I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

[RoundTheBend]

[kokkinos]

Yup, that makes sense and does help a lot, thanks.

[kokkinos]

There's an 1960 album that I couldn't ignore, but also couldn't talk about it out of context - just like it happened with Art Blakey a few days ago, when I included his 1959 album along with his 1960 one. So, having that in mind, today's post is dedicated to a jazz legend, a pioneer of free-jazz, you must have guessed it by now, Ornette Coleman.

Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come
Beginning with what is generally viewed as his magnum opus. 1959 could be the best year for jazz and this is one of the major reasons why – Kind of Blue, Mingus Ah Um, Time Out, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers (the album) contributed their fair share as well. The album title makes its intentions clear right from the get go: this is going to be a bold and groundbreaking artistic statement. The first thing one might observe here is that, at least for free jazz standards, this isn’t that wildly free, the melodies are there and they are as catchy as they get. Of course you could argue that a modern listener’s perception is altered by having the benefit of hindsight, we know what followed so this unfair comparison with its successors makes that seem more “normal”, which wasn’t the case at all back then -not that I was there, but it's more or less obvious - , don’t let yourself get fooled, this is far from an easy listening. That being said, Lonely Woman is marvelous – it can’t be a coincidence that this is the opening track, a gorgeous siren that lures you into absolute mayhem. 6.5/10.

Ornette Coleman - Change Of The Century
He keeps getting away with those dubious, to put it mildly, titles, just imagine someone like U2 coming up with a similar title, lol. In more than one ways, this feels like a sequel to the above. It features the same lineup (a quartet consisting of Ornette Coleman, Donald Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billie Higgins) and its structure - or lack of it if you will - is rather similar. But you know how the story goes, the sequels are eternally condemned to inferiority -ok, not all of them, The Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece, but we're missing the point. This proves the aforementioned rule, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't as ear-pleasing, there were various instances throughout the album I found myself subconsciously trying to focus on sanity (pun intended) i.e. the rhythm section, the only thing that made sense, offering shelter from the storm caused by Cherry and especially Coleman. The closing track, Change Of The Century, summarises the whole album in brilliant fashion, it's simply bonkers. 6/10.

Ornette Coleman - This Is Our Music
Now that we're at it, why not move on to some other career highlights and genre-defining - this applies mostly to the next album, but this isn't without its merits- moments?Maybe you could make a case for starting with this before proceeding to his most "progressive" work, as it's easily his most accessible, out of the ones I've listened to at least. The opening track, Blues Connotation, is a blues -who would have guessed with that title- inspired dangerously close to hard bop piece that makes you think "this is it, we're gonna have some fun here". The next track, Beauty Is A Rare Thing, rushes to emphatically prove you wrong. The rest of the album keeps this back and forth going. Overall, I'd say it's more entertaining in the traditional sense of the word. It's worth mentioning that there is one change in the lineup, Billy Higgins is replaced by Ed Blackwell, which may have to do with this, as he is a more energetic drummer that makes his presence felt more clearly, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on one’s views on the role of the drummer. Also, look at this album cover, they’re going after you, cool stuff. 6.5/10.

Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz
This is one of those records you are almost ashamed to speak of, everyone and his mother have something to say about it, which can range from “cacophonous mess” to “8th wonder of the world” and everything in between, it is extremely challenging and highly divisive. The one thing I can confidently say is that, if you had trouble getting into his previous albums because they were too loose, well, this is where all hell breaks loose - those puns, man, I can't escape from them for the life of me. 7/10.
To sum it up, all of those - but as I said, the last one embodies this quality to the highest degree - make for powerful to the point of utterly exhausting listening experiences. After I was done with each of them, I would lie in bed with closed eyes, stop thinking for 168 seconds and really take my time trying to pull myself together. It's one of the very few occasions I'd recommend to anyone giving it a try and judging for yourself - if you haven't done so already, which there is a good chance most people here have - , no matter your taste or your background. Worst case scenario, you’ve wasted an hour or two. Best case scenario, it may change the way you perceive music/art/whatever.

[kokkinos]

Irving Joseph - Murder, Inc.
They call this crime jazz and they aren’t that far off. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, so apart from thrilling, it’s also one of the funniest albums I’ve listened to so far in this project. So, if you are looking for an easy, highly accessible and so very entertaining jazz album, this is as good as it gets. As long as you have the fantasy and willingness to follow along, this will take you to a wild journey reminiscent of something between cartoons and film noir. 7/10.


James Brown - Think!
What to say about James Brown, probably not the first name to come to anyone's mind, but he really is one of the most influential artists of all time. Dance oriented music wouldn’t be the same without him, not to mention how many samples have been used in hip hop, has there been a producer who hasn’t had the pleasure to benefit from him? I think all the big names have - and not only them. When it comes to this album, there's a lot to like. For example, Wonder When You're Coming Home has so much groove, just listen to the bassline. There are also some more energetic tunes, e.g. in I’ll Go Crazy and This Old Heart, followed by I Know its Ture, where you'll find yourself going down in flames, those horns are hot. Overall, I prefer the slower moments compared to the loud ones, those rough vocals can be too much for me. The truth is he didn’t get the most of out of the album format and most of his releases are flawed – a victim of the so called “filler” - , but that doesn’t take anything away from the fun and enjoyability of those records. One more artist whose energy can be better captured live than in a studio recording, it's not a coincidence that his most acclaimed work is a live album. 6.5/10.


Link Wray & The Wraymen - Link Wray...he Wraymen
Continuing the theme of influential albums, this is one of the most important guitar albums, considering it's been a massive influence on punk and metal. Now, both of them are genres that have always been a bit “off” for me – and that’s quite the understatement - but this isn’t half as annoying as I might have expected. It has all the elements that would sound like a recipe for disaster, i.e. energetic, raw and fresh, but here they somehow work fine. It seems power chords aren’t that bad when they stay away from bad company – call me punk. 6.5/10.


The Louvin Brothers - My Baby's Gone
Lovely harmonies, those "brothers" setups were really trendy back then. This comes with a country vibe that makes them less enjoyable than the Everly Brothers. Despite that, one has to admit that ths does work better as an album, as it's more consistent, not as singles oriented, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to call it a concept album. My favorite track here is Plenty Of Everything But You, such a naïve and innocent take on heartbreak, just lovely. 6.5/10.


Oscar Brand - Bawdy Western Songs - Vol. 6
Keeping the same mood, unapologetic, straightforward country, they don’t make em like this anymore. If that’s your thing you’re gonna love it unconditionally – even I had a lot of fun with it and this ain’t my cup of tea at all. And of course I can't help but mention the album cover, cool stuff. 6.5/10.

[Hayden]

[kokkinos]

The funny thing is I hadn't even realised he was in your chart until now, I must have stumbled on it somewhere on the amazing world of the internet and decided to check it out - and i'm happy that I did.
Apart from the one you mentioned, Every Inch A Sailor looks like another must in the spirit of Sea Shanties, right? (Though he seems to have quite the catalogue, so I guess many gems patiently waiting to be discovered.) And definitely agree on how "hot stuff" this must have been back then.

[kokkinos]

After yesterday's somewhat whacky choices, it's time for some classic - and classy - stuff. The most recorded jazz composer and one of the most important figures in music. Born in 1899, he arrived just in time for the turn of the century and left his signature all over it in a way few others did with a career spanning more than 50 years, you guessed it already, the legendary Duke Ellington.


Duke Ellington - Blues In Orbit
Ok, first of all I’m surprised this isn’t rated higher. I know jazz isn’t BEA’s favorite genre - neither is it mine to be honest - , but this feel way too low, whatever. Despite featuring a big band, this gives you the impression that a couple of friends got to meet each other in order to jam together and have some fun. The good thing is that you are among the lucky ones that get to witness first hand those masters of their craft. The relatively short running times of the tracks help in that regard as well. However, by no means does this mean that they compromise in terms of technical precision. As the album title warns us, it’s blues almost as much as It is jazz, very easy on the ear and appealing to a wide audience irrelevant of your background. 7/10.


Duke Ellington - The Nutcracker Suite
One of the most famous pieces of music ever, so the bar is set ridiculously high. There are other Tchaikovsky’s compositions I might prefer to this one, but it’s magnificent nonetheless. Duke Ellington does a great job as always, but the truth is I don’t need a jazz version of it, it’s good enough by itself, we listen to it pretty much every Christmas. It was nice for a change, but I ‘ll stick to what I love. Still, Chinese Dance is executed wonderfully and I could listen to that part every day. 7/10.


Duke Ellington - Piano In The Background
I remember the first time I listened to it, the background was extremely noisy and I was desperately trying to make out what’s going on here, so I turned up the volume almost as high as it gets and I was shocked to find out jazz can also be enjoyed that way, this was quite the revelation. Good times. Anyway, this presents a new take on some classic parts of his repertoire, it shows that apart from a legendary composer he is a great player as well – not that we had any doubts whatsoever. Too hectic to be included in your regular rotation -or mine at least, you know how lighthearted I am, no alarms and no surprises please - , but when you are in the mood, there’s nothing like that. 7/10.


Duke Ellington - Piano In The Foreground
This was released in 1961, but it only made sense to post it together with the above, they are like an inseparable pair. Instead of the trademark big band, this features a trio, not a fan of this setup at all, doesn’t do his work justice. And if you are desperate to see how he fares in a trio environment, there is a much better choice to be made – you all know which one I’m talking about, hopefully this diary reaches 1963 at some point, so I'll have the chance to talk about it then. 6/10.

[kokkinos]

Part two of the blockbuster series "kokkinos in Haydenland" aka albums from Hayden's chart.


Blue Mitchell - Blue's Moods
For some reason - most likely no reason at all, completely accidental - I had listened to his 1959 album, Blue Soul, instead of his 1960, Blue’s Moods - I mean the titles don’t exactly help to tell them apart - so let’s add this one as well. What I said regarding Blue Soul applies here as well, for the most part at least. The one obvious difference is that this one features a quartet, meaning no trombone or tenor sax, which in theory should allow his trumpet to shine even brighter, the truth is I found it a bit underwhelming in comparison to Blue Soul, it lacked a bit in terms of excitement and passion -to be fair it could very well have to do with my mood and not the album, can't tell for sure. 6/10.


Freddy - Freddy
First of all, I feel embarrassed having to admit that I hadn't realised she was a female artist, I expected male vocals and as you can imagine it was quite the surprise. I don't know what she is singing about, but she must carry tons of emotional weight, she is ready to crumble, she's barely hanging in there. The way she manages to express herself goes beyond the language barrier, direct and relatable. The music follows the same direction, though it shows a greater variety, throwing in some more uplifting elements every now and then, not too many so that they would distract you, just enough to keep the balance. 7/10.


Lightnin' Hopkins - Country Blues
A veteran already by 1959, but somehow this is the first album he recorded. The good thing is he does sound like a veteran, too. A man that shares his wisdom through his life experiences and everyone wants to listen to his thoughts and advices. The aesthetic of this album is the epitome of less is more, even the spoken words parts are essential, they add an extra dimension to the overall atmosphere. 6.5/10.


Nat Adderley - Work Song
By now I can tell I’ve made some real progress in the 1960 discoveries just by checking the credits of a new album and instantly recognising most of the names, not because I’ve happened to have heard of them at some point in the past, but because I’ve already encountered them at least once during this journey (e.g. Wes Montgomery, Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes ). The teamwork is the best part of this, no one stands out individually or tries to show off or get your attention, they fully commit themselves to the common good so to speak. That being said, it can't be a coincidence that the tracks where Bobby Timmons is involved are the best - again, not because he outshines the rest, he is sort of the missing link if you will. Also, I have to point out the bass on Sack Of Woe, which is cleary one of the highlights. 7/10.


Philly Joe Jones - Showcase
More or less what I said about the other record of his -named Philly Joe's Beat - that I included in a previous post, not much separates them. He implements these big fat attention seeking drums so effortlessly to straightforward hard bop. At times it can get a bit dull, for example in Gone I’d say he‘s gone (ok, that was plain pathetic, I really need to stop it) too far, but as a general rule he knows when to stop and keeps it under control. 6.5/10.


Roland Kirk - Introducing Roland Kirk
There's one thing that immediately strikes me, this has to be one of the most badass album covers of all times. The music ain't half bad either, the only album of this list that I felt the urgency to give a second listen the very same moment it ended, this is really addictive, those let's call them summer night melodies are so tasty you want more and more, impossible to resist. Also, dare I say it, I prefer this version of Soul Station? Can't say for sure, it's close. I will give it a moderate rating for now, but I expect it to rise further in future listenings, which are pretty much guaranteed. 7/10.


Otis Spann - Otis Spann Is The Blues
This feels like a "proper" album, which doesn't happen that often in 1960, not many highlights but it really sucks you in. The longer the tracks the better, they are what they call slow-burning, though the astir piano is there to form a nice contrast. Also, I read a review which claimed that it would be better without the vocals, can't say I agree, they contribute significantly to the overall mood I mentioned right above. 6.5/10.


Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Down Home Blues
Only one thing to say, but man what a wonder it is. That harmonica, that harmonica. I could listen to it all day, it overshadows everything else to a ridiculous degree. And of course Fox Hunt is glorious, top 10 tracks of the year so far. 7.5/10.


Sonny Terry - Sonny's Story
More of the same, but it wasn't the same, the spark was missing. To be fair, the expectations were sky high, so I'll rate it slightly higher than how I enjoyed it, I think it would deserve that score under different circumstances -maybe I 'd prefer this one had I listened to them the other way around, who knows. 7/10.


Thelonious Monk - At The Blackhawk
Ok, I almost feel bad for throwing this together with all the rest, Monk deserves a separate post like I did with Ellington, Coleman and Blakey, but the truth is I had never heard of this album before - and I 've always thought I have a decent Monk collection, whatever. At some point I have to do an appropriate post for him, that is non negotiable. So, this is a live album, but it doesn't feel like one. I think this has to do with Monk's style, his play is so dramatic yet playful at the same time that, even in his studio albums, it always feels like it's live. Hopefully that made some sense. 7/10.

[kokkinos]

Oscar Brown, Jr. - Sin & Soul
So, who is Oscar Brown, Jr. you may ask. Well, just an ordinary guy, only singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, actor, is there something this man didn’t do? When it comes to this album, it’s one of the most soulful takes on jazz and at the same time rocks so hard – don’t get too excited, my standards are embarrassingly low when I have to evaluate how hard someone/something rocks. On the other hand, there are some pieces like Dat Dere which are too good by themselves, I would never touch it, leave it as it is. 6.5/10.


Various Artists - Mountain Music Of Kentucky
What the title says. A monster of an album consisting of 29 tracks – for real, guys, take it easy, what's this - that showcases the rich music tradition of this area. Not all of them are great, which I thought should be a reasonable expectation from a compilation-like record. The production is as naked as it gets – but it couldn’t be any other way, that’s the point. Very hard to make it all the way through in one go. 5.5/10.


Dean Martin - This Time I'm Swingin'!
A slightly more digestible version of Frank Sinatra. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. 5.5/10.


Jerry Butler - He Will Break Your Heart
Jerry Butler is mostly known for being part of The Impressions, he ain’t no Curtis Mayfield but who is really? I can’t blame him too much in the case of this album either, he puts his heart and soul into those ballads, it could have been much worse. The self-titled track and Lonely Soldier are the heavy hitters here, but there’s no obvious weak link, very balanced album all around. 6.5/10.


Esquivel - Infinity In Sound
Ok, this was wild. Out of all the albums I’ve listened to so far in this diary, the obvious comparison would be Irving Joseph - Murder, Inc. Bombastic horns, manic percussion, there are some serious moments every now and then, when the album moves closer to classical music, but it rapidly comes to its senses and takes another cartoonish twist. The occasional vocals are inexpressibly hilarious, you have to listen to them to understand what I mean - a great example would be Johnson Rag. 7.5/10.


The Modern Jazz Quartet & Guests - ...ream Music
Once again it should be enough to read the title if you want to know what to expect, it instantly reveals all the necessary information regarding this album, an approach to jazz that is clearly inspired by classical music. Maybe this should have been the first part of my listening session instead of the last, but I really struggled to make it through, it's a very challenging album that demands your full attention in order to be properly appreciated and maybe enjoyed. 5.5/10.