[ralphp@optonline]

There are quite a few very good big bands currently working throughout the world. Here's something from one of the top American jazz orchestras - Maria Schneider Orchestra - Sky Blue. Ms. Schneider studied arranging under the great Gil Evans and she is a force to be reckoned with. Well worth checking out.
 

 

[magiccabbage]

I prefer smaller ensemble. I haven't been able to really sink my teeth into big band yet. Even the album "atomic basie" I can only listen to every now and again and never all the way through. I do love watching the footage of big bands though 
 
Anyone like the jazz at Lincoln center performances? ¬
 
 

 

[icebear]

  There are quite a few very good big bands currently working throughout the world. Here's something from one of the top American jazz orchestras - Maria Schneider Orchestra - Sky Blue. Ms. Schneider studied arranging under the great Gil Evans and she is a force to be reckoned with. Well worth checking out.

I have seen Maria Schneider with her own band once at the Jazz Standard during one of her Thanksgiving week long performances and another time at Lincoln Center's Allen room (now new sponsor name ... Appel room). She does outstanding work, as a composer as well as a band leader.

 

[icebear]

  I prefer smaller ensemble. I haven't been able to really sink my teeth into big band yet. Even the album "atomic basie" I can only listen to every now and again and never all the way through. I do love watching the footage of big bands though 
 
Anyone like the jazz at Lincoln center performances?

I usually also prefer smaller groups in more intimate venues, like typical Jazz clubs or small theaters. I can't really imagine visiting a Jazz Concert in such a huge hall like R.A.Hall. And for that matter I am not particularly fond of Mr. Marsalis. His stuff is ... I'm not really sure how to put it, maybe polished. It's technically perfect and therefore missing the spirit of Jazz. On the spot improvisation, action and reaction, eye contact and making faces, communicating and taking different turns on the spot. That's exciting to me. My guess is every single note they play is sheet perfect and has been trimmed to compositional perfection.
 
Last Friday I saw Geri Allen (piano) with Esperanza Spalding (bass) and Terri Lyne Carrington (drums) in the Village Vanguard. These three ladies were steaming in that basement

.

 

[magiccabbage]

  I usually also prefer smaller groups in more intimate venues, like typical Jazz clubs or small theaters. I can't really imagine visiting a Jazz Concert in such a huge hall like R.A.Hall. And for that matter I am not particularly fond of Mr. Marsalis. His stuff is ... I'm not really sure how to out it, maybe polished. It's technically perfect and therefore missing the spirit of Jazz. On the spot improvisation, action and reaction, eye contact and making faces, communicating and taking different turns on the spot. That's exciting to me. My guess is every single note they play is sheet perfect and has been trimmed to compositional perfection.
 
Last Friday I saw Gerri Allen (piano) with Esperanza Spalding (bass) and Terri Lynn Carrington (drums) in the Village Vanguard. These three ladies were steaming in that basement

.

I have heard people say that before about Marsalis but its just not true he has covered a lot of ground in his career. I think it's heavily dependent on the albums you hear. Maybe you haven't heard the right album. Have you heard "live at the house of tribes" - that album along with "live at the village vanguard" has bags of feel, and you know what?- I would have Marsalis over Miles Davis any day of the week! 
 
"missing the spirit of jazz" - yea right! 
 
I have wanted to see Esperanza live for a while now but she has never come to Ireland and maybe never will. I might have to fly over to Ronnie Scotts (UK) the next time she plays. What was her performance like? Did she play any unreleased material? 

 

[jasonb]

Just got these two today. Listening to the Wayne Shorter album right now.

 

[magiccabbage]

Just got these two today. Listening to the Wayne Shorter album right now.

 

What are your favorite shorter albums? That's a road i haven't gone down yet. Been meaning to for a while though. 

 

[jasonb]

What are your favorite shorter albums? That's a road i haven't gone down yet. Been meaning to for a while though. 

I can't really say yet. I have honestly been buying jazz music so fast that I really don't know what is what. I like pretty much every jazz album I have bought so far but it's still tough for me to pick my favorites. I can say that my favorite Mingus album is "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady", I absolutely love that album. I also really like the Dave Brubeck stuff, like "Time Out", and his "Live at Carnegie hall" album. "Kind of Blue" is of course great, and I like a lot of Coltrane stuff. Otherwise it's still to early to say what my other favorites are. I still feel like a jazz newb.

 

[ralphp@optonline]

  and you know what?- I would have Marsalis over Miles Davis any day of the week! 

Whoa! Careful there, those words are sure to upset quite a few people (myself included). Let's just be glad that we can have both (at least on recordings) and don't have to chose.
 
Also keep in mind that throughout his long career Miles was ALWAYS on the cutting edge of jazz:
 
1940s: Miles played with Charlie Parker and witnessed the bebop revolution.
1940s: Miles ushered in "The Birth of Cool"
1950s: The Miles Davis Quintet featured a young John Coltrane and set the standard for all hard bop groups.
1950s: Miles collaborated with Gil Evans and set the standard for "third stream jazz"
1950s: Miles records "Kind of Blue" and invents modal jazz.
1960s: The Miles Davis Quintet again sets the standard for modern jazz groups
1960s: Miles records "Bitches Brew" and invents fusion.
 
I could go on but I think that's more than enough.

 

[icebear]

  I have heard people say that before about Marsalis but its just not true he has covered a lot of ground in his career. I think it's heavily dependent on the albums you hear. Maybe you haven't heard the right album. Have you heard "live at the house of tribes" - that album along with "live at the village vanguard" has bags of feel, and you know what?- I would have Marsalis over Miles Davis any day of the week! 
 
"missing the spirit of jazz" - yea right! 
 
I have wanted to see Esperanza live for a while now but she has never come to Ireland and maybe never will. I might have to fly over to Ronnie Scotts (UK) the next time she plays. What was her performance like? Did she play any unreleased material? 

I had his Vanguard recording already in my online cart one time but then decided not to. There is so much to enjoy, there is no real need to like Mr. Marsalis

. What he has achieved with Jazz at Lincoln Center as an organization for education as well as a performance space, is absolutely great but I just don't like his work as composer all that much. I have seen/heard his "Swing symphony" performed in the Avery Fisher Hall with NY Philharmonic. I was not impressed, see the NY Times critique:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/arts/music/the-new-york-philharmonic-at-avery-fisher-hall.html?_r=0
 
As for Miles: I dig only his older stuff, his more experimental electronic journey is not my cup of tea either.
 
In regards to the three ladies: They played mostly Geri's composition but also one Eric Dolphy tune "Mrs. Anne".
I am not sure what has been recorded/released already and what has been new. The Vanguard is the only club that is in it's original space ever since. If you are there early, you get a seat close to the stage, eh ... you are not actually far from the stage anywhere in there. But at least if you are very close, you can see the entire stage and all the interaction between the musicians, the smiles on their faces when the exactly know what the other is up to and jump right in, that is what for me Jazz is about.
 
As for Esperanza I was thinking after the concert about how to describe the way she is into her instrument but all that came to my mind would be "rated MA", so I won't put that in writing

. For one song she was singing and playing the bass. If you have chance to see her in a small venue up close, don't miss her.

 

[icebear]

  Whoa! Careful there, those words are sure to upset quite a few people (myself included). Let's just be glad that we can have both (at least on recordings) and don't have to chose.
 
Also keep in mind that throughout his long career Miles was ALWAYS on the cutting edge of jazz:
 
1940s: Miles played with Charlie Parker and witnessed the bebop revolution.
1940s: Miles ushered in "The Birth of Cool"
1950s: The Miles Davis Quintet featured a young John Coltrane and set the standard for all hard bop groups.
1950s: Miles collaborated with Gil Evans and set the standard for "third stream jazz"
1950s: Miles records "Kind of Blue" and invents modal jazz.
1960s: The Miles Davis Quintet again sets the standard for modern jazz groups
1960s: Miles records "Bitches Brew" and invents fusion.
 
I could go on but I think that's more than enough.

+1, later I'm kind of lost ....

 

[SpeakerBox]

Heard Four Play at the Xerox/Rochester Jazz Fest on Tuesday night.  I think it may be the best concert I have ever attended!

 

[jasonb]

Some mighty interesting takes on some jazz classics:
 

 

 

 
If not anything else, you'll probably at least find them comical. As a person who also likes prog rock/metal, I think it's pretty interesting. I'm not sure Coltrane and Brubeck would approve though. 

 

[Tom Yum Goong]

Very cool stuff!
And while we are on the topic of rather....unconventional Jazz:


I love these weirdos.

 

[Quinto]

  What are your favorite shorter albums? That's a road i haven't gone down yet. Been meaning to for a while though. 

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