The not so Gentle Side of John Coltrane?

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gratefulshrink I personally think you should listen to as much John Coltrane as you can. Don't limit yourself to only a couple more of his albums -- there were just so many good ones to chose from.

That is what I am beginning to realize... especially after listening to 'the gentle side' again last night. The problem is that I have SO MUCH catching up to do in jazz.

Here is my Jazz collection:
One Miles Davis CD
One Theloneous Monk CD
One John Coltrane CD
One Duke Ellington CD
One Stan Getz Quartet CD

*sigh* Its going to take some time to get a good collection... but at least the listening will be fun.

 

[TwoFiveOne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox *sigh* Its going to take some time to get a good collection... but at least the listening will be fun.

Make a visit to allaboutjazz.com and enroll in Jazz 101. The listening pleasure increases correspondingly to knowledge and understanding of the art form. Miles, Trane, Monk are some big names but truly are only a scratching of the surface.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox That is what I am beginning to realize... especially after listening to 'the gentle side' again last night. The problem is that I have SO MUCH catching up to do in jazz. Here is my Jazz collection: One Miles Davis CD One Theloneous Monk CD One John Coltrane CD One Duke Ellington CD One Stan Getz Quartet CD *sigh* Its going to take some time to get a good collection... but at least the listening will be fun.

hey... that's a great start... only five CDs, but it already has sort of a "survey" feel... five heavy hitters representing different eras/personalities of jazz. my personal recommendation is to get one or two more to fill out the survey aspect like these:

Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives, Vol. 1 - Columbia
armstrong invented the jazz solo, and he did it with his hot fives. quite simply: no satchmo, no jazz.

Charlie Parker - Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Collection - Rhino
one of the inventors of bebop; coltrane inherited his throne as "best saxophone of all time."

...and pick, say, two of your favorite players and buy up their collections. you've already started with coltrane. my other personal fave on your list is thelonious monk. while he probably wasn't the very best jazz pianist ever, his style is my favorite, and i think he was the best jazz composer of all time.

just my $.02. have fun.

 

[philodox]

251... I'll check that out, sounds interesting.

VicAjax - Generally I really like 'Trane and Monk the best so far, but 'Spanish Key' on Bitches Brew is the most amazing thing I have heard in a long time. I don't think that most of Miles' stuff is like that though, so I will wait a while before getting more of his recordings.

I like Louis, but I've only really heard the stuff that my Mother in law has and it is mostly compilations, so I will definately keep my eye out for the one your recommended. I know nothing about Charlie Parker, but I will keep my eyes open.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox That is what I am beginning to realize... especially after listening to 'the gentle side' again last night. The problem is that I have SO MUCH catching up to do in jazz. Here is my Jazz collection: One Miles Davis CD One Theloneous Monk CD One John Coltrane CD One Duke Ellington CD One Stan Getz Quartet CD *sigh* Its going to take some time to get a good collection... but at least the listening will be fun.

Yup, you've go the nucleus of a good jazz collection going. In addition to Armstrong and Parker, make sure to get at least one Mingus CD (maybe Blus and Roots or MIngus Ah Um), one Eric Dolphy (Out to Lunch), one Ornette Coleman (The Shape of jazz to Come), and 10-15 Sun Ra albums (he he).

 

[TwoFiveOne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox I know nothing about Charlie Parker, but I will keep my eyes open.

Want a Jazz 101 assignment?

Put down the cans and rent the DVD "Bird" - Forrest Whitaker as Charlie Parker, directed by Clint Eastwood, one of the few really good jazz movies that equally shows the shiny side and the greasy underbelly. Getting exposed to the era when this stuff was happenin' will give some great perspective for all listening to come. The flick was noted for how they took Bird's solos (50s, mono) and digitally remastered them with sidemen from today.

Charlie Parker was a one-man-fire under the entire art form and IMO sent it in new directions more that any other.

 

[philodox]

Oooh... an assigment!

I'm on it boss.

 

[tanfenton]

Oh! I had forgotten Live at the Village Vanguard Again! That version of "Naima" is a favorite of mine. Sanders really plays his heart out. Rarely was he so disciplined in his years with Trane. As I recall, at one point in the song, John actually plays bass clarinet. The liners make no mention of this. Kind of like Joe Henderson's brief doubling on flute in Point of Departure in that regard.

NGF

 

[robert]

well, would you settle for not-gentle not-Coltrane??? try "Machine Gun" by Peter Brotzmann. this is the start of the first review over at Amazon:

"Machine Gun" is extreme jazz in the extreme. Here is an album to make not-for-the-weak precursors like Coltrane's "Meditations" or "Ascension," or Coleman's "Free Jazz" sound like "The Girl from Ipanema." "Machine Gun" even surpasses Ayler in terms of pure havoc (though obviously Ayler's goal was never really havoc).
-- C. Burkhalter

i can get through about 5 minutes of it. Ayler is more melodic. put on some asbestos undies.

 

[myself, aka me]

When I was into Jazz, I liked Clifford Brown.