Rolling 2011 thread where I buy and listen to jazz albums for the first time ever

The Impressed with Giles Peterson compilations are awesome collections of 60s British stuff. Michael Garrick etc. Awesome.

So...what "Jazz" albums are totally right now, like a live album, especially for someone who never really cared about jazz and wants to make up for lost time? I mean, it's Friday night, no better time for some live jazz!

maybe just watch chris dave trio videos on youtube?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39ZaFT1kA0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ5eduwP-4U

Hmm, in terms of contemporary stuff, there are a lot of good players right now constantly walking the in/out line as I think I've talked about with Jordan. Some names I recommend checking out: Tony Malaby's Tamarindo, Drew Gress, Yeah No, stuff involving Chris Lightcap on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums (including Chris Lightcap's records as a leader), Chad Taylor's Active Ingredients. Actually you might dig the Chicago Underground Trio and Quartet records since they have some noisy/proggy/spacey electronic elements that sort of bleed into other Chicago stuff a little (they share members with Isotope 217/Tortoise)

Actually I'd really recommend starting off with anything that has both William Parker and Hamid Drake on upright bass and drum kit, respectively (though I love the stuff where they play other instruments). They're definitely a key force in the last few decades of jazz and the direction it has taken, and relatively accessible because they're so rhythm-heavy.

Any of the Brad Mehldau Trio at the Vanugard recordings are great, intense and heady listens.

And if Ornette rocks your world, it might be worth your while to check out Albert Ayler.

Good call! I actually saw the Ayler box set on Revenant a few months ago and reaaaaally wanted to pick it up (it was still $80 or so, and I passed). That was one of the aching non-purchases I almost made that's made me feel it's time to try my hand with jazz.

That, and everyone posting on Facebook about their favorite jazz albums... ^_^

Saw an Ayler album tonight: New Grass -- how is it?

Haven't heard New Grass, but the Allmusic writeup intrigues me:

Possibly the most notorious Albert Ayler release and universally misunderstood (i.e., hated) by fans and critics alike. When New Grass was released in 1968 it received a hostile outcry of "sell-out."

The idea of Ayler aiming his uncompromising full-body style into commercial territory suggests a glorious incongruity. Doesn't sound like the best introduction to the man though. I'll rep for Live at the Village Vanguard forever, though I guess Spiritual Unity is his recognised classic album.

Don't go for New Grass as an introduction to Ayler. To hear his early style at its best, get Spiritual Unity. To hear his late style at its best, get Live on the Riviera or Fondation Maeght Nights.

^this^
and when/if you get around to new grass or just in general have interest in the free dudes going pop, Sharrock's 'Paradise' is a super unique listen

I just listened to Paradise last week (because of the Sharrock thread), thought it was excellent. Though I'll keep returning to Black Woman, I guess.

both so good

DAMN! Thanks for those Chris Dave links. Awesome stuff.

this thread kinda rules. never heard of Paradise (will keep an eye out), but Guitar is desrving of a tonna Sonny love. (the best solo guitar record ever?)
never heard new grass or Live at the Village Vanguard either, but spiritual unity, after a dozen of so listens, hasn't ever really "hit" me, unlike Ornette, who never stops.
just throwing my (asshat) preference out there

This thread is great by the way - I've always had a flirting relationship with jazz but in the past couple of years I've been getting more and more into it, and this is helping me fill in lots of gaps.

Also thank you to the free NW library exchange program that has tons of jazz records that just show up at my office within a couple days if I request them - this week I got Journey to Satchidananda, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, and Miles' On The Corner - I've had the complete sessions for that one but not the original record. Also picked up Herbie Hancock's Sextant from Amazon.

I hope this isn't too much of a derail, but where do I go looking for some Chris Dave stuff. Love this video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NLuTeHJarY

On some Robert Glasper stuff maybe?

Just chiming in to say Machine Gun never really did it for me, much as I love so much of what came after it--Zorn, Mats G, Evan Parker (<--- this fucking guy), etc, seem so much more dynamic & textured to me.

That said, I love Brotzmann's Tentet stuff. Even if it is the square Brotzmann to like.

oh yeah, Evan Parker -- Topography of the Lungs

I used to like Brötzmann a lot; these days, not so much. I mostly like him in loud electric contexts like with Last Exit or Full Blast, but some of the late '60s stuff is still pretty hot. Nipples and More Nipples are good and worth checking out.

Happy to take opinions on these records. I don't think I've seen any mentioned in this thread to date (naturally, I'll stop by the record store later this week and pick up the best of the lot):

Derek Bailey - Ballads
Peter Brotzmann - Born Broke
Peter Brotzmann - The Brain of the Dog in Section
Peter Brotzmann - Medicina
Ornette Coleman - The Art of the Improvisers
Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar
Ornette Coleman - Tomorrow Is the Question
John Coltrane - Ole Coltrane
John Coltrane - Stellar Regions
John Coltrane & Don Cherry - The Avant-Garde
Miles Davis - Black Beauty
Miles Davis - 'Round about Midnight
Joe Henderson - Big Band (the title of this one makes me instinctively recoil in terror...)
Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah
Cecil Taylor - Trance

I also saw generic collections, titled The Impulse Years (or The Impulse Story, I forget?), for John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Archie Shepp -- are those worth picking up at some point?

I hope this isn't too much of a derail, but where do I go looking for some Chris Dave stuff.

imo his recordings don't represent how completely ill he is, yet (although he has a solo record coming out soon), but i would check these out:

robert glasper, "double booked" (still haven't dug into this one yet but one of my friends is into it)

kenny garrett, "happy people"

maxwell, "blacksummer's night" (chris dave sounds great on the whole record, lets loose on "help somebody")

he also has some cuts on the last mint condition record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlR1PlNKnJU

Dude, you should just turn on WKCR right now and listen to the Roy Eldridge 100th birthday tribute and you will get quite an education right there.

Happy to take opinions on these records. I don't think I've seen any mentioned in this thread to date (naturally, I'll stop by the record store later this week and pick up the best of the lot):

ornette's sound grammar: recent live album, beautiful sound, mix of his 60s-era approach and some atmospheric violin (played better than he's known to...). Critically acclaimed and highly recommended (if you really like this one, go back for art of improvisers...representative of his Atlantic Records output, but not as exceptional as Change of the Century, or Shape of Jazz to Come, for inst.)

Miles' Black Beauty is HEAVY. Includes some electric funk, infinitely better ensemble playing than Miles at Filmore (the one it gets compared to). Marred a little by unbalanced mix of instruments at times, but definitely sounds like nothing else.

Mingus Oh Yeah. Fantastic. Mingus plays piano on this instead of bass. Lots of barrelhouse piano and shouting. Roland Kirk is also all over it...

Impulse years comps are usually great, if they include guys like Shepp, Tolliver, Tyner...it was an impulse comp that introduced me to Archie Shepp and then to indispensable records like Four for Trane and Fire Music...

Thanks, those all sound great!

John Coltrane & Don Cherry - The Avant-Garde
- this one has always been a little disappointing to me, even tho i love both coltrane and cherry.

How so?

Derek Bailey - Ballads

^ after years of playing free improv, Bailey went back and revisited some jazz standards, so this isn't exactly typical DB, but it is a really good record and maybe a good way into his whole thing.

Joe Henderson - Big Band

really really really great record

but i'm a total joe henderson stan and have japanese bootlegs and stuff so

xpost eh, just doesn't sound very inspired. most of it (all of it?) is made up of ornette compositions, and coltrane doesn't sound very comfortable/sure of himself. not a lot of fireworks betw. the players. more of an interesting experiment than a real success. if you're looking for good stuff from the atlantic era, Ole is a much better bet.

Is that Joe Henderson record actually a big band thing? Usually the words "big band" mean "run for the hills" in my world... but maybe I shouldn't be so hasty.

Duke Ellington had a big band y'know. so did Count Basie.

(no one ever talks about Count Basie anymore, it's kinda sad)

Usually the words "big band" mean "run for the hills" in my world... but maybe I shouldn't be so hasty.

― the new mordant & zingy ilxor persona (ilxor), Monday, January 31, 2011 11:21 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

wtf

big bands are rad. they don't all sound like big bad voodoo daddy.

haha.

I think it was just this album cover that made ilxor run for the hills
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qG7lCvInL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

i remember that record being way heavier on the slow jamz than i expected when i copped it

wtf

― *kl0p* (deej), Monday, January 31, 2011 11:31 AM (4 minutes ago)

Insightful deej post, as always.

I'm just saying, I don't like much of the big band jazz stuff I've heard. Just being honest. And I'm not sure why that's surprising, given that I've started a thread about never having tried to get into jazz until now, and that I've been upfront that I'm approaching the genre from an entirely different angle than, say, deej (for me: tons of psych, kraut, free folk/rock).

^^^^a+ all-time album. swings so, so hard.

xp to atomic mr basie

its like asking for a rock primer & mentioning that you dont like the electric guitar, dude. i think 'wtf' is a fair response

Nah, I didn't say I don't like sax or trumpet or piano. I said I don't generally like what I've heard of the "big band" sound/aesthetic. Reminds me of seeing my high school marching band at a football game. And yes, I know that's insanely RONG, but whatever.

Anyway, there are plenty of rock fans on ILM who don't enjoy, say, the Stones or Beatles. Which is perfectly valid, and a matter of personal taste. Not sure how that's different from getting into jazz but having an aversion to big band stuff (which I'm open to exploring, btw, but have a feeling I won't enjoy as much as some people do).

Btw, I played a Sun Ra record today (first time!) and it was nice but not mindblowing. I'll do a full post/review a bit later once I've had more time to process, and the ILM albums poll shuts down for the day.

Is that Joe Henderson record actually a big band thing? Usually the words "big band" mean "run for the hills" in my world... but maybe I shouldn't be so hasty.

― the new mordant & zingy ilxor persona (ilxor), Monday, 31 January 2011 17:21 (20 minutes ago) Bookmark

its a v modern progressive big band kinda thing, not benny goodman stylee at all--saying this as a dude who owns a lot of benny goodman & basie & krupa etc

Atomic Basie is great but you should also check out some classic Basie with the All-American Rhythm Section- Jo Jones on drums, Freddie Green on guitar and Walter Page on bass, all of whom are revered by players of their respective instruments- they kind of wrote the book on how the jazz rhythm section is supposed to work. They always sound great especially when Lester Young is in the band, especially with Jimmy Rushing ("Mr.Five By Five") on vocals. Actually all I've got on this myself is some old Columbia comps- maybe I'll spring for the Mosaic Basie-Lester Young box.

this is what you want in terms of early basie
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x204/Epicentre_TS/cd_Count_Basie_DeccaRecordings.jpg
but i feel like there might be better sounding versions of these recordings out there? comp was early 90s, i think.

Monk's "Big Band and Quartet in Concert" might be a good place to start, as far as overcoming your aversion to the big band sound, ilxor. Unorthodox charts and typical monk quirkiness keep it from, you know, reminding you too much of Benny Goodman and grammas and grandpas gettin' down...

http://musicoogle.com/uploads/posts/2010-06/1277067856_1e813cf200081.jpeg

typical monk quirkiness

Can you expand on this thought a bit? I haven't listened to a ton of Monk yet, but I played Straight, No Chaser the other day and it sounds pretty, er, straightforward to me, in terms of his piano playing. #wentovermyhead

reminding you too much of Benny Goodman and grammas and grandpas

Listen to at least the first four minutes of this, and tell me what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TLEPQZIVOg

Oh Yeah - fantastic, rowdy, profane, funny, swingin' - my favorite of these

The Avant-Garde - think Tyler covered this, just a near miss record all around, good in theory but not practice.

Stellar Regions - have this but can't remember it, thanks for the reminder. with Alice and Rashied so it's gotta be at least decent.

re: Monk, this from his wiki page sums it up pretty well:

His compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are consistent with Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations.

Certain cats like Monk and Coltrane who were viewed as quirky or far-out at the time by some of their contemporaries are a lot easier to listen to and relate to for non-jazz listeners because they are such strong personalities, composers and band leaders that their stuff doesn't run the risk of falling back into the vast background ocean of jazz. Plus, we have had 50+ years of all kinds of other weird sounds coming at us to take some of the edge off.