Jazz Beat (Part 30)

It's a really good one if you like this sort of thing, an old favorite.

 

This just inspired me to play the Workshops.

Disc 7

 

I've seen that comp before but always thought "nah, I think I'll pass."

I just got home from Nebraska Mondays, the creative music night at Luna's Cafe, curated by Ross Hammond.
Tonight's special guest was Oliver Lake who played with Lisa Mezzacappa(b) and Ross Hammond (g). They played two sets of improvised "seat of your pants" stuff that was exhilarating and beautiful. Oliver played alto sax and flute and I was very impressed with the bass player, Lisa. I think she got more sounds out of her acoustic bass than I've heard from anybody in a matter of two hours. All three really listened to each other closely and responded majestically. The cafe only hold about 30 people max and it was full tonight. Tomorrow night Oliver Lake is teaching a class on improv at Golden Lion Studio that Ross runs. I decided I'm going to go since they advertised it again tonight. I didn't want to take space from a true student of the music. Me being a mostly non-gigging musician, I didn't want to take the seat from someone who could really benefit musically. Ross told me to bring an instrument but as I don't play improv much I'm not sure I want to do that. I mainly want to hear what Oliver has to say and hopefully be a better listener. There are drums at the studio too so I could be persuaded to do something.

I did pick up a cd by Oliver Lake, a new one by his organ quartet and it is really superb. It's surely not your grandpa's organ quartet. The organist is a young man named Jared Gold who is simply amazing. It's like he took the baton from Larry Young and he is taking it even higher. Then you have Lake blowing too and it's just too much. Easily the best jazz organ album I've heard in some time. The title is What I Heard on The Passin' Thru label. The other instruments are drums of course and trumpet. If you are a fan of Oliver Lake or Larry Young you will dig this album.

 

Ooh big score for me today. I went to close my front door to lock up and saw a package leaning against the wall.
It was my copy of Whisky & Jazz by Hans Offringa. It is a book that is half about whisky and half about jazz and the particular whisky that the author believes goes with a particular artist or song. I'll know more once I dive into it. We saw it in Scotland about this time last year when we stayed four nights on Islay and visited all but two distilleries on the island. It was at Lagavulin that there was a copy of this book on a table in one of the rooms one could walk around while sipping their wee dram. I really liked the book but when I came home I discovered it was around $75 at the lowest on Amazon. Egads! Well it was OOP so that's what happens, but I decided to wait. The copy I got was from a Goodwill in Oregon and it was listed in very good shape but may have some wear on the cover or the pages. I decided to take a chance since it was so cheap. It looks brand new. The dust cover is in perfect shape. I'm totally shocked. I went out to Amazon just to see where it was now, starting at $125 New and starting at $144 Used. I hit some kind of window that I did not plan.
Oh yeah, my cost? $25 + shipping. I really wasn't expecting brand new for $25. If anyone is interested I can report back after I've had a serious look at it. It looked great at the distillery and I was the designated driver! So it might have been the place but I wasn't the whisky.

NP McCoy Tyner - Just Feelin' (PAJ)
Seems like a good choice for perusing the new book.

 

Oliver Nelson Sextet / The blues and the abstract truth / CIPJ5SA / Analogue Productions Hybrid SACD /

I don't know why, but I keep forgetting about this album. Weeks of jazz listening goes by, without me even looking at this. Then suddenly I hear myself going "dududududududuDUUUDU!" over and over again. That great great GREAT part from Yearnin', mentioned in the liner notes as "The second ensamble, 12 measures in length, employs a kind of 'amen' cadence...."

Thus I know it's time to dig out this album.

But I think that's all I have with Oliver Nelson. What else is worth picking up?

 

I can recommend these two albums, especially the live one with Gato Barbieri

 

Thanks! Available on OJC or similar?

 

Soulful Brass was released on impulse! (now owned by Universal), and Swiss Suite on RCA (now owned by Sony). OJC was a Fantasy label (now owned by Concord) and only reissued albums from the Fantasy family of labels, which didn't include impulse! or RCA.

 

On New Jazz (OJC)
Screamin' The Blues
Straight Ahead
Nocturne
More Blues And The Abstract Truth

Those are my favorites along with the classic you mentioned.

 

Art Pepper - The Trip

 

I love that Pepper album and the song The Trip is one of his best imo.

WP Stanley Turrentine - Blue Hour (Blue Note) stereo NY pressing.

NP Ben Webster Meets Don Byas (MPS)
W/the wonderful Catalan pianist Tete Montoliu on this mix of standards and originals.

 

Brooke Sofferman – Fine Whines (Summit Records)
— With Phil Grenadier, Jerry Bergonzi, Norm Zocher, Bruno Raberg; liner note by John Abercrombie

 

literally every single thing you can get your hands on. see what you think of 'screamin' the blues'...

 

Earlier:



Now:

 

fine sides; keeping in mind these are *nothing* like 'the blues and the abstract truth'....

 

i remember rushing out to find my next nelson record only to find that there's really nothing like 'the blues....' in the balance of his catalog. undaunted, i continued collecting only to enjoy discovering a strong thread of consistency in his work. oliver nelson remains one of my very favorite musicians (/composers/arrangers). collecting his discography can, as a lot of people know, yield some head shaking moments as he did his fair share of overtly commercial projects. some fun, others not so fun.

one record i'd heard many times in japan that i'd been waiting literally over a decade for ('in tokyo' with the sharps & flats) was at long last reissued on disc last november. it completes the major pieces of the puzzle in my collection.

 

Apart from "The Blues and the Abtract Truth", I'd go for these two; great tunes and great playing by both Oliver and Eric Dolphy.

For a big band session then this is definitely worth hearing:

 

Gary Burton – Good Vibes (Atlantic Records – Warner Japan/EU)
— With Richard Tee (piano, electric piano) Eric Gale, Jerry Hahn (guitar) Chuck Rainey (electric bass) Bernard Purdie (drums) / Sam Brown (guitar) Steve Swallow (bass) Bill LaVorgna (drums)

 

Sheepishly, I confess I just played You're Hearing George shearing on MGM LP and was delighted, pulled out his CDs with Dakota Staton, Nat King Cole and Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee. Any recommendations? Was YHGS ever on CD?

 

Loved this since I discovered it about 4 years ago on a blog somewhere. I passed up a vinyl issue of this last year, what was I thinking??

 

i have *no* idea where that could have come from...

 

Orgyinrhythm maybe? I've discovered a lot of great stuff from there.

 

what? i have no idea what you're talking about. i've *never* heard of it.