I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

[kokkinos]

Hank Mobley - Roll Call
A super solid effort all around, no one puts a foot wrong. Nothing more than that though. Just as it happened with his 1960 album - Soul Station, you can find it on the second page of the diary, post #13 - I kept waiting for him and the band to challenge the listener by walking that extra mile, push the boundaries and go beyond hard bop, something that sadly never happened. The opening track, Roll Call, is a classic that totally justifies its status. At some other point I might have found this great, but being in the middle of a jazz marathon I’ve come to expect something more. On the other hand, this will rank higher than Soul Station, so perhaps this journey has made me enjoy jazz more but also set the bar higher? Don’t know if that makes any sense. 7/10.


Oliver Nelson - The Blues And The Abstract Truth
For real, what is this line up, the dream team of jazz. Oliver Nelson, Freddie Hubbard, George Barrow, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Roy Haynes, the names speak for themselves. That being said, Eric Dolphy steals the show and it’s not even close. Everyone’s doing his thing, but he seems to be one step ahead, he provides us with the most forward thinking aspects of the album, covering some ground between hard bop and avant garde. Many candidates, but my favourite has to be Hoe-Down, you’ll be struggling to catch your breath after it’s over, Dolphy is on fire. 7.5/10.


Astor Piazzolla Quinteto - Piazzolla In... Piazzolla
When I listened to another album that belongs in the Tango Nuevo sub-genre – Tango with classical and jazz influences – namely Quinteto Real by Quinteto Real, which you can find on the second page of the diary, post #20, I ended my comment with the conclusion “I can hardly imagine digging any deeper into this genre”. In the meantime I decided to prove myself wrong -no big deal, it’s not the first time anyway - , and check this one out as well. No regrets, I’d say it was just as good and pretty much for the same reasons, nothing new to add really. 7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - ...In Tunisia
As I have already said – you can check page 4, post # 37 of the diary for the first chapter of my adventure with this band- you could quite convincingly argue that Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers keep making variations of the same album. Now, you may ask, is that a bad thing? Depending on what you’re looking for when listening to music the answer can vary, but on general principle I’d say no, especially if you take into account that it’s being executed in a flawless manner, very entertaining hard bop that doesn’t ask any unnecessary questions. This one features exactly the same line-up as their previous album, though I’d say it’s an improvement over The Big Beat , the main difference being that Wayne Shorter has found his place in the band and can put his skill on display, he is the star of the album, though it’s his interaction with Bobby Timmons that makes everything bigger, brighter and better. When it comes to Art Blakey himself, he makes it seem as being a drummer is the funniest thing in the world. The opening track is probably the best of the bunch, but it’s close, the album remains extremely consistent throughout its entire running time. 7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Roy Orbison - Roy Orbison Sings Lonely And Blue
Off-topic: today marks the 8th anniversary of Yeezus by Kanye West.
Keeping in mind that any 1961 album would pale in comparison - for me at least - here's one I listened to anyway. A light-spirited and straightforward pop record, nothing surprising or groundbreaking in terms of music and songwriting, it's mainly the vocals that stand out. Simply beautiful, emotion packed, capturing a life of heartbrakes, he graduated with honours from the Buddy Holly/The Everly Brothers/The Beatles/The Beach Boys/Simon and Garfunkel/etc. singing college. (One of the most pun-filled sentences I've ever written, tried to fit Late Registration somewhere, but couldn't come up with anything decent).
Joking aside, by no means was I trying to make fun of this album, it's highly entertaining - especially the opening track-, just thought today's anniversary was a good excuse to reference one of my favourite artists. Apologies if you found it offensive, I assure you I had good intentions. 6.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[an-outlaw]

I will be very unimpressed if no one has made a Coldplay reference. This is basic knowledge!
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More needs and less greed
Yesterday is not you, it is a resource to be looked back on.

[kokkinos]

Yup, I remember when they used to be the biggest band in the world. Good times. It's rather cool to dislike them nowadays and it's been more than a decade since they delivered anything semi-decent, but the charm of their early years is undeniable, especially if you compare them with other bands that used to carry the same title, e. g. U2 or Oasis. Plus they gave britpop new life, which may be viewed as a negative by many, yet it counts as quite the achievement in my book, if only due to sheer nostalgia, britpop constituted something like the 95% of what we listened as kids.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

The Oscar Peterson Trio - The Trio: Live From Chicago
The one thing that attracted me to Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson - for more on that album, see page 4 post #38 of this diary – was Ben Webster and his saxophone so I was wondering what effect would his absence have and how different this would sound. It was ok, I guess. Oscar Peterson gives a great performance, nothing to complain about in terms of the compositions they chose, all of them are jazz standards. Very solid all around, though I can’t help the feeling I could blow through the ceiling there’s something missing. Maybe piano jazz isn’t my favourite thing in the world, but there were very few moments this got me excited. On a side note, if you like this and want some more, I would recommend The London House Sessions, a compilation that includes music recorded by the trio at the London House in Chicago in 1961.
6/10.


Kenny Dorham - Whistle Stop
Finally a new jazz musician appears on this diary, one that definitely deserves much more attention than he receives. Of course, next to him we meet some usual suspects, namely Hank Mobley, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. Unlike the above album, this one is full of original compositions, all of them based on the same general principles – the same attitude if you will - but distinct enough to keep you on your toes. Super entertaining hard bop, that’s what this album does and its execution is as good as it gets.
6.5/10.


Baby Face Willette - Face To Face
Something different this time around, the organ adds a new twist and that’s enough to set it apart from all other 1961 albums I’ve listened so far. Exactly what the doctor ordered, it sounds very fresh and lively, jazz, blues, soul, they are all blended together in a wonderful mix.
6/10.


The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman
Lovely, inoffensive music, this record screams ‘60s in every possible way. Depending on your perception, you may find it either horribly dated or irresistibly charming. I would tend towards the latter, but only when offered in small doses. I mean, it's barely 28 minutes and it struggles to justify its length, I could do with 3-4 songs being removed. Cool album cover. 6/10.


Count Basie And His Orchestra - Kansas ...nny Carter
Count Basie has a big band at his disposal and he knows exactly what he’s doing. At times it gets serious, at times it’s all about the swing, it succeeds in both- maybe slightly more in the latter-, a refreshingly colourful record, you simply can’t get enough of it. 7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Saying 1961 was a good year for John Coltrane would be a fair assessment.


John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
It must have been fairly shocking when this came out, he picks some well-known seemingly innocent tunes to work with and takes them to the next level. Also, unless I’m terribly mistaken it’s the first time Coltrane is playing soprano saxophone on record - I must have read it somewhere, can't quite recall. This is a relatively easy listen, as it is a bit more cheerful than his usual stuff. It won’t rock you like Blue Train neither will it offer you an otherworldly spiritual experience like A Love Supreme. As we ‘ve finally reached summer, this is the best time of the year for this album. Another curiosity is that I’ve always found the first side significantly more relatable than the second, which wasn’t true at all this time around – but it has to be said that Everytime We Say Goodbye remains a lovely ballad.
6.5/10.


John Coltrane - Olé Coltrane
Ole is something like Coltrane’s equivalent to Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis or Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus. Based on that, it’s only natural to assume it should rank very high, as I really like those records. There must have been something in the water, it seems everyone wanted to try something similar. This is much closer to the former, which is hardly a surprise, considering where each of those giants stands in the jazz universe. Another noteworthy aspect of this album is that it’s much more of a team effort, it’s not all about Coltrane and his saxophone. The only problem is that matching the absurd heights of the glorious opening track proves to be mission impossible, so it all goes downhill from there.
7/10.


John Coltrane Quartet - Africa/Brass
A lot of similarities between this and the above in terms of structure and sound. And let’s not forget Eric Dolphy, whose role is vital in both albums, his presence is always a big plus. Here Coltrane is accompanied by a big orchestra as well, which is usually a recipe for success in my book. You could argue it doesn’t reach the same heights as Ole but it is significantly more consistent. Greensleeves is another case of an ace up his sleeve (sorry for that), it comes out of the green blue and is probably the best thing here.
7/10.


John Coltrane - Lush Life
Lush Life is another puzzling record, I’m not sure what to make of it. The first side features a trio, the opening track, Like Someone In Love, is great, even though Coltrane pretty much carries it by himself, he knows how to handle a ballad. The other two are not as Coltrane-centric and end up being somewhat messy. Then comes the second side which is like a completely different album. By no means a bad one, but there is no connection at all, different session, different line-up, I wonder what they were thinking.
7/10.


Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane - Th...n Coltrane
This is weird, well, not weird per se, weird in comparison to what one would expect, this isn’t typical Coltrane and it definitely isn’t typical Monk, even though those are his own compositions, it’s safe to say that both of them have done much better. Maybe their styles are incompatible, they are too big to fit in the same album? Hard to tell. I’d say Coltrane does at least have some great moments, so Ruby, My Dear and Trinkle, Tinkle would be the highlights for me. On the other hand, I consider Functional the obvious weak link, the only track without Coltrane.
6.5/10.

Spending lots of time with Coltrane the last couple of days was quite the experience. He’s always been an artist I fail to fully comprehend, in all likelihood still is, but I I’d like to believe I’ve made some progress. I thought of following up all of the above with stuff like A Love Supreme or Ascension, but I think that’s enough for the time being, both because I’d like to stay on schedule and because it could have a detrimental effect, it would be wise not to OD.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Eric Dolphy is one of the few artists who could make a claim that he was just as prolific as John Coltrane in 1961. Apart from the albums that will be presented here, there's also Out There and The Quest - both of them appeared on the 11th page, post #107 of the diary.


Eric Dolphy - At The Five Spot, Vol. 1
This is a live album, so you know what to expect, next level jamming, a tad too wild and crazy for the light-hearted me, not as balanced as Out There - but Out There is a serious candidate for album of the year, so it's fine. It consists of only three tracks. Despite their intimidating running time, being 13, 12 and 22 (!) minutes long respectively, you’ll hardly notice how fast time goes by.
7/10.


Eric Dolphy - Berlin Concerts
Another live album, this one’s exclusively for the dedicated follower. If you’ve listened to his more well known stuff and find yourself thirsty for more, you should definitely give this a try. Otherwise, I’d say stick to his other records. I’ve considered myself a “moderate” fan so to speak and this was way too much. Not to take anything away from his performance, he is as good as ever and the live energy/atmosphere give him an extra boost.
6.5/10.


Eric Dolphy - Here And There
Not a fan of the first half, it felt like a flawed version of his typical stuff, even though they are relatively short for his standards, you get the impression that the first two tracks drag unnecessarily. The second half is much more interesting, his flute never fails to captivate me.
7/10.


The Latin Jazz Quintet And Eric Dolphy - Caribé
As I was saying about Coltrane yesterday, everyone needed some exotic vibes at this point. This displays a different side of Dolphy. Actually, let me rephrase, he is his usual self, everyone else is in another mood, a far too relaxed one. Despite being a stranger to that environment, he still is the main reason to listen to this, as he stands head and shoulders above the quintet, it's cool to see how he fares under these circumstances, especially Spring Is Here will cheer you up as if it actually were springtime.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Dizzy Gillespie - Gillespiana
Dizzy Gillespie is quite a special artist. We had a teacher that was obsessed with him, she would constantly share various trivia about him and tell us to listen to this or that. She even brought a CD player once to offer us some first-hand experience. Keep in mind, that was way back, I had no idea who guys like Miles Davis or Duke Ellington were. So, nostalgia is real no matter which record of his we're talking about. Combining him with a big band was kinda cheating, almost too good to be true. This album is full of memorable tunes, hard to tell which one stands out, the old-school cinematic atmosphere of Blues (think of 'Round About Midnight or Mingus Dynasty) or the percussion-heavy and alluringly exotic Panamericana. There's also Africana, its first part wouldn’t be out of place in something like Sketches Of Spain and then it gets bombastic in an almost comic way, it is barely kept under control, I can see why someone would find it off-putting.
7.5/10.


Dizzy Gillespie - An Electrifying Eveni...ie Quintet
That’s a completely different one. The big band is replaced by his quintet, not to mention it’s a live album. It’s more spontaneous, but you could argue his ideas come out more clearly, this line-up allows you to notice details you’d most likely ignore otherwise. Salt Peanuts is an absolute banger, to keep the pattern of rather meaningless comparisons, it reminds me of Blues and Roots. A night In Tunisia is of course a classic and this take is one of the finest.
7/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus