Thursday, April 27, 2006

I think any of those reasons is fine Stu. In my mind, it would be more about listing the jazz music you love, regardless of why. Although why obviously becomes an interesting sidebar - 'cause you know some debate may ensue. And don't go choosing stuff because it's reputed to be great if you don't actually love it. A pox on those who do such things.

I think it might be worth clarifying whether we're talking about all jazz, including vocal recordings, and are we just going to jumble all periods of jazz into one master list. One of the things that might make it difficult (or not, depending on your perspective) to choose old recordings is that the whole concept of a cohesive long play record is basically a post 1950 thing, so, for example, Bix Beiderbecke never made an album in his life. Just recorded a bunch of songs which were collected and released. Doesn't mean his "albums" can't be great (some of his are) but it's a whole different thing than A Love Supreme.

I tend to think we'll mostly be choosing bop and post-bop anyway, but thought I'd mention it.

Anyway, I've got some listening to do.....
not sure we defined the criteria for selecting the records...how about
1) helped carve a new direction
2) took a direction already established and made the definative version of it
3) damn great melody that lives on forever
4) defined a time in your life
5) ......??
Some of these are contradictory , so obviously the records dont have to meet all the above and may only meet 1 criteria. Any other suggestions for criteria....
this will help people pick selections too I think....( damn we all sound so bloody earnest...)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Simple, but elegant. Works for me. I will start to give my list some thought.
I would propose a sliding scale from 50 to 1 points would be awarded to each persons selections. Each person can select up to 50 recordings if they choose and we leave the number on the tally unlimited and could therefore end up with, theoretically, 250 entries. I think that it will be interesting to see how the balance plays out.

If you wish, I can track the nominations with comments in some organized fashion that can be posted or circulated. I might also suggest that we could also circulate a binder of burned copies of the nominations so that people can give them a solid listen without making the investment on all 250 possible recordings. ( I think that we could agree that we can do this guilt free considering the numbers of cd’s that are bound to purchased by the lot of us though this process)
Great idea Marc (sorry about the consistent mis-spell....I'm a bit of a spelling Nazi too, so there's no excuse), just the sort of undertaking that I enjoy. And you're right that jazz, sometimes, is all about who's playing.

I will start with a few top-o'-my head faves (in absolutely no order):

Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land
Booker Ervin - The Freedom Book
Miles - Milestones
Bill Evans - Interplay
Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer

Looking at the list of leaders, I could have named other recordings of theirs (three or four others in some cases) just as easily. This whole top 50 thing will be intriguing - some serious culling will be required. How can we get consensus on the positions?
C’mon Brian, I might be a wanker but I’m not that much of a wanker!… speaking of wankers, maybe you can follow Stuarts lead and get the spelling of my name right… even if you can’t get your own son’s name correct!… wank, wank , wank! (just kidding, but then I’m sure you are not about to take offence from a wanker)

…and as for you Stuart, I’m sure YOU had a good laugh about it after blowing up your brand new laptop!!!

I have a proposition to make… a project of sorts… perhaps a long term project for metaBeats. I think it would be interesting for us to come up with a definitive top 50 list of the greatest jazz recordings, as a group. What I am proposing is that we all put forth a suggestion for a master-list and put it to a vote… think of it (if you must) as a national play-list but with a clearly defined set of parameters or criteria … sound interesting?

What I would propose is that we first decide what we feel should define the list and that then each of us contributes thoughts on particular recordings (albums) that we feel are worthy of making (or not) the top 50 (or whatever number) over the next several months. After we have exhausted all our suggestions we put it to a vote with some mystical point scheme that maybe Stuart can concoct and we tally the votes at the end of the year.

The reason that I suggest this is, in part, that I find it interesting that many of us are on different pages when it comes to jazz. I have often wanted to broaden my understanding and knowledge of classic jazz and I think that there are several amongst us who love to articulate (pontificate) the virtues of their favourites.

One of the things that has come clear to me over the past several days (something that I was previously aware of but denying) is that I am far less aware of the people who play on various jazz recordings than I am of the recordings themselves, and woefully unaware of various artists all together.

Interested, or just too much work?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Yeah me too. Particularly the final posting, after Derek's comment. Ergo the wanker comment. Never occurred to me that it was a technical glitch (still not convinced actually...) .

Bud's Blue Note recordings are seminal, as are his Verve "Genius of" series from around the same time. Ah, how inspiring....tonight, the Doyle house will be featuring Bud Powell.
marc...I actually laughed outload at the 4 repeat post...thanks ...I needed that
bud powell- I have the 2 volumes the amazing bud powell on blue note and quite like them...I think you guys covered the bases
s

Monday, April 24, 2006

Dolphy, Evans, Lovano, Jarrett, Coleman, Gordon, Brubeck... the list is nigh on endless.

Really like the fact that today has now been unoffically declared Bud Powell day. Must make it a point to make While I was away I came across a Sonny Stitt disc that I hadn't seen before from 1949 called unimaginatively "Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J.J. Johnson" but still three of my fave jazz guys. For some reason, the crap name, the bizarro cover, the overpriced disc I didn't purchase it. Figured I'd get it back home. What a wanker (Marc can perhaps relate) I am. I haven't been able to find it anywhere in town and now that I've listened to some of it on-line I'm just itching to find it. Do any of you own this disc? Must make certain that a Powell CD is my next purchase.

Tragically Bud Powell died at the age of 41 and his younger piano playing brother Richie died at 24 in the same car accident that killed Clifford Brown. If you haven't read Geoff Dyer's book "But Beautiful" I can't urge you strongly enough to do so. The short fictional snapshots of the tumultuous lives of Bud and other jazz greats like Lester Young are incredibly moving. You can always borrow the copy I bought Brian years ago which I think he still hasn't got around to.
My profuse apologies, my post never would never registered as published and then even when I refreshed the blog window it would still not be there… then suddenly four hours later it makes a fool of me …damn technologies!

I get your point Derek and it is a valid one, but my point was that many of artists on your list were either dead before you were born or had stopped playing before you were actually interested in jazz. Lester Young died in ’59; Davis stopped making decent music in the early 70’s; Sonny Stitts died in ’82, the year I was legal to start drinking; Coltrane died when we were just out of diapers, Kenny Dorman died when I was 9…etc.

That having been said, my biggest regrets are the things I will not get to do today because I cannot find the time, money and energy for them.

Brian, point taken, I am a wanker. Nice lists guys.

I think I might include Keith Jarrett for his early work and maybe Ornette Coleman just ‘cause I like to get fucked around a bit once in a while. If we were making a list of really really dead guys, I might have to put Jelly Roll Morton on the list. He was one of the first Jazzist I got into in university and still love… haven’t listened to him much recently though.
Mark - you are truly a wanker.

Derek - my top twenty jazz guys would include Bill Evans (he would be number one actually), Sonny Clark, Chet (the musician), Paul Bley, Eric Dolphy, Tina Brooks (well, probably), Art Tatum, Dexter Gordon, Joe Lovano, and what about singers? Assuming you're excluding them. Paul Bley is still on this earth, amazingly. And Lovano is a relatively youthful 55 or so.

Bud Powel is fucking brilliant. Everyone should go out and buy some today. Let's make it Bud Powell Day.

Re dead musicians, definitely. Bill Evans would, again, be at the top of my list. If you don't get that, listen again to Sunday at the Village Vanguard. And Coltrane of course. Sorry to hear about Jackie Maclean, I had the chance to see him in NY five years ago and chose instead to hear Lovano at the Vanguard (which as un-fucking-believable, so I'm OK overall).

Whatever happened to the "CD Club Goes to Manhattan" concept (sounds like a TV special). Maybe in 2008, after Derek and Stuart have sobered up.
On my list of Jazz greats would also be Dave Brubeck who I was fortunate enough to see when I was studying in Paris in the Eighties.

I think there is still a lot of good jazz being created these days, it, however, comes in different forms. Now maybe you can’t compare Brad Mehldau, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amin Tobin, Medeski Martin and Wood, Erik Trufazz (whoever or whatever you want to define jazz to have become) to your all time greats but it is still good Jazz (?). Stop lamenting about the past and explore some new territory. Thankfully, the one thing that the jazz greats did do, was leave us some wicked recordings of their live performances that we can enjoy again and again. It’s like saying it would have been nice to see Stravinsky before he died!

Personally I would have loved to have seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccatta and Fugue in D minor at St Blasius in Muhlhausen.

As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, I’d love to get out and see them before one of them kicks the bucket! The 13th sounds fine.
Hey Marc nice to have you back in the fray but you might want to go easy on that left mouse button buddy.

With respect to my question I was thinking more along the lines of artitsts who you had a chance to see (ie not Stravinsky) but for some reason passed on the opportunity and now it's either too late or they're well past the primo performing date.

In 1996 for example Mey bought me two tickets to see Radiohead at Varisty Arena just before they broke really huge and for some unfathomable reason (it was probably too cold?) I didn't go. 10 years later I probably wouldn't be interested in seeing them.

And it's not as if I sit around lamenting every missed concert on the calendar but there are a few artists at certain times in their career that to catch live would have been memorable.
On my list of Jazz greats would also be Dave Brubeck who I was fortunate enough to see when I was studying in Paris in the Eighties.
I think there is still a lot of good jazz being created these days, it, however, comes in different forms. Now maybe you can’t compare Brad Mehldau, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amin Tobin, Medeski Martin and Wood, Erik Trufazz (whoever or whatever you want to define jazz to have become) to your all time greats but it is still good Jazz (?). Stop lamenting about the past and explore some new territory. Thankfully, the one thing that the jazz greats did do, was leave us some wicked recordings of their live performances that we can enjoy again and again. It’s like saying it would have been nice to see Stravinsky before he died!
Personally I would have loved to have seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccatta and Fugue in D minor at St Blasius in Muhlhausen.
As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, I’d love to get out and see them before one of them kicks the bucket! The 13th sounds fine.
On my list of Jazz greats would also be Dave Brubeck who I was fortunate enough to see when I was studying in Paris in the Eighties.

I think there is still a lot of good jazz being created these days, it, however, comes in different forms. Now maybe you can’t compare Brad Mehldau, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amin Tobin, Medeski Martin and Wood, Erik Trufazz (whoever or whatever you want to define jazz to have become) to your all time greats but it is still good Jazz (?). Stop lamenting about the past and explore some new territory. Thankfully, the one thing that the jazz greats did do, was leave us some wicked recordings of their live performances that we can enjoy again and again. It’s like saying it would have been nice to see Stravinsky before he died!

Personally I would have loved to have seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccatta and Fugue in D minor at St Blasius in Muhlhausen.

As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, I’d love to get out and see them before one of them kicks the bucket! The 13th sounds fine.
On my list of Jazz greats would also be Dave Brubeck who I was fortunate enough to see when I was studying in Paris in the Eighties.

I think there is still a lot of good jazz being created these days, it, however, comes in different forms. Now maybe you can’t compare Brad Mehldau, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amin Tobin, Medeski Martin and Wood, Erik Trufazz (whoever or whatever you want to define jazz to have become) to your all time greats but it is still good Jazz (?). Stop lamenting about the past and explore some new territory. Thankfully, the one thing that the jazz greats did do, was leave us some wicked recordings of their live performances that we can enjoy again and again. It’s like saying it would have been nice to see Stravinsky before he died!

Personally I would have loved to have seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccatta and Fugue in D minor at St Blasius in Muhlhausen.

As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, I’d love to get out and see them before one of them kicks the bucket! The 13th sounds fine.
On my list of Jazz greats would also be Dave Brubeck who I was fortunate enough to see when I was studying in Paris in the Eighties.

I think there is still a lot of good jazz being created these days, it, however, comes in different forms. Now maybe you can’t compare Gotan Project, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amin Tobin, Medeski Martin and Wood, Erik Trufazz (whoever or whatever you want to define jazz to have become) to your all time greats but it is still good Jazz (?). Stop lamenting about the past and explore some new territory. Thankfully, the one thing that the jazz greats did do, was leave us some wicked recordings of their live performances that we can enjoy again and again.

Personally I would have loved to have seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccatta and Fugue in D minor at St Blasius in Muhlhausen.

As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, I’d love to get out and see them before one of them kicks the bucket! The 13th sounds fine.
On my list of Jazz greats would be, amongst others, Dave Brubeck, who i was fortunate enough to see in Paris in the eighties. I think that my regrets would be more in not having seen artists while they were still hot and producing good music but still alive. I tend to think of this more in the pop genre, but there are so many bands that are out there that have come and gone that are not in fact dead but rather just comatose.

I think there is a shitload of good jazz still being created by people like Medesky, Martin and Wood, Bugge Wesseltoft, Amon Tobin, Erik Truffaz (yadayadayada) and i think it is pointless to regret the things you missed and that one should just get out and see something new.

Personally, the one regret that i have is never having seen Johann Sebastian Bach perform the Toccata and Fugue in D minor at St. Blasius in Muhlhausen.

As for the Band of Horses, Stuart, i'd love to get to see them before one of them dies!...13th sounds fine!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Since nobody asked here are my all-time favourite jazz performers. I'll keep it to 20 although that ain't easy.

John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Wayne Shorter
Sonny Stitt
Kenny Dorham
Joe Henderson
Hank Mobley
Bud Powell
Thelonious Monk
Jackie McLean
Roland Kirk
Clifford Brown
Charles Mingus
Andrew Hill
Archie Shepp
Freddie Hubbard
Lester Young
McCoy Tyner
Stan Getz
Ben Webster

And so you might say what is the fucking point of this exercise? Well as far as I know only 4 of the list of jazz greats above is still with us today. Shepp at 68, Hill at 68, Tyner at 67 and Shorter at 72. And the great thing is that these four gentlemen are still producing music. Sadly one of the giants on this list, Jackie McLean, left for the big vamp in the sky on March 31. I just learned of this last night while listening to Jazz FM as it didn't come to my attention at all while in South Africa.

Slowly getting to my point. I regret now not having seen Jackie McLean while he was with us. With Brian in tow I've been lucky enough to see McCoy Tyner, Stanley Turrentine, Ray Brown and Cedar Walton all elder statesmen in the jazz game.

My question to you blogoids is, are there any artists, since departed (recently or a long time gone) or soon to be playing on the other side that you regret not having seen? I suppose this could also include artists who while still very much alive are no longer performing. Shakin Stevens and Gilbert O'Sullivan for example.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

You can probably count me in for the show. Assuming there is more than just expired TTC transfers in my wallet by that point.
anyone interested in seeing band of horses june 13 lees palace?
pitchfork review
thanks Kyle....band of Horses I first read about at pitchfork I read about it in a few other places too , probably Now or eye and exclaim I cant remember

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Fixed your link Stuart. Not sure what the hell you're doing. If you click on the little earth icon with the chain on top of it then paste the link into the box, it should work. Just make sure that the http:// only appears once at the beginning (ie. copy over the existing text, not after it).

Beyond that fascinating reading material for all, where did you come across Band of Horses, Stu? The few clips I've listened to on allmusic sound great. Has anyone purchased the latest Calexico?
I cant seem to remember the trick to doing those damn links correctly, I think Kyle has tried twice w me, can someone please tell me the steps again and I will print it out and tape it to me forehead....
thanks for the tips boys... the Kingsbury manx in particular sounded good to me....this is a band that I have previewed every album as they came out, but never quite got to buying...(how many bands fit that category)..a bone to pick w all music.com . I hate that as you click on the track to listen to the song a large scale window comes up and you have to keep clicking it off as you listen to the songs while reading the review, amazon has it best with a single click giving you 30 sec streaming of each track in sucession without having to hit each song individually....Band of Horses is the cd I am lovin now

Monday, April 17, 2006

Wow, has the National record been out that long? I am woefully out of the loop. I find it to be a grower, lyrically interesting, musically understated, in an Amercian Music Club boozy confessional style that I enjoy.
I've been reading great reviews of The National album for the past year and a half yet I can't ever seem to get into any of the tracks of theirs that I've downloaded. I did enjoy the Kingsbury Manx songs from their last disc. What's the album like?

As for my own new music, it's been a pretty slow spring for me. Just picked up the latest Built to Spill and Flaming Lips, and have listened to the latter once. Other than that, I haven't done much downloading or purchasing lately. I blame it on a hectic travel schedule but really, there are no more excuses. I'll post in a few days with what I've listened to this week.

For now, a timely link (given the beginning of a new baseball season) which asks an important question.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

OK chaps, it's been two weeks since anyone blogged, and clearly I don't have the knack of creating lively debate - atonal music and our e-music-critiquer concept went nowhere. Wazzup? My advice? Don't make Derek feel so good about his absence....he's already got major ego issues. Let's start the next trail.....new music you've come across? I'm quite fond of the last-but-not-that-new-anymore Kingsbury Manx album, and am warming up to The National's latest. Quite similar bands in some respects.