All that Jazz (1 Viewer)

[Jim Daniels]

I've recently re-read a great book called Ghostwritten by David Mitchell.
One of the stories was based in a Jazz specialist shop in Tokyo and was beautifully written. It wasn't specifically about Jazz itself but he mentioned certain songs/ artists etc and it made the music seem wonderful, beautiful, moving and at time pure bonkers funky.

I've never really given Jazz a chance but really have to now.

Where to start though?
He mentioned stuff like Mal Waldron, Duke Pearson, Duke Ellington as well as the bigger players.

Anybody any suggestions?!
Thanks!

 

[Latex lizzie]

Phew tall order..depends on what you what to hear..the afformentioned stuff is more of a "big band " sound. I prefer the free jazz stuff , and smaller groups of musicians..archie shep, john coltrane, some of miles davis stuff ..there is so much stuff there..

 

[Latex lizzie]

Phew tall order..depends on what you what to hear..the afformentioned stuff is more of a "big band " sound. I prefer the free jazz stuff , and smaller groups of musicians..archie shep, john coltrane, some of miles davis stuff ..there is so much stuff there..

maybe before you start buying records ..there are two good clubs for live jazz..Boom Boom room off O' connell St. Do some deadly stuff and there is an excellent free jazz night(€4) in the international on tuesday night..they play a few standards the odd time too. THe d.j's in lazybird usually come up with some nice jazz on sunday nights too...

 

[Donkey OJ]

charles mingus is currently rocking my world. miles davis - kind of blue is an excellent introduction to jazz (it was for me).

 

[nEiLo]

mingus! "ah um" and "the black saint and the sinner lady" are brilliant. not easy listening though.

i think "kind of blue" is really dull.

 

[Donkey OJ]

mingus! "ah um" and "the black saint and the sinner lady" are brilliant. not easy listening though.

i think "kind of blue" is really dull.

or haitian fight song. 12 minutes of chaos
nah. i really like kinda blue. not as lively as mingus but very laid back, excellent sunday morning / late night music.

 

[Latex lizzie]

mingus! "ah um" and "the black saint and the sinner lady" are brilliant. not easy listening though.

i think "kind of blue" is really dull.

I think you're really dull.

 

[shidheat]

People usually recommend

Miles Davis - Kind of blue
John Coltrane - A love supreme

These got me into jazz and I love them both. Some of my favourites are...

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchinanda
Max Roach - Members don't git weary
Miles Davis - In a silent way, Sketches of Spain
John Coltrane - Crescent

All the above is post 1959 and may not be the same sort of thing talked about in that book. I only know Duke Ellington of the stuff you mentioned. I got a great LP the other day by him, live at the Newport jazz festival 1956.

 

[Latex lizzie]

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchinanda


brilliant record.

 

[cyclotron]

Check any of these out - all pretty easy on the ear stuff and totally brilliant stuff -

Thelonius Monk - Genius of Modern Music vols 1 & 2
Sonny Rollins - Saxaphone Colossus
Yusuf Lateef - Eastern Sounds
John Coltrane - Giant Steps/Crescent
John Coltrane & Duke Ellington LP
Miles Davis - In a Silent Way
Best of Blue Note Vol. 1 /2 (Essential comps. with many jazz *faves*)
Lester Young, Charlie Parker anthologies
Charlie Mingus - Blues and Roots

 

[Jim Daniels]

Thanks for the suggestions folks! I know its a tall order!
Must try out some of those records and that club.

I got some free cds with recent Sunday Tribunes which were pretty good although probably standard fare (Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong etc)

For some reason, I like the stuff that sounds like it was recorded in a hip, smoky joint back in the forties, with glasses and beer bottles clinking in the backround. Don't think I'd bee into the bonkers stuff.

Also, saw that Jerry Maguire film recently and the nerd guy gave ol Jerry what sounded like a great Jazz cassette, to be used while he was getting down with whats-her-face.....

 

[Rogue]

Many of the above +

Harbie hancock - Sextant, and maybe Maiden Voyage

 

[ddmurph]

since you mentioned duke ellington, money jungle by ellington, mingus and max roach is amazing.

 

[P. Littbarski]

Miles Davies - Bitches Brew...I love this album.
It's nuts...they get a rythmn going, which falls apart, then rebuilds, then falls apart, then rebuilds and so on and so forth.

I also like A love Supreme by John Coltrane which is his homage to God.

Some of Charlie Parker's* stuff is pretty good too. I thought Bird, about Charlie Parkers life and directed by Clint Eastwood, was an excellent film and it's well worth checking out.

* I love that line from one of the Muppets albums when Zoot, about to play a terrible sax 'piece' says "Forgive me Charlie Parker wherever you are"

 

[guy of the tiger]

bitches brew is rad.

also, for some old-fogey style swing jazz Dutch Swing college band are good.

http://www.dscband.nl/


(looks naff, I know!)

 

[Jim Daniels]

also, for some old-fogey style swing jazz Dutch Swing college band are good.
http://www.dscband.nl/
(looks naff, I know!)

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Now thats funny!
Swing Jazz though, I like the sound of that!

Question: Does Jazz with vocals not really cut it for most Jazz Heads?
Like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker etc?

 

[cyclotron]

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Now thats funny!
Swing Jazz though, I like the sound of that!

Question: Does Jazz with vocals not really cut it for most Jazz Heads?
Like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker etc?

I thought Chet Baker's voice was great for a while and then after a while, you get the impression that he's reading the newspaper while he's doing the vocals or something...completely robotic.

Annie Ross is fantastic - she used to memorise sax solos and fill the notes with lyrics...amazing style.

Can't help you with Ella/Billie.... but what I've heard didn't do much for me

Woman that sings with Sonny Sharrock is amazing...
Also, Leon Thomas sings some great stuff with Pharoah Sanders.

 

[Jim Daniels]

I thought Chet Baker's voice was great for a while and then after a while, you get the impression that he's reading the newspaper while he's doing the vocals or something...completely robotic.

Annie Ross is fantastic - she used to memorise sax solos and fill the notes with lyrics...amazing style.

Can't help you with Ella/Billie.... but what I've heard didn't do much for me

Woman that sings with Sonny Sharrock is amazing...
Also, Leon Thomas sings some great stuff with Pharoah Sanders.

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Wow, I've so much to learn!!

Somebody here told me that if Bjork was born in the thirties/forties and lived in the States, she could have ended up being one of the Jazz greats.
But that might be just one of those daft things people tend to say on Wednesdays

 

[shidheat]

In terms of singers, I like Dinah Washington, although some of her stuff would remind you of a dull black and white afternoon matinee on RTE1 when you were stuck in bored out of your mind as a child. I can watch those things now. Anyway, she had an incredible voice.

There's an amazing movie called 'Jazz on a summers day'. It was a once off entry into film making by a guy called Bert Stern, who's a photographer primarily. You can get it on DVD. It covers the Newport jazz festival 1958. It has Dinah Washington on it, also Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Chico Hamilton, Jerry Mulligan, Mahlia Jackson, Maybelle Smith etc. Great footage and it's really well shot and edited. I got it a while back and I was really buzzing after watching it. It's a great introduction on its own. Oh and the music is really special on this too...

 

[ddmurph]

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Wow, I've so much to learn!!

Somebody here told me that if Bjork was born in the thirties/forties and lived in the States, she could have ended up being one of the Jazz greats.
But that might be just one of those daft things people tend to say on Wednesdays

she's got an album of icelandic jazz standards called gling glo (released years before debut). it's not as good as her later stuff obviously but it's interesting enough all the same.