Well - here's what's been on of late.....
Miles Davis: "Live in Tokyo" (CBS)
This disc led me to listening to a bunch of Sam Rivers last week.
Sam Rivers:
"Vista" (Meta) A nice trio of Adam Rudolph (percussion), Harris Eisensadt (drums) and Rivers on Tenor/Soprano sax/Flute/. He didn't slow down in his later years - recorded in 2003 just before his 80th birthday.
"Crystals" (Impulse). I was familiar with the 2 big band discs from the 1990's on RCA but this one was new to me. A very distinctive big band writer.
"Waves" (Tomato)
"Hues" (Impulse)
"Streams" (Impulse)
Sam Rivers output from the 70's has managed to evade my ears until I had bit of a binge this week. Feel-wheeling, powerful blowing with plenty of continuity.
Cecil Taylor:
"Jazz Advance" (Transition) A bold debut with the added bonus of some early Steve Lacy.
"Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come" (Revenant Records) A live recording of an early incarnation of the Cecil Taylor Unit.
"Unit Structures" & "Conquistador" (Blue Note) Two classics on Blue Note (I tend to favor the latter). I enjoy the contrasts in this group - the bass playing of Silva & Grimes....Taylor's density & Lyons roots in Bird.
"For Olim" (Soul Note) Recommended if you are wondering where to start with Taylor's solo work.
There has been plenty of Ornette Coleman related albums on too.
Ornette Coleman:
"Something Else!" (Contemporary) I hadn't listened to this one in ages. I remember one of my friends being into this album (Hi Brad!) and playing 'The Blessing' back in our days at what is now the NZSM.
"The Shape of Jazz to Come" (Atlantic)
"Live at the Golden Circle Vol.1" (Blue Note)
"Free Jazz" (Atlantic) Other disc I hadn't listened to in quite some time. Enjoyed much more this time round.
Old & New Dreams: "Old & New Dreams" (Black Saint) For those of you that enjoy Ornette Coleman's work on Atlantic this group (of Coleman Alumni) makes an excellent follow up.
Keith Jarrett: "Fort Yawh" (Impulse) Jarrett's 'American Quartet' - a group I haven't listened to that much.
Don Cherry: "Complete Communion" (Blue Note) A nice place to start with Cherry's work after the Coleman Quartet. Two, four movement suites with nice playing all round - particularly the rhythm section of Ed Blackwell & Henry Grimes.
John Coltrane & Don Cherry: "The Avant-Garde" (Atlantic) I feel this album is pretty up & down and can see why it wasn't initially released by Atlantic - must have sounded quite tame compared to what Coltrane was playing when it was released in 1966 ( the year "Ascension" & "Meditations" were released). Coltrane's earliest studio date on soprano.
2 comments:
Greetings from NZ. Good blog Adam and an interesting list of listenings. The current list is very long though, and I wonder how much time you get to really listen to so many pieces. I tend to have phases when I may listen to thre of four artists repeatedly for a time and it is the repeat listenings that brings out the depths I may miss first time. It is also interesting to hear the same piece when I am in different moods. (try noting your mood before you listen to something, then check it again afterwards).
Paul G
Hi Paul
Good points. Lately I've had quite a bit of time free for listening hence the long list.
Mood definitely is worth noting and I try to pick things that I feel is right for that moment. Time of day helps too - picking times when I can focus in on the music.
For me, these things tend to move in cycles - Currently I am in a phase of checking out/revisiting lots of recordings - no doubt my attention will turn to just a few albums or an artist. Possibly when I get back from NYC as the trip has interrupted my pattern.
A.M
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