New (old) Jazz, anyone heard these?

[noddin0ff]

There was a NYTimes article today (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/arts/music/21jazz.html) that mentioned the recently discoverd Coltrane/Monk album.

It highlighted some similar 'great' discoveries. I'll probably get them anyway, but has anyone heard these?

Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker: Town Hall Concert New York City 1945 (2005, Uptown Jazz)

John Coltrane: One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note [LIVE] (2005, Impulse)

The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall album. Is a jazz must-have. I have a lot of Monk and a lot of Coltrane in my collection. If I was dissapointed it would be because Monk's compositions are so very distinctive that after you've heard them several times they stick in your head and it's hard to mentally hear what's new in a different version. What a performance. The Monk part of this recording is masterful, the way he leads and pushes with his ideas is remarkable. The Coltrane part is equally terrific. Monk melodies are very angular. Coltrane adds a lushness and romance layer to the angles while still pushing the melodic envelope. You've got all these strange chords from Monk and all these notes streamed together from Coltrane and it's completely cohesive. A great combo.

edit: hmmm, and I see that Amazon is offering them both together for a better price...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009Q0EQ0/002-8416490-2543254?v=glance

[3-LockBox]

There was a NYTimes article today (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/arts/music/21jazz.html) that mentioned the recently discoverd Coltrane/Monk album.

It highlighted some similar 'great' discoveries. I'll probably get them anyway, but has anyone heard these?

Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker: Town Hall Concert New York City 1945 (2005, Uptown Jazz)

John Coltrane: One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note [LIVE] (2005, Impulse)

The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall album. Is a jazz must-have. I have a lot of Monk and a lot of Coltrane in my collection. If I was dissapointed it would be because Monk's compositions are so very distinctive that after you've heard them several times they stick in your head and it's hard to mentally hear what's new in a different version. What a performance. The Monk part of this recording is masterful, the way he leads and pushes with his ideas is remarkable. The Coltrane part is equally terrific. Monk melodies are very angular. Coltrane adds a lushness and romance layer to the angles while still pushing the melodic envelope. You've got all these strange chords from Monk and all these notes streamed together from Coltrane and it's completely cohesive. A great combo.

edit: hmmm, and I see that Amazon is offering them both together for a better price...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009Q0EQ0/002-8416490-2543254?v=glance


IMHO, the '40s, '50s, and '60s were the jazz's greatest and most creative era (years '55 to '65 were its innovative peak) so you can't go wrong with any of these older releases. After about 1970, jazz as an art form takes a tremendous nose dive when it becomes permiated with too many hacks and not enough innovators (again IMHO).

[noddin0ff]

Oh, I don't fool myself. Its not a question of if I get them, just how soon.

My tastes tend to agree with your HO. The NYtimes article had an interesting comment on that. It cited the time spent at live venues. The Monk/Coltrane@Carnegie was recorded after FIVE MONTHS playing at the Five Spot. Five months of live performance at the same venue! And, audiences tended to go multiple times then, creating great pressure on keeping the music fresh and inventive every night. That's a lot of quality time before recording. The article contrasted today with shorter gigs, more travel, audience turnover and a need to get albums out. Kind of a market unmaking the music comment.

I read one review that preferred the Bird/Gillespie release to the famous quintet Live at Massey Hall. Both have Max Roach, Massey had Mingus (my personal fav). That's encouraging. The title track on the Coltrane runs 28 minutes. That's something.

'55 to 65 was definately a peak, but it hasn't all been downhill since then. There'll be more peaks, question is will we recognize them as such?

[daviethek]

I lived in Chicago in the 70's. You could hear good modern Jazz at places like the Jazz Medium, Kellys and Ratzos but it tapered off around the bi-centennial. There was way too much formula alternative electric music on the airwaves and college kids were listening to Weather Report instead of Miles Davis. The good stuff was resigned to Public Radio. Its OK though. Tons of great Prestige and Blue Note recordings exist from that period. And due to the internet, you can also purchase an array of totally mediocre jazz from the period too. I'm big fan of Lambert Hendrix and Ross but when I purhased some related material by the hi-lows and king pleasure I was dissapointed at the lack of quality. You have to search for quality in all periods of music, I guess.