[Chris J]

This is why I think Crescent is so underrated. You for example have heard Ascension, Interstellar Space(!) and One Down, One Up, but not Crescent. Pretty much everyone who I know who has heard Crescent would name it as one of their favorite Coltrane records. Based on that I'm quite confident you're in for a treat. It certainly won't be your gateway into free jazz, but it sure is one fine record. I recently got the Original Recordings Group limited edition vinyl and it sounds truly glorious.

 

I think I'm blessed when it comes to free jazz, because I simply liked both of the first two albums I heard in the genre, which were Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz and Coltrane's Ascension. It took me years to learn to appreciate Ascension on more than a superficial level, but just the sheer amount of energy on that record excited, intrigued and shocked me all at the same time when I first heard it. Free Jazz I just found instantly likeable from the get-go. I've never really witnessed a person I know learn to embrace free jazz. Everyone I know either loves it or doesn't. I was shocked when a cousin of mine who currently studies music technology and composition at a university in London recently recommend a group called Supersilent to me. All of their music is very avant-garde free improvisation much akin to free jazz or what most would even call free jazz. Only a couple years ago I remember mentioning him something about how much I enjoyed Keith Jarrett's solo piano improvisations and he just made a short comment about not liking improvisation or something. I guess he's made quite a leap at some point, likely because someone recommended something to him. We've known each other since childhood and share similar tastes in music, but sadly I wasn't there to witness his transition to appreciate free improvisation.

 

What I'm trying to say is that I have no idea how one who doesn't just naturally enjoy free jazz learns to appreciate it, apart from putting effort into liking it. Music appreciation and taste are not something I think we have from birth. It is something we acquire through time, experiences and exposure. When I was a child I didn't like music, hated it. I couldn't fathom why anyone would listen to music. I'd never heard anything I liked and only when I was around 14 or 15 I made my first attempt to buy a couple of CDs and try to find out what people though was so great about music.

The musical education I got at school was rubbish and only further discouraged me from wanting to appreciate music. Those first albums I bought were all awful and it was only a few years later that I discovered some music that I liked and channels through which I could discover new good music. That story is too long to retell here, but nowadays music is the biggest thing in my life and I couldn't imagine living without it. For the past decade I've probably bought somewhere in the vicinity of two to three hundred albums per year on average and I only continue to discover new sources for music. Every time I embrace a new genre, it takes me months to learn to appreciate it. Two years ago I wouldn't have imagined I'd ever find myself listening to trance or house because my first experiences with EDM in the early 2000s were very negative. Then I came across a couple of artists whose work I adored and spent the next six months exploring the vast sea of genres and artists out there. Now EDM is one of the genres I listen to most often on a daily basis. In the end I think it all comes down to how much effort one is willing to put in. There is something to like about virtually any genre, I feel.

 

Edit: It helps when you find that perfect personal entry point into a genre.

 


Thanks for the tip.
I'll have to track down "Crescent" on ORG LP.
I'm a big fan of vinyl.

 

[Quinto]

  very nice indeed - this is going on my list 

Cheers mate

 

[TJ Elite]

Thanks for the tip.
I'll have to track down "Crescent" on ORG LP.
I'm a big fan of vinyl.

I only got my first turntable last August but vinyl is indeed supreme. The ORG 45rpm 2LP ain't cheap but it's worth every cent.

 

[Spyro]

IMHO......some day 30 years from now when he "retires", Antonio Sanchez will be regarded as (top 2-3) the best jazz drummer that ever lived.  
 
I don't see or hear anyone even close to what he does even today. SO respected across the whole genre and supposedly a brilliant teacher too.

 

[fabb892]

Hi guys, not sure how jazzy this is, but it's certainly smooth. I think anyone could like this. Free downloads on the soundcloud, too. 
 
http://www.thefader.com/2014/01/31/download-a-smooth-jazz-cover-of-grimes-genesis-because-you-can/

 

[wuwhere]

One of my favorite jazz band, LA4, covering Spain, excellent sax by Bud Shank.
 

 

[jasonb]

Just started this one up:

Found it used at a local small business record/CD store. Still on the first song.... it is definitely interesting. Just drums and saxophone.

 

[SilverEars]

Probably the most amazing sounding recording for my audio setup, always amazed by it
 

 

[Chris J]

  Probably the most amazing sounding recording for my audio setup, always amazed by it
 

Yes, but what do you think of the "musick"? 

 

[ralphp@optonline]

I have already listed several recordings with music similar to what is played on Jazz at the Pawn Shop but played by the original artists. So tell me would you rather listen to a Beatles tribute band or to the Beatles?

 

[SilverEars]

Guys, I said I like the recordings.  Which means it's sounds great, and I enjoy it.  I like the musick also, I think it has great composition and talented musicians for this recording.

 

[jasonb]

Excellent! Extremely Excellent!!! Definitely in my top 5 and I'm still listening through it for the first time right now. 
 

---

 
On a slightly unrelated note. Has anybody here watched Breaking Bad, and noticed how much jazz music is in the show? There is some excellent jazz music in the background a lot of the time. 

 

[ralphp@optonline]

I was wondering when Black Saint & Sinner Lady was going to get recommended. I just listened to this great Mingus recording on my iPod the other. Truly a classic.

 

[magiccabbage]

2 albums that i am really enjoying at the moment ¬ 
 
  
 
great guitar playing by Wolfgang Muthspiel

 

[Quinto]

Interesting jazz trio, violin, bass and guitar!