Jazz for Rock Fans..

[mountain bed]

Very nice job Lou. I really enjoyed this! You even mentioned my man Braxton! And of course, Rahsaan.

[skyflynn]

This is great, Lou. I mean, from what I can tell, I'm a jazz idiot. I miss my old music budget as does the music store.

[LouieB]

Very nice job Lou. I really enjoyed this! You even mentioned my man Braxton! And of course, Rahsaan.

Both Braxton and Kirk were some of the first jazz I ever saw, with Rahsaan being maybe the first significant show. I was thinking about him last night. His act was one of the most incredible things I will EVER see, bar none, which included playing three horns at once, playing through his nose and mouth at the same time, playing two instruments through each nostril at the same time doing some of the craziest shit ever including walking through the audience and out the door of the club (he was blind) and touching his chin and nose with is tongue. While all of this was more vaudville in some respects than jazz, (see Wilbur Sweatman an early jazz and vaudville figure from the accoustic era who did something similar) but it hooked me for life. Not only could he play this way (and perfected circular breathing) he could really play this shit too, not just entertain. At that point I never looked back. (This all happened at Ratsos, a long gone club on Lincoln Ave near where the future Lounge Ax ended up.)

 

Braxton was also one of the first major AACM shows I ever saw at the old Museum of Contempary Art (long torn down and replaced) where he opened (yea opened) for the Art Ensemble of Chicago. I had not seen either of them before and Braxton's star was just rising (he eclipsed the Art Ensemble shortly after this), but this show also hooked me.

 

I count myself very lucky that to have had these experiences (the other significant show I saw was Dexter Gordon playing to a nearly empty Jazz Showcase upon his return from Europe) and sent me down the road of jazz appreciation I have never lost obviously. The history and figures of jazz are beyond significant even to rock (I am not sure I made that point strongly enough.) There was a time when no rock musician didn't mention Coltrane (among others such as Sun Ra another legendary showman) as inspirations.

 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I noticed something interesting in the comments over on Glono: rather than talking about early jazz or modern jazz, many readers over there decided to discuss swing, something I certainly had not anticipated. As I did mention, I came to a fuller appreciation of swing much later than my love of early and modern jazz and even someone over there gave a suggestion for an album that I may check out soon.

 

LouieB

[P Dub]

Lou...well said, well done!

 

My dad produced many reissues and wrote liner notes for the likes of Duke, Fats Waller, Henry "Red" Allen and others. One of my prized possessions is a signed cardboard concert poster of Louis from the early 60's that he left me.

 

I should have taken notes as I was reading along...but I'll comment on a few things and maybe more later.

 

I love A Love Supreme by Coltrane. My second favorite might be Kulu Se Mama, featuring Pharoah Sanders. I saw Pharoah this year at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival and he opened with a 23 minute My Favorite Things! I taped Pharoah several times in the 90's at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago.

 

Duke - I wish I had his Centennial box set. Though he wasn't formally acknowledged, my dad helped out with the research on the Blanton Webster cd reissue. I also like the work he did with Coltrane and with the Money Jungle recordings.

 

Miles - I remember coming home one night so pissed off that Miles had cancelled his show in StL b/c the Opera House was only a quarter sold ('85) and that I had a killer taping seat (4th row center). My dad never liked him and this didn't help. He mentioned seeing Louis at a small club in StL in 66-67 in front of a small gathering and he played on. Dad didn't like how Miles would play with his back to the audience. I couldn't understand why he didn't like his music, and when he was sick with terminal cancer, I asked if he would give Miles a few minutes. I chose Kind of Blue and In a Silent Way. He liked KOB and nodded and snapped in time but he didn't like the modern styles of IASW.

 

Henry "Red" Allen - One of my favorite photos of my dad was taken down in New Orleans. He was standing out on the street in the French Quarter holding a trumpet of Red's. One of the most PERFECT jazz masterpieces was Red's World On A String! That session should make the list.

 

Fats Waller - Dad and a group of friends found some long lost masters that became the 3 LP box Oh Mercy! Looka' Here. Some of the greatest music ever created.

 

Thanks again Lou!

[LouieB]

I should have taken notes as I was reading along...but I'll comment on a few things and maybe more later.

 

I love A Love Supreme by Coltrane. My second favorite might be Kulu Se Mama, featuring Pharoah Sanders. I saw Pharoah this year at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival and he opened with a 23 minute My Favorite Things! I taped Pharoah several times in the 90's at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago.

 

Duke - I wish I had his Centennial box set. Though he wasn't formally acknowledged, my dad helped out with the research on the Blanton Webster cd reissue. I also like the work he did with Coltrane and with the Money Jungle recordings.

 

 

Henry "Red" Allen - One of my favorite photos of my dad was taken down in New Orleans. He was standing out on the street in the French Quarter holding a trumpet of Red's. One of the most PERFECT jazz masterpieces was Red's World On A String! That session should make the list.

 

Fats Waller - Dad and a group of friends found some long lost masters that became the 3 LP box Oh Mercy! Looka' Here. Some of the greatest music ever created.

Thanks for the lengthy reply. You are clearly a jazz fan. You have no reason to take notes because you seem to know all this stuff anyway and besides it is up on Glono for awhile. Your father must have been pretty special. The reissue movement of the 70s is when I came on board and it saved much material from obscurity.

 

I wish I had the Centenial set as well, but it was very pricey and now out of print so worth even more. Perhaps it will return someday. This is just the RCA Victor material which is certainly significant and equally as important as the Columbia stuff. It is amazing to think that Duke recorded for the two largestest (I would guess) record companies at the time and there seemed to be on contractual problems with that. The Blanton/Webster reissue is one of the best and I included it in the longer list. Great stuff.

 

I should personally check out more Henry "Red" Allen. I would love to hear the Fats Waller. I find it unfortunate that the Bluebird (RCA) material is marred by some bad song selection and less than stellar back-up musicians, but so it goes. What wasn't mentioned in my article are the solo pieces by Waller, what are magnificant.

 

There is so much cool Coltrane stuff, but Se Kula Mama is certainly great, but far different for the uninitiated than Love Supreme. Coltrane helped raise Sanders profile. I saw him awhile back and he is still a fantastic musician.

 

Thanks for replying.

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

the film trilogy where lou is played by paul giamatti's dad and featuring jamie fox as coltrane?

As long as Paul Giamatti plays me as he played Harvey Pekar (a great jazz critic himself) I am fine with that... Not some of the crap Giamatti has played of late.....

 

 

This is great, Lou. I mean, from what I can tell, I'm a jazz idiot. I miss my old music budget as does the music store.

 

Jake"s wonderful programming gives links directly to Amazon where many of these albums can be had at far less than list price used through the dealers. A great way to get a bunch of music cheap.

 

LouieB