What? I have restraint? Since when?

10 discs of goodness

I was recently in Toronto and of course I squeezed in a bit of time browsing used books and music.

What did I see on the shelf before me but that glorious black box of music: Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve. I remember this box set from early in my jazz life. I’d borrow it from the local library and listen to it over and over, marveling at Charlie’s skill, and broken-hearted about how young he died. I always wanted to own the set but it tended to be about a $100 used, which was too rich for me back then.

Now I’m supposedly an adult with a good job and am not entirely drowning in debt and there I stood before Bird. There is was, still valued at $100 after all these years. This is some of the best recording he ever made and an important part of jazz history. Surely he’s one of the top two or three sax players of all time and I challenge anyone to argue otherwise.

I wish I had seen him play

The strange thing was that I didn’t buy it. What? I know, I can't believe it either. It’s not like me to show restraint when it comes to books or jazz, but it happened.

The reason? Streaming.

The whole set is available on iTunes and I listen to it all the time. I used to cherish CDs and now…not so much. I know this trend is happening everywhere and is even having an impact on the glorious company Mosaic Records. I have a large stack of their sets but haven’t jumped at one since Mingus’ set: Charles Mingus ‎– The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964–65.

I suppose the moral of this story is that it’s all about the music, not about how it’s delivered to my ears, brain and heart. Whatever sci-fi technology that comes along to replace streaming, you can rest assured that there will be jazz fans like me listening to fantastic old recordings in new ways.

For now, here's a link to one of Bird's great tunes, Blues For Alice.

Jazz Giant Dresses For The Cold

very cool and very warm

This cold weather theme continues.

Even in my cold state, I remembered a great photo of Eric Dolphy and thought "Here's a man who knows how to dress for winter."

A jazz giant, and knows how to rock the knit sweater and hat.

I could talk at length about Dolphy, and I will do so soon. I wrote about his integral role in Oliver Nelson's "Blues and the Abstract Truth", which was one of the albums I discovered and fell in love with very early in my jazz journey. It could also be the best album title of all time.

The guy was a shocking talent. He excelled at the flute, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano clarinet, baritone saxophone and piccolo. I'm sure he could have made great jazz on any woodwind that came his way. He played with most of the giants before setting out on his own, including playing on some of my favourite Mingus recordings including the brilliant but oddly titled  album Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse! 1963).

I also love his recordings with Chico Hamilton and that California sound is called cool jazz, but maybe it will warm us with thoughts of beaches and margaritas and bright sunshine.

His playing on "Beyond the Blue Horizon" is lovely. 

Who Doesn't Love a Bargain?

amazing amazing amazing

My wife likes to tease me about liking second hand shops and that doing so is a Ponka family tradition. I don't deny it - I admit to a thrill upon finding those gems that you occassionally discover. I especially love used book stores and I am still thrilled that I got the three volume set of Paul Metcalf's Collected Works in hardcover for $45 during a recent trip to Minneapolis. I am reading his Genoa with awe.

My love of a bargain goes for music too. Friends, you know I am willing to drop $100+ dollars on a Mosaic box set (the Charles Mingus set ships in three weeks! I can't wait!) but there are amazing deals for the bargain hunter to be had out there. Last night I was browsing through iTunes and came across a new series of music anthologies called 100 Original Tracks which has, you guessed it, 100 songs by a particular artist. I was excited to see that they had a jazz collection by Quincy Jones. I have one of his albums - This Is How I feel About Jazz (1957) - which is great stuff and features a who's who of jazz superstars including the great Charles Mingus, Art Farmer, my man Paul Chambers, Milt Jackson and Lucky Thompson. (Have a listen to "Sermonette" and I challenge you tell me you don't love it...) I wanted to hear more of his music, so you can understand why I was excited to find a collection that had so much of it. The kicker? The set only cost $6.99! I know! Crazy, right? That's less that 7 cents per song! How could I not buy it? I cleared a gig of space from my iPhone and downloaded it on the spot.



serious value for money...

The downside of sets like this is that there are no liner notes so it is impossible to know what musicians are playing on each track (why doesn't iTunes provide liner notes??) but for the price you truly can't go wrong. I think the set is worth it for the live version of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" that features some killer trumpet work by Freddie Hubbard.  (Without liner notes, I only know it's him beacuse Quincy introduces him by name... I can recognize some players by their sound alone, but not in this case.) Freddie played on the original recording with Oliver Nelson's killer band, but to be honest, I prefer his playing on this track. Perhaps it is the live setting that has him playing with such intensity...

There are some other fine sets in this line so if you have $20 to spare, you could pick up a few hundred tracks of amazing jazz. Enjoy!

Salt Peanuts, Salt Peanuts

At this time we would like to play a tune - it was composed by my worthy constituent, Mr. Dizzy Gillespie, in the year of 1942 - we sincerely hope you do enjoy, Salt Peanuts.
(introduction by Charles Mingus)
 

That day in Toronto, May 15, 1953, when an all-star line-up recorded  one of the great live albums in jazz: Jazz at Massey Hall; an album released by Charles Mingus and Max Roach  on their Debut label.

Though the audio quality is far from perfect, the lineup is incredible. I wonder if you could come up with five greater players; each one was so famous, that they have become jazz icons. Such a discussion: the best quintet's imaginable! It would be a delightful conversation for us to have over coffee. Or perhaps wine if you are free one evening. I had a chianti last night that was out of this world. You'd prefer Scotch? Not a problem. I have a lovely 15-year-old. But for now let's focus on the band that blew the roof off of a half-empty Massey Hall on the same night Rocky Marciano knocked out Jersy Joe Walcott:

Charlie Parker: alto saxophone
Dizzy Gillespie: trumpet
Bud Powell: piano
Charles Mingus: bass
Max Roach: drums



suddenly in walked Bud, and then they got into something

From Max Roach's opening were he plays the melodic line on the drums before being joined by the rest of the band, you know this is going to be a killer track. First you are startled by Charlie Parker's solo, he sounds electrified and Dizzy shouting 'Salt peanuts! Salt peanuts!' to the  hall (where I have seen so many great shows) only adds to the intensity and you think "Who can top Bird?" Then Dizzy starts to blow and he matches Parker's skill, energy and ingenuity. Then comes Bud Powell, who had recently been released from a mental hospital and was in such rough shape that he had to be helped to the piano, and I challenge you to find Powell play any better. If you were to say that Powell, on that night at least, got the better of his bebop colleagues, I would have a difficult time arguing against you.

I listened to that song earlier, as I was enjoying this unseasonably warm autumn day, and I know I will be listening to it again in a few hours once I finish my afternoon appointments.

Until soon, my friend, when we shall discuss important issues like life and the greatest quintet.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Mingus

want to listen to Mingus and smoke cigars?

Today Charles Mingus would have turned 90. He didn't even make it to his 60th birthday. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis robbed the world of one of the great musical geniuses of the 20th century.

I will try not to get too emotional (but you know how I can be...) so instead lets have a listen to one of his great tracks, Fables of Faubus, which features one of the several excellent bands Mingus ever put together, including the great Eric Dolphy on saxophone!

I will always love Mingus for being the musician that first introduced me to jazz a all those years ago in my parent's living room, and if you haven't heard the man's music, I encourage you to seek him out.

Wait! I can't stop at just one track. Mingus is so great that you should enjoy two. How about the incredible basswork on Haitian Fight Song? I am in awe of his talent as a composer and musician and I could post twenty songs for you and it would barely scratch the surface. If Mr. Hypothetical told me I could only listen to one jazz artist's recordings for the rest of my life, it would be Mingus.

Oscar Pettiford: Another Bass Master Revealed

Friends, even those of you who are casual visitors to this site know that I have a fondness for the bass. Not only is this site named in honour of Charles Mingus, but I written at length about my man Paul Chambers as well as Scott LeFaro's masterful performances with the Bill Evans Trio. Well, I have more proof that even two decades of enjoying jazz will continue to reveal wonders. In this case, the wonder is Oscar Pettiford.

Listening to his music, the finest of which was recorded in the early to mid 1950s, he sounds like a bridge between the 1940s and the modern postbop surge of the 50s. He was an amazing soloist, made all the more interesting since he often soloed on the cello, which was pretty rare in jazz. I know Chico Hamilton employed a cello in his fine group that featured a young Eric Dolphy, but other than in orchestral settings, I can't think of another group that employed cello. Those tracks with Oscar on cello are all the sweeter since it was often Charles Mingus who took over on bass, and it's hard to imagine two more talented people playing those eight strings.

He died too young, like so many jazz artists, yet left behind a wealth of wonderful music. I know you are interested in some advice on where to start, so let me recommend two albums that I have no doubt that you will enjoy. "Complete Jazz Series 1951-1954" and "Complete Jazz Series 1954-1955".

Just looking at the names that join him on those album covers must have you intrigued...

I dare any of you to listen to 'Marcel the Furrier' and not agree that his music is a must for your ever-expanding jazz collection.

I look forward to speaking with you about this exuberant music. Over a Bodum perhaps?

Sorry, Red

one of these men does not belong here

I have a confession to make.
When I listen to the Red Norvo Trio playing Move I find myself wishing that Red's tinkly vibes could be wiped from the track leaving us to enjoy the duo of Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass. I would have liked the Red Norvo Trio, without the Red Norvo.

Sorry, Red, I feel like I'm being extremely blunt and that you're scowling from beyond the grave.

We all know that you helped bring the vibraphone to jazz, so thank you thank you thank you for allowing us to hear the beauty of Walt Dickerson's 'To My Queen' and Milt Jackson on just about every track he ever recorded, yes thank you for the MJQ but please stop looking at me like that.

My Man Paul Chambers and the great bassists of his time

Mr. Chambers takes a rest

Friends, it's been too long since we've talked about Paul Chambers.  It is not a contentious statement to say that he is one of the top two or three bassists of all time.

That being said, when you are talking about that elite calibre of musician, it is difficult to rank them based on skill but purely on personnel preference.  Off the top of my head I'd have to say Charles Mingus is the only player that was his equal in terms of proficiency (or was it just that he was a better composer?).  Well... in terms of skilled players you know how much I love Scott LeFaro with the Bill Evan's Trio, but can a few months recording, even though they were stellar recordings, put him into that elite category?  And what about Ray Brown? Ron Carter?  Percy Heath?  Charlie Haden? maybe even Steve Swallow?  Ah now you see why I stay away from ranking musicians.

Have a listen to the Paul Chambers Sextet's 'Whims of Chambers'  (from the album Whims of Chambers, Blue Note, 1956).

Fabulous!

Charles Mingus

love the cigar!

It's been too long since we've talked about Mingus.

Have you been listening?

Black Saint and the Sinner Lady?


Mingus Ah Um?


The Clown?

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?

Beginning With Mingus

For me, as a teenager in the 1980s growing up in Northwestern Ontario, jazz began with Charles Mingus and for this, he holds a special place in my personal pantheon of jazz greats. My fondness for the bassist/composer is so strong that I would take him over Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and (ulp!) even Thelonious Monk.

(I am thankful that in the real world I will never have to make such a heart-wrenching desert island choice.)

I began with Mingus on my parent’s cheap record player, dropping the needle on the surprisingly pristine LP (which made me think my northern city was lacking jazz aficionados, which made it appeal all the more to my youthful rebellion. Yes, the voice of my youthful rebellion was Charles Mingus, not Megadeth or Metallica) and I was forever lost in the wonder of jazz music.

I had been borrowing LPs from Waverly Library on the north side of Thunder Bay, picking them up at random in an attempt to learn more about this music that so intrigued me. I would only hear jazz in random places, on TV, in movies, occasionally on public radio, but I never knew the names of the performers or the songs that I was hearing so I would just borrow a dozen LPs at a time, picking out the albums that caught my eye for one reason or another.

It should not come as a surprise that Mingus’ tri-fold three-LP compilation ‘Passions of a Man’, with its dramatic cover design, caught my eye.

The album leveled me. I had never heard anything like it and I was instantly enthralled.

How could I not be? How many musicians could compete with this collection of songs? Check out the track listing:

• Pithecanthropus Erectus
• Profile of Jackie
• Reincarnation of a Lovebird
• Haitian Fight Song
• Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
• Cryin' Blues
• Devil Woman
• Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am
• Passions of a Woman Loved
• Duke Ellington's Sound of Love
• Better Git Hit In Your Soul
• Sue's Changes
• Canon
• Free Cell Block F,'Tis Nazi U.S.A
• Goodbye, Porkpie Hat
• Mingus on Mingus

Are the names themselves not evocative?

Free Cell Block F,'Tis Nazi U.S.A?
Haitian Fight Song?

Are you prepared for the beauty of Goodbye, Porkpie Hat?

How can anyone listen to the first 30 seconds of Pithecanthropus Erectus and not fall in love with the man’s music? How about the honk squeaking strangeness at 1:37? I could write a 1000 words on that song, and likely will in later posts.

I will force myself to stop here as I want to keep this introduction short and sweet but let me add, in a tender note, that I look forward to the time we will spend together on this random stroll in the world of jazz.