I have listened to a lot of jazz. (Warning, Geeky Jazz Post) Seriously, like too much. Mostly from before the 70's and especially late 30's to 50's early 60's. I have heard several good albums and recordings from after that time, but I guess I just keep finding stuff that I really enjoy in the stuff before 1970ish. My taste runs like this, if this means anything to you:
Louis Armstrong (Hot Fives and Sevens especially)
Lots of various small group swing like early Benny Goodman Jack Teagarden, Basie, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Bix Beiderbecke, Bud Freeman, Teddy Wilson, Ellington,
Charlie Parker
Miles Davis
Sonny Rollins
Thelonious Monk
John Coltrane – Pre -Impulse
Lee Morgan
Everything else I listen to is pretty much inspired by the stuff these guys inspired and pioneered.
Anyway. Isn't it crazy how much music is just misplaced in all the cracks left by the seismic reactions caused by artists like the above mentioned. Music that is really good and just forgotten about or never really noticed at the time. Still, though this music survived. People kept preserving it because they heard it and they knew this deserved to be kept, in pristine conditions, master tapes locked away. One of my very favorite examples of this is Tina Brooks. When some jazz fans read some liner notes that mentioned these recordings they demanded that it be issued. And it eventually was. Thank Goodness! He seems to be another casualty of Drug Addiction but who knows? There's not much recorded about him. This from the Mosaic box set:
... The album was titled Back To The Tracks and given the catalog number 4052. It's cover appeared on inner sleves, and it was listed in Blue Note catalogs for a time. Yet the album was never issued. This is one of about a dozen such instances in Blue Note's history. Yet a fourth Tina Brooks album was recorded in 1961. It was edited and sequenced for release. It too was not issued.
I got this music by buying the Tina Brooks out of print mosaic 5 lp box off of eBay, but it has since been reissued on cd. Given the juicy Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note series treatment. I will leave you with a quote from Robert Palmer about Tina Brooks' music,
“What remains is the music, and whether it was made by John Coltrane or by Tina Brooks, or by some guy who changed a dozen peoples' lives and never recorded at all, as long as it has the depth of insight that men who probe their own souls sometimes find there and offer up to us as a miracle, or simply as a gift, it is music to be treasured. There is a lof of music in this world, but of this music, there will never be enough. “
Enjoy this stress free, and with a clear mind and just listen, truly listen....
Tina Brooks-The Blues and I
What are some of your lost gems? Let me know about them if you like in the comments.
Peace
3 comments:
Yo man this is a lights out post. I can feel the passion B and it is nice. If the Knicks had half your game...
"Isn't it crazy how much music is just misplaced in all the cracks left by the seismic reactions caused by artists like the above mentioned."
You are waxing poetic here. Aces.
Roomie here...
Lost gems...
There is a band out of Bloomington, IN...very much like Slint...Ativin. They really only have one true full length (three, if you count the record Interiors and Night Mute w/o original drummer Rory...this guy could just kill it and was always the highlight live for me).
Dan, a guitar player in the band, was in a few of my classes in school...every time I saw these guys, whether it was at the Second Story, in someone’s basement or up in the Chi at the Fireside Bowl they would just blow me away. They have been recorded by Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana) and his raw sound fits them perfectly. They could strip paint off of walls. When I make my film, they are doing the soundtrack.
I once went to see them right after one of their EPs were released...it must have been Summing the Approach...and they played this pretty legit club in B-Town, the Bluebird...its like where Buddy Guy plays when he comes to town...not the type of place they would usually play. Anyway, there was this huge buzz about them because they were recorded by Albini and all this fuss...the place was packed…their friends were there but also some other poser types. I ran into Dan right before they went on...he leaded over to me, told me he and the rest of the band just dropped acid or mushrooms or something and then proceeded to get on stage and deliver one of the most anit-climatic performances eva. They were dropping bones on their guitars, knocking stuff over, spilling beer,…people had no idea what was going on…totally confused. They were like “kiss it”. A great performance.
Check them here: http://www.myspace.com/ativin
and listen to the song Modern Gang Reader...with the lights off.
By the way, "The Blues and I" is one of my favs as well...
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