HTF Jazz Club - Page 9

PaulHeroy · 08-17-2003, 04:45 PM

A couple of Dons, part 1

Here are some comments and recommendations about a couple of my favorite players who combine adventurous elements with jazz, both named Don: Don Cherry and Don Pullen.

Don Cherry, who came of age musically in the L.A. area, rose to prominence with Ornette Coleman's original quartet in 1959/60. He played a slightly odd instrument -- pocket trumpet -- and in less of a technical, virtuouso style and more of a personal, creative style with a very open feel but still having a strong melodic sense, so he was perfect for the new music that Ornette (who is also a great melodist, though it's hard to hear at times in the odd harmonies) was playing. Cherry started recording on his own a few years after hitting New York with Ornette, and very quickly started broadening his range of influences, sounds, and instruments. Though many jazz fans identify him with "avant garde" or "free" music, he became one of the first really global musical explorers, including music and musicians from every corner of the globe in his recordings. Some of his music does fit the very abstract, free improv style, while other pieces are very melodic and rhythmically catchy.

Don Cherry recommendations:

As leader:

Complete Communion Two long tracks with very distinctive, tartly melodic starts that lead to great improv and conversational interplay. I have to mention Ed Blackwell, who is one of my favorite drummers and lends a great dancy/bouncy kind of feel to this. Symphony For Improvisers is also very good, the title track is similar to the above but there are several shorter tracks too.
Brown Rice One of Cherry's world music explorations. It's hard to find and it's been a long time since I've heard it but I loved it from the start. Hypnotic rhythms with electric sounds
Art Deco Actually a fairly straight ahead jazz recording, with 3/4 of the Ornette Quartet playing a mix of tunes from Cherry, Coleman and others including Monk.
Eternal Rhythm I put this on the list only because of great reviews elsewhere, I haven't heard it myself. Free jazz/world music, and only available as an expensive import.

As sideman:

Ornette Coleman Quartet: The Shape of Jazz To Come The legendary first bombshell in 1959 from the new jazz sound, at least in public awareness; it doesn't sound as radical today but is still fresh due to the strength of Ornette's compositions and the interplay and feel the quartet had.
Old and New Dreams: Old and New Dreams A quartet of Coleman alumni (Cherry, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, tenor saxist Dewey Redman) in a live peformance of compositions by Ornette and the band members.
Charlie Haden: The Montreal Tapes, Vol. 2 Recorded live at the 1989 Montreal Jazz Fest during Charlie Haden week, with a trio of Cherry, Haden and Blackwell. Mostly Ornette tunes, with a couple of my favorites of Cherry's (Mopti and Art Deco), but oddly nothing from Haden himself. Some very good spririted performances with strong melodic/rhythmic content.

Unfortunately, Cherry's work as a leader is harder to find in general than that as a sideman. 3 of the 4 titles above seem to be OOP or at least hard to find. The silver lining might be that the sideman in general is a little more accessible musically to most jazz fans. Some of the available Cherry titles, such as Mu, Blue Lake or Orient, are pretty long and adventurous improv sessions with some catchy nuggets but also more difficult or weird stretches.

I'll try to post part 2 on Don Pullen in a few days.

JasonK · 08-21-2003, 10:21 PM

My latest purchases just showed up today:

Grant Green: Idle Moments
Modern Jazz Quartet: self-titled
Modern Jazz Quartet: Odds Against Tomorrow
Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out
Thelonious Monk: Best of Thelonious Monk (Blue Note Years)

Love Milt Jackson on vibes from the self-titled Modern Jazz Quartet album.

Mike Broadman · 08-22-2003, 01:10 PM

Paul, what do you think of the album Cherry did with Coltrane?

Jason, Idle Moments was my first Grant Green album. I think you can tell from my previous posts how much it impressed me.

I also was totally sucked in by Monk the first time I heard him, and I still collect his music. Columbia just released a fresh batch of remastered titles including..

NP: Thelonious Monk, Underground

PaulHeroy · 08-23-2003, 02:15 AM

Ditto the props for Green's Idle Moments. The title track is a wonderfully pensive, slow groove. Yet another Blue Note with an incredible lineup of musicians.

Underground and Monk's Dream were my very first Monk purchase back in the mid 80's so it holds a special place for me. There are definitely much better Monk albums for the connaisseur but I think they are good intros to his work.

Mike, it's been a long time since I've listened to the Coltrane/Cherry album. (The Avant Garde, right?) I have the Atlantic box so I'll have to pull that out and give it a spin. It's not really among my favorite Atlantic Coltrane recordings but that still leaves a lot of room for it being a good record. Cherry also did an album with Sonny Rollins, Our Man In Jazz. I recall both the Trane and Newk collaborations getting a lot of mixed reviews.

JasonK · 08-28-2003, 03:09 AM

Another week, another couple jazz purchases. I think I'm starting to get hooked.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Milt Jackson and John Coltrane: Bags and Trane

Mike Broadman · 08-28-2003, 12:53 PM

Man, I didn't even know 'Trane and Milt did an album together. You gotta let me know what it's like- does Trane play like a madman or is he reeled in, like on his album with Duke?

Birth of the Cool is essential. Which version did you get? There's a remastered, and a remastered with tons of live bonus tracks, etc...

The other day I finally got around to picking up another Horace Silver album. I had Six Pieces of Silver and Song For My Father and enjoy them immensely. What a fun piano player- fluid melodies but strong funk. My latest from him is Finter Poppin', an album that delivers on its title's promise, featuring a roster of oft-forgotten jazz greats: Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Louis Hayes.

I saw one in the store by him that came out in '71 and features electric instruments. I'm usually wary of this stuff- has anyone heard it?

I also picked up Roy Haynes Trio album. Half studio, half live playing songs Roy did as a drummer for other people, so it's like a little celebration of his career. What snazzy drummer- a little flamboyant with lots of style. I got to see him live in Carnegie Hall, and he was the most enjoyable drummer I've ever seen live in any genre.

I got another Monk album, simply titled Monk, which I didn't even know existed before. I haven't listened to it yet.

JasonK · 09-02-2003, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Does Trane play like a madman or is he reeled in?

He's not playing like a madman. He and Milt get a nice flow going together. I've yet to experience Coltrane in full-blown maniac mode.

Over the weekend I picked up:

Horace Silver: Song For My Father
I wanted this because on Madlib's "Shades of Blue" there's a cover of the title track and I wanted to hear the original. Good stuff.

Art Blakey + The Jazz Messengers: Moanin'
After hearing Blakey drum on other albums I wanted to check out this, and really like it.

As for which Birth of Cool disc I picked up - it's the RVG edition and has 12 tracks - the last one is a vocal.

Mike Broadman · 09-03-2003, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Horace Silver: Song For My Father
I wanted this because on Madlib's "Shades of Blue" there's a cover of the title track and I wanted to hear the original. Good stuff.

Art Blakey + The Jazz Messengers: Moanin'
After hearing Blakey drum on other albums I wanted to check out this, and really like it.

Classics. Songs For My Father is the album that broke Silver as a first-rate jazz celebrity. I believe Moanin' was my original "recommendation" in the first post of this thread.

AllanC · 09-03-2003, 11:06 AM

I'd REALLY recommend Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus to any of you who haven't heard this album. Aside from the Kind of Blue this album gets the most attention from my cd player. To me, Rollins epitomizes the bebop tenor sax player. Trane's ideas are amazing, but I think Rollins' stuff will make much more 'sense' to the beginning Jazz listener.

One of his best albums. Max Roach on drums, Tommy Flanagan on Piano and Doug Watkins on the Bass.

PaulHeroy · 09-05-2003, 05:36 PM

I agree that for the most part, Rollins will make more sense and be easier to "get" for newbies to jazz, than Coltrane will. Sonny improvises much more on a melodic basis, so it's easier to follow. Trane was always working out some advanced harmonic concepts or other ideas which are not as easy to hear for the average listener. I love both, but I sure as hell don't know exactly what's going on technically in Trane's music, it's just he plays it so compellingly. It takes a little longer to hear Trane's "voice" than Rollins.

BTW I do plan to continue my little introductory piece on Don Pullen, but I confess I got a little down about it because virtually none of his recordings are currently available. The only non-solo effort I can find (that's not a very expensive import) is a Koch reissue of Tomorrow's Promises, which I've ordered and will hopefully have in another week. Of course this is an all too common crime, but it's still amazing to me that someone for whom a significant fraction of his work is represented on well established jazz labels like Blue Note and Black Saint can't be found.

Bob Turnbull · 09-05-2003, 11:18 PM

Well, at the very least you've reminded me to pull out Live...Again by Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection. I haven't listened to it in awhile, but I remember it being very rhythmic (gee, who would've thought from the name of his band

), propulsive and, for lack of a better description, a bit avant-garde.

I just tonight picked up Whims Of Chambers by the Paul Chambers Sextet. Now Paul Chambers should be enough of a recommendation, but the rest of the group consists of John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Horace Silver, Donald Byrd and Philly Joe Jones. How could I even consider passing that up? Haven't spun it yet, but I expect it'll be quite tasty.

I almost picked up a couple of Dexter Gordon discs (Go! and Our Man In Paris) and I'm wondering if I should just go back tomorrow and snag them. Any comments on either of these?