on drums a major factor in that I think. As I recall it, this was also a hard working band on stage.

If you saw them in Portland, was it around 1992/3? They would have been touring Western Canada/NW USA. It was certainly Winter - around -20C outside when I saw them !

Saw them twice in the Twin Cities '89-91.

[Peter Friedman]

I saw James Moody with Dizzy Gillespie Quintet in a club in Toronto back many decades ago. Also saw Moody leading his own quartet at the Telluride Jazz Party.

Saw Art Farmer leading his quintet at the Vail,CO Jazz Party in 1997

[Gheorghe]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:24 PM, Peter Friedman said:

I saw James Moody with Dizzy Gillespie Quintet in a club in Toronto back many decades ago. Also saw Moody leading his own quartet at the Telluride Jazz Party.

Saw Art Farmer leading his quintet at the Vail,CO Jazz Party in 1997

James Moody, one of the most significant tenor players with Diz in the bebop-years, occasionally returned to his former boss on several occasions, mostly in the 80´s. I remember a reunion of Diz with Moody and Milt Jackson in 1981. And I think on his 70 year´s birthday-big band of All Stars it was also Moody on sax and flute. He even had a solo spot doing his vocal on "Moody´s Mood for Love"....

[HutchFan]

My posts for last week:

- Mal Waldron Quintet - Crowd Scene (Soul Note, 1992)
- The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet - Reunion (Soul Note, 1991)
- Charlie Haden with Paul Bley and Paul Motian - The Montreal Tapes (Verve, 1994)

 

It was difficult for me to choose between three Waldron releases, all on Soul Note: What It Is (rec. 1981, with Clifford Jordan), The Seagulls of Kristiansund (rec. 1986, with Woody Shaw & Charlie Rouse), and Crowd Scene (rec. 1989, with Sonny Fortune & Ricky Ford).  In the end, I couldn't resist the the smoking two-sax front-line of Fortune & Ford -- but all three of these are five-star records, IMO.  One note: I'd already addressed Waldron's collaborations with Steve Lacy earlier in the survey with At The Bimhuis 1982 (Daybreak, 2006).

From this listener's perspective, the 70s and 80s were Waldron's most productive years.

 

[Chuck Nessa]

2 hours ago, HutchFan said:

It was difficult for me to choose between three Waldron releases, all on Soul Note: What It Is (rec. 1981, with Clifford Jordan), The Seagulls of Kristiansund (rec. 1986, with Woody Shaw & Charlie Rouse), and Crowd Scene (rec. 1989, with Sonny Fortune & Ricky Ford).  In the end, I couldn't resist the the smoking two-sax front-line of Fortune & Ford -- but all three of these are five-star records, IMO.  One note: I'd already addressed Waldron's collaborations with Steve Lacy earlier in the survey with At The Bimhuis 1982 (Daybreak, 2006).

From this listener's perspective, the 70s and 80s were Waldron's most productive years.

 

This excludes one masterpiece "The Quest" and probably "Moods".

[HutchFan]

9 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

This excludes one masterpiece "The Quest" and probably "Moods".

I agree that both of those are amazing Mal Waldron records.  But neither of them were recorded in the 1980s.  And this blog project is limited to that decade.  That's why I didn't consider them.

 

[Chuck Nessa]

Forgot this was time limited. Silly me. I just read the post and reacted. My favorite decade is 1923-2023.

 

[HutchFan]

3 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

My favorite decade is 1923-2023.

That's a very good decade, indeed.   

 

[HutchFan]

My entries for this week:

- Stanley Cowell Trio - Sienna (SteepleChase, 1989)
- Cassandra Wilson - Jumpworld (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1990) - with Steve Coleman, Greg Osby & Gary Thomas
- Donald Brown - Sources of Inspiration (Muse, 1990) - with Gary Bartz & Eddie Henderson

 

[mjazzg]

Nice to see 'Jumpworld' on there. It made a big impression on my early Jazz listening when I was hoovering all things M-Base and JMT, although I think 'Days Aweigh' ifs stronger. I must listen to them both again.

Of the other two, I don't know the Cowell but need to rectify that. The Brown I only bought recently, nice enough but didn't make a huge impression.