Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Thursday, 18 October 2012
50 Greatest Moments in Jazz (The Guardian)
The Guardian Music Blog has a series called 50 Greatest Moments in Jazz. I've linked to them below and also put links for the music that the author thought typified the moment in the links below.
No 1: Why Livery Stable Blues was the fanfare for a revolution
Livery Stable Blues
2. Louis Armstrong
No 2: Armstrong's voice propelled him into the limelight, but it was as a trumpeter that he emerged as a great virtuoso soloist
Louis Armstrong - Riverside Blues
3. The invention of swing
No 3: Last week's great moment showed Louis Armstrong going from singer to trumpeting genius. This week: Satchmo's role in the invention of swing
Sugar Foot Stomp
No 4: Louis Armstrong's two sensational recording bands of the late 1920s saw the young musician laying the foundations of jazz improvisation
Potato Head Blues
Black Bottom Stomp
20 Mar 2009:
No 7: Of the jazz-influenced ensembles of the late 1920s, none showed greater vision than Duke Ellington's. In his hands, jazz kept its spontaneity, improvisational edge and dancefloor drive
East St. Louis Toodle-oo
Duke Ellington - Creole Rhapsody Part 1
Blue Skies
No 10: One of the most important jazz bandleaders of his day, Basie pioneered an infectious take on swing that stunned audiences
Oh Lady Be Good
The Man I Love
Strange Fruit
Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 1938
Charlie Parker: Honeysuckle Rose
No 16: One of the most influential improvisational soloists in jazz, and a pioneer of bebop, Parker was able to move away from a tune's 'home' key and back without losing the thread.
6 of the Best
Cherokee
13 Aug 2009:
No 17: Writtten hastily during rehearsals, these songs contain some of the most memorable melodies in 20th-century music
Charlie Parker - Red Cross
Charlie Parker - Ko Ko
24 Sep 2009:
No 18: Parker's deal with the record shop-owner was a defining moment for the saxophonist, as it led him to create some of the most memorable jazz improvisation of all time
Ornithology
Famous Alto Break
Loverman
14 Oct 2009:
No 19: In the eight years following his release from a mental hospital in 1947, Parker produced a great deal of astonishing jazz
Relaxin' at Camarillo
Just Friends
Night in Tunisia
No 21: Emerging from the shadow of his hero Charlie Parker, Miles Davis rejected the aggressive tempo of bebop to pioneer a smoother style that became a landmark in jazz evolution
The Birth of the Cool
22. The little-known genius of Lennie Tristano
2 Jun 2010:
No 30: The Hammond was designed as a low-budget organ for churches, but it was Smith who marked its place in jazz history
27 comments
9 Aug 2010:
No 33: Perhaps the most influential
saxophonist all of time, Coltrane produced an intensely soulful sound
that reached way beyond the jazz cognoscenti
24 comments
17 Aug 2010:
No 34: Rock'n'roll effectively kept jazz out of the charts in the 60s, but the samba craze briefly rekindled hopes of a renaissance
16 comments
6 Sep 2010:
No 35: It's almost impossible to choose just one great moment from the legacy of this pioneering bassist and compositional genius
15 comments
1. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band release Livery Stable Blues
No 1: Why Livery Stable Blues was the fanfare for a revolution
Livery Stable Blues
2. Louis Armstrong
No 2: Armstrong's voice propelled him into the limelight, but it was as a trumpeter that he emerged as a great virtuoso soloist
Louis Armstrong - Riverside Blues
3. The invention of swing
No 3: Last week's great moment showed Louis Armstrong going from singer to trumpeting genius. This week: Satchmo's role in the invention of swing
Sugar Foot Stomp
4. The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
No 4: Louis Armstrong's two sensational recording bands of the late 1920s saw the young musician laying the foundations of jazz improvisation
Potato Head Blues
5. Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
No 5: Though he might not have invented the form (as he sometimes claimed) Jelly Roll Morton was the first jazz composer of importance, investing his music with spontaneity and diversityBlack Bottom Stomp
20 Mar 2009:
No 6: He was probably the first great jazz soloist who brought vibrant colours to the palette by introducing the soprano sax
Summertime
7. The arrival of Duke Ellington
No 7: Of the jazz-influenced ensembles of the late 1920s, none showed greater vision than Duke Ellington's. In his hands, jazz kept its spontaneity, improvisational edge and dancefloor drive
East St. Louis Toodle-oo
8. Duke Ellington develops the 'jungle sound'
No 8: Ragtime, boogie-woogie, New Orleans blues and the Harlem renaissance … it all went into the rich mix that made up Duke Ellington's groundbreaking 'jungle sound'Duke Ellington - Creole Rhapsody Part 1
9. Benny Goodman and the swing craze
No 9: As big in his day as rock'n'roll would be two decades later, Goodman was hailed the 'King of Swing' for bringing jazz's good-time feel to a wider audience during the Great DepressionBlue Skies
10. Count Basie
No 10: One of the most important jazz bandleaders of his day, Basie pioneered an infectious take on swing that stunned audiences
Oh Lady Be Good
11. Billie Holiday
No 11: Regarded by many as the greatest jazz singer of them all, Holiday's eloquent ability to sound both world-weary and innocent captivated audiences worldwideThe Man I Love
12. Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit
No 12: The song made Billie Holiday a star, but did so much more – telling of the horrors of lynchings in the deep southStrange Fruit
13. Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall, 1938
No 13: Benny Goodman's racially integrated showcase unleashed jazz's great black innovators on a dazzled American publicBenny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 1938
14. Charlie Christian
No 14: The pioneering guitarist dazzled contemporaries and put the sound of the electric guitar on the map15. The emergence of bebop
No 15: Dismissed at the time as unlistenable and undanceable, bebop represented an outlet for imaginative, open-minded jazz musicians hoping to usher in a new ageCharlie Parker: Honeysuckle Rose
16. Charlie Parker
No 16: One of the most influential improvisational soloists in jazz, and a pioneer of bebop, Parker was able to move away from a tune's 'home' key and back without losing the thread.
6 of the Best
Cherokee
17. Charlie Parker's first recordings
13 Aug 2009:
No 17: Writtten hastily during rehearsals, these songs contain some of the most memorable melodies in 20th-century music
Charlie Parker - Red Cross
Charlie Parker - Ko Ko
18. Charlie Parker teams up with Ross Russell
24 Sep 2009:
No 18: Parker's deal with the record shop-owner was a defining moment for the saxophonist, as it led him to create some of the most memorable jazz improvisation of all time
Ornithology
Famous Alto Break
Loverman
19. Charlie Parker's final years
14 Oct 2009: No 19: In the eight years following his release from a mental hospital in 1947, Parker produced a great deal of astonishing jazz
Relaxin' at Camarillo
Just Friends
20. The Quintet - Jazz At Massey Hall
No 20: Charlie Parker's final collaboration, featuring bebop's biggest stars, is one of the greatest recorded live shows in jazzNight in Tunisia
21. Birth of the Cool
No 21: Emerging from the shadow of his hero Charlie Parker, Miles Davis rejected the aggressive tempo of bebop to pioneer a smoother style that became a landmark in jazz evolution
The Birth of the Cool
22. The little-known genius of Lennie Tristano
No 22: One of the great jazz educators and innovators, this unheralded pianist was an inspiration to generations of musicians
23. Dave Brubeck's Jazz at Oberlin
No 23: Brubeck's 1953 live album showed
that jazz didn't have to follow the bebop route, and that there was even
a chart audience out there for it
24. Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan's pianoless quartet
29 Jan 2010:
No 24: The charismatic prince of cool jazz developed an elegant and intertwining sound after being forced to perform without a piano
25. The Modern Jazz Quartet and John Lewis's Django
24 Mar 2010:
No 25: One of the rare bands to be loved
beyond the jazz cognoscenti, this chamber ensemble gave the genre a
respect previously afforded to classical musicians
Audio
(7min 25sec),
14 Apr 2010:
John Fordham: This 1956 interpretation of
Thelonious Monk's typically flinty Bemsha Swing might not sound like a
jazz revolution in motion at first. But listen closer...
14 Apr 2010:
No 27: This 1956 interpretation of
Thelonious Monk's typically flinty Bemsha Swing might not sound
revolutionary at first. But listen closer ...
9 comments
26. Cecil Taylor - Bemsha Swing
Audio
(7min 25sec),
14 Apr 2010:
John Fordham: This 1956 interpretation of
Thelonious Monk's typically flinty Bemsha Swing might not sound like a
jazz revolution in motion at first. But listen closer...27. Cecil Taylor's jazz piano revolution
14 Apr 2010:
No 27: This 1956 interpretation of
Thelonious Monk's typically flinty Bemsha Swing might not sound
revolutionary at first. But listen closer ...9 comments
28. The renaissance of Thelonious Monk
29 Apr 2010:
No 28: The high priest of improv's 1956 album Brilliant Corners is a remarkable insight into his wayward musical mind
7 comments
7 comments
29. The rise of saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins
11 May 2010:
No 29: Though he had recorded with the
Modern Jazz Quartet, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, it was from early
1956 that Sonny Rollins really took off …
4 comments
4 comments
30. Jimmy Smith and the Hammond organ
2 Jun 2010:
No 30: The Hammond was designed as a low-budget organ for churches, but it was Smith who marked its place in jazz history
27 comments
31. Miles Davis and Kind of Blue
5 Jul 2010:
No 31: This groundbreaking 1959 album is as close to perfection as jazz gets without sacrificing its spontaneity
19 comments
19 comments
32. Ornette Coleman defines the Shape of Jazz to Come
23 Jul 2010:
No 32: Initially regarded as a fraud or
fool, he influenced half a century of jazz – and this album defines his
greatness more than any other
8 comments
8 comments
9 Aug 2010:
No 33: Perhaps the most influential
saxophonist all of time, Coltrane produced an intensely soulful sound
that reached way beyond the jazz cognoscenti24 comments
16 comments
6 Sep 2010:
No 35: It's almost impossible to choose just one great moment from the legacy of this pioneering bassist and compositional genius15 comments
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Greatest, Essential & Best Jazz Albums
Every year I figure I'll finally get into Jazz, and every year it ends with an anticlimactic fizzle. This year however, was a success. Here are a few sites recommending albums and songs that I found helpful. First 3 are album recommendations then after that are song recommendations. If you follow the links to the song recommendations you can actually hear all 100 recommended songs from Jazz24. Plus I've put my album recommendations after the links. I suppose I'll update this page from time to time as I listen through more of the albums.Top Jazz Albums Lists
Matador's 25 Essential Jazz AlbumsDaily Telegraph 100 Best Jazz Recordings
Amazon's 100 Best Jazz Albums
New Yorker's 100 Essential Jazz Albums
Penguin Guide to Jazz Core Collection
Jazz: A Critics Guide to the 100 most important Records (New Yorker)
100 Jazz Records that Shook the World
NPR's 50 Essential Records for Curious Jazz Listeners
Songs
Jazz 24s 100 Quintessential Jazz Songs
Top 100 Radio Jazz Song Essentials
Top 100 Radio Jazz Instrumental Essentials
My Recommendations
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
The first Jazz album I bought and instantly accessible. The atmosphere is fantastic, latenight chilled out jazz, and the lineup for this albums is unbeatable. Miles Davis on trumpet, Coltrane on Sax, Bill Evan on Piano.
Duke Ellington Live at Newport
Upbeat atmosphere that will make you grin. Ellington was playing Newport at a time when his career was beginning to flag. After the first song people began to get up and leave so he called for one of his old standards. When the solo began one of the ladies couldn't contain herself any longer and jumped up to dance, Ellington responded and just kept the solo going, for a long time. The crowd called for four encores.
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett
Contemplative atmosphere, Solo piano improvisations but melodic as opposed to a lot of the dissonant avant garde jazz. The first track is increidible. Someone has said that he set the piano on fire with his playing. There are some truly beautiful moments in that first track, and the speed with which he plays at times defies belief.
Critics Recommendations (Chronological Album Timeline)
A Love Supreme (1964) - John Coltrane
Melded the hard bop sensibilities of his early career with the free jazz style he adopted later
Takin' Off (1962) - Herbie Hancock
The Great Summit/Reunion (1961) - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
Bill Evans Trio: Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1961)
Bill Evans Trio: Waltz for Debby (1961)
this is actually a second CD of live material taken from the same session as the above Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Sketches of Spain (1960) - Miles Davis
The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) - Ornette Coleman
Free Jazz
Ah Um (1959) - Charles Mingus
Kind of Blue (1959) - Miles Davis
Modal Jazz
Moanin' (1958) - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Somethin' Else (1958) - Cannonball Adderley
with miles davis & art blakey
Everybody Digs Bill Evans (1958) - Bill Evans
The Birth of the Cool (1957) - Miles Davis
Cool Jazz (post bebop)
Blue Train (1957) - John Coltrane
Hard Bop
Saxophone Colossus (1956) - Sonny Rollins
Ella & Louis (1956) - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Concert by the Sea (1955) Erroll Garner
live trio performance
Live at the Cafe Bohemia (Vol I) (1956) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers -
horace silver on piano
Live at the Cafe Bohemia (Vol II) (1956) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers -
horace silver on piano
Bird & Diz (1950) - Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
Bebop
(Thelonious Monk on Piano)
Friday, 28 September 2012
Kali Gandaki River (Nepal) Photograph
Poland's Sikorski Challenges Euroskeptics at a Dinner in England
Sikorski argues that Britain should stay within the EU as it suits their best interests. The article is from the NY Times.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Incredible Hubble Image
An incredible image (Hubble Image) showing 5,500 galaxies in a spot just under the moon. God's power is truly beyond imagination.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
National Geographic Photo Competition
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