I think that you are right. But considering other musical genres, there have always been artists that had lived unconventionally. Also among classical musicians, we know biographies where unconventional behaviors are described. Some names: Schubert, Mozart or coming to more recent times, Leonard Bernstein.
Has no one mentioned this yet? It's the obvious choice, but it's also just the greatest of the great -- pretty much Bird's best playing (he practiced very hard for these sessions, and contrary to common belief that Norman Granz put him up to recording with strings, it was Bird who wanted to do it and he had to convince Granz to go with it, or so I've heard). Just about my favorite Bird. In fact, my wife and I both love it so much it was the dinner music at our wedding:
The Vandermark Five - Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise (Atavistic / 2004 CD) This was hitting the spot today. Found my copy at the local charity shop incidentally.
I am not a big fan of jazz with strings, but I love this release. It's fantastic. Been way too long since I've played it, but I should get it out again soon.
loving this thread. getting some damn good feedback and answers from everyone, TY. Seal is an odd artist, maybe that's why I like him. true he did release an album of "standards" recently yet I was primarily thinking just about his second album. his first was no doubt house techno, but his second... hmm hard to define... jazzy downtempo? its also near impossible to find on vinyl. the few copies I have found are going for well over $200 depending of where they are pressed. Germany and UK big money ...but the Brazil pressing still selling for over $100.
Thanks @Lonson and all others who gave several "jazz with strings" album advises. Some of those I already have (like the amazing Getz/Focus) but others I need to look for. Following @chervokas lead I'll play another classic (from the great Gil/Miles team): Miles has great album covers, but IMO this is not one of them. I really don't get that picture. Found this online that might help if anyone else shares my doubt: "Roy DeCarava (the photographer) said that he had been trying to track down Miles for some time to get the cover photo because the album was done and Columbia wanted to get it out there. Only thing missing was the cover photo. Miles kept dodging him, not showing up for appointments, not returning his calls, etc. So, finally, Mr. DeCarava just shows up at Miles’ house one day and knocks on the door. Miles answers the door, looks at him for a minute and just says, “ahh ****, Roy”. So Miles invites him in and they shoot the photo in the back yard of Miles’ upper west side brownstone with Miles’ wife. I think he said it took no time at all, very quick."
I actually love this cover. And I think it's significant, the opera is a love story between Porgy and Bess and this cover seems to show an affectionate moment between a man and his woman. (Who happen to be Miles and Frances).
Tonight's commuting music: Disc two...I put on "Calypso Frelimo" as soon as I got to the bus stop and it was just fading as I walked through the door into work, so my commute takes about thirty two minutes Some of the edits in that track are hilarious...Teo Macero certainly didn't seem to hide the fact that some of these tracks were edited, pieced together, etc, did he?
Now playing: Has it's ups and downs. I'm a Gil fan, but in this case I prefer Jimi's original versions.
I know that album. I think that Evans has arranged more impressive version of Hendrix's Tunes in his various live albums of the late seventies and early eighties. A nice example is this album recorded at Royal Festival Hall in 1978: REST OF GIL EVANS LIVE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON 1978 It only includes two pieces composed by Hendrix: in particular Voodoo Chile arranged by Howard Johnson is a little jewel; the tuba player is Bob Stewart.
Never heard this one, but that's a heck of an interesting band. Thanks for this, I'm gonna try to give this one a listen.
If you like it, there are 2 other albums from the same run of concerts - I don't have them but they're probably of comparable quality. (One of them has Mulgrew Miller in place of Pullen).
I'm not sure that's on Teo, during this whole period, from In a Silent Way through his mid-'70s retirement, Miles was doing a lot of extreme cutting and pasting in the studio to pull pieces together. All the studio albums have extreme and abrupt cuts. That was part of the Miles conception at the time.
