The History Book Club discussion

More Ellington, this is from 1970.

Thanks so much.

Alisa wrote: "This just popped into my radar today and judging by the goodreads users ratings and reviews it looks quite interesting. An icon of jazz, hard to imagine this musical genre without his contribution..."


An interview with Teachout about Armstrong.

What a plethora of goodies. I am just starting to sift through this. Thank you, thank you.

Some jazz History via brief video excerpt from 1969 Copenhagen concert: Miles Davis Bitches Brew.

Bitches Brew


This album is considered to be a turning point in modern jazz, the defining moment of Jazz-Rock Fusion.


More Bitches Brew

I have a lot of listening to do tomorrow because of your adds. I will check back then..thank you so much for all of this wonderful material.

Bitches Brew. Do you like it?
I personally prefer the album that led up to it: In A Silent Way
But the cover is marvelous. I once did a story on Marti Karwein, the painter who did the cover (as well as many others, f.e. Santana's Abraxas and Earth, WInd & Fire's Last Days and Time)
It was one of my first jobs as a photographer - Mallorca '87. It's not easy do do portraits of an artist - I don't mean the ones with the artist standing in front of his/her work. I mean real portraits, where you can get a feel for the person/personality - and which the artist likes.
It's always a blend of imagination. The photographer's and the artist's - and great FUN!

Garret wrote: "Some jazz History via brief video excerpt from 1969 Copenhagen concert: Miles Davis Bitches Brew.

http://www.jazzvideocafe.com/?v=YLUJZ...

This album is considered to be a turning point in..."

Thanks Garret, I will have to listen. I own Davis stuff from the mid-60s, but stopped at the jazz-rock fusion years. When I heard this song years ago, it was not my taste, but times change.

I grew to appreciate Mingus.

I just love this recording of Sophie Milman's "Aqua de Beber," and her band is so tight. I've been listening to her this evening and couldn't resist sharing. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVHIjI...

Why thank you Melissa - we appreciate the uplift to our evening too.

I saw Rodrigo y Gabriela in concert a couple of weeks ago, and all I can is: If you ever get the chance to see them, go. Not technically categorized as jazz, but close enough. Here's a taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qgum...

Bentley wrote: "Why thank you Melissa - we appreciate the uplift to our evening too."

Thanks for setting this thread up, Bentley. I've been enjoying the exchange of links, books, etc. Nice to see jazz getting a little attention.

Absolutely and many thanks to Garret for agreeing to help out and keep things percolating. He has a lot of great ideas.

Thank you for your kind words Melissa. Very much appreciated too.

Thanks Melissa,

That was a fun reading of "Água de Beber" ("Water to Drink", a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim (one of the founders of the bossa nova movement), with lyrics written by Vinicius de Moraes. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel.

Your link may be the best, but here are some others:

Jobim
Jobim and Sinatra
Charlie Byrd
composer and lyricist

History of Bossa Nova at ALL About Jazz

Ruy Castro

Garret wrote: "Thanks Melissa,

That was a fun reading of "Água de Beber" ("Water to Drink", a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim (one of the founders of the bossa nova movement), with ..."

Interesting . . . I'm supposing that Jobim's performance tempo is as intended, but the up-tempo version is the one that gets to me, and Sophie's vocals here are stellar. I'm thinking that Frank should have passed on this one. : )

Melissa wrote: "Garret wrote: "Thanks Melissa,

That was a fun reading of "Água de Beber" ("Water to Drink", a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim (one of the founders of the bossa nova mov..."

Melissa,

Apparently Sinatra agreed with you.

"Kill the album. Kill the sucker."

This is supposedly what Sinatra said about the second set of recordings scheduled for release on "Sinatra-Jobim," which contained Aqua de Beber. Some reviewers have commented that he seemed out of his element on these tracks.

Sterophile made the complete sinatra-jobim their recording of the month in July this year.

Garret wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Garret wrote: "Thanks Melissa,

That was a fun reading of "Água de Beber" ("Water to Drink", a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim (one of the founders of th..."

Garret wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Garret wrote: "Thanks Melissa,

That was a fun reading of "Água de Beber" ("Water to Drink", a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim (one of the founders of th..."

No kidding! It's fun to know that Frank agrees with me. :) Bottom line, I think it's a woman's song. Needs the female voice. And so far, Sophie's version is my personal favorite. And you're a font of jazz information. Thanks for taking on this thread.

As everybody knows Wynton Marsalis is a marvelous promoter of Jazz (apart of course from being the fabulous musician that he is!).
Here he is busy doing some serious jam-preaching in Cuba:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/art...
Another nice example of how music can unite.

André wrote: "As everybody knows Wynton Marsalis is a marvelous promoter of Jazz (apart of course from being the fabulous musician that he is!).
Here he is busy doing some serious jam-preaching in Cuba:
http://w..."

Andre -- I meant to tell you I enjoyed this. Wynton Marsalis is a fabulous musician and person.

Melissa wrote: " Wynton Marsalis is a marvelous musician and person ..."

Melissa, he sure is. It's so much fun watching him explain the blues in his music - to students, fans, other musicians. He never sounds like a mister-know-it-all, just very humble, someone who just wants to spread the love (as Michael used to call it...)

The great Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra playing Jerome Richardson's "The Groove Merchant" in 1968

Didn't Thad Jones move to Europe pretty suddenly? I think Europe was more hospitable than America for jazz musicians.

Bryan wrote: "I think Europe was more hospitable than America for jazz musicians."

Especially France, the Netherlands and Scandinavia

Interesting, Andre, thanks. A friend of mine went to France and Switzerland and saw how the big crowds jazz concerts were getting. In America, there are pockets, but many people simply left the genre.

France always had and still has a large Jazz-loving community - not just in Paris and Nice (which at times were sort of Jazz-fan centers with tons of musicians living there)
American musicians and writers lived/live/moved there, as did so many other artists.
Of course the different festivals attract a lot of musicians too. The North Sea Jazz (The Hague), Montreux Jazz, Nice Jazz, Copenhagen Jazz Festival etc.etc.

My friend went to Montreux a few years ago and loved it.
Ah, to live in the 1920s-40s in America where Jazz was on the hit parade...

BeBop in the fifties wasn't bad either... The Montreux thing has turned too much into a pop whatever lately. It used to be a lot better. But like everybody else Claude Nobs is probably just trying to survive...

France loved jazz and the musicians loved France, particularly the African-American musicians who did not encounter the same discribmination abroad that they faced at home.

True, and some writers also "fled" there, f.e. James Baldwin

That is true: a better life, bottom line.

As in Rock, just a quick mention of one of my all time favorite AMerican musicians - combining jazz, rock, blues and country:
The great J.J. Cale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACOWs...

André wrote: "As in Rock, just a quick mention of one of my all time favorite AMerican musicians - combining jazz, rock, blues and country:
The great J.J. Cale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACOWs..."

Poland also has an appreciation of Jazz. There are many really good Jazz musicians from Poland. Many US musicians spend a lot of time in Europe or live there.

Bassist and composer Martin Wind was born in Flensburg, Germany. He earned a diploma as Orchestra Musician at the Music Conservatory in Cologne, Germany while studying with Prof. Wolfgang Guettler, former bassist with the Berlin Philharmonics.

Here is a video

I really should listen to more European musicians. Thanks, Garret.

Lester Young "Sometimes I'm Happy" by the Lester Young Quartet with Johnny Guarnieri, Big Sid Catlett, and Slam Stewart!

Nice post about this recording on Rifftides

Thank you as always Garret for all of your terrific adds.

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Paul Desmond's birthday was last week. Here he is playing Stardust

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Stan Getz plays Blood Count

This is a great site from the Kennedy Arts Center - Washington DC - well worth everybody's time and effort - hope you enjoy.

It is called Jazz in Time and it is an interactive experience with musical links, timeline and much, much more.

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/in...

Thanks!

Miles and Gil play THE DUKE

George Shearing died this week, age 91.



Quintet - Move

George Shearing RIP

Very sad.

My wife and I heard Shearing at Blues Alley (Wash DC) some 25 years ago or so. During a break, we were able to go back to his dressing room, where we conversed with him and his wife for about 10 minutes. Most of our conversation was about albums I had of him (going back to the old days of 10-inch 33 1/3 LPs), and the influences of several classical composers that I heard in his music, including what he had played that evening. Also we talked about the old TV show that he did with Father Norman O'Conner. He and his wife were very pleasant to talk with. He was (IMHO) one of the great jazz pianists, ranking (IMHO) right up there with Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, et al.

Dick wrote: "My wife and I heard Shearing at Blues Alley (Wash DC) some 25 years ago or so. During a break, we were able to go back to his dressing room, where we conversed with him and his wife for about 10 m..."

thanks for sharing that story.

Which classical composers do you hear in his music? I know he has talked about Bach, Stravinsky, and especially Delius.

Frankly, I hadn't noticed Stravinsky, but Bach and Delius are the most noticable. When we talked, he was surprised that I had noticed Delius. I didn't confess that I had heard him discuss that composer with Father O'Connor on those early 1960s TV shows. He has so many ideas running through his music for just a few bars, that I find myself trying to identify that influence when he has already gone on to another phrasing. I sometimes thinks I hear Rachmaninoff, and even Prokofiev.

Great post Dick, in fact the origins of Jazz and some of the folks who influenced Jazz were not simply African American - some were Creole. Some of the Creoles had classical training and background and that background found its way into the roux that made up the gumbo called Jazz.

I just watched Episode One of the Jazz collection produced by Ken Burns. Episode One was called Gumbo.

I took some notes regarding the origins of Jazz and some of its influential early contributors as well as some of the early music which ultimately contributed to the jazz sound and genre. Also I have included some of the tunes that made it into Episode 1 as well as some of acknowledgements to various artists and writers.

Personally, I also love the gumbo from the stove.