What are you listening to?

[Baked Bean]

Joe Henderson In 'n' Out plus Pete La Roca Basra

[shaggaz]

Man I really like Pete La Roca's drumming on Sonny @ the vanguard double album... i think it's that album. man, serious.

[Gb]

It's great to know what YOU are listening to and all, but how about you tell us a bit more about what you think of it? What's your favourite track. Where'd you get it? Why? Do you like the artwork!? etc... I think Shaggaz has got the idea.

[buddybolden]

Elvis Costello - Mighty Like a Rose
Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess
Martha Wainwright - Bloody Mother Fucking Arsehole
Current 93 - Sleep Has Has House

because the iPod picked it

the artwork also is fine

[bodgey]

The Wood Brothers - 'Ways Not to Lose'

Superb album.
Great song-writing, grooves like all hell, great pacing of the album as a whole (something that seems to have gone to the dogs these days) and a rawness to the sound that i really like. The blues! Get back.
Just a guitar, a double, only a few tracks with kit and vocals. I'm into it.

Chris Wood is a lucky bastard if he gets to do this stuff, MMW stuff and whatever else he's involved in.

Nice to hear some good lyrics too.

There ya go, Gid!!

[Baked Bean]

I'm not to sure of that album shaggaz but Pete's a really serious cat... i know he played with art farmer for a long time and he did a couple of Joe albums (page one for sure...) but i think his playing is really lyrical...

[timothystevens]

Well, first I read Stuart Nicholson's Is jazz dead? (or has is moved to a new address), which is not a faultless book but which raises some interesting and worthwhile questions. Then I finished (because I'd started it earlier) To a young jazz musician: Letters from the road, by Wynton Marsalis. So after that I put on 'Down home with Homey,' from Marsalis' Soul gestures in Southern blue volume two: 'Uptown Ruler.' And pardon me for saying so, but it's still amazingly good, to my ears.

[isaacs]

timothystevens said:

Then I finished (because I'd started it earlier) To a young jazz musician: Letters from the road, by Wynton Marsalis

So how's the Wynton debate going?

A wide range of jazz luminaries from Keith Jarrett down maintain that it is de rigeur to spit while saying his name. Some years ago I wrote a lengthy response challenging an outright attack on Marsalis by John Clare in the old Jazzchord magazine. I got a different perspective when Phil Slater was raving to me a couple of years ago about what an amazing musician Wynton is. Then Paul Grabowsky described in a Radio National interview being moved by a Lincoln Centre Orchestra concert. And now Timothy Stevens reads his book without sniping!

Is Wynton finally respectable in jazz circles?

[timothystevens]

I have always had time for Wynton Marsalis and I still do. I get a lot from reading his books (this one, and Sweet swing blues on the road) because he is very clear about what he is saying and doing, and he seems consistent. I haven't listened to much of his music for a while, but there was a time when it was something I heard a lot and it was good to return to it. I don't love everything he does, and I don't agree with everything he says, but that's true of dozens of musicians here as well, and the debate is a healthy thing. I'm not troubled to think that he might reject my music as 'not jazz', because if jazz is, for him, what he says it is, then he's very probably right. The conviction and swing on 'Down home with Homey' was a delight to hear once again. I think it's wonderful. He is an astonishing trumpet player and I think it's a terrible shame so many people seem content to dismiss him along political lines, and by this to avoid dealing with the music itself.

[isaacs]

I totally agree with all the above Tim - it's nice not to feel like a voice in the wilderness on that.

[tinky]

I was actually in discussion last night with a coupla trp players about Wynton. We were reflecting on a concert he did round 95 with the septet at the concert hall. We all agreed it was an outstanding trp perforformance, the likes of which inspires you to practice and give up at the same time. We also agreed that whilst we were in awe of his ability that his musical antics were somewhat lees inspiring. Its hard not to go 'wow thats the best shit' because his harmonic/rhythmic/sound/swing/form thing is so perfect yet to me its at all moving except in the virtuosity and control.
On that mentioned blues trilogy, he does play very well. Everytime that Joe plays though its like a reminder of what the real thing is. Wynton plays the first solo always, then you go "wow, good playing", then Joe plays and you go "oh, I see, thats it". Elvin kicks his arse too.
I saw a video of the young Wynton with Art yesterday and it reminded me of the inventivness and energy that Wynton had in his youth, truely amazing! I believe that his conservative nature and feeling of responsibilty for "jazz" led him back to tradition and sort of styfled his onwards march, a shame in a way, still, he does good things to encourage youth and promote his 'jazz' and plays the instrument better than most dream.
Of course this is my nice positive rave. He is also a narrow minded cunt that plays politics well and sold Jazz to cocacola, plays over the band and wins awards for re-writing other peoples music. If I could spell I'd call him a plagerist,,,,,

[captain]

Thanks for bringing a smile to this Jazzcunts face Tim, I was beginning to think I was the only fan in the country.
Incidentally, The live version of 'Down Home' is incredible, I bought the vangaurd box set years ago and don't own the 'Soul gestures' stuff. When I hear those ones on I get bored, they all sound a little flat and clean when you've started with live versions.

I'm going to buy into a musical debate with Tinky, "...Plays over the band" (my italics)

To my ears, he is the only trumpeter still alive who actually engages a rhythm section in any profound way (present company excluded of course)

Every time I hear his band I'm reminded how chumpy most other 'contemporary' Jazz is (in terms of interaction)

[alison]

I remember meeting Wynton in my uni days (he came to do a workshop/performance), and I asked him that typical question- "Is there any advice you can give to me - I'm a young jazz singer, blah blah" and the two things he said were:

1) You gotta be able to sing/play the blues, man
and
2) check out Shirley Horn- she's the shit.

I've never forgotten that conversation...

[tinky]

After my words I thought I should listen to WM again. Just saw a video of him playing cherokee with the LCJO. He really can play the horn, range/flexibilty/sound/articulation/control all amazing. He was pushing himself quite hard in the virtuosity stakes. At one point after a long circular breathing passage he came out on the wrong side of the beat, I like this because it meant he was going for it. He looked so so pissed at the band for crossing the beat, its funny to watch.
Still, to me it sounded more like a display than a musical experience. I think that the man has so much facility its hard to place him. In some ways I think of Faddis and Sandoval, two guys who took the Dizzy school to amazing technical heights but missed the musical point of Dizz. WM is like them but in relation to Miles/Freddie school. Actually that is way too harsh, WM is by no means as crass as them, it was just a thought. I gotta say too that he remains a huge influence and inspiration to me in many ways. Black Codes is a great album, might go put it on now just to kick my silly arse.

[antboy]

agreed that black codes has some pretty serious playing on it, l like it also...
but I can't say anything else I've heard has really done it for me anywhere near as much as that album, and l find wynton's attitudes vomit worthy...