I feel like I need to summarize my point that jazz + guitar is perfectly fine, fantastic even, but it is slightly more forced than some other instruments, which I think is what Kokkinos might be getting at. _________________ Doubles & Conch
Hayden, thanks for taking the time to write such a long post, many interesting points covering a variety of albums and artists – my favourite being the Bill Evans and black metal association 🤣 – and I took notes on your suggestions regarding Memphis Slim and Charlie Christian. And of course your valuable insights concerning jazz and guitar were equally welcome, “forced” is a good one-word way of describing it – and obviously your extensive analysis is even better, I couldn’t have phrased it half as well.
LedZep, thanks for bringing this album up, added it to my listening queue. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Very interested in your opinion on Black Woman honestly. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it's a great diary and a valuable resource for someone who hasn't tackled the 60s systematically before (like me). _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Hayden, thanks for taking the time to write such a long post, many interesting points covering a variety of albums and artists – my favourite being the Bill Evans and black metal association 🤣 – and I took notes on your suggestions regarding Memphis Slim and Charlie Christian. And of course your valuable insights concerning jazz and guitar were equally welcome, “forced” is a good one-word way of describing it – and obviously your extensive analysis is even better, I couldn’t have phrased it half as well.
LedZep, thanks for bringing this album up, added it to my listening queue.
Quick drop by—
Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon – Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon At The Village Gate
Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon – Aux Trois Mailletz
Charlie Christian – The Genius Of The Electric Guitar (comp)
Aux Trois Mailletz > Village Gate, but both are worth a spin. I mean, you've got Dixon on vocals and bass, which elevates everything beyond what Slim could do solo, but regardless. (Also, if you ever stop by the music quarter in Paris, Aux Trois Mailletz (-1 underground cabaret/piano bar) is still standing, but the long-time owner died of COVID last year). Every whoswho of 50s jazz played there at some point pretty much, but near nothing ever made it to wax.
Christian's release is a comp. He died before albums were really a thing. _________________ Doubles & Conch
Very interested in your opinion on Black Woman honestly. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it's a great diary and a valuable resource for someone who hasn't tackled the 60s systematically before (like me).
Cheers, mate, appreciate the kind words - and this awesome rec of course.
(Copy-paste from the "You must listen to the album below you." thread for archival purposes.)
So, this album was brought up as an example of jazz and guitar, but the first thing that caught my attention is that it features another combo, namely vocals and jazz, that usually doesn’t work for me. However, any reservations I may have had were set aside pretty much instantly. This has to be one of the top-two examples of that style I’ve encountered so far and the funny thing is that it’s another case of husband and wife, just like Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, who is the only case of vocals and jazz that comes close - unless we count Mingus’ barking in Oh Yeah as vocals, that would end up somewhere near the top as well. While on the subject of Max Roach, Black Woman shares even more similarities with It’s Time in terms of the ritualistic atmosphere they establish right off the bat, though they use different means to reach their goal: this one follows a more concentrated approach, it is almost fully invested in the vocals, it’s as if the band is only there to set the tone and provide a framework so that she can go off and simply do her thing,- that’s especially evident in the opening and closing track, which are the most vital parts of the album if you view it as a concept - while It’s Time is the epitome of maximalism, the choir is one of many elements that are treated as equals, it throws everything but the kitchen sink at you. Back to this, it has its roots in gospel and jazz, but the sounds themselves seem secondary, it’s all about the spiritual journey, which is a completely different one than, say, Coltrane’s, it’s a more expressive, extrovert version – but equally rewarding after all. When it comes to the guitar work, which was the point to begin with, it is incredibly elegant, never too flashy or in your face, the only time it grabs the spotlight is in Blind Willie and it’s a wonder to behold. Speaking of which, it might be the odd one out, but that’s exactly where its value lies, it offers us a healthy dose of serenity to catch our breath before the ultimate wave of madness kicks in. Regarding the closing track, Portrait Of Linda In Three Colors, All Black, that was the only instance where I thought she went a bit over the top, though it probably wouldn’t make sense had it been done any other way and I’m sure someone else would claim this was the highlight of the album, the cathartic moment where the human finally meets the divine – for real, I started wondering if she’s possessed by a spirit, her performance here is plain bonkers. Peanut is another nice one, the closest this record gets to psychedelic music, I imagine listening to it and Pink Floyd’s Interstellar Overdrive back to back should be quite an experience. Despite all tracks having their merits, Bialero stands head and shoulders above the rest, it all comes together in a beautiful way. All in all, a phenomenal effort that, even though I’ m still in 1962 and it’s too early to make such a call, is all but guaranteed to make my ‘60s chart when all is said and done.
8/10.
Hayden wrote:
Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon – Aux Trois Mailletz
Charlie Christian – The Genius Of The Electric Guitar (comp)
Both of them very good, many thanks!
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Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon - Aux Trois Mailletz
You are right, All Kinds Of Blues pales in comparison to this one. The best thing that a live album can do is create the illusion that you were there as it all happened and this gets an A+ in that regard. I can only imagine what an impression this must have left to the audience at the time. The live setting plays to his strengths and the collaboration with Willie Dixon doesn’t harm either, it does add an invaluable extra dimension to his sound indeed. I will definitely check out the Village Gate one at some point as well.
7.5/10.
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Charlie Christian - The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
It's easy to tell that everything which came after him would have been so very different weren’t it for his contributions. I like how it’s all cheerful and swingy on the surface, but there's a sense of nostalgia as well – it’s not overwhelming like in Django’s work, it’s underlying. The rest of the band is doing a fine job as well, but it’s clear that, for the most part, his star is shining the brightest. A shame he didn’t have more time to develop his ideas, the potential was there, no doubt about it.
7/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
So, very little progress regarding Bob Dylan ("very little" being a fancy way of saying "zero").
I guess the first question that needs to be answered in order to get things going is which albums should be included. I think I'm comfortable covering all of his studio albums, as I've listened to each and every one more times than I can count. The list looks like this (in chronological order):
Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Another Side of Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde On Blonde
John Wesley Harding
Nashville Skyline
Self Portrait
New Morning
Pat Garret & Billy The Kid
Dylan
Planet Waves
Blood On The Tracks
The Basement Tapes
Desire
Street-Legal
Slow Train Coming
Saved
Shot Of Love
Infidels
Empire Burlesque
Knocked Out Loaded
Down In The Groove
Oh Mercy
Under The Red Sky
Good As I Been To You
World Gone Wrong
Time Out Of Mind
Love And Theft
Modern Times
Together Through Life
Christmas In The Heart
Tempest
Shadows In The Night
Fallen Angels
Triplicate
Rough And Rowdy Ways
Due to my familiarity with them, I can predict up to a large degree how the list will look like, but the plan is to listen to each of them once before settling on the final ranking – some of them are really close and you never know which one will grow on you or suddenly lose its appeal.
Haven’t made up my mind regarding the Bootleg Series yet, leaning towards "no" for the time being, mainly because: a) it’s not so clear how to compare them with his studio albums and b) it would mean too much material to check and I wouldn’t like this project getting out of control, 39 albums should take some time. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Yo, it's been a while, nothing signifcant to report. I spent some time listening to a dozen or so Dylan records. Without revealing too much, I can tell you it's been highly predictable so far, pretty much every single album has held up the rating I had previously assigned to it. It will take some time to complete this project, so more on that later. In the meantime, let’s get 1963 going.
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The Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A.
Their sophomore album and - more or less exactly like their debut – I find it hard to believe it blew anyone out of the water. The self-titled track is a song that takes me back to my childhood, I remember loving as a kid, it could very well be the first song of theirs I ever listened. I don’t come back to it that often, but it remains lovely. The problem is that there isn’t that much else to discover here. Lonely Sea is impossible to ignore, in my opinion it is the best song of the album and in any case top-two alongside Surfin’ U.S.A. and that’s all. The worst part is that there are endless instrumental tracks that seem to be floating around aimlessly and make it hard to rate this above their debut.
6/10.
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The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl
I don’t know, people view this as a major improvement and say it resembles a proper album, I don’t see -or rather hear- it, I think it’s in the same league as their first two releases, the discrepancy between the hits and the so called “filler” is still disappointingly large. Nothing too annoying though, some nice, shiny and youthful surf rock/pop tunes all around. Catch A Wave is almost as good as the two heavy-hitters (those would be Surfer Girl and In My Room), somewhat unconventional instrumentation gives it an edge and it sticks with you. Little Deuce Coupe is another welcome change of pace. And of course, knowing me, it should be no surprise I genuinely enjoy Hawaii. So, it is a step in the right direction, but they still had a long way to go.
6.5/10.
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The Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream
Monk has always been a special case for me. He wasn’t like Miles Davis or John Coltrane, who I just couldn’t get into, but he wasn’t a love at first sight like Charles Mingus either. He’s been like a distant relative that visits you once in a blue moon. You keep hearing good things about him but when he comes round, he’s a bit weird, he’s got some cool stories, he knows a lot of stuff, but has a twisted sense of humour – you can’t even tell if he’s serious or joking and in the end makes you uncomfortable. Something similar happened with Monk's records. I didn't particularly enjoy them, but I 'd found myself thinking about them at random times and wondering how is it possible not to like them, then I'd give them another try, still no luck and so on and so forth. This album, however, is the exception to the above and it does strike home. He could produce some magic no matter the circumstances, but this lineup is by far my favourite. His personal style doesn’t get lost – how could it, he’s playful, and sophisticated, vibrant and moody, he’s got it all – but shines even brighter thanks to the band. There are many instances when the saxophone steals the show, credit to Charlie Rouse – an element that tends to characterise Mingus, but Monk can do it, too. The material also helps, it’s more relatable and easy to digest than ever – it’s fair to assume this being his first album for Columbia must have been a factor. When it comes to picking some highlights, it’s the longest tracks (Monk’s Dream, Bright Mississippi, Bolivar Blues, Bye-Ya) that take the cake – which is to be expected, they have more room to fully develop and the outcome is nothing short of majestic.
8/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Monk's Dream is sooo good. Probably my favourite hard bop record. It's like a compilation of best Monk songs, the best takes and the best arrangements possible. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Monk's Dream is sooo good. Probably my favourite hard bop record. It's like a compilation of best Monk songs, the best takes and the best arrangements possible.
Yes, it's that good indeed, I even think I might have underrated it.
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Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
Based on their legendary status alone, this has to be one of the greatest collaborations of all time – actually, if we agree that Coltrane is the best saxophonist of all time and considering that Ellington is the most recorded jazz composer, it’s hard to come up with a better combination. Coltrane has adjusted to Ellington’s style more than the other way around, so if you are looking for some of Coltrane’s trademark otherworldly shenanigans, this might seem too basic and bore you. If you like a healthy dose of old school cinematic vibes in your jazz, then here we are, this is for you. They aren’t particularly diverse or adventurous or willing to experiment and as a result they don’t cover a lot of ground musically speaking, but every track is a highly emotional ride - the opening track being the best example of it.
7.5/10.
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John Coltrane Quartet - Ballads
As one might guess based on the album title, this is also far from his usual stuff and closer to the above regarding the romantic atmosphere it tries to establish. There’s nothing fiery or intense going on here, everything moves slowly, softly and, above all, very classy. Another noteworthy element is how focused everyone remains throughout the entirety of the album. The only problem is that I listened to it right after Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, meaning that the comparison was inevitable and this did obviously miss Duke’s magic touch. Had I listened to it under different circumstances, it’s only natural to expect that I would have appreciated it even more.
6.5/10. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
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LedZep
Hayden
