[jasonb]

Back on track... These are my latest purchases:
 

 

 
After picking up Tord Gustavsen's latest album, I decided to try another one of his.
 
The Billy Hart album I know nothing about. I'll probably listen to it later today.
 
I'll report back about both.

 

[Hijodelbrx]

LOVE Cal Tjader! My parents used to play his records at parties! One of the fathers of Latin Jazz, my absolutely favorite genre of music! Every type of Jazz there is; big band to small combo, electric to acoustic, tightly written to free. Has a very rich and deep history and so many genius-level players that can easily be compared to the greats of ANY era. I've never mentioned it or recommended anything because as international a group as seems to populate head-fi, it doesn't seem to have many Latino members, not that one needs to be Latino to enjoy Latin jazz. On the contrary, 'gringos' love it (especially the ladies!!). It's just that given the comparatively small number of posts in the jazz threads, I think a thread about Latin jazz would sink like a stone. But since the door's been open a crack, I'll charge in! Dave Samuels did a great tribute to Cal Tjader featuring some of the best players; 'Tjaderized'. Currently I've got the latest from Manuel Valera in heavy rotation; 'Expectativas', tremendous record! I'll return you to your regularly scheduled programming now!

 

[jasonb]

Both the Tord Gustavsen album and the Billy Hart album are very good. I like Tord Gustavsen's newer album "extended Circles" better since it has a sweet saxophone in it, but "Changes Places" is also very chill and relaxing.
 
The Billy Hart album "One is the Other" is a great listen. 
 
I'd recommend both. 

 

[Quinto]

I have three Tord Gustavsen albums and although it's very good recorded and the music is nice, it's not great IMO..it's .. boring 

 
Nice background music when you have guests.. or to show of audiophile stuff

 

[Spyro]

More "new age" than jazz for the little I have heard.

 

[TJ Elite]

Here's an interesting interview with Iiro Rantala. I already watched it at the end of last year, but ACT is now featuring it on their main page since his new album just came out so I decided to share.
 

 
I also went to my local record store today and checked what ACT releases they had in stock. I ended up grabbing Adam Bałdych's "Imaginary Room" and Cæcilie Norby's "Silent Ways". Just check Bałdych's solo in the video below and you'll know what the man's about. Leszek Możdżer's piano solo in the Norby video is also a real treat.
 
  

 

[icebear]

Iiro Rantala is really out there with some of his projects, so listen before you buy any records.
His "Lost Heroes" solo piano album is fantastic.

 

[TJ Elite]

  Iiro Rantala is really out there with some of his projects, so listen before you buy any records.
His "Lost Heroes" solo piano album is fantastic.

I enjoy everything I've heard from him, from his piano concerto (I've seen him perform it live) to the jazz interpretations of Finnish tango songs he did with Pekka Kuusisto, and his New Trio project of course. "Lost Heroes" is amazing as you said.

 

[ralphp@optonline]

Here is an oldie but goodie that hasn't been mentioned.
 
Ralph Towner - Solstice (ECM Records 1975)
 

 
and the opening track:
 

 

[Tom Yum Goong]

Man, this is amazing!

 

[christian u]

How about this.
She is my favorite singer at the moment.
 
Quote:

  Checking this out now:

only 2 songs in and I like it a lot already. I guess I like jazz with female singers, I have always had a soft spot for good female vocals, so this should be no surprise to me. 
 
 

 

[ralphp@optonline]

Question: Why is it that very female vocalist who uses either acoustic piano or acoustic bass as accompanying instruments somehow manages to get classified as "jazz"?
 
Just wondering since the great Billie Holiday's birthday is less than a month away and Billie Holiday was most definitely a JAZZ singer.

 

[magiccabbage]

  Question: Why is it that very female vocalist who uses either acoustic piano or acoustic bass as accompanying instruments somehow manages to get classified as "jazz"?
 
Just wondering since the great Billie Holiday's birthday is less than a month away and Billie Holiday was most definitely a JAZZ singer.

i know what you mean - Nora Jones springs to mind. People think that she is a jazz singer because of the same reasons. 

 

[ralphp@optonline]

  i know what you mean - Nora Jones springs to mind. People think that she is a jazz singer because of the same reasons. 

The another strange thing is that when jazz vocalists make blues or popular music recordings they are still considered jazz singers. Dinah Washington is a good example this since she recorded strictly jazz records at the beginning of her career but made either blues or popular music records for much of her later career and yet Ms. Washington is basically considered to be a jazz singer. Go figure.
 
Personally I think this whole mess stems from the average popular music listener not being able to process any music that doesn't fall squarely within the boundaries of the pop music format and genres like jazz and alternative (whatever that means) are the go to places to put very, even slightly, different artist.

 

[magiccabbage]

 
The another strange thing is that when jazz vocalists make blues or popular music recordings they are still considered jazz singers. Dinah Washington is a good example this since she recorded strictly jazz records at the beginning of her career but made either blues or popular music records for much of her later career and yet Ms. Washington is basically considered to be a jazz singer. Go figure.
 
Personally I think this whole mess stems from the average popular music listener not being able to process any music that doesn't fall squarely within the boundaries of the pop music format and genres like jazz and alternative (whatever that means) are the go to places to put very, even slightly, different artist.

Its also a music education thing, they don't know the differences between 2 genres like jazz and blues. People don't see  that jazz music is based on complex modal changes and intricate chord patterns whereas blues for the most part is a lot more basic like minor penatatonic scales and 12 bar blues. 
 
Even the differences between Be-Bop and Hard-Bop are hard to describe if you don't play and instrument. When you listen to hard bop without this knowledge it doesn't dawn on you that the differences are melody based passages as apposed to chordal based music.