I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

Judy Garland - Judy That's Entertainment
For real, is there a more charismatic artist than Judy? I highly doubt it. The songs are ok, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all about her, she elevates them to a whole new level. And she doesn’t do anything spectacular, it’s just her doing her thing in an inimitable manner, if anyone else tried something similar he/she would fail miserably. People seriously compared her to Elvis? That's absurd if you ask me, she is one of a kind and beyond any comparisons. To put into perspective how unique I think she is, if I had to name an artist who's made of the same stardust, I would really stretch it and go with - prepare yourselves for the most random comparison ever - ODB, in the sense of being a in league of his/her own. 7.5/10.

Now that we're at it, why not check her 1961 album as well? (props to Mercury for the rec)

Judy Garland - Judy At Carnegie Hall
Live albums are special on general principle. Judy is even more special, so you know what to expect. She was always balancing between enormous talent and deep personal struggles. In studio (be it for an album or a film, she was amazing in both) you can keep a straight face so to speak. But in front of the audience, you are naked, there’s nowhere to hide. Her live performances of that time period have assumed legendary proportions and this is arguably the best of them all. It’s a bit like her, there are flaws but they are part of the charm. It’s not an easy listen or an album you could listen to every day, you may find it long and messy, but when it’s on, there are few that can offer a similar experience. It’s as if the curtain gets pulled back and we get to meet the wizard - I ‘ve made tons of horrible references/puns etc. in this diary, but I'd like to think this one was decent. 7.5/10.

[kokkinos]

Rev. Gary Davis - Harlem Street Singer
The passion and the themes presented here usually characterise gospel, but the music is closer to blues, so you get the best of two worlds, I’d call that a bargain the best I ever had. Not really my thing, but the guy knows how to play guitar, that’s for sure. Samson And Delilah and Death Don't Have No Mercy are the most well-known songs here, but it’s reasonably consistent, there’s much more to it than the hits. It’s worth pointing out that there is a film with the same title, I haven’t watched it yet, but from what I read, it is a biography – what else could it be really -, so if you are a fan or interested to find out his story, I guess that’s a must. 5.5/10.


Billy Fury - The Sound Of Fury
If you are fond of Buddy Holly or The Everly Brothers – let’s be real, who isn't- , then you’ll like this almost as much, he is the British equivalent of those artists. 6/10.


The Crickets - In Style With The Crickets
Speaking of Buddy Holly, this is their first album since his departure, you can tell it's not the same without him, but it’s far from a waste of time. Short and sweet, most of the songs are above average at the very least. 6.5/10.


Jim Fassett - Symphony Of The Birds
Wonderful idea, not a concept you encounter every day, we are in 1960 after all. I also like how the opening track thoroughly explains what you are about to hear - though I imagine it’s something you would skip on repeated listens. 5/10.


Cecil Taylor - The World Of Cecil Taylor
He’s making bold steps towards free jazz, something very few could claim in 1960. Unlike the most obvious point of reference – that would be Ornette Coleman - here it’s the piano instead of the horns that provides the core of the sound, as three of the tracks consist of piano/bass/drums trio, with a tenor sax making an appearance on the other two, so it sounded very fresh all around. I haven’t listened to anything else by him, but I read that his other albums dive even deeper into free jazz madness, which is hard to imagine, as this was already borderline crazy, that's as much as I can handle. 6.5/10.


Johnny And The Hurricans - The Big Soun...Hurricanes
Very fun and very nostalgic, it has late 50’s/early 60’s written all over it. The truth is I’d like some vocals as well, it sounded kinda empty, something was missing. Beatnik Fly is by far the loveliest tune here, I’m certain it must have been in a film, a comedy for sure, but I find it impossible to recall more details, it must have happened For Emma forever ago. 6.5/10.

[kokkinos]

1960 is slowly coming to an end. I think it would only be appropriate that the grand finale would include the highest rated albums of the year.
So, I decided to start with Coltrane, a choice based on two reasons. First and foremost, he is the one with whom I've established the weakest connection and secondly, by 1960 he did stand out, no doubt about it, but he wasn't the beast he became a few years down the road, he had just started pushing the hard bop boundaries, while the other two were already firing in all cylinders.


John Coltrane - Coltrane
Not to be confused with another album with the same title that came out five years later. This one lies more on the cool side, too relaxed especially for his standards, his trademark intensity has not fully developed yet. One of the few instances – in particular during his early days as a bandleader- where he doesn’t stand head and shoulders above everyone else, but is it because the band steps up its game to match him, or is it because his performance is – as I mentioned right above- not what we’ve come to expect by him, I guess the latter. That being said, the two pianists (Red Garland in the first half and Mal Waldron in the second) do a fine job, I’d say they are the most memorable part of this. The opening track is clearly the highlight. 6/10.


John Coltrane - Blue Train
The first Coltrane album I listened to was Love Supreme and - just as it happened with Miles Davis/A Kind of Blue - I decided to leave it that way for an embarrassingly long time, as I was quite underwhelmed and thought jazz of this era may not be for me. This is a much more accessible and as a result a much better entry point to his discography. It rocks hard - in a jazzy/bluesy way of course. Every track has a running time of at least 7 minutes, the self-titled track being the longest of them all but it’s the only one you can could never tell hadn’t you known beforehand, it fully justifies its length, every other track can drag a bit. The musicians here are extremely well-known and most of them have already made an appearance In this diary. The rhythm section is practically flawless. Unlike my general attitude towards them, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Lee Morgan and especially Curtis Fuller here, maybe because trumpet and trombone is not that common of a combo for Coltrane. Compared to his later work, you could argue it is not the most challenging or exciting, but when it comes to entertainment value it’s up there. Compared to other works of this era, though, it’s still not that easy of a listen, it takes some time to come to terms with its complex harmonies. 6.5/10.


John Coltrane - Soultrane
This is pretty much the opposite of Coltrane (not the man, I mean the album, the one I posted above), here Coltrane is the star, everyone else is far behind. Not that I intend to complain too much about it, I’ve always thought that he is a great composer, a great bandleader too, but above all he is a performer of the highest – calling it godlike wouldn’t be an excessive statement - calibre. Also, I really enjoyed this very soft, take it slow approach he adopts here. I have to confess I revisit this one more often than Blue Train. 6.5/10.


John Coltrane - Giant Steps
My first reaction when I realised this is the next on my listening queue was “Oh yeah, now we’re talking". The truth is I remember it being better, it was the one album of his I thought I could always rely on. Maybe the recent extreme – for my standards - exposure to jazz has made me lose interest and when I return to it at some point in the future it will have regained its charm. Anyway, you could call it a transitional record, but usually that word comes with a negative texture when used to describe an album, which is not what we’re going for here, this is his first truly great album, he stars shaping his own artistic identity, he really took some Giant Steps. We 'll see how it goes when I get to the next years, but I can't imagine any other Coltrane album topping this. 7/10.

[Mercury]

Just wanted to drop in and say holy shit you have covered a lot of early 60s ground, 80-90% of which I’ve never heard, in the last month. Impressive as hell.

Also your grading system I’m finally starting to get somewhat. I mean outside of your first album At Last!, no album of these 40 or so has gotten higher than 7.5/10. And even At last! Got a 8/10. As we’ve discussed before, I am much much easier to please or at least much more likely to slap a 8, or 8.5 or 9 on an album I really like. You’re more prudent on such high praise. Hell I have given out one 10/10 in my recent diary grading out of maybe 40 albums, it seems for me a 10 is equal to your 8, my 9 is your 7.5, my 8 is your 6.5. It’s interesting and a completely different way of looking at music rating.

Also great note on that Judy Garland live album. I love it but agree it’s a bit long and very messy and also agree that at its heights and peaks it’s sublime and cuts to the bone.

Anyway, I may not comment much because I am just soooo unfamiliar with these albums and in most cases have never even heard OF them, but I am checking up and getting an automated email whenever you update. Keep up the listening. Music is cool and it enriches our lives.

Oh and gotta say your grade and review of Rev. Gary Davis was cruel and wrong lol. Had to leave it on a childishly petulant note lol
_________________
-Ryan

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

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

[kokkinos]

[kokkinos]

Just as it happened with John Coltrane/A Love Supreme, my relationship with Miles Davis/Kind Of Blue got off to a rocky start. Luckily, Miles had way more chances to turn the tablesf, if there’s one thing that characterises him it’s his indefatigable pursuit of stylistic transformations and daring innovations, leading to a colossal and incredibly varied body of work, where everyone can find something for him.


Miles Davis - 'Round About Midnight
His debut in Columbia and his first recording with his new – at the time – quintet. This is supposed to be the ideal place to begin discovering Miles Davis. If only I had known this vital piece of information back when I thought Kind Of Blue was the way. This is one of the most iconic hard bop albums you are going to encounter. Every member of the band is up to the task, but it’s Coltrane’s star that shines the brightest. What I like the most about it is how it opens a window in time and takes you back to the 1950’s, allowing you to catch a glimpse of different shades of the era, be it dark and cinematic ('Round Midnight) , cheerful to the point of naive (Ah-Leu-Cha) , summertime warm (All Of You), sad and lonely (Bye Bye Blackbird), you have it all and it’s immensely satisfying. 7.5/10.


Miles Davis - Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet
Part of a four albums series – the story behind them is well known I think, this is in general considered the best of the four. Coltrane again steals the show. Even though My Funny Valentine is the one that gets all the attention, I’d say Airegin is just as good, while Blues By Five is a mild let down. What sets it apart from other Davis’ records -especially with this particular lineup - is that the piano assumes a more central role than usual. 7/10.


Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
This album is like the ultimate test, if you want to be considered a fan of jazz, this is a must. Actually, even if you don’t like jazz, there’s one jazz album that you “should” have and it’s this one. I already mentioned my initial -slightly negative – reaction to it. So what (pun intended) did change after all these years and all these other jazz records I had the chance to meet in the meantime? The recent marathon of hard bop has made me appreciate how peaceful and minimal it is. I also see how bad of a choice it was to begin with this. If you want to get an idea of what jazz of this era means, then by no means should you choose Kind Of Blue. On the other hand, I was reading a review where someone was saying that at first he thought this was great and when he started listening to more jazz, he liked it less and less, so I guess it can work both ways, to each his own. Anyway, what’s the big deal with this album? Is it the complexity of its compositions, not really – let’s be honest, if that was its main selling point it wouldn’t have been so popular. Instead of going as fast and as hard as possible, it takes its time, slowly but surely draws you in its mood, without compromising in terms of its wit or its bluesy heat. Of course, part of its greatness is its influence. Would Coltrane be the same musician hadn’t he been a part of Kind Of Blue? I don’t think so. Regarding the individual tracks, for me it’s the closer, Flamenco Sketches, that clearly stands out, irresistibly enchanting. 7/10.


Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain
This is an entirely different ball game. Far from his typical sound – if he has a typical sound, as I wrote in the intro the guy constantly evolves. Even if you aren’t his fan, there’s a very good chance you’ll end up liking this. I’ve never been to Spain, but this album creates an urgency to do so. The first track is such an epic it could have made an album by itself. I remember reading a travel journal about Spain. It stated that Spain is the land of contrasts and used an analogy inspired by the legendary characters of Don Quixote (hopelessly romantic, idealistic, big-hearted, absurdly courageous, daydreamer, etc.) and Sancho Panza (simple-minded, down to earth, mundane, etc.) to make its point clear. I ‘ve associated this album with the above text ever since, as it showcases the aforementioned diversity and allows you to visualise it. Kinda obvious based on my comments, it’s always been my favorite Miles Davis album, the one complaint I have is that sometimes the concept overshadows the music, I've always had the impression that they didn’t fulfill its potential. 7.5/10.

[Hayden]

[kokkinos]

The thing about Spain is that - apart from being a wonderful country by itself - pretty much everyone seems to have been there at some point, so being the odd one out makes it even more frustrating. From what I've been told it's Seville > Barcelona >>> Madrid.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on those albums, too, your chart has been my right-hand man in this project. Each of them was highly memorable and special in its own way.

[Hayden]

[kokkinos]

San Sebastian had flown under my radar so far, I'll keep that in mind when I make the big decision - based on the current circumstances, it is safe to assume that it will take some time. Also, I don't know if it's possible to visit everything in one go, in all likelihood it isn't. Maybe something like Bilbao/San Sebastian/Barcelona/Valencia/Mallorca being part one and Madrid/Toledo/Seville/Granada being part two, I'll need to do some research.
Disclaimer: Not trying to turn this into a travel forum, but Spain is -in my book at least- a fascinating destination, so I guess it's ok.