What he wrote about improvisation was painful. Improvisation is everywhere in the New England Conservatory curriculum. Joe Morris teaches it. Nonetheless and although not on my radar Iverson is very popular with a major segment of the Jazz audience. He's a lucky man.
When I first saw this title listed I thought it was a compilation like the Talkin' Verve Acid Jazz comps. Love this trio and any times that Green recorded with Elvin Jones and/or Larry Young.
Spinning another Music Matters title this evening. Horace Parlan - On The Spur Of The Moment - 2 LP 45rpm (Music Matters 2009)
Kenny Dorham, Jackie McLean and Bobby Timmons, and they all shine. Teddy Smith and J.C. Moses make up the rest of the rhythm section.
It’s both. I have to admit I’ve also read him more than I’ve listened to him. I like his writing. His article on his friend Frank Kimbrough after Frank Kimbrough died was particularly good, in my opinion.
Having read the Iverson piece, I completely understand where he comes from, but I also see where @chervokas takes issue. Great post BTW.
Count Basie: Count Basie And The Kansas City 7 Trying to relax a bit with some smooth big band tunes.... (From DROffline MkII) (Count Basie And The Kansas City 7 - Count Basie And The Kansas City 7 )
I didn't know it. Jake Byard with a big band intrigues me much. I'll give a listen on Spotify. Good suggestion for me.
I am reading the discussion about Iverson article As simple jazz listener living in Italy, I struggle to understand that for an American pianist of the contemporary age, the role models are Tyner, Hancock, Corea, Jarrett, ignoring a remarkable bunch of pianists known as great improvisers from which one can draw inspiration for own playing. I have seen some posts where some of them are mentioned very opportunately. From the old Europe to Zawinul I add Martial Solal that is very underrated.
Her autobio is some interesting reading as well; apparently she and Roy Eldridge weren't 'tight' when they were doing duets with Krupa's band is one recollection that I have from reading it.
Well, he's talking about who were the big names among working pianists for his generation of up and coming jazz pianists. Iverson was born in 1973, so he's a little young really for the era when those four were really dominating the jazz festival circuit and showing up on the cover of Contemporary Keyboard magazine and Downbeat. But in the '70s and '80s those really would have been the "big four" in that category. I think that's all he's saying and its hard to suggest otherwise, though I think Cecil Taylor, divisive though he may have been, was just as big a presences in the festivals and on the magazines at the time. But I guess not one who made on impression on Iverson's generation. He's often writing about the taste of his generation, its one of his common constructions as a writer, but it seems that by "generation" he means not all people or even all jazz musicians who are in their late 40s and early 50s, but a tighter circle of musical acquaintances than that.
I think we’re probably putting more thought into Iverson’s analysis of improvisation and pianists than he did when he originally posted them on Twitter.
I think that's exactly right. His blog was more thoughtfully considered and written usually, but you know, Twitter, is not really a platform for that, it's more a platform for dashed off provocative quips, hot take reactions. and snarky gifs.
In some ways, the conversation on here has been similar to some of the (rare) better parts of Twitter when someone could throw out an idea and there would be an actual conversation about it. My favorites responses to Iverson in this thread - especially yours - have been critical of his post while also expanding the discussion. It’s not “lol, this is dumb” but substantive considerations of the question of great ‘70s pianists.
Those certainly would not have been among the "big four" for his generation. Iverson would have turned 21 in 1993, he would have been like six or seven with Bill Evans died, 9 when Monk died. Those guys would have been figures from jazz history for his generation, not living breathing stars on stage and magazine covers, with new albums that you waited for, and who you could imagine yourself being like and following in the footsteps of. Iverson, in those posts, isn't writing about the whole history of jazz piano, he's writing about the pianists who were big figures for he and his young peers when they were young musicians coming up in the 80s and early 90s.
The problem with trying to do that on Twitter -- besides being interrupted by trolls -- is the character limit. Even writing threaded posts, 280 characters at a time doesn't leave much room for intelligent, thoughtful discussion. Just dashed off quips, hot take reactions and snarky gifs!
