Morton Feldman

Triadic Memories

Crippled Symmetry

Patterns in a Chromatic Field

Grachan Moncur III - Evolution

Personnel: Grachan Moncur III(trombone), Lee Morgan(trumpet), Jackie McLean(alto saxophone), Bobby Hutcherson(vibes), Bob Crenshaw(bass), Tony Williams(drums)

I have developed a real affinity for Grachan Moncur recently. He is almost the antithesis of a typical jazz player in that he seems to enjoy the art of composition, and that of playing themes and melodies much more than he does soloing. He seems to have the understanding that a particular jazz band, or even a song, is far more valuable than the sum of it's parts, and that sense is very evident in this recording. His improvisations seem to be very restrained, but at the same time he seems to know exactly what it is he wants to do, and he gets his points across very well without coming across like a bully or a madman on the horn. Such is a good lesson for any aspiring jazz musician(if there are anymore these days). Aside from Moncur, you have the given Blue Note all star supporting cast of Morgan, McLean, Hutcherson, Crenshaw, and Williams. Many of these players are familiar with one another from solo projects of their own, and from playing on a number of Andrew Hill's more modern Blue Note recordings.

the George Russell Sextet - Ezz-Thetics

Personnel: Don Ellis(trumpet), Dave Baker(trombone), Eric Dolphy(alto saxophone, bass clarinet), George Russell(piano, arrangements), Steve Swallow(bass), Joe Hunt(drums)

There was a new sound that hit the jazz scene in the mid-late 1950's. All of the sudden, players like Bill Evans and Miles Davis stopped improvising over chord progressions and began basing their improvisations on what were known as modes, which were, to put it very simply, different means of arranging notes within a scale to achieve different sounds. Modes had been around for a very long time, even before the development of the major scale to be concise, but had not found their way into jazz until this point in time. This development can be traced to the brilliant mind of one man, George Russell. In 1953, Russell published a pamphlet called The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation, which essentially called for the Lydian mode to replace the Ionian mode(or Major scale) as the primary scale to use in creating chord progressions, and otherwise laid out the frame work for what would become modal improvisation in jazz. Ezz-Thetics is regarded by many as Russell's greatest album. He has assembled a great cast, in particular Alto Saxophonist and Bass Clarinetist Eric Dolphy, who really soars, and is evident throughout nearly every second of the recording. A great listen, and a great lesson.

Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea

Personnel: Erroll Garner(piano), Eddie Calhoun(bass), Denzil Best(drums)

Very few things in life make me happier than listening to Erroll Garner on the piano. Even in his ballads, there is an outstanding beauty in them, and even more a seemingly never ending momentum to his playing that will just lift your spirit. Garner stood out from other pianists of his time because of his willingness to use the entire instrument. Many of the pianists during the bop movement were merely looking to replicate Charlie Parker's style on the piano, and so what you would have would be long-winded, intricate, single-note lines being played, as if the piano was a solo instrument. Garner brought the instrument back to it's roots as an accompanying tool, but did not abandon the soloing technique. There is a very heavy use of block chords in his playing, and he syncopates his left and right hands in such a way that causes his music to swing like crazy, moreso than maybe any other jazz pianist ever.

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Live in Fargo, North Dakota, 1940

Personnel: Duke Ellington (leader, arranger, piano); Billy Staryhorn (arrangements); Otto "Toby" Hardwick (alto saxophone, clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, reeds); Wallace Jones, Ray Nance (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Freddie Guy (guitar); Jimmy Blanton (bass); Sonny Greer (drums).

Duke Ellington, arguably the greatest American composer and bandleader of all time, is heard here with what many consider to be the greatest lineup to ever fill his orchestra. And what a lineup it is, absolutely stacked, with not only good and great players, but jazz legends: Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Juan Tizol, Jimmy Blanton, and Sonny Greer to name a few(at the time Cootie Williams had just defected to the Count Basie Big Band). This album contains any and every great hit that the Ellington orchestra had in their early years, and there were several: the Mooche, Sepia Panorama, Ko-Ko, Mood Indigo, Harlem Airshaft, and the list goes on. Basically if you don't like this music, you should not be given license to listen to any jazz whatsoever. Being that this took place in 1940, the recording quality leaves something to be desired, but the band plays with such force and clarity that you are still able to hear and understand the music rather well.

Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris

Personnel: Dexter Gordon(tenor saxophone), Bud Powell(piano), Pierre Michelot(bass), Kenny Clarke(drums)

What a time capsule piece this is. You have 3 of the top bebop players of all time in Gordon, Powell, and Clarke, who all happened to be living in Paris at the time, playing a bill consisting almost entirely of 40's bebop standards. Only this recording wasn't made in the 40's, it was made in 1963. I am assuming that this session brought back old memories for the musicians as well, because there is an air of joyous recollection and relaxation that carries this recording from beginning to end. These guys are in their comfort zone and are firing on all cylinders.

Circle - the Paris Concert

Personnel: Anthony Braxton(reeds, percussion), Chick Corea(piano), Dave Holland(bass, cello), Barry Altschul(drums, percussion)

This performance, in my opinion, is about as close to a masterpiece as there is in contemporary jazz. You have two of the all time great contemporary jazz composers in Braxton and Holland, and you have, essentially, Miles Davis' fusion rhythm section in Corea, Holland, and Altschul. Genius composers and brilliant, well equipped musicians typically make for an outstanding performance and that is what you have here. It will most likely take numerous listens for anyone to become comfortable with this music and to have a sense of what is going on(I still am not able to fully wrap my head around it). Nevertheless, the results are splendid, as this quartet creates engaging, dynamic music from beginning to end.

Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans - Know What I Mean

Personnel: Cannonball Adderley(alto saxophone), Bill Evans(piano), Percy Heath(bass), Connie Kay(drums)

When I first came upon this record, I was very intrigued. It isn't so often that you see two musicians paired together whose styles differ so greatly. On one hand, you will be hard pressed to find another saxophonist who is as visceral and jubilant as Cannonball Adderley; and on the other, you will have just as difficult a time searching for a pianist with such a delicate and moody style as Bill Evans. Despite their differences, this recording shapes up to be very enjoyable and very coherent, which in all honesty should come as no surprise, considering the caliber of these two musicians. Joining these two masters are Percy Heath and Connie Kay, the bassist and drummer, respectively, of the perennially brilliant and sophisticated Modern Jazz Quartet. While Scott LaFaro's presence on bass has been sorely missed on any and every Bill Evans recording after his tragic death in 1960, and Paul Motian, Bill Evans' usual drummer during the time, is not present in these recordings, Percy Heath and Connie Kay do as good of a job as anyone possibly could replacing them. Excellent album.

Bix Beiderbecke, an Anthology


I am not going to bother with the personnel for this upload, as this is an anthology of recordings over a number of years and there is no set lineup of musicians. Some of these recordings are performed by bands led by Bix, others are with musicians like Frankie Trumbauer, and with bands like Paul Whiteman's Orchestra.

Bix Beiderbecke was a white cornet player who found himself in the midst of the 1930's Chicago jazz scene after he was sent off to boarding school there by his parents. His style is very introverted, and he was known for having an odd technique as a result of his learning to play jazz from recordings -- one of the first major names in jazz to do so, as opposed to learning from the tutelage of a peer; Bix grew up in Iowa. These recordings, stylistically, sound very old. However that doesn't mean that there isn't anything interesting going on in them(harmonic complexity isn't everything). Early jazz was renowned for it's use of counterpoint and (yes, I said it) improvisation by different members of the band at the same time. Chicago jazz was some of the very first jazz to feature solo improvisation, and Bix was one of the first adorned greats. Bix drank himself to death, which is a shame. But what can you expect from a kid who drops out of boarding school to play jazz in Chicago speakeasies during prohibition.

Archie Shepp - Mama Too Tight

Personnel: Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone); Tommy Turrentine (trumpet); Grachan Moncur III, Roswell Rudd (trombone); Howard Johnson (tuba); Perry Robinson (clarinet); Charlie Haden (bass); Beaver Harris (drums).

Like many of Shepp's mid-late 60's releases, the album starts off with a furious free improvisation session, and then, to an extent, comes down to earth. Following the blow out is an almost schizophrenic display of different influences and reference points that Shepp had absorbed throughout his tenure as a jazz musician to that point. He references Ellington, Mingus, and even James Brown(an omen perhaps, considering that Shepp would adopt a Soul/R&B based sound in the mid 70's). Ellington and Mingus both would be proud of the lush nature of the horn arrangements on "Theme for Ernie." This recording is all over the place, yet somehow it manages to maintain a strong sense of coherence. One can only assume that such is the mark of true compositional genius.