Peace is the song of the day.

On the move. Walking south on Rupert to meet Gerald.

Only here to say “Peace” by Steve Turre is the song of the day. Listen and live it brothers and sisters.

yeah, Steve can play the conch. 

A Jazz List from Wynton Marsalis

Some jazz people really hate Wynton Marsalis. I don’t know why. I read an article about a book Marsalis wrote and a blogger wrote that now Marsalis was going to ruin another art form. Wow, lighten up dude. I like that someone is so passionate about jazz, though I’d prefer a more positive take on it.

Regardless about what those negative types might think about the trumpeter, Marsalis knows jazz. It seems he also, like many jazz fans like me, enjoys lists.

It seems that in preparation for an upcoming biopic of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden, Marsalis made a list of essential jazz recordings. I’ve been listening to his selections for the past few days and I’ve been enjoying it a great deal. I've admitted my knowledge of the early days of jazz is spotty, so this list has been an education.There’s some gems there and I’ll add it below and encourage you to dig into it and learn a thing or two.

I like Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis Chooses His Top 50 Essential Jazz Recordings

1. First true intellectual of jazz possessing encyclopedic knowledge on and off the bandstand (to his eternal damnation): Jelly Roll Morton's The Complete Library of Congress Recordings

2. Disarmingly honest and soulful melody: Charles Mingus's “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” Marcus Roberts's “Spiritual Awakening”

3. Manifestation of genius and an unparalleled set of unique achievements (playing, composing, arranging, mentoring): Mary Lou Williams. As a player: “Night Life”; As a composer/arranger: “Walkin' & Swingin’”; As a mentor: “In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee” (Dizzy Gillespie's recording); Composing range: “Scorpio”

4. Profound insight into the true meaning and nature of jazz across time, space and cultural misconceptions: Django Reinhardt's “Minor Swing”

5. A boogaloo church shuffle in a funky 7 – damn!: Eddie Harris's “1974 Blues”

6. Super imaginative integration of European, African, American and Hispanic elements: Machito's “Kenya,” Duke Ellington's “Afro-Bossa”

7. Textbook genius Improvisation: Charlie Parker's “Embraceable You,” Thelonious Monk's “Sophisticated Lady,” John Coltrane's “Crescent”

8. Destination: Soul: Oliver Nelson's “Stolen Moments,” Herbie Hancock's “Tell Me a Bedtime Story,” Duke Ellington's “Blues in Orbit,” Ben Webster and "Sweets" Edison's “Better Go”

9. The Sweetest of Sweet / The Hottest of Hot: Paul Whiteman's “Whispering,” Jean Goldkette's “My Pretty Girl”

10. Supreme ambassador through effusive, ebullient, infectious playing: Errol Garner's “Nightconcert”

11. Extremely sophisticated, yet lyrical melody/harmony combination: Wayne Shorter's “Infant Eyes,” Duke Ellington's “Creole Blues,” Billy Strayhorn's “Lush Life,” Thelonious Monk's “Ask Me Now,” Bill Evans's “Very Early,” Horace Silver's “Peace,” Hermeto Pascoal's “Farol que nos guía todo,” Chick Corea's “Humpty Dumpty”

12. Audience clearly enjoying themselves: Cannonball Adderley Quintet's “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”

13. Textbook study of thematic development in a long-form composition transforming a very basic four note motif into modal jazz, original counterpoint, and a beautiful ballad, while still swinging the whole time: Duke Ellington's “The Tattooed Bride”

14. Otherworldly display of flat-footed improvisational skills: Stan Getz's “I’m Late, I’m Late” from Focus, Louis Armstrong (second cornet) on “King Oliver’s Snake Rag”

15. Deep, deep groove of the Americas: Tito Rodriguez's “Como mi ritmo no hay dos”

16. Sounds of protest and affirmation: Louis Armstrong's “Black and Blue” (1929), Billie Holiday's “Strange Fruit” (1939), Duke Ellington's “Jump for Joy” (1941), Charles Mingus's “Original Faubus Fables” (1959), Max Roach's “Driva Man” (1960), Max Roach's “Triptych: Prayer/Protest/Peace” (1960), Dave Brubeck's “The Real Ambassadors” (1961), John Coltrane's “Alabama” (1963), Nina Simone's “Mississippi Goddam” (1964), Rahsaan Roland Kirk's “Clickety Clack” (1973), Betty Carter's “Bridges" (1992)

17. Making a horn sound exactly like someone singing: "Tricky Sam" Nanton on Duke Ellington’s “Chloe (Song of the Swamp)”

18. Insightful integration of the blues with disparate elements: Dave Brubeck's “Blue Rondo à la Turk”

19. Uncommon psychological complexity while maintaining a lyrical intention: Ornette Coleman's “Peace”

20. Floating over 4/4 swing in a long-meter subdivision of three: Billie Holiday's "Getting Some Fun Out of Life”

21. Trumpets, trumpets, trumpets: Tommy Dorsey's “Well, Git It!"

22. Classic bebop (despite poor recording quality): Charlie Parker's “Ornithology" from One Night in Birdland

23. Harmonically challenging offspring of Thelonious Monk’s “Off Minor”: John Coltrane's “Giant Steps,” Wayne Shorter's “Fee-Fi -Fo-Fum”

24. Commitment to an original and sophisticated conception over time with absolute integrity and seriousness—Steve Coleman from On the Edge of Tomorrow (1986) to Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 1 & 2 (2018) and any other subsequent volumes that demonstrate the same level of belief

25. All-time Baddest MF: Duke Ellington's “Choo Choo" (1924), “Daybreak Express” (1933), “Happy Go Lucky Local” (1947), “Track 360” (1958), and “Loco Madi" (1972)

26. Stunning and invigorating talent: Cécile McLorin Salvant (her choice of songs, compositions and unrepentant seriousness)

27. Unprecedented improvised development with least amount of thematic material: John Coltrane's “A Love Supreme”

28. Great deal of ambition in a fallow period: Marcus Roberts's “Blues for the New Millennium”

29. Absolute improvement through improvisation of a classic American popular song (that didn’t need to be improved): Louis Armstrong's “Stardust”

30. Profound uncompromisingly spiritual intention: John Coltrane's “Dear Lord”

31. Merlin of the keyboard: Art Tatum's “Tiger Rag,” “Tea for Two,” and “Too Marvelous for Words”

32. Most angelic singing: Doris Day (and Les Brown and His Band of Renown) on “Sentimental Journey”

33. Extremely mature jazz improvisation on an American popular song: Miles Davis's “Stella By Starlight” (from My Funny Valentine)

34. Trombones trombones trombones: Duke Ellington's "Bragging in Brass"

35. Relaxation in the face of chaos: John Coltrane's “Interstellar Space”

36. Clear demonstration of how to sing the blues through a horn in all registers: Sidney Bechet's “Blue Horizon”

37. Great consolidator of past and present with no concern for cliques: Charles Mingus's "Mingus Ah Um"

38. Multifaceted genius of vocalese: Jon Hendricks's “Freddie the Freeloader”

39. Creative use of form: Jelly Roll Morton's “The Pearls,” Thelonious Monk's “Brilliant Corners,” Louis Armstrong & His Hot Fives's “Skid Dat-De-Dat,” Gerry Mulligan's “K-4 Pacific”

40. Saxes saxes saxes: The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra's "Tiptoe" from Consummation

41. Solo with an organic integration highlighting the relationship between a modern instrument and its ancient purpose: Louis Armstrong's “Tight Like That”

42. Definitive master of playing the piano with both hands: Fats Waller's “Viper's Drag” and “Handful of Keys”

43. Mind-bogglingly nimble, flexible, intelligent and omnidirectional rhythm section: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams with Miles Davis from E.S.P. to Filles de Kilimanjaro

44. Small ensembles that consolidated while innovating: Modern Jazz Quartet, Bill Evans Trio, Marcus Roberts Trio, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Gerry Mulligan-Chet Baker Quartet

45. Most meaningful concert: Benny Goodman's The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, Jazz at the Philharmonic (various concerts)

46. Most meaningful composition: Duke Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige”

47. Significant long-form compositions: Woody Herman's “Lady McGowan’s Dream,” Duke Ellington's “A Tone Parallel to Harlem,” Igor Stravinsky's “Ebony Concerto,” Leonard Bernstein's “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs," Chico O’Farrill's “Afro Cuban Jazz Suite”

48. Great compositional diversity with no sacrifice of quality: Wayne Shorter with Art Blakey's “Lester Left Town” (1960) and “This Is for Albert”(1963), Wayne Shorter with Miles Davis's “Fall” (1967) and “Nefertiti” (1967), Wayne Shorter's “El Gaucho” (1966), Wayne Shorter with Weather Report's “Palladium” (1977), and Wayne Shorter's “Atlantis” (1985)

49. Two people who did a lot of practicing (individually and together): Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie's “Shaw ‘Nuff”

50. Definitive shout chorus: Eddie Durham’s arrangement for Bennie Moten’s Orchestra of “The Blue Room” (1934)

Larry Stops By For Django and a Beer

I love Django electrified

Django’s solo on this song (Peche a la mouche) is otherworldly. Eternal. This was recorded more than 60 years ago and you hear that in the band; a bit stilted and old-fashioned, then in comes Django’s solo that sounds like a time-traveler. Ahead of his time. I’m not sure any guitarist today could top him. As soon as Django went electric in the late '40s, I was in love.

[Didn't you buy that biography about him?]

Yeah, I did, but I haven't read it yet. It’s there on the bottom shelf with Gioia and Giddens. It has a yellow cover just like Vicious Dogs. Have you read my book yet?

[No, but one of these days. Linda read it and said it was great but then again she’s always been in love with you.]

That’s ridiculous.

[Don’t give me that. Usually you think every woman is in love with you and now you act like you don’t recognize how Linda always talks about you like you’re some kind a big deal? I mean it’s not like your book was published by Penguin or something. Like, how many copies did you even sell? A couple hundred? Wow Big time author. Watch out Stephen King!]

There’s no need to be an asshole Larry. I just wanted to play you some Django Reinhardt.

[Don’t get offended. I’m just telling it like it is. And you’re right. Django's out of this world.]

linda likes this photo i took of her

There's a Cop on the Vibes!

The vibes…ringing those bells can drive some people crazy and no matter the player they balk and their eyes glaze over as soon as someone (like me) says “Hey, listen to this vibist.”

I love the vibes and I’ve written about some of the greats. Milt Jackson, Walt Dickerson, Red Norvo (though I wasn’t terribly kind to him in that post) and today I’m going to tell you about another one of my favourites who I hope  you will listen to with an open mind. Isn’t that part of what makes jazz so fantastic? Listening to music that pushes boundaries?

Let’s talk about Lem Winchester.

the cop jazzman

He didn’t record very much, so I understand if you aren’t familiar with him. He was born in Philadelphia and was sort of an accidental jazz musician. He was actually a police officer who played music on the side. This explains his choice of hat on his debut recording “New Faces at Newport” (Metrojazz, 1958), an album her shared with the great Randy Weston.

That album gave him enough exposure that he was able to focus on music fulltime and he recorded some great post-bop albums. He only recorded six albums as a leader and I enjoy them all. I want to give you the best possible introduction to the man’s music, so let’s focus on my favourite: “Another Opus” (New Jazz, 1960).

The band is a good one with a couple of all-stars:

Lem Winchester – vibraphone

Frank Wess – tenor saxophone, flute

Hank Jones – piano

Eddie Jones – bass

Gus Johnson – drums

Okay, I can see you cringing in my mind’s eye. Vibes and flute?? Trust me, Frank Wess is fantastic and can swing. He’s one of the top flautists in jazz and this album will give you an indication as to why. I'll tell you more about him sometime soon.

Hank Jones is certainly a legend and he plays well here, as you’d expect. Eddie Jones and Gus Johnson may not be household names, even in my jazz-centric home, but they sounds great backing up this group.

great band, album and cover

Have a listen to Both Barrels. It shows the band at its toe-tapping best.

Sadly, Lem is yet another on the looooooong list of jazz musicians who died too young. I know we focus on the positive on this site, but the circumstances of Lem’s passing are worth noting.

I’m not sure if his background as a cop meant he was a law-abiding person, but it wasn’t using illicit drugs that got him, unlike so many others. It wasn't even a car accident, which claimed so many others as they criss-crossed America going from gig to gig.

The story goes that we was showing off and doing tricks with his pistol and he accidentally shot himself dead. Pretty ridiculous way to go and it’s a pity he didn’t make it past age 32 or Lem might have risen to the point where he was placed alongside Milt Jackson as one of the greats. Dumb way to die, but he laid down some great jazz in his all-too-short three-year recording career. 

Let's talk about him next time we get together. I'm free tomorrow night after 8 if you are.