Modern Jazz Quartet - Django

Modern Jazz Quartet - Django

John Lewis - Piano
Milt Jackson - Vibraphone
Percy Heath - Bass
Kenny Clark - Drums

1. Django
2. One Bass Hit
3. La Ronde Suite
4. The Queen's Fancy
5. Delaunay's Dilemma
6. Autumn in New York
7. But Not For Me
8. Milano

Django is the only MJQ c.d. that I own, but I do possess a nice record of them play with Jimmy Giuffre. Django seemed like a good place to start with the quartet even though Connie Kay is not behind the kit on this recording. I think you either like the Modern Jazz Quartet or you don't. I really enjoy the tunes they perform, and I like their performance attitude. The MJQ were strongly into a sub-genre of jazz known as third stream. Third stream was the attempt for jazz artists to try to blur distinctions between classical and jazz music. The quartet thought of themselves as a chamber ensemble, and they would always perform in tuxedoes. Most of their performances were played in concert halls rather than in night clubs. Their compositions tend to have a solid structure. The improvisations show much gentle restraint that was typical of the then popular cool jazz style. I like how many of the pieces incorporate fugues and counterpoint behind solos.

My favorite tracks on this album are "Django," "La Ronde," "Queen's Fancy," and "Autumn in New York." "Django" is a wonderful John Lewis tune. The song has a very melancholy sensation; it is a good soundtrack for a gloomy day. I think this description also fits for "Autumn in New York." "Autumn has this wonderful moment where the vibes play these quarter notes and it creates almost a drone. The bass also is participating in the drone, and the piano comes in with its descending melody. This works very well, and I can't explain it very well, so it would be best to listen to it yourself.

I wouldn't necessarily reccomend this album to anyone. If you strongly enjoy classical chamber music, and you want to get into jazz, this is a pretty good album to get. I really enjoy this album, but I don't know if it is an essential purchase. I'm going to give it 4/5 stars.

Eric Dolphy - Time Out

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch!

Eric Dolphy - Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Bobby Hutcherson - Vibraphone
Richard Davis - Bass
Tony Williams - Drums

1. Hat and Beard
2. Something Sweet, Something Tender
3. Gazzelloni
4. Out To Lunch
5. Straight Up and Down

Eric Dolphy would have celebrated his 81st birthday this past Saturday. Although he died in 1964, his recorded music leaves a legacy of a wonderful person that truly enjoyed life. Listening to an Eric Dolphy solo is listening to pure joy exiting a horn. The sounds and noises that he created with his bass clarinet were very unique. In fact, I try to listen to the different timbres that Dolphy creates in his solos more than the melodies that he played. In a way, I feel like Out To Lunch is an early hip-hop album. The rhythm section provide the soloists with a beat for the soloists to pour out their emotions. And I feel that great hip-hop artists can reveal their emotions in their lyrics.

"Hat and Beard" starts off with a shocking bang. Then the bass reveals his odd-meter ostinato that the ensemble will continue to work with for most of the song. Dolphy plays bass clarinet on this track, and he plays a wonderful solo. Some free-blowing, but it doesn't sound like it's free for the sake of being free, it's Dolphy's unique brand of free which can imitate bird sounds or, as I feel, imitate moose sounds. Maybe a yak... Hutcherson and Williams have a great moment of interplay in the vibes solo. It's too hard to explain, but if you listen to the track, you will probably know what I mean.
"Something Sweet, Something Tender" changes up the pace a bit. This slow ballad features another great Dolphy Bass Clarinet solo. The vibraphone gives the piece a nice relaxed ambiance. Richard Davis seems to do a lot of chordal things, and he plays arco bass. A neat track.
"Gazzelloni" picks things up with some energy. This one has Dolphy playing flute. Exciting playing all-around on this track. I like how Tony Williams is never content to play it safe; he is always exploring the possibilities of the drumset. My favorite moment in this song is when Dolphy hands off his solo to Hubbard. It's a really magical moment.
"Out To Lunch" has this great catchy vibraphone ostinato. I'm really glad that there was no pianist on this recording, because Bobby Hutcherson fills the void just fine on his vibes. Dolphy plays the alto sax on this recording, I think. The group goes through a lot of free interplay, but they never lose their way. This piece includes more avant-garde solos than the other pieces; however, it is a prime example of musicians working together to create a group masterpiece.
"Straight Up and Down" closes this album out. This medium paced tune seems to have a swagger when the solos start up, and Dolphy plays another great alto solo that pushes the limits of space and time.

This was the last studio recording that Dolphy recorded. It may be a bit cliche, but this was truly his swan song. I have to reccomend this album to everyone at least slightly interested in avant-garde or free jazz, as I feel this is a very accessible free jazz album. This album is definitely more accessible than some of Ornette Coleman's, Albert Ayler's, Cecil Taylor's, or Anthony Braxton's albums (I still like all of those artists, but I realize many people find it unbearable). I was able to hear Dolphy featured on a public radio station when I was driving yesterday, and I was reminded that people felt he was, "too in to be out, and too out to be in." So if you feel like listening to some exciting, high energy, avant-garde, delicious jazz, then you have got to check out Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch!

5/5 Stars

Miles Davis - Miles Smiles

Miles Davis - Trumpet
Wayne Shorter - Tenor Saxophone
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Tony Williams - Drums

Tracks:
1. Orbits (Shorter)
2. Circle (Davis)
3. Footprints (Shorter)
4. Delores (Shorter)
5. Freedom Jazz Dance (Harris)
6. Gingerbread Boy (Heath)

Miles Smiles is one of a handful of great albums that Miles Davis' second great quintet released. I believe this quintet started to play together in 1963, albeit with George Coleman on tenor saxophone. Wayne Shorter was brought in for his talent in composing and for his spontaneous improvisations (Coleman was allegedly kicked out of the group by Davis when he heard Coleman practicing his solos). Miles Smiles was released in 1966 as the quintet's second album. By this time, the group had developed such a rapport, that they were not afraid to try anything.
I don't think I will try to do a track by track review, but I will try to go over what I feel make this album special.

"Orbits" is a Wayne Shorter piece that sounds like a soundtrack to an excursion through the galaxy. What I really like about this piece is that the soloists incorporate the end motive of the melody into their solos. Miles ends his solo with it; Wayne and Herbie begin their solos with it. I also like that Herbie does not comp at all through the whole piece. This makes it feel like Herbie is another horn player, as his solo resembles a horn line without any comping.
I really like the opening to "Circle." It opens with an impressionistic piano arpeggio that would make Ravel blush. It's great mood music for a quiet relaxing night.
"Footprints" may be one of Shorter's most well-known pieces. The version of the piece on Miles Smiles is too good. A piece of music may not be able to be played better than this. I believe that as a drummer, I may be biased to this recording because Tony Williams (just 21 years old when this was recorded. What am I doing with my life!) plays some of the most inconceivably ballin' drums of all time. The tune is written in a 6/8 waltz time, yet Williams gives it a pushing 4/4 feel. I don't know how Ron Carter was able to keep the famous bassline going in 6 while Tony was playing his polymetric patterns. All of the solos are superb. This album, pretty much, is a must own for "Footprints" alone.
"Freedom Jazz Dance" opens with Tony Williams playing triplets. Then the whole group joins in with the unison melody line. The line is difficult, as Davis and Shorter botch it slightly at times. The solo sections are what make this tune incredible. This is where Tony shows early signs that he was heading toward a rock and roll influence. The drumbeat behind the solos is syncopated and funky. The bass and piano also keep it relatively funky. This piece makes me want to dance!

I recently purchased this album, and I am very glad I did. If you consider yourself a Miles Davis fan, you must own this album. If you are trying to get into Jazz, I would definitely reccomend this as an album to get. Top 20 at least.

5/5 Stars

Gary Burton Quintet - Dreams So Real

Gary Burton - Vibes
Mick Goodrick - Guitar
Pat Metheny - 12 String Electric Guitar
Steve Swallow - Bass
Bob Moses - Drums

Gary Burton is arguably the greatest vibraphonist. He is known for his mastery of using four mallets to play the vibraphone more like a piano. The grip that he developed to hold the four mallets was even named after him. His technique is unbelievable. He can run through scales faster than the speed of light.

I have been searching for this album ever since ECM released it under their Touchstone Series, which offers some of their more well known recordings in modest packaging, and an affordable price. This has become a quick favorite of mine. The vibraphone and the two guitars mix to create a very lush orchestration of Carla Bley's magnificent compositions.

The album starts with the title track, "Dreams So Real." The ensemble plays this ballad with great attention to detail. The energy does pick up at moments, but it never gets too wild.
The next piece is "Ictus/Syndrome." This opens with a complex unison melody. About halfway through the piece, it switches to a hard swing feeling. Pat Metheny plays a takes a nice guitar solo. Pat's solos are very melodic and Metheney-esque, but Burton's solos are so full of energy. They are often wild explorations of the possibilities that one person can do on a vibraphone.
"Jesus Maria" is a ballad that Burton plays as a solo feature. The song sounds very well suited for the vibes.
"Vox Humana" apparently is named after an organ stop. This piece is my favorite from the album. I think it exemplifies what some have called, "The ECM sound." The rhythm section plays it straight, with the drums incorporating broken eighth notes. The piece generally has a lush ambiance to it. The various sections have their way of either putting me in a state of complete relaxation, or they make me long to hear the resolution into the next section. The resolutions are majestic; I often imagine a beautiful sun setting on the mountain ranges in the west. Great vibe solos and guitar solos. It's a little harder for me to tell who solos on this one, but I would guess that it is Mick Goodrick. The piece is very well written because of the sections where the intensity builds up very quickly.
"Doctor" is another Carla Bley song that opens with a complex unison melody with the guitar and vibes, but the other guitar and the bass have a written out rhythmic response to the melody. The chords in this piece are far more bizarre than in the previous pieces. The group plays well enough through this, and it is refreshing to hear another Metheny guitar solo. He really has no difficulty soloing over the rather interesting chords.
"Intermission Music" closes this album. It is a lilting waltz ballad, and everyone continues to perform well. I should mention here that Steve Swallow and Bob Moses do a fine job handling the bass and drums respectively.

This is a good album, and I recommend it to anyone that likes ECM type albums. The music seems to defy categories. It surely isn't bop/hard bop/ post bop. It is almost fusion, but not in the typical jazz fusion sense. I think the best label for this kind of music is Carla Bley. This music rewards close listening, and yet it can serve as background music quite well. For Burton fans, and I would say even for Metheny fans, this album is a must own.

5/5 Stars