What jazz have you been listening to today?

[intet_at_tabe]

The album by the American electric jazz band "Weather Report: Forecast Tomorrow", by Sony BMG Records 1973, remastered by Sony Music Entertainment 2006.

Track two "Super Nova" and three "Experience in E" and four "Milky Way":

The musicians:

Joe Zawinul - el. piano, piano, keyboards, synthesizers
Wayne Shorter - tenor and soprano saxophone
John Mclaughlin - el. guitar
Jay Wise - trumpet
Hubert laws - flute
Miroslav Vitous - double bass
Dave Holland - el. bass
Eric Gravatt - drums
Airto Moreira and Dom Um Romao - percussion

 

[intet_at_tabe]

So for the finishing of suggestions on jazz this Monday morning, to make sure everyone is awake, I´ll give you (on full volume):

The album "Love, Devotion & Surrender", by Carlos Santana/John Mclaughlin, Columbia Records 1973. In believe it is in Santana´s name, but the album is like an on-going guitar duel between Carlos and John, where the rest of the musicians are more standin´s.

The musicians:

Carlos Santana/John Mclaughlin - mostly el. guitars
Larry Young - organ
Douglas Rauch - double bass, el. bass
Michael Shrive/Billy Cobham/Jan Hammer/Don Alias - drums, nothing less than four drummers could do it.
Armando Pereza/Don Alias - bongos, congas, percussion

After this everyone has awoken.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

On topic this sunny Tuesday morning:

Keith Jarrett and his Scandinavian Quartet with two Norwegians and one Swede on the album "Personal Mountains", by the ECM Records, recorded in 1979, but first released 10 years later in 1989.

Off topic:

It was the producer from the ECM Records Manfred Eicher, during a Jazz Festival at Molde, Norway (on the west coast north of Bergen), who suggested to Keith Jarrett to play with Jan Garbarek (tenor and soprano saxophone, bass saxophone, sopranino, flute), Palle Danielsson (double bass) and Jon Christensen (drums, percussion) back in 1973.

Like Keith Jarrett later said: When I first listened to Jan playing with his Norwegian band, I knew instantly, I could compose songs for the saxophone, only Jan could play the way I wanted it.".

Keith Jarrett and The Scandinavian Quartet recorded 4 albums with the ECM Records:

"Belonging" 1974
"My Song" 1978
"Personal Mountains" 1979
"Nude Ants", double live album recorded at the Village Vanguard, New York 1980.

Beside these quartet albums Keith Jarrett recorded with Jan Garbarek on:

"Luminessence" 1975
"Arbour Zena" 1976

...and I am the lucky owner of all of them.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

So to continue this music by Keith Jarrett, my personal favourite of all jazz musicians, but instead with his Standards Trio, I´ll offer you "Standards In Norway", by the ECM Records 1995.

The musicians:

Keith Jarrett - piano
Gary Peacock - double bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums

Check out the songs:

Song 2 "Little Girl Blue" 6:44, by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart.
Song 4 "Old Folks" 11:04, by Willard Robinson and D. L. Hill.
Song 6 "Dedicated To You" 12:19, by Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin and Hy Zaret.

Off topic:

Among true fans of the German label the ECM Records and recordings with the Standards Trio, the ECM which I have been a fan of since the middle of the 1970´s due to the new very straight sound, it has always been discussed among jazz freaks whether music of the trio recorded in Norway at the Talent Studio, Oslo - recording engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug - or in Germany by the Ton Studio Bauer, Ludwichsburg - recording engineer Martin Wieland - which of these studios benefitted the trio recordings the most?

There is a noticeable difference, when it comes to the deep double bass and the cymbals sound to either of these two studios, but I guess one has to be a freak like me and some other Danish jazz freaks to even bother and notice.

 

[Corno Dolce]

*Last Great Concert* by Chet Baker.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

John Scofield Quintet on the album "Electric Outlet", by Grammavison Records 1984.

Next to Pat Metheny and John McLaughlin without any other real comparison, I guess John Scofield as an electric guitarist in jazz, composer and band leader for decades, comes in as number 3 in my book.

The musicians:

John Scofield - el. guitars
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Ray Anderson - trombone
Pete Levin - synthesizers
Steve Jordan - drums

 

[intet_at_tabe]

Another John Scofield album three years late in 1987 "Blue Matter", by Grammavision Records.

Yet a completely new Sco-band with co-guitarist Hiram Bullock.

The musicians:

John Scofield/Hiram Bullock - el. guitars
Mitchell Forman - keyboards
Gary Grainger - el. bass, double bass
Dennis Chambers - drums
Don Alias - percussion

Hiram Bullock IMHO did some of his best work with the Carla Bley/Steve Swallow Orchestra.

 

[methodistgirl]

Love unlimited "Love's theme by Barry White. Beautiful and dreamy!
judy tooley

 

[Corno Dolce]

*Best Of The West* by Charlie Haden.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

The album by Keith Jarrett and his American Quartet "Silence", by Impulse Records 1973, remastered for CD by GRP Records 1992.

The musicians:

Keith Jarrett - piano, soprano saxophone
Dewey Redman - tenor saxophone
Charlie Haden - double bass
Paul Motian - drums, percussion

Charlie Haden wrote the beautiful title song "Silence".

 

[Corno Dolce]

"Wood" by Brian Bromberg.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

The album by the acoustic jazz group from the state of the same name Oregon, USA - Oregon on the album "Always, Never and Forever", by VeraBra Records 1991.

Oregon is the closest you can come to crossover music from classical music to jazz. All the members of the original group were educated as classical musicians, except the late Colin Walcott (sitar, tabla and percussion), who studied first in India with the indian musician and teacher Ravi Shankar (sitar), who in the late 1960´s moved to California, USA to teach the philosophy and the theory of composition of India.

On this album "Always, Never and Forever", one of the two originaters of this group Oregon, Ralph Towner also plays synthesizer.

The musicians:

Ralph Towner - 6-12 string acoustic guitars, piano, synthesizer
Paul McCandless - oboe, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, english horn
Glen Moore - double bass, piano
Trilok Gurtu (who replaced Colin Walcott) - tabla, percussion, drums, voice

 

[intet_at_tabe]

Now we´re at it with the group Oregon, let´s have the first Oregon album, at least the first I purchased back in the day - the album simply entitled "Oregon", by the ECM Records 1983.

The musicians:

Paul McCandless - oboe, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, english horn and tympani
Ralph Towner - 6-12 string acoustic guitars, piano, Prophet 5 synthesizer
Glen Moore - double bass
Colin Walcott - tabla, sitar, percussion

Colin Walcott later on was killed due to a traffic accident in Germany, while Oregon toured in Europe in 1984.

 

[Corno Dolce]

*Sketches Of Spain* by Miles Davis.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

Oh, I´ve been mesmorised by Oregon in the afternoon, so here in the evening only one album (of mine) left to listen to "Prime", by CAM Jazz Records 2005.

In the beginning of the 1990´s Oregon said Goodbye to Trilok Gurto, but welcomed Mark Walker instead.

The musicians:

Ralph Towner - 6-12 string acoustic guitars, piano
Paul McCandless - oboe, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, english horn
Glen Moore - double bass
Mark Walker - drums, percussion

Such a great group and Ralph Towner, whom I first attended a concert with in the middle of the 1980´s (only 14 people in the audience) performing with his friend and co-acoustic guitarist and el. banjoist John Abercrombie in Marseille, France.

 

[Corno Dolce]

*Something For You* by Eliane Elias.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

The double album "Tribute" by Keith Jarrett and The Starndards Trio, recorded Live by the ECM Records at the Philharmonie Køln, October 15, 1989.

Here we find a few non jazz standards like the more or less improvised new edition of the Miles Davis tune "Solar" 9:32 in memory of Bill Evans and the last tune on CD 1 "Sun Prayor" 14:15 composed by Keith Jarrett. Also the last tune on CD 2 "U Dance" 10:46, by Keith Jarrett, definately not a jazz standard.

But then songs like Cole Porter´s "All Of You" 8:08 in memory of Miles Davis and "Just In Time" 10:07, composed by Green/Comden/Styne, on this album in memory of Charlie Parker, and the always beautiful "Lover Man" 13:13 composed by Davis/Ramirez/Sherman in memory of Lee Konitz, and all the other songs on "Tribute" 12 in all - played and performed by a very interactive group, at the peak of each their careers personally and with this AWESOME trio.

The musicians:

Keith Jarrett - piano
Gary Peacock - double bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums

PS! The sad thing with a Live album like this one, are the applause from the exillerated audience, which reminds me of the fact that I have never had the pleasure to attend a concert with this favourite trio of mine in jazz. Sort of a profoundly heartfelt longing just to have been there.

 

[Corno Dolce]

*The Out-Of-Towners* by the Standards Trio.

 

[intet_at_tabe]

In memory of Colin Walcott from the group Oregon, who passed away in 1984, I´ll give you his solo album "Cloud Dance", recorded by the ECM Records in 1976.

No all that solo though, since he has 3 brilliant musicians along - for the ride.

The musicians:

Colin Walcott - sitar, tablas
John Abercrombie - guitars
Dave Holland - double bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums

 

[intet_at_tabe]

Ralph Towner on one of his solo projects in the 1990´s. The quartet album "Lost And Found", by the ECM Records 1996.

The musicians:

Ralph Towner - Acoustic 12 string and classical guitars
Denney Goodhew - soprano and baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
Marc Johnson - double bass
Jon Christensen - drums