What Are You Listening To?

[Tiggi]

The Lady's penultimate release, from 1958.

Not for the casual fan. Billie's voice by this time had been ravaged by alcohol, fags, & heroin (not necessarily in that order...), and was a shadow of its' best, but it's still Billie.

String arrangements of generally downbeat songs, and this was actually her favourite of all her recordings.

Within 18 months she was gone.


AllMusic 4+/5 stars.

[mtthwibrahim]

Mingus Ah Um

I don't need to tell you about this album. I don't need to tell how many classics lay inside this masterpiece. This is Mingus's second greatest accomplishment, only behind "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" (which is also the greatest album ever made btw)

[Tiggi]

6 disc box set (biscuit tin set, actually) which covers the fading of a star. Recordings cover 1952 to her death in 1959.

The latter stages of this set exhibit the same vocal deterioration which are evident on the Lady in Satin album, but for much of the time, she's in fine voice.

Billie's recordings divide quite easily into brilliant performances from a brilliant voice, which are tainted by the restrictions of recording technology during the early 20th century, and great performances from a singer in gentle decline, which are gloriously recorded. At the same time, the demise of 78s, meant that time restraints became less of an issue, and the later recordings are more expansive, with more room for instrumental soloing.

I love both, but think I'm shifting slowly toward the earlier stuff.

Great, great music.


AllMusic 5/5 stars.

[SteveO]

Great post, Music Head !!!! I guess this is one exception in which you liked instrumental music !!!!

from my library (vinyl)



Picked up this set of 13 big-band era multi-disc compilations a few years back, at the annual library sale. Well
worth the $5 for the set. Most never opened. It's one of those Time/Life series things. This particular album is
for Duke Ellingtons Cotton Club years (1927-1930). Time travel is possible. I'll take my Nobel now. I rolled me up
a big doobie, laid back in the recliner in my room, put this on, under the headphones, eyes closed, and I was
there. Love this kind of stuff. This 2 record set covers those early years of the Dukes association with NYC's
Cotton Club. A whites only club in those years, except for the performers of course. Duke had just made a deal with
promoter Irving Mills to handle his gigs. A regular here was part of it. Radio started broadcasting gigs from the
club and Duke Ellington became a household name. Duke's peak years were the forty's, so these recordings could be
considered very early. A few tracks have vocals, but mostly instrumental. I do not have a best and worst track on
albums like this. I love it all, just the fact that something done 84 years ago still exists today. Before the nice job of doctoring up by Time-Life, I'm sure these tracks sounded terrible, but they would have still been music to my ears. All of these albums are treasures.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

1) A Nite at The Cotton Club
2) Washington Wobble
3) The Blues I Love To Sing
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRUlLhOab8I
4) Blue Bubbles
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCgSBCJC10
5) Harlem River Quiver
6) Jungle Nights In Harlem
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGYCmXrafeI
7) No, Papa, No
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayBcUhcg_ec - check out that 78
8) Bandanna Babies
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fbPqdSoXaA
9) Sloppy Joe
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7s3v-w1Qk
10) High Life
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK_SIbzOFsA
11) I Can't Give You Anything But Love
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EABoe5msqFk
12) The Dirty Glide
13) Diga Diga Doo
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2O0F28tc5s
14) Arabian Lover
15) Stevedore Stomp
16) The Duke Steps Out
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KHnyBmbrxs
17) Japanese Dream
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVqdhYbHQX0
18) Mississippi
19) Breakfast Dance
20) Sweet Jazz o' Mine
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaSKL1iqpf8
21) Harlemania
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy-gPuxGZAM

so many albums, so little time

[SteveO]

Have you checked out Mingus Plays Piano and Cumbia & Jazz Fusion !!!!...great stuff also from another jazz legend !!!

Mingus Ah Um

I don't need to tell you about this album. I don't need to tell how many classics lay inside this masterpiece. This is Mingus's second greatest accomplishment, only behind "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" (which is also the greatest album ever made btw)

[mtthwibrahim]

^ I have "Cumbia..." downloaded and will be listening to it soon

as of now, I'm digging Coltrane's Olatunji concert. You don't know crazy until you hear this. Enough to make Albert Ayler say "dam"

[SteveO]

Yes Cumbia is great ! I'll have to check out Olatunji !

^ I have "Cumbia..." downloaded and will be listening to it soon

as of now, I'm digging Coltrane's Olatunji concert. You don't know crazy until you hear this. Enough to make Albert Ayler say "dam"

[mtthwibrahim]

I've been on sort of a jazz kick lately, so expect to see me here

Right now, I'm enjoying "Journey in Satchindananda" by Alice Coltrane, Coltrane's widow. Very interesting and spiritual avant jazz with some gorgeous hap arrangements. Her and 'Trane must have been a great couple

[mtthwibrahim]

Now I'm on Krzysztof Komeda "Astigmatic", a very interesting little piece of Polish third stream. Perhaps the best jazz album made outside America. It reminds me a little bit of "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady", so I guess that makes it an automatic masterpiece

[mtthwibrahim]

Now I'm on "Song for My Father" by Horace Silver

Nice Latin-tinged hard bop, very enjoyable. Not much else to say about it. All interested in jazz should give it a try