I'm going back to the start
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Roland Kirk - We Free Kings
Another impressive release by Roland Kirk. You can see that he wants to take the next step and he's eager to showcase his ideas - and he's got tons of them. He's not fully ready yet, there are many "wow" moments to be found here - The Haunted Melody being one of my favourite tracks by him - but not everything works, I found his other 1962 album, Domino - see page 18, post #176 - more balanced and simply better overall.
7/10.
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Kabaret Starszych Panów - Piosenki Wybrane
Now, that's something different. I'd like to tell you more about it, but it's not easy to sidestep the language barrier in this case, I'm not even sure how this got on my radar. Still, its attitude is clearly playful and humorous, always on the move and never looking back, which makes sense considering that satire was their thing - based on the always reliable Wikipedia, didn't find any decent source, not that I looked too hard though.
6.5/10.
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Ike Quebec - Blue and Sentimental
The album title isn’t lying this time, it’s highly sentimental indeed. Despite featuring emotion-filled ballads, it is somehow never fully invested in them, it always retains an edge, a sense of coolness if you will, a duality that I found remarkable.
7/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Cecil Taylor - Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come
This is another very interesting milestone in the history of free jazz provided by one of its pioneers, Cecil Taylor. I have to warn you, though, that you should approach with caution, as it’s relentlessly exhausting, it just keeps coming at you from different angles. And it’s a mere trio, imagine what would happen if it were a big band instead. Actually, this was so powerful that I needed some pop music to pull myself together after the mayhem was over. When it comes to highlights, the self-titled track is an epic rollercoaster that sums up nicely the overall experience this album offers.
7/10.
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Dean Martin - Cha-Cha De Amor
And this is the pop music I chose in order to come back to my senses after listening to the above record. Generally speaking, I find it hard to get into this type of singers/songs - though it has to be said that I prefer him to Sinatra by some distance -but in this case, that was exactly what the doctor ordered, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.
6/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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The Archie Shepp-Bill Dixon Quartet - The Archie Shepp-Bill Dixon Quartet
Continuing the theme of the previous post and specifically Cecil Taylor’s album, this collaboration between Archie Shepp (saxophone) and Bill Dixon (trumpet) contributes its fair share to pushing free jazz / avant-garde jazz forward, so it’s another important album in that regard. Even though I wouldn’t say that they have some otherworldly chemistry, each of them gets to do his own thing and it is spectacular, so it all works just fine in the end. The track list even features Ornette Coleman’s Peace, so you can tell who their inspiration is and you more or less know what to expect. The rest of the band isn’t as impressive, but they leave room for these two to shine.
7/10.
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Julio Sosa - El Tango Lo Siento Así
(As it often is the case with international albums, I discovered this thanks to Hayden’s chart.)
What I liked the most about it is that, apart from the typical emotional outbursts that characterise any Tango music that means business, this comes with a mix of irony, frustration and sarcasm – judging this based on the delivery, no idea what's going on in terms of lyrical content – which is a nice twist and elevates this to the next level for me.
7.5/10.
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Luigi Tenco - Luigi Tenco (1962)
A lot has been said about his demise, but let’s take a moment to appreciate his music. His gentle approach is really on point, restrained yet intense, he gets his point across in a concise manner avoiding any over the top melodramatic antics.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Little Stevie Wonder - The Jazz Soul Of Little Stevie
Man, all this talk about 1962 and debut albums and I actually forgot Stevie Wonder, that’s embarrassing to say the least. No vocals to be found on this one, but by no means shouldn’t keep you from giving it a listen, it’s one of the most joyful albums you ‘ll ever encounter. It keeps this mood from start to finish, it’s tricky trying to single out a particular track or moment, it all flows so well together.
7/10.
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Elek Bacsik - The Electric Guitar Of The Eclectic Elek Bacsik
He is an excellent guitar player, no doubt about it, but you know me, it takes more than that to gain my attention, guitar jazz remains a tough pill to swallow for me.
6.5/10.
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Lennie Tristano - The New Tristano
Deliberation is enough to make sure this was worth my time, by far my favourite piece here and I can see it sticking with me for the foreseeable future. Despite being a rather complex work of art, strongly influenced by classical music, it makes for a surprisingly easy listen. Especially if you are in low spirits, this should cheer you up, it’s almost as uplifting as Stevie Wonder’s album I posted right above.
6.5/10.
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Eric Dolphy - Far Cry
I can only do so long without Eric Dolphy, so here we go again. The truth is I don’t find myself returning to this as often as some of his other records, but it remains an important piece of the puzzle if you are trying to figure out this multidimensional artist. Also, I can’t deny the beauty of Ode to Charlie Parker. It’s as if it came straight from above, outright heavenly.
7.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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(Copy-paste from the "You must listen to the album below you." thread for archival purposes.)
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Dialogue by Bobby Hutcherson
So, it’s 1965, jazz isn’t the powerhouse it once was – actually, it still is, but other genres are catching up, so many artists feel they need to step up in order to stay relevant and get some attention. Despite their best efforts, some of them take it too far. Well, not this guy, he knows his stuff. The opening track, Catta, is an irresistible banger that I could listen 10 or more times in a row without complaining one bit. Then, Idle While takes a breather and lets the emotions come to the surface, some classical music influence as well. Les Noirs Marchant is a weird one. It appears to be so innocent, but there’s a sense of “something isn’t right” looming, it keeps teasing you. The self-titled track, Dialogue, continues the same pattern, surrealism at its finest, this is the kind of music that would get David Lynch’s stamp of approval. Maybe I’m stretching it too far, but I think there’s a clear psychedelic vibe here, I could easily imagine Syd Barrett/early Pink Floyd taking notes. Ghetto Lights was a bit confusing to be honest, I ‘ll have to spend more time with it. Jasper pulls no punches and ends the album on a high note. The vibraphone is a nice touch that adds a little extra "sophisticated randomness" so to speak, I guess the album could work without it, but the outcome would be entirely different. The bass also does a great job, Richard Davis knows when it’s time to take a stand. It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, it’s a joy to behold. It goes without saying that Freddie Hubbard/Sam Rivers/Andrew Hill are also excellent, but everyone will tell you about them, that’s why I brought up the bass instead. 1965 has a few great records and this is undoubtedly one of them.
7.5/10.
(Copy-paste from the "You must listen to the album below you." thread for archival purposes.)
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Duke Ellington And His Orchestra - Ellington at Newport
A studio session that recreates a live performance? Well, that’s not something you encounter every day. When it comes to the actual music, it would be hard to imagine anything done by him being a let down, it’s Duke we are talking about after all. This is no exception, I’d say it ranks near the top of his stuff - not that I'm an expert on his discography, I've barely listened to a dozen of his records and maybe even less. Although it’s one of those cases where I like the influenced (Mingus) significantly more than the influencer (Duke), that hasn’t hindered my enjoyment of his work to the slightest.
7/10.
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Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away
A good move by Sam Cooke, he moves away from the jazzy/swingy sound of his 1961 album, My Kind Of Blues, and returns to a pop/r&b/twist style that suits him much more. It’s entertaining, though I have to say it wears off rather fast.
7/10.
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Miriam Makeba - The Many Voices Of Miram Makeba
It delivers exactly as the album title promises. You’ll hear many voices, i.e. many different styles in this record. As a result, I found it more interesting than her debut and I’d say it serves as an excellent introduction if you are looking to get into this kind of music.
7/10.
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Barbara Dane - When I Was A Young Girl
There’s something about this album, it takes you back to primitive times and brings a very ugly side to the surface, which makes it so very human to the core. If only folk was like that more often (ok, I haven’t been looking that hard, so there’s a good chance it is, I don’t know).
7.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring
His collaboration with Mingus should be enough to cement his legacy as a legendary saxophone player, but his work as a band leader ain’t half bad either. He is one of the most addictive jazz musicians I can think of, you can’t quite put your finger on the exact reason he draws you in, you simply find yourself coming back for more of his performances. Here he is on top of his game, so you know you are in for a treat.
7.5/10.
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Willie Nelson - ...And Then I Wrote
One more debut by an artist that went on to make some noise a few years down the road. First time I heard of Willie Nelson was when he made a guest appearance in a TV show, probably Monk (that was definitely one of my first exposures to him, I can’t recall if it was the very first or if there was another show that preceded it, dude has so many acting credits under his belt). I didn’t even realise he was actually a singer until much later, I thought he was a fictional character, lol. Anyway, when it comes to the music of this record, he goes for a minimalist style that allows him to focus on the vocals/lyrics and the pain they deliver, an approach that proves to be highly effective.
6.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Stan Getz - Big Band Bossa Nova
I don’t know, I ‘d like to believe I’m slowly warming up to him, but in all likelihood it has to do with this album being a more digestible/friendly to the masses version of bossa nova.
7/10.
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Don Ellis - Essence
The opening track is a successful bluff, it might fool you this is straightforward hard bop. This is as far from the truth as it gets, it's one of the most forward-thinking albums of the year. Irony was a standout track, its psychedelic touches make me feel a bit uncomfortable.
7/10.
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Olatunji - Flaming Drums!
For an album with such a title, it was a pleasant surprise that it wasn’t entirely focused on flaming drums. I guess someone else would argue that the vocals and the instrumentation act distracting, but for me it’s exactly those parts that give it a meaning and make everything work.
7.5/10.
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The Drifters - Save The Last Dance For Me
Somewhat entertaining, but for the most part rather forgettable.
6.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Herbie Mann - Brazil, Bossa Nova And Blues
The epitome of a summertime album and clearly a more exotic take on bossa nova in comparison to the Stan Getz album I posted yesterday. The dominant presence of the flute is a plus in my book and the vibraphone is a nice touch.
6.5/10.
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Ahmad Jamal - Macanudo
Speaking of exotic, here’s an exciting journey through Latin America. It’s short, but that doesn’t make it any less memorable.
7/10.
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Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones
I still haven’t found any album of his that will blow me away, but it feels I’m getting close – and I haven’t found any sub-par either, his consistency is undeniable. I have to say I enjoyed the drumming on the self-titled track, which is a surprise, not something that happens very often. My favourite track here is Lament For Booker, the agony expressed in it really gets me.
7/10.
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Bobby Timmons - Sweet And Soulful Sounds
Another piano masterclass by Bobby Timmons, his lyricism is off the charts. A nice album cover as well, both aesthetically pleasing and an accurate reflection of what you are about to hear.
7/10.
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Daphne Oram - Electronic Sound Patterns
This was supposed to be aimed at children, but it exceeded expectations and proved to have its own merit beyond that initial purpose. My – rather obvious - complaint is that I wish it was longer.
7.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Donald Byrd - Royal Flush
When people tell me hard bop can be more entertaining than swing, I tend to be a bit skeptical, but albums like this can make me change my mind, it's simply full of catchy tunes.
7/10.
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Stéphane Grappelli - Django
He is mostly known for his collaboration with Django, so you know what to expect, this is for the most part based on the same principles - the difference being that he is a violin player -and overall is almost as good.
7/10.
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Monsueto - Mora Na Filosofia Dos Sambas De Monsueto
Based on a -admittedly elementary- research I conducted, this seems to be his only LP, which is always a shame, I’d like to listen more. What I liked the most about this its hospitality so to speak, it instantly embraces you as if you were part of the community, no questions asked.
6.5/10.
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The Everly Brothers - Instant Party!
Their performance is as good as ever, but it’s far from their best collection of songs.
6/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Alan Watts - This Is IT
Wow, what is this and how isn’t it more well-known? I thought another 1962 album, namely Oh Yeah by Charles Mingus would be the most inspiring for artists like Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, but this one is plain bonkers, they must have been taking notes. It's one of the earliest examples of psychedelic music, it makes for a terrifying (in a style Suicide would master more than a decade later), spiritual (a Western take on Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism) and outright hysterical journey that words can't do it justice, you got to experience it yourself. There are many albums I’ve encountered in the course of this diary that I plan to re-visit at some point, so that I have a chance to form an established opinion on them, and this is near the very top of this list.
7.5/10.
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Bob Brookmeyer - Trombone Jazz Samba
The trombone embraces the exotic rhythms and adds a different flavour, though it has to be said that the guitar work is almost as important in the outcome. There are moments it feels a bit childish, but I thought this was part of the charm, probably my favourite bossa nova so far – based on my limited experience with this genre.
7/10.
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Clint Eastwood - Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites
Who is this guy and what has he done to Clint Eastwood? For real, though, I find it utterly amusing, almost meme-worthy to be honest, that the studio has turned this badass to a softie, who would have thought.
6/10.
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Mercedes Sosa - La Voz De La Zafra
If there’s one thing I think this diary could work on (well, there's more but let's address them one at a time), it’s the relative lack of international albums. At least the ones that have made an appearance have been above average more often than not and this is no exception. Beautiful in its simplicity, sincerity, sentimentality and above all nostalgia.
7/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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