Hi Lonson; Sorry about your loss. I’ve been away from the Forum for the last couple of years due to my chronic migraines but I remember how you’ve always helped me with jazz recommendations when I started to really explore the genre. Best Bill
The John Coltrane Quartet The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions 1995 Impulse I bought every Trane reissue soft pak. All sound good to my ears and even though I have most on vinyl , can’t get rid of them and wife doesn’t understand? Love Trane’s tone on both horns and McCoy’s playing………seems songs end too quickly but I realize they are not short. 1961 …..what a year for Trane …..also Complete Village Vanguard same year.
The term "sheets of sound" was coined by critic Ira Gitler in 1958, during Coltrane's Prestige tenure and three years before Africa/Brass (impulse!, 1961). Wikipedia lists several albums with "sheets of sound", Africa/Brass is not among those Sheets of sound - Wikipedia The number of musicians on Africa/Brass is more than 20, which gives it a big-band sound.
It’s not sheets of sound , it’s a big group with multiple horns arranged by Eric Dolphy. IMHO it’s a unique one off …..similar to Ole’.
An Impulse title that often gets overlooked! Lorez Alexandria – Alexandria The Great (Sparton Mono 1964) Canadian pressing
NP Bobo Stenson - Goodbye (ECM) Last night I listened to Jethro Tull’s Aqualung for the first time in more than a decade. It might have been the time of night but I enjoyed the more acoustic songs over the big riffage
Last night I listened to Mary Halvorson's - Amaryllis... Amazing album, one of the best new releases I've heard from anyone in a while.
The Gary Burton Quintet With Eberhard Weber - Ring Gary Burton - Vibraharp Mick Goodrick - Guitar Pat Metheny - Guitar/Electric 12-String Guitar Steve Swallow - Bass Eberhard Weber - Double Bass Bob Moses - Percussion Recorded at Bauer Studios, Ludwigsburg Germany - July 23 & 24, 1974
NP: Sylvie Courvoisier / Mark Feldman / Erik Friedlander - Abaton (2CD, ECM, 2003) Sylvie Courvoisier (p), Mark Feldman (vln), Erik Friedlander (cello) Last week has been a very busy week and the only music I've listened to are the two new arrivals: Incipient ICP and the Sarah Vaughan Mosaic set (though I'm not even halfway yet with the latter). Tonight, however, I am trying to wind down a bit with some familiar sounds. The first CD of Abaton might be among Courvoisier's most accessible work. The trio somehow succeeds in sounding sparse and lush at the same time. If I remember correctly, this was the first Courvoisier I ever heard. I was mostly attracted to the name of Friedlander. I often love cello's in jazz (or jazz-related) music and was already familiar with some of his work with John Zorn and Marty Ehrlich. This recording proved to be as rewarding to me as the Zorn and Ehrlich related stuff.
As @J.A.W. notes these albums wouldn’t be considered sheets of sound. To me the prototypical sheets of sound is Giant Steps. Currently listening to:
Issued 1958. Recorded 1/20-21/58, Rendezvous Ballroom, Balboa Beach, CA. Producer: Lee Gillette. Arrangements by Paich, Richards & Bill Holman. Soloists include Bill Perkins, Richie Kamuca, Lennie Niehaus & Sam Noto. Despite the talent involved, I am not a big fan of this or other Kenton recordings.
Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy's Big 4 I absolutely love this intimate little quartet coming rather late in Dizzy's career. But he's clearly having fun, as is the rest of the ensemble. Guitarist Joe Pass always has a killer groove when comping or is on fire with a solo. Ray Brown's bass is more to the fore than in the typical acoustic jazz record, and that's a very good thing. Mickey Roker's drums keep everything swinging nicely. All around, this is a supremely fun listen.
I finally got to it's companion, Belladonna, today. On first listen, I think I like that even better that Amaryllis, though Amaryllis, which I've heard twice now, I like very much. It's a different sort of Halvorson album. It still has those swelling, heroic theme for horns, like she wrote for Away with You, but in places it's almost like grooving, rhythmically asymmetrical modern jazz of a sort that might get mainstream jazz radio airplay -- the title track, for example, and especially "Night Shift." Most the the players to, other than Tomas Fujiwara, are players who haven't previously been in the Halvorson orbit, so it's a very different sound. I was particularly struck by Jacob Garchik's trombone playing I don't think I'd ever heard him before. And Nick Dunston's bass. And of course Adam O'Farrill's trumpet. He's always amazing. I'm a little disappointed in a way that there's not more of Halvorson herself out front on the album. After a slow start to the year I've found a bunch of new jazz albums I've been really excited about this year -- these two from Halvorson (though I'm not sure Belladonna's a jazz album, plenty of out front Halvorson on that one too), Dave Douglas' Secular Psalms, Cecile McLorin Salvant's Ghost Song, and Matthew Shipp & Chad Fowler's Old Stories have particular stood out so far this year for me.
Only heard about half his new album so far, and that only casually. I liked what I heard. The impression I got from I've heard so far, and the way I heard it, is a little more, I dunno how to describe it, more moody and vibish than the jazz I tend to gravitate toward most commonly. But I'm going to go back and give the whole thing a serious listening.
That's totally understandable. It's just for me my listening time is during the week as I'm retired, and the weekends when my wife is home my time is dedicated to her pursuits and listening is not one of them.
I'm with you. I have next to no time during the week for sit down listening but I get to catch up on the weekend. Fridays I scroll through the new releases on Qobuz in the morning and flag stuff to listen to. I've come to look forward to new release Friday, really works out well for me.
So sorry about your loss Lon, I have not been following this thread so closely and missed this. I am glad you are carrying the loss without debilitating pain. I lost my mom some years ago and I carry wonderful memories from a last dinner of sorts where she was in peak form. I refused to see the darkness and I know my mom still raises her rum and coke smiling at our epic last fun night out. I think you have the right approach
