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

Tell me more about it!

Don Cherry - Symphony for Improvisers [Have it but haven't listened to it in a long long time]
Joe Henderson - In Japan [never heard it]
Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk [awesome]
Thelonious Monk - Underground [awesome]
Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - The Eleventh Hour [haven't heard it; not a Parker fan generally]
Sun Ra - Concert for the Comet Kohoutek [haven't heard it; have expressed myself on Ra upthread]
Cecil Taylor - Conquistador! [love love love this album; much better than Unit Structures]
Cecil Taylor - Dark to Themselves [awesome but forbidding - a single 65-minute piece; band includes David S. Ware]
John Zorn - Elegy [haven't heard it]
John Zorn - Angelus Novus [haven't heard it]

You should listen to Cherry's Symphony for Improvisers tonight and report back.

(Thanks, btw!)

Joe Henderson - In Japan

this is ok. i tend to lose my shit over joe henderson in general, really heady stuff that makes you want to listen hard to his playing and how he interacts with the band, but he doesn't do it so much on this record. iirc he was flown in and playing with a group he didn't really know. they acquit themselves well, but it's not exactly telepathic communication.

Joe Henderson - In Japan has one track that I think is amazing -- Junk Blues -- and the rest is just ok.

Actually maybe not AMAZING, but a very good high-speed modal blowout with some pretty excellent playing from a Japanese rhythm section I had never previously heard of.

Sun Ra - Concert for the Comet Kohoutek

Not really crazy about this one, and I'm a Sun Ra fan (though a picky one). The possibly unintentionally sped up version of "Englightenment" (one of the musicians has reportedly said he cannot play that fast, after hearing this recording--I forget the source for that) is worth hearing at least. It's among Sun Ra's more depressing recordings, due to the content of some of the spoken word. I suppose the transcendent stuff is supposed to come in at the end and come to the rescue, but unfortunately: "This is not life! This is not life! This is DEATH! disguised as life. . ." feels too true for me much of the time. It's been a while since I've heard this album. Not sure what I'd think now.

Picked these up confidently, for starters:

Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk
Thelonious Monk - Underground
Cecil Taylor - Conquistador!

Bought these to kick off my exposure to Henderson/Parker/Zorn, though I'm not sure if I'll like all of 'em (especially Zorn from what I've heard about his aesthetic/style/etc.):

Joe Henderson - In Japan
Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - The Eleventh Hour
John Zorn - Elegy
John Zorn - Angelus Novus

Wanted to get this, but decided to wait for the remastered version to come around:

Don Cherry - Symphony for Improvisers

Held off for now:

Sun Ra - Concert for the Comet Kohoutek
Cecil Taylor - Dark to Themselves

Not sure the Electroacoustic Ensemble stuff is the place to start with Parker, it's good but somewhat of a byway in his huge discography. If you like Stetson then you'd be better off going for one of Parker's solo sax recordings like The Snake Decides or Conic Sections. My favourite Parker line-up would be his trio with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton, they've done a number of albums of which At the Vortex (1996) is my favourite. Also key: his trio with Alex von Schlippenbach and Paul Lovens, of which Winterreise comes recommended.

Thanks, I'll keep all of that in mind. This is actually (as far as I can recall) the first Parker disc I've come across in the used bins... oftentimes I just take what I can get when it comes along. :)

Actually now I come to think of it Ken Vandermark would be another name to conjure with, he doesn't often play solo but he's a more visceral, less abstract player than Parker and thus might appeal more to the Stetson-lover in you. Like all these guys he has a voluminous discography with vast numbers of shifting and ad hoc line-ups. One that I'm particularly fond of would be his duo with Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, they put out a breathtaking pair of CDs last year called Chicago Volume and Milwaukee Volume.

conic sections is the shit! really easy to lose yourself in that one.

Thelonious Monk - Underground [awesome]

hmmm, really? out of the twenty or so Monks i've heard/own, that is the ONLY one that hasn't impressed. something about that band is just not right to me and it never takes off

xposts

Not sure the Electroacoustic Ensemble stuff is the place to start with Parker, it's good but somewhat of a byway in his huge discography.

Chiming in to say you're totally right. The Electro-Acoustic Ensemble stuff hasn't clicked at all yet, a couple plays in. The best way I can describe it is that I've found lots of jazz where I can't believe the kind of stuff that comes out of just one player at times: like, I'll listen to Ornette or someone and think, how does ONE MAN do all that?? With Parker's 11-man ensemble, I'd hoped it would sound like a BIG group, where I could hear each person contributing to the overall pieces... but honestly, it just sounds like one or two guys fucking around with some electronics.

Also haven't clicked with Zorn's Elegy or Angelus Novus at all... zzzzzzz, back to the record bins they go. Gonna swap out for some more interesting jazz (or maybe just that Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro reissue...).

Thelonious Monk - Underground (awesome)

hmmm, really? out of the twenty or so Monks i've heard/own, that is the ONLY one that hasn't impressed. something about that band is just not right to me and it never takes off

xposts

― KC & the sunshine banned (outdoor_miner), Saturday, March 5, 2011 2:00 PM Bookmark

Yeah, but it has Green Chimneys. Also perhaps the greatest jazz liner notes ever.

you should check out some of the Masada stuff if you get a chance

I shared this in the Capital Swamp thread, but wanted to make sure ilxor saw it too. This has been on repeat for me the last two days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6DA2VrxB4

So Pharoah Sanders played a free lunch time concert at Howard University last week. Unfortunately I was out of town. Pains me to have missed it. Also look for a beautiful rendition of Coltrane's "Naimi" from the same account.

Man, I have GOT to get a copy of Karma!

I listened to Wynton Marsalis's Black Codes (From The Underground) for the first time this week.

Sanders' Impulse Years sampler has the full length "Creator" on it too, if that's easier to find.

Sounds like I should check out the Capital Swamp thread. Will check out the video tonight. Thanks!!

Karma can be had at fair prices on Amazon/eBay used, btw.

Picked up a few of those Impulse! Story compilations the other day. Found 'em cheap for John and Alice Coltrane (each individually) as well as Archie Shepp. Pretty basic, single-disc overview of each.

i like black codes. have you read that Do the Math interview with Wynton where they break down some of the playing on Live at Blues Alley?

btw that reminds me ilxor, you should hear my favorite jazz record of the '90s (and all-time classic), kenny garrett's songbook. great, accessible melodies with amazing playing by kenny kirkland, eric revis, and jeff "tain" watts (all musicians associated with branford and wynton at one time).

ive been meaning to check that out can u hook me up J?

yeah, i'll try and rip it this weekend

Ashley Kahn's book on Impulse! is currently $2.94 at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/House-That-Trane-Built-Impulse/dp/0393330710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300222272&sr=1-1

What a steal! I'm reading his book on A Love Supreme right now and it's excellent.

Picked up today the following slabs of vinyl today:
Pharoah Sanders "Jewels Of Thought" (my first Pharoah solo!)
Freddie Hubbard "The Artistry Of..."
Sonny Rollins "...On Impulse!"

I can't resist those lovely black and orange spines...

Oh man, I totally scan for black and orange spines in the used CD bins now...

Ashley Kahn's book on Impulse! is currently $2.94 at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/House-That-Trane-Built-Impulse/dp/0393330710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300222272&sr=1-1

I won that book in a WKCR call-in. I think it was because I knew that Impulse had put out a Genesis record.

It's interesting how much more jazz labels are "brands" than their rock counterpart. I totally associate the big jazz labels with certain approaches and sounds (especially because they tended to use the same studio and the same producers) and the label plays a big role in my decision to buy certain records.

I had to google; had no idea "Trespass" was originally issued on Impulse!

xp - Lots of rock labels function as "brands" in the way you suggest though maybe not the biggest ones (which aren't really rock labels in any interesting sense).

Alright folks, I'll admit my jazz listening has been on the back-burner lately. But I've amassed a few dozen albums (mostly touched on in this thread) and am working my way through them all. Lots of great stuff, most recently Cecil Taylor's Conquistador! -- unsure where this album has been all my life, as it's completely amazing.

Anyway, a fuck-ton of Sun Ra just appeared in the used bins this week at a local shop. Remind me again what's best, please. These are all priced $9 apiece or so, and I can't afford all of them... maybe three or so, for now.

I'm tempted to just go chronologically. Should I skip ahead? Are there more definitive reissues of any of these, or are the Evidence CD issues the best thing out there? Also, are any of these particularly tough to find and I should buy immediately, lest I never see them again?

Album Title (Label; Original Issue Year/Reissue Year)

Super-Sonic Jazz (Evidence; 1957/1992)
Jazz in Silhouette (Evidence; 1959/1992)
Angels and Demons at Play / The Nubians of Plutonia (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Fate in a Pleasant Mood / When Sun Comes Out (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Other Planes of There (Evidence; 1966/1992)
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy / Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (Evidence; 1967/1992)
We Travel the Spaceways / Bad and Beautiful (Evidence; 1967/1992)
Nothing Is... (ESP-Disk; 1970/2005)
My Brother the Wind Volume II (Evidence; 1971/1992)
Hours After (Black Saint; 1990)
At the Village Vanguard (Rounder; 1993)

Really tempted to just buy all the Evidence reissues. But my wallet would suffer.

Definitely go for Jazz in Silhouette (best earlyish example of his big-band composition/arranging), Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy (LOTS of fun with tape delay), and Other Planes Of There (the father of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick plays a devastating baritone solo on "Pleasure")

Thanks. I do love me some tape delay.

Are any of those Evidence discs just not very good, by Sun Ra standards, or should I get 'em all eventually?

been meaning to ask on this thread: I have some Monk stuff, know his standards, have seen Straight No Chaser, I "get" his style, etc. - but I am at a loss as to what are considered canonical albums by him. his catalog seems like a bit of jumble, with no real standout as THE peak or whatever. any thoughts?

Are any of those Evidence discs just not very good, by Sun Ra standards, or should I get 'em all eventually?

All the Evidences are ace, but there is a little repetition/overlap. For instance, "Aicient Aiethiopia" on Silhouette is on one other Evidence, but I forget which one. My Brother The Wind II has lots of Moogness, but two of the best-ever Evidences are When Angels Speak Of Love (more tape delay, but this time with a screaming bass clarinet) and The Magic City. The latter in particular has some incredible large-group playing, pretty much the standard for all such work he'd do later.

Monk stuff you need:

Genius Of Modern Music Vols. 1 & 2, Brilliant Corners, Monk's Music, and 5 By Monk By 5 are all essential from the early years. Lots of people think his Columbia albums of the 1960s are less essential, but I disagree, so from that period you should hear Monk's Dream, Criss-Cross, Monk., It's Monk's Time, Underground and Straight No Chaser (note: not the movie soundtrack, the album itself).

Note: all of the above are studio recordings. Once you're done with that, dig through the live records - I recommend Misterioso, Thelonious In Action, Monk In Tokyo and Live At The Jazz Workshop.

Angels and Demons at Play / The Nubians of Plutonia (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Fate in a Pleasant Mood / When Sun Comes Out (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy / Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (Evidence; 1967/1992)
We Travel the Spaceways / Bad and Beautiful (Evidence; 1967/1992)
Nothing Is... (ESP-Disk; 1970/2005)

I have these on LP, they're all great

My pick of those Sun Ra CDs would be:

Angels and Demons at Play / The Nubians of Plutonia (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Fate in a Pleasant Mood / When Sun Comes Out (Evidence; 1965/1993)
Other Planes of There (Evidence; 1966/1992)
Nothing Is... (ESP-Disk; 1970/2005) [Although keep in mind that this live recording was reissued recently in more complete form, so if you are paying $9 for this and find you like it, you may regret not holding out for the more recent College Tour Recordings or whatever the title of the more extensive version is.]

Others I like but not as much:

Super-Sonic Jazz (Evidence; 1957/1992)[These two are just a little too early/hard bop for me]
Jazz in Silhouette (Evidence; 1959/1992)
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy / Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (Evidence; 1967/1992) [This is worth hearing, but I honestly haven't found myself going back to it much over the years]
My Brother the Wind Volume II (Evidence; 1971/1992) [Some cool stuff, but kind of a skimpy set overall]

I always forget what this sounds like, but I think it's non-essential:

We Travel the Spaceways / Bad and Beautiful (Evidence; 1967/1992)

And lol I had stopped paying attention to this thread but I clicked on it only to find you are talking Sun Ra again.

I've been meaning to update this thread so badly but have been banned for the past month. Anyway, been playing the heck outta some jazz lately, mostly the following, all of which are absolutely killer and 100% essential listening:

Albert Ayler - New Grass
Ornette Coleman - Change of the Century
John Coltrane - Living Space
Joe Henderson - Joe Henderson in Japan
Pharoah Sanders - Thembi
Cecil Taylor - Conquistador!

surprised you think so highly of joe in japan!

never heard that one, though i do dig some 70s henderson.

Yeah Joe in Japan is good in terms of energy but it's a little choppy at times.

this is my fave 70s henderson (and not just because of the excellent cover)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/Flabbergast/hendersoncover.jpg

might i suggest some anthony braxton?
very rarely does it "swing" but you get some super mathy mentalism ( at least on the early stuff before he started plying his "ghost trance music" ethos). also lots of large bass sarrusophones / contrabass clarinet / sax as large as your house business. he hasn't demonstrated "fire" to me very often but nearly always tickles the synapses to a state of delight & has comedy arsequake raspberry noises.
you can get "this time" & "anthony braxton" (or "B-X2NOI47A"as it's sort of otherwise known)on CD for pennies right now, & also "time zones" w/ richard teitelbaum which is him w/ teitelbaum's radiophonic electronics - amazing. "3 compositions of new jazz" is definitely also worth a shot, but after that you're taking your life into your own hands. "donna lee" does swing, but tends to be pricey. Also henry threadgill is worth a shot, particularly "too much sugar for a dime" & "making a move" which employ a 2xtuba bass section with widdly guitars. also "rag bush & all" which you can pick up cheapish on vinyl - kinda new orleans funeral band which to my ears sounds texturally like a zappa dance jam without the widdle. it's what i imagine "harmolodic" things should sound like.

I've never run across Anthony Braxton in the shops here. I have his live collaboration with Wolf Eyes (which is basically a Wolf Eyes set featuring Braxton as a side player). I'll poke around as I shop for the ones you mentioned, though. Thanks!

HOOS: I haven't heard any other Henderson yet, maybe that's why In Japan is so great... I've nothing to compare it to!