Thread: What Are You Listening To?

The Bill Evans Trio - At The Village Vanguard



This is a compilation of the best from the two original Village Vanguard albums.

Laid back Piano trio Jazz performed in front of a small audience. It's one of those gigs where the audience seem to be talking throughout the performance. How demoralising must that be for musicians of this calibre ??

Bass player Scott LeFaro was killed in a car accident 10 days after this recording...

Good album.

from my library (digital)



Active from the 1920's until his death in 1974, now that's career. Don't have any other Duke material other than compilations, so I picked this up as one of those $5 downloads from Amazon. Can't believe the clarity of this remastering that was done in 2009 of recordings made in 1962. Just excellent. No other names from the past on here that I'm familiar with. There are two vocal tracks that I loved and had to search to find they are done by Ray Nance. The clip of Take The A Train included here was done in 1943, and must be from a movie. The vocals are not on my recording, but I wish they were. Simply marvelous. I may even pick this up on a cd someday. Duke liked to refer to jazz as black classical music. In this case, I tend to agree.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - I'm Gonna Go Fishin'

Best Track - Jump For Joy

Fare thee well land of cotton.
Cotton lisle is out of style,
Honey chile
Jump for Joy
DOn't you grieve little Eve
All the hounds I do believe
have been killed
Ain't 'cha thrilled?
Jump for Joy
Have you seen pastures groovy?
Green pastures was just a technicolor movie
When you stomp up to heaven and you meet old Saint Pete
Tell that boy
"Jump for joy"
Step right in
give Pete some skin and
Jump for Joy

1) Taffy Twist - **
2) Flirtibird - *** - audio
YouTube - Flirtibird
3) Smada - ** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3ETQyAkvUA
4) What Am I Here For? - *** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWPe7tJ3cPU
5) Take The A Train - *** - live
YouTube - Duke Ellington, "Take the A Train"
6) I'm Gonna Go Fishin' - *
7) Boo-Dah - ** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREe1u3sALM
8) Black And Tan Fantasy - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN3_c1OnA3s
9) The Feeling Of Jazz - *** - audio
YouTube - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - The Feeling Of Jazz
10) Jump For Joy - *** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW94GNM9FZo
11) I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - ** - audio
YouTube - 78rpm press: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - Duke Ellington and his Orch., 1938 - Brunswick 8108
12) Don't Get Around Much Anymore - *** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Y4U3h1ZzE

3's - 6
2's - 4
1's - 2

Rating - 2.4

Some of the cleanest recordings you'll hear are Jazz recordings from about '55 to '65. They just seemed to get things so right...

Curtis Fuller Quintet - Five Spot After Dark

I'm currently stuck to Joe Pass and John Mclaughlin with Al Di Meola. All of them are brilliant.

from my library (cd)



Another superb remastering of one of the legends. Drummer Art Blakey (1919-1990) put this album out back in 1958 and it is still looked on as one of the great jazz albums of all time. Originally the album was just self titled but the popularity of the track Moanin' led to a renaming. It is a superb song. Accompanied by Bobby Timmons (piano), Benny Golson (sax), Lee Morgan (trumpet) and Jymie Merritt (bass). All tracks except the last were written by either Timmons or Golson. A lot of blues influenced material here. Although only 6 tracks, it is a true work of art from a true pioneer in the field. And check out that awesome live clip of that title track from 1958. Amazing that stuff exists after 50 years.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Blues March

Best Track - Moanin'

1) Moanin' - *** - live
YouTube - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Moanin'
2) Are You Real? - ** - live
YouTube - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Are you real?
3) Along Came Betty - *** - audio
YouTube - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Along Came Betty
4) The Drum Thunder Suite - *** - audio
YouTube - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - The Drum Thunder Suite
5) Blues March - ** - live
YouTube - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Blues March
6) Come Rain Or Come Shine - ** - audio
YouTube - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Come Rain or Come Shine

3's - 3
2's - 3
1's - 0

Rating - 2.5

Dizzy Gillespie - Poor Joe

listened online



Obviously you have to give this old man some respect. Eighty Two years old, first album in 1957. This is the first one since 1998. Coaxed out of retirement by producer Joe Henry. Seven originals, five covers, recorded in five days. Not that familiar with his overall work. I've heard a few things over the years. Don't own anything, and unfortunately, this won't be the first. Wasn't expecting any great vocal skills at 82, but the drone scat singing wears thin pretty quick. I found 3 good tracks, but that's not enough. Some of the music is pleasant enough, and for me, would have been better without the vocals. Last track is a duet with daughter Amy.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Crush

Best Track - I'm Alright

1) My Brain - 2.0 - audio
YouTube - Mose Allison My brain
2) I Know You Didn't Mean It - 2.0
3) Everybody Thinks You're An Angel - 1.0
4) Let It Come Down - 1.0 - audio
YouTube - Mose Allison - Let It Come Down
5) Modest Proposal - 1.5
6) Crush - 1.0
7) Some Right, Some Wrong - 1.0
8) The Way Of The World - 1.5 - audio
YouTube - Mose Allison - The Way Of The World
9) Ask Me Nice - 1.5 - audio
YouTube - Mose Allison - Ask Me Nice
10) Once In A While - 1.5 - audio
YouTube - Mose Allison - Once In A While
11) I'm Alright - 2.5
12) The New Situation - 1.0

Average Rating - 1.5

Avishai Cohen - Gently Disturbed
Amazing, amazing album. I highly recommend it!

Some lovely Spring weather has put me in the mood for a little Blues...

Live from the Newport Jazz festival in '60. Classic live Blues album. Very good indeed.

&

Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters Live



Again live, this time from "Mr Kelly's" in Chicago in '71.

Conventional wisdom suggests the former is the better album, but I prefer this one.

James Cotton on harmonica is the only player to feature on both records - besides MW - but due to legal shenanigans is credited on this one as Joe Denim...