I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

[RoundTheBend]

Damn - I didn't know any of that history. Thanks for sharing .

[kokkinos]

Two albums I wish I’d have liked much more than I actually did.


Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba

I've always thought that albums -and music in general - revolving around a specific culture/experience/event/situation/feeling can be divided in two categories. On the one hand, there are those that aim at an audience that is already familiar with it and can easily relate (teenagers or a minority group are among the most common) . If you happen to belong in this group, it's gonna be quite a ride. Otherwise, you're gonna miss all the fun. On the other hand, some of them are so powerful that make you feel as if you ‘ve been a part of this your whole life - no matter if you in reality have nothing to do with it and you've never been through something similar. I hoped the latter would be the case here, but unfortunately it wasn't. At times it felt as she was teasing me, showing how great it is to be part of this community and I get to only watch from the outside. As a rule, though, it has to be said that I find it much harder to get into African music in comparison to some other exotic styles, for example Middle Eastern, so it's not her fault at all, it mainly has to do with me. Also, I had the impression the album was somewhat confused in terms of its overall direction, sometimes more traditional, sometimes it was looking towards the West – and I shamelessly admit it was the latter elements that attracted me much more. Still, I can't deny it was a unique experience and a welcome change of pace compared to everything else I've been listening. 6/10.


Hank Mobley - Soul Station

This was a weird one. It straight away comes with a strange sense of familiarity I struggle to explain, as I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it before. You could argue that two of the tracks aren’t original compositions (Remember and If I Should Lose You), but still, this shouldn't mean that much. Even if I did happen to stumble on it at some random point, would it have made such a strong impression that it would be so strikingly recognisable? I don't think so. Then, maybe it’s too standard, it sounds like most jazz of its time. That also seems to be a dubious statement. Cool jazz is, well, cool. Mobley's laid-back, low-key handling of the sax is the direct opposite of the one I ‘m thinking when it comes to this time period -the most notable being of course John Coltrane -, though it has to be said that it's not monotonous all the way through, tracks like This I Dig Of You and Split Feelin’s are more up tempo and bring some much needed energy to the table - without getting out of control at any point. So could it be that it's not "jazz enough", in the sense that It’s not as complicated as one might expect, which results in making it more accessible? This sounds like a reasonable answer and justifies why this intimacy doesn't intrigue me, instead it slightly bores me. If I were to rank his skills, it would be performer (phenomenal) > band leader (Wynton Kelly/Paul Chambers/Art Blakey are widely acknowledged as legends and you can tell it's not the first time they are playing together) > composer. 6/10.

[Mercury]

So far these posts are great. You are going mostly into classic stuff I’ve never heard or sometimes even heard of. Some new artists you’ve put on my radar.
_________________
-Ryan

ONLY 4% of people can understand this chart! Come try!

My Fave Metal - you won't believe #5!!!

[kokkinos]

[kokkinos]

Let's continue with two more albums. In case you are wondering, they share pretty much nothing in common, it's just that I happened to listen to them back to back, that's why I put them together.


Bill Evans Trio - Portrait in Jazz

Bill Evans, the man who is mostly well known for having played a pivotal role in Kind of Blue shows he can be a band leader as well – it was kinda obvious already considering that Everybody Digs Bill Evans came out one year earlier, but this put it beyond any doubt. So, the exploration of cool jazz keeps going. My previous attempt (Hank Mobley – Soul Station) wasn’t entirely successful. Well, neither was this. The attitude was similar – relaxed and effortless - , but the music wasn’t, which makes sense based on the instrumentation alone without even having to go into any deeper analysis. The structure is rather common: piano focused jazz accompanied by drums and bass – at first I had the impression those two get lost way more than they should. After a more careful listen, that may be true occasionally, but on the other hand there are instances like Autumn Leaves that feature some excellent teamwork, not to mention the bass is on fire and has some show stealing moments – which I would go as far as to say are the highlights of the entire album. Taking into account the classic lineup and the fact that there is only one original composition (Peri’s Scope) you would expect a rather standard sound, but that’s actually far from the truth – again, unlike Soul Station, which for some unknown reason was too familiar. Bill Evans has a clear, well defined artistic vision made up of seemingly conflicting elements. Delicate yet expressive, intellectual yet playful, technical yet accessible. And, above all, unique. 6.5/10.


Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir - Shakin' The Rafters

This has everything that makes gospel music great, it evokes a sense of belonging to a community, devoting yourself to a cause much greater than your mind can conceive driven exclusively by faith and passion. The lyrics are considered to be central when it comes to this kind of music, but I’d say the energy should be more than enough to get you emotionally involved, even if you aren’t that much into the religious themes that – as it was to be expected - dominate the lyrics. The sound quality isn’t exactly perfect, but this adds to the power and intensity of the message, stripped down of any style, it’s all about the substance, it allows you to join the fun, as it gives the impression of being there as it happens. Every single one of the 100+ members of the choir gives his soul and the solo performers are the icing on the cake. Ritualistic, spiritual and joyful to the point of ecstatic. 7/10.

[LedZep]

Bill Evans is the man. He went from this to third stream stuff like this

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Symbiosis by Bill Evans

and it's still great. Helped define modal jazz and is one of the best jazz pianists ever as well.
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[kokkinos]

The funny thing is, based on this album alone and without knowing his background, one wouldn't expect him to be such an influential figure. This has to do with a couple of factors, namely being a flamboyant and distinctive pianist which is not easy to connect with either his predecessors or his successors and the lack of original compositions. But of course any elementary research immediately proves otherwise - his work with Miles Davis should be enough for him to make it in the pantheon of jazz. Also, I have to say I 'm not familiar with the album you posted, it sounds very promising and I'll definitely check it out, thanks for sharing.

[LedZep]

[kokkinos]

@LedZep
Yep, hard to argue with any of those names, all of them deservedly considered top-tier and Bill Evans is undoubtedly one of them.

Ok, let's move on.


Quinteto Real - Quinteto Real
After a short trip to Brazil it was time to visit Argentina as well. This is exactly what you’d expect from a tango album – or any album coming from South America for that matter, an allegro personality that is oozing so much passion. Everything that's going on in this record is so melodramatic, but it's over before you even begin to grasp what happened and it immediately moves on to something else, it is determined to make the most of every single moment and live life to the fullest. Especially the violin is so expressive, you can hear it crying in the most emotionally evocative and excessively grand manner, easily the highlight of the album. Also, I didn't know almost anything regarding this kind of music, so I looked it up while listening to it, I found out this is not pure tango, it’s part of the so called "tango nuevo" movement, meaning there are some classical music influences, which in this case are obvious right off the bat - it seems jazz music is another major influence on this sub-genre, but not in this specific album. Even though it’s not that long, it felt like dragging a bit. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I’m not accustomed to this style, so I can tolerate it only in small doses. Another explanation would be that it is a rather demanding album, it requires your full involvement in order to be properly enjoyed, so it makes for an exhausting experience that takes its toll on you. Anyhow, I’m glad I gave this a try – though I can hardly imagine digging any deeper into this genre. 7/10.


Tina Brooks - True Blue
The reason I initially decided to check this out was because I noticed some comparisons being drawn between Tina Brooks and Hank Mobley. To be honest, I didn’t see it. He goes way harder and for the most part doesn’t have the same coolness - of course there are some chilling moments every now and then, but they are far from the main attraction of the album. As a general rule, this was standard hard bop, no alarms and no surprises. On the other hand, this has nothing to do with its enjoyability, not too complex for its own good, it’s very easy on the ear, it has this trademark bluesy vibe, which is particularly pleasing if you are coming from a background based on rock music. Despite Tina Brooks doing a fantastic job in that regard, I have to say I found there was too much focus on the sax, even the greatest performer - and again, he provides us with a performance of the highest calibre - can't carry an album by himself. Ok, the drummer (Art Taylor) did contribute to the groove adequately, but that was it, I was slightly underwhelmed by the rest of the band. Finally, I would suggest checking out the two bonus tracks as well, which are alternate takes on True Blue and Good Old Soul, I still haven't made up my mind whether I prefer the originals over them. 7/10.