Sonny Side Up

This one's a shout out to all fans of music out there...but especially saxophonists. This record, released in 1957 under the three names of Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (saxophone), and Sonny Rollins (saxophone), is one of the finest, most swinging, and most fun bebop records out there. These three horn players are backed by a rhythm section consisting of drums (Charlie Persip), bass (Tommy Bryant), and piano (Ray Bryant). But the focus is really an overarching saxophone duel between the two legendary saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt. By the way, Dizzy Gillespie also kills, but the focus is more on the saxophones. While some records like this one, in which the focus is on the two saxophones, overuse the saxophones, rendering the listener impatient, this record adds trumpet solos and occasional piano solos to keep you on your feet.

The first tune, whose name obviously alludes to the overwhelming presence of "Sonny" in this album (although it is not written by any of the group-members), is a light, medium swing version of "On the Sunny Side of the Street." This tune, which possesses a certain subtle fire within, eases the listener into a comfortable mindset to last the rest of the album. The three solos swing well and leave you feeling generally happy. It sets the mood very well for the following tracks. Next up is a rhythm changes tune entitled "The Eternal Triangle"--my personal favorite rhythm changes tune. This solo is played at a blistering tempo and swings its ass off. The two tenors solo for the first half of the solo section, first separately, then trading sixteens and eights. If there is any one song you should listen to in order to appreciate the tenor saxophone, this is it. The two tenors play some of the most mind-blowing material you'll hear. After the tenors finish Dizzy Gillespie steps in for a few choruses, but at this point your mind is already blown. The trumpet is great if you really listen to it, but you'll probably be too dazed to really appreciate it. Finally the tune ends with a short piano solo, trading fours with the drums, and the head out.

The third tune, the most mellow of them all, is a slower (but not too slow) blues called "After Hours." Unlike the previously mentioned tracks, it features a long piano solo for an intro. Let me just say that this is some of the bluesiest piano solos you'll hear in jazz, and it hits the spot in an almost "gut-wrenching" fashion. Afterwords you hear an amazing trumpet solo, which is not overshadowed by the saxophones, followed by both saxophones soloing. The last track, "I Know That You Know," is a fast bebop tune which spices things up in the first solo. Sonny Rollins plays his chorus in stop time. After this the tune releases all the tension in two solos which swing as hard, if not harder than "The Eternal Triangle." Dizzy and Sonny Stitt both dig into their solos, taking the tune to another level of energy.

This album ends leaving you wanting more, which is always a good sign. Its extraordinary levels of swing and energy, as well as mind-blowing blowing (a pun), leave you wanting to play the saxophone. I know I did. I actually went downstairs and picked up an old saxophone and attempted to play it that very day. Of course I didn't know how to play it, and still don't, but I tried. Anyway, the point is that this album defines jazz saxophone and the meaning of swing. I frown upon any saxophonists who have not heard this record in its entirety already. But if you are a musician or an avid music listener, you must add this album to your collection and listen to it. It is an easy listen that will brighten your life.

Paul Motian Trio at The Village Vanguard

Hi Folks! I'm back from New York and thought I'd tell you about some exciting stuff going on there. First, let me warn you that this blog is not going to be about older jazz, but rather modern jazz. I hope you all can handle that. Now, this weekend I saw the Paul Motian Trio in New York at the Village Vanguard. To give some context, let me just say that the Village Vanguard is one of the most famous, historic, and important jazz clubs in the world. Just about all the jazz greats have played there at some point. It is a small, crowded underground venue in the middle of the West Village. In essence, it is the definition of a jazz club.

As for the Paul Motian trio, they consist of three members, all of them huge. On drums is Paul Motian himself. Paul Motian is the oldest of the three, dating back to the early sixties in the legendary Bill Evans Trio. (Get their album Sunday at the Village Vanguard. It is the Bill Evans trio with Paul Motian playing at the same venue more than forty years ago.) On piano is Jason Moran, whose name I had heard before this concert, but whose music I heard for the first time. On saxophone is the well established, modern hero for many saxophonists, Chris Potter.

The three know how to play. However, this was no straightforward music. The way it was set up was, generally, the sax and piano played in sync, setting up somewhat of a groove, while the drums came in and threw every chance at settling into that groove. There was so much that surprised me in this show. First of all, the fact that everyone was able to keep time throughout was amazing. However, on a larger scale, the simplicity of the music was astonishing. They played the music in standard jazz format, playing the melody first, then soloing, then playing the melody out again. The only thing was, it sounded so complex. The drums were all over the place, making it hard for the listener to keep time. However, the chord changes continued in time, for the most part. And the solos were wild. Even without the groove of the drums, the soloists were able to make the music seem like it grooved. I even heard some of that trademark Chris Potter funk amidst the amorphous cloud of music produced. Jason Moran blew me away with countless mind-boggling, lightning-speed lines in his solos. I play a little piano myself, but what he was doing literally seemed impossible. As for the drums, they seemed to play energy. As the energy of the song grew the hits became more frequent and louder, and vise versa. Paul Motian might just be a musical genius.

With experimental music like this there is a fine line to be drawn between aimless, grooveless, and uncontrolled free playing, in which it seems that someone is trying to make it sound discordant, and cohesive, controlled playing, in which you feels that the music is in sync and that it is advancing music itself in general. Although both can sound similar, when you listen to them you'll know whether it is the good kind or the bad kind. In this show I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I recommend that if you can, go see this group play, especially if you want to know what avant-garde music is about. It will not only captivate you and give you a time you'll remember, but also teach you a lot about how music is played in general.

Speak No Evil

Alright, I'm back with another album recommendation: Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's classic 1965 record "Speak No Evil." This album is widely recognized (by me as well) as one of the must-haves if you're listening to jazz. I myself have been listening to this album a lot the past few weeks and thought I'd pass it on to all of you.

Let me begin with the lineup, which is one of the finest ever put together. Wayne Shorter came close to duplicating Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet, which also happened to be playing together around this time. Ron Carter (bass), Herbie Hancock (piano), and Wayne Shorter (saxophone) were all member of Miles Davis' legendary quintet at the time. In Miles' place is trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who was developing into one of jazz's premier trumpet players at the time (on a side note, Freddie Hubbard sadly passed away two months ago on December 29, 2008). In Miles' drummer's place is John Coltrane's drummer at the time, Elvin Jones. In short, this is an album made by five jazz legends. They all know how to play together harmoniously and can probably make anything sound good.

As for the music, it is some of the most interesting music you'll ever hear and it grooves surprisingly well. What I mean by this is that, First, Wayne Shorter has never been known for writing straight-ahead stuff. This is not music that you'll want to get up and start dancing to. The music is not very straight-forward and can take some time to get used to. However, in the end, you'll realize that, whatever it is that Wayne Shorter has written (he wrote all the pieces), it simply works. Take for example the second track, "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum." This is an eerie, spacious, and dark tune. However, at the same time, it is bluesy and swings. Somehow, the unlikely character of this tune just gels, as with the rest of the tunes. I attribute this phenomenon to the extraordinarily talented group.

As I mentioned before, this album will take some time to get used to. I suggest really listening to it for a week or two. By this I mean that you should listen to it many times, but each time really digging into and enveloping yourself in the music. Don't just let it glance over you, or you'll miss the true beauty that lies inside the music. So, don't cheat yourselves out of a exceptional experience; get the album and listen hard!

If you want to hear a few of the songs off the album, below are two links. The first goes directly to a youtube slide with with the actual recording of "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum" in the background. The second will take you to grooveshark again, where you should search "speak no evil." Look for the tune "Dance Cadaverous" by Wayne Shorter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clGrqjuZI3M

http://listen.grooveshark.com/

Grooveshark

So, there were some comments on the last post that there should be a link to hear the music. So here's a link to the website "Grooveshark," where you can listen to some of the tracks completely for free.
http://listen.grooveshark.com/
Just type in "incredible jazz guitar wes montgomery." Of the songs that come up, "Four On Six, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," and "Mr. Walker (Renie)" are the versions off the album. In the future I'll try to post this information up with the album.

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery

I'm going to start everything with one of most prolific, important, and brilliant jazz musicians ever to play the music: guitarist Wes Montgomery. This record, "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery", is without a doubt one of my all time favorites. This is the record that got me into jazz guitar. I had played it beforehand, but never really liked listening to it until I heard this. I recommend that each of you go out and buy this classic immediately if you don't have it already and listen to it at least once a day for at least a week. That goes double for all you guitarists out there. And if you have it already, let it be one of the records that's in your CD player right now.

Now, what makes this album so good is the group. With Tommy Flanagan on piano, Percy Heath on Bass, Albert Heath on drums, and needless to say, Wes Montgomery on guitar, the group simply gels, allowing each tune to reach its full potential. Each tune, four of which are Wes originals, has its own unique feeling and possesses a certain energy that keeps the listener alive. The first track, "Airegin," a Sonny Rollins tune, is played at a pretty fast tempo and thrives off its relentless swing. The second track, "D-Natural Blues" contrasts the prior track with a slow, mellow, gut-wrenching melody line improvised by Wes on the set. The soloists, piano, guitar, and bass, solo largely in double time, keeping the tune mellow, but generating more depth to the tune. The third track is my favorite ballad, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams." I'll just say this: I never really liked ballads until I hears Wes play this tune.

The fourth track is another Wes original entitled "Four on Six." This tune is as fun to listen to as it is to play. Of all the tunes it probably swings the hardest. But moreover, Wes lays down one of the greatest, if not the greatest, jazz guitar solo ever (definitely my favorite). Note to all: after hearing this tune you may want to stop the record immediately and start playing guitar on the spot. Don't do it! Wait until after the record is done because there is more to come. The fifth track is another Wes tune entitled "West Coast Blues." It is mellower than "Four on Six," providing you a nice opportunity to sit back down in your seat and listen to some "chill" music, much like they would do on the west coast itself.

Following "West Coast Blues" is a pretty ballad by jazz great Dave Brubeck called "In Your Own Sweet Way." This tune features the piano works of Tommy Flanagan, providing a slight shift from Wesmania. But do not fear, Wesmania strikes again right afterwords with another Wes original, "Mr. Walker." This tune, played with a Latin feel, makes you want to get up again and start dancing on the spot. It is absolutely one of the sexiest songs you'll hear Wes Montgomery play. And when he steps up to solo it may overwhelm you so much that you'll stop dancing. Finally the set closes with a medium swinger called "Gone With the Wind." This tune carries you out to the end of the album, and has a nice final feeling about it that does not bring down the energy, but rather leaves you scrambling to start the album over again. From top to bottom, this record is like a gift from God. I'm sure that you'll all go out and get this gift for yourselves now.

Welcome

Welcome all to the blog that's on top of all the newest and hottest jazz records...40 years too late. I'm sure you're all going to benefit from this blog in some way. Hopefully you'll get in touch with something that has been lost inside of you for a long time, maybe even since before you were born. Enjoy!