Posted on 05/04/2025 7:01:31 PM PDT by DoodleBob
Like when Beyonce' Knowles tries to sing the National Anthem and butchers it with a load of unnecessary notes in tribute to her ego instead of our flag.
Jazz was at its peak in the 20s and 30s, when there was still some sense of structure and a basis in melody, but it has gone downhill ever since. Now, all that matters is packing as many unrelated notes as possible into the shortest possible length of time.
Which explains why Max Roach punched Ornette Coleman’s lights out.
Good list.
Great choices. Thanks!
“...there’s no one else around to show off your great stereo system to!”
Not to mention your awesome dance moves, LOL!
Max Roach was a national treasure.
So was Ornette Coleman.
Some free jazz is way out there. but… A lot of it stretches and expands. If you invest the time and step outside the “norm” you’ll be richly rewarded.
To be fair, I’ve been a Zappa fan for decades so Ornette and Max fit nicely in my collection.
The early Mothers material is an acquired taste. I think the The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue is way cool- https://youtu.be/oZDgfY-GMvA. Beefheart didn’t grip me like Zappa but I appreciate the man. Your mileage may vary.
Here is a live “out there” but in-time jazz performance: https://youtu.be/k75ZF5j9N7o. Again this won’t appeal to everyone. But this cooks…especially when James Carter starts on the alto sax at 3:10. Fun fact: the percussionist, Juma Sultan, played with Hendrix at Woodstock.
And finally, to tie it all together - Willie the Pimp. https://youtu.be/KHiclrHm-ig
“One red bean in the bottom of a crimped up can...”, “Uncle Remus, have you seen us?...”, “Sam with the showing scalp flat top...Particular about the point it made...”, “Call any vegetable and the chances are good that a vegetable will respond to you...”, “Nowadays a woman has to haul off and hit a man to make him know she’s there...”, “...And the Northern Lights commenced to glow...”, And the dust blows forward and the dust blows back”.
And then there was Bill Evans. Could really weave an elegant melodic line over tasteful chord substitutions . Really, the Chopin of jazz.
And then there was Bill Evans. Could really weave an elegant melodic line over tasteful chord substitutions . Really, the Chopin of jazz.
Yes, I’m a big fan as well, I learned about him through the song “September 15th”, by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays.
Zappa was so ahead of his time we aren't even there yet.
22 Year Old Frank Zappa Teaches Steve Allen To Play A Bicycle
I don't remember Steve Allen as being so obnoxious but Frank was a trouper - even finishing up with a shout-out to the Rat Pack ("How's Your Bird?").
Oh my, lookie here!!!!!!!!
https://shop.thewho.com/collections/live-at-the-oval/products/live-at-the-oval-1971-cd
That was the exciting thing about KSHE-95 in the early days. It had the feel of an underground radio station. Didn't play Top 40. On Sunday nights they would play an entire album so people who had a recording unit could grab it. They played things you wouldn't hear on the other AM/FM stations.
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