Albums That All Humans Should Own #3

As I said in an earlier post (Dec. 20, 2009, which is why I am being brief here), my number three pick is the best-selling jazz album for good reason.

'Kind Of Blue' (1959) by Miles Davis is my third pick of essential albums that all humans should own.

The music is incredible and it may be the  biggest all-star line-up to ever record together and surely this list of names will have you wanting this album:

• Miles Davis, trumpet.
• John Coltrane, tenor sax.
• Cannonball Adderley, alto sax.
• Bill Evans (and sometimes Wynton Kelly), piano.
• My man Paul Chambers, bass.
• Jimmy Cobb, drums.

It's a superb disc. I can't think of a bad thing about it. It's beyond essential. As much as I love my picks #1 and #2, if you were only going to own one jazz album, I suggest this one.

Albums That All Humans Should Own #1 & 2

Here we go, my friends. I am going to begin giving some essential albums picks so you too can enjoy the wonderful world of jazz.

On a weekend in 1961 The Bill Evans Trio played the Village Vanguard in New York City. The group had been together for a few years but this was the first time that they had been recorded with top-notch equipment.  The three men (including Scott LeFaro, bass, and Paul Motian, drums) had a interesting take on what a piano trio should be: they didn't want it to be a piano trio at all. The bass and drummer were not there simply to support the piano; all three musicians were equal.  Sure, the group had Bill Evans' name, but he was a star after his role in Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue'. The three men play together beautifully.  It is the sort of music that you can keep in constant rotation over the course of the day and create a gorgeous soundtrack.

My wife did this when she was pregnant and at home. Perhaps that's why our babies are so happy and mellow.

The trick is what specific album to buy... The weekend's performance (5 sets worth) was released on a few different albums.  You can get the entire performance on a three disc set 'The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961'. I think most people don't need that set (do you need 3 takes of All of You and two takes of Alice in Wonderland, Detour Ahead, Gloria's Step, Jade Visions, My Romance and Waltz For Debby? If you do, I understand completely) but why not save a few dollars and pick up the albums 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' and 'Waltz For Debby'.

If you are trying to decide which one to get first, may I suggest you choose 'Waltz For Debby' since it has the stunningly gorgeous Some Other Time. Just listen to that incredible song! Does it have you rushing out to buy it right now? I thought so. I would love to know what Paul Chamber's thought of LeFaro's work.

'Waltz For Debby' (1961) and 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' (1961) are my first and second picks of essential albums that all humans should own.

A sad note: these recording are all the more special because Scott LeFaro died in a car accident a couple of weeks after they were recorded.

He is woefully under-recorded and few aficionados doubt that he would have become a major force in jazz. His playing is unique. He spends much of his time high up on the neck of his bass creating captivating melodies and rhythms that help make this Trio so unique in jazz. Some say that Bill Evans never got over the loss, and even suggest that though he recorded voluminously  until his death in 1980, he never again achieved the transcendent quality on display on that day. I have listened to a lot of Bill Evans and have never heard an album that has me arguing against that statement.

What's Spinning Today

Hank Mobley's 'Curtain Call'. If you have been reading along, my friends, than you know that I have a fondness for Hank Mobley. His tone is so rich and those Blue Note albums sound so good. Hard to believe the recording quality that they were getting back in 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Blue Note head Alfred Lion had such high standards that he didn't release this album and it wasn't available until the mid-1980s! Perhaps my ears aren't as well-tuned as Mr. Lion's, but this album is a welcome addition to my Mobley collection.  Kenny Dorham is on trumpet and the two had played together a great deal and their familiarity and interplay helps make this album.

Perhaps if you are going to build your own Mobley collection you should defer to Mr. Lion (who knows what he is talking about since I have mentioned more than once that Blue Note is the greatest) and start with a different Mobley.  I would recommend 'Soul Station' or 'No Room For Squares' (one of my favourite titles ever, and one of my favourite album covers. I love Blue Note!).

It is a mellow evening here on the 20th floor. Babies are sleeping and The Jimmy Giuffre 3's delightful 'The Easy Way' is lulling me to a state of complete contentment.

What's Spinning Today

Monk, Monk, Monk.

He is on my mind a lot lately as I am reading the excellent new bio (Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.G. Kelley) so I put on my Monk playlist which contains a dozen or so albums.  If you don't know Monk, do yourself a favour and learn.

I would help steer you in the right direction,as he did record an awful lot, some of it better than others, but I have a little girl in my arms and her patience is waning.

The Theme

Babies are asleep.
Malay Chicken in Coconut Milk is in the oven.

Paul Chambers is setting the mood with The Theme which he probably played every night when he was with the Miles Davis Quintet, (which had the stellar line-up rounded out by John Coltrane tenor, Red Garland piano and Philly Jo Jones drums).

[My wife didn't enjoy the track that was on previously: Charles Tolliver's attacking brilliance demonstrated on Impact. Hit it certainly does.  The electric bass has me playing this track several times a day in between the gentle tones of Walt Dickerson, of To My Queen fame. More on Charles Tolliver's in a later post, my friends.]

Just before dinner was prepared I read about Mr. Chambers in the new Monk biography, stating that when Monk first met Mr. Chambers through Coltrane:

Chambers was jazz's golden child... and Down Beat critics were about to anoint him 'New Star' on bass...

 I knew my faith in him was well placed.

Ahh, the basmati is ready.  Good night for now. Let's allow Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else to lead us to dinner.

What's Spinning Today

I was taking the babies for a walk this afternoon and it was a lovely winter day - just a bit below zero - and all the sidewalks cleared to make room for my twin stroller. I had spent a happy day with the babies and they were in joyous moods: they let me know they were done their afternoon nap by laughing together.  I went into their room and they were as close as they could get, being that they were in separate cribs, and were smiling at one another.  Wow. Fatherhood really is something special.

So there I was walking with this buoyant heart and I put on Walt Dickerson's song To My Queen, a 17 minute song he wrote for his wife. I am not the biggest fan of the vibraphone, but in the hands of the master, those notes sing like bells. It doesn't hurt that he is backed up by Andrew Hill, one of the finest piano players of the 60s, who plays with a superb touch on this piece, as does bassist George Tucker (he has a great solo!) and drummer Andrew Cyrille keeps things moving and drops bombs now and again to keep things from getting too sleepy.

The song really does ooze love.

Okay, anyone reading this with an eye for design, feel free to groan about the album cover (worst font ever) but look how happy Mrs. Dickerson looks!

I was filled with such optimism as the music played and the mood continues as I sit here and write this. The babies have been fed dinner and are talking to each other in their eight month language before falling to sleep.

My back is bit sore, I am pretty tired, and I have yet to make dinner, and I know there are wars all over the world and the economy is still in recession and here in Canada we have a Prime Minister that is playing fast and loose with ethics to hell with good governance, yet.... at this moment as I type this I am once again listening to the gorgeous To My Queen and I can't help thinking that the world truly is a wonderful place and we human beings are capable of acts (and of creating music) of incredible beauty.

The Birth of Louis Armstrong = The Birth of Jazz

It would be easy to write a few thousand words about Louis Armstrong, about how he was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century both as a trumpeter and as a singer.  Not only did he take jazz from its infancy and create a new structure (which can be heard on the collection Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man which does not have a terribly original title, though I promise you the music is tops) but he also revolutionized pop vocals and everyone on the Top 40 owes the man a debt, though I doubt many of them realize that.

I want to talk about one brief point since I have little time; the babies are stirring from their morning nap as I write this.

It is said that Louis Armstrong was born in a New Orleans brothel.  Do you think this is true, or is it simply part of jazz mythology?  Doesn't it seem a bit too perfect that the father of jazz should be born in such a place?

Bassists Get No Respect: a discussion continues

My man Paul Chambers backs up the argument I made on December 29, 2009 (the quotes are from Downbeat, Jan. 11, 1956):

"If a bassist is capable of playing a solo, he should be given a chance to."

 Well put, Mr, Chambers!  Not only was he an adept soloist, he was interested in expanding the limits of the double-bass in a jazz context:

"The reason why the bass isn't as dominant  as other instruments is that bassists don't get the chance to explore... Once a bassist's duties in accompanying a horn are over, the bass should have a chance to speak."

At this moment I am listening to his intro to Big Paul from the Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane album recorded for Prestige in 1958.  Magic!

Hank Mobley - my dark secret comes out!

I show my wife the cover to Hank Mobley's 'Thinking of Home', another great one from Blue Note. (They put out a book of their covers and I am kicking myself for not buying it.)

She says to the babies -I think your dad has a man-crush on Hank Mobley.

Not denying the man-crush since he is one of my favourite sax players, I add -And it's got Woody Shaw on trumpet!

-All you need is your guy on bass...

(She means Paul Chambers, which you would know if you've been reading along.)  -This has someone named Mickey Bass on bass. I've never heard of him.

We feed the babies their dinner and put them to bed. Another lovely day of marital bliss, babies and jazz

What's Spinning Today

The highlights of the day are two albums by artists that have recorded together (way back in the late 40's I believe... more research to come...)

The first is an alto saxophonist of whom I am eager to become more familiar. His music is energizing and his tone is crisp and clear and reminds me of an upbeat Paul Desmond.

'Smack Up' by the Art Pepper Quintet is highly recommended.

As I first picked up this disc I wondered if the title was a reference to heroin (truly a plague in jazz) and upon doing some research it was revealed that Art Pepper was indeed hooked and shortly after this album was released would serve time in prison for drug offenses.

How many jazz careers were cut short by junk? More than I care to think about. Certainly a somber topic for another post.

But let's remain joyous here and enjoy this fabulous collection of tunes. The title track is very strong, Las Cuevas De Mario is delightful as is How Can You Lose.  I love this album, even the two bonus tracks (two versions of the rollicking toe-tapping Solid Citizens) and it is certainly going to remain in heavy rotation here on the 20th floor for some time to come.

The second album is a live album by the late great Charles Mingus 'Mingus at the Bohemia'. As you can guess from the title of this blog, I am a huge Mingus fan. He put out several fabulous live albums over the  years and this one ranks up there with any of them. (The cover art is also fabulous!)  His basswork is spectacular as always, but it is his compositions that stand out. Who cannot marvel at Jump Monk or Work Song?  I feel fortunate to be listening to the extended tracks of this live gig that were collected on Mingus' 'The Complete Debut Recordings' which I found in a used CD shop in Toronto a couple of years ago and continue to pour over like a archeologist tinkering with Roman gold artifacts.

Though few jazz aficionados would dare argue that there is another bassist that rivals Mingus, I would go so far as to say that there are few composers that are his equal. Do you disagree?  Honestly?

The babies are waking up from their midday nap so, my friends, I will stop writing for now.  What jazz shall I introduce them to this afternoon?

Did You Know, #2

While the trumpet is an ancient instrument going back millennia, the saxophone is very recent - invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian, in 1841.

[Was this the best thing to ever come out of Belgium?

-What about the beer? I hear you ask, and fair enough.

Can we agree that it is the second best thing to ever come out of Belgium?]