ʀʜᴏᴅᴇs' ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs

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music

[jazzandothersounds-blog]

Nina Simone famously rejected the label of "jazz singer." She viewed her work as "Black classical music," drawing heavily on her classical piano training and integrating Bach-style counterpoint into her arrangements.

(English / Español / Italiano)

Nina Simone se negó rotundamente a que se la etiquetara como «cantante de jazz». Consideraba su obra como «música clásica negra», inspirándose en gran medida en su formación clásica en piano e integrando el contrapunto al estilo de Bach en sus arreglos.

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È risaputo che Nina Simone rifiutava l'etichetta di "cantante jazz". Considerava la sua opera come "musica classica nera", attingendo ampiamente alla sua formazione classica al pianoforte e integrando il contrappunto in stile Bach nei suoi arrangiamenti.

Source: Verve Records 

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As practical of a label 'jazz' is, Simone, Davis, Ellington, and all the other great musicians that disliked the term had more than enough reasons to dislike it. I can't offer any insight into the matter myself but I feel like this needed to be on the blog at some point.

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ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs #5

"Lulu's Back In Town" ʙʏ Thelonious Monk

ʙᴏᴘ

Sorry, tumbloni wont let me upload the raw audio file this time...

Day 5: "Lulu's Back In Town" by Thelonious Monk, the opening track on It's Monk's Time

Ok... I missed a couple days so I want to write a little bit more for today and that's going to be a cakewalk because we're finally covering the GOAT. Thelonious Monk was on this planet for 64 years and for some 50 of them, by recording the same tunes over and over, he spread more joy with his music than anybody would ever know what to do with.

Monk was a virtuoso genius who truly understood music and truly understood his fellow musicians and the electricity in this 1964 Columbia release is a great example of that. Out of all of the saxophonists Monk worked with most people feel that Charlie Rouse best grasped Monk's ideas, myself included. After a stride piano introduction that could be it's own track and a gorgeous transition the band is off to the races. Just so in the pocket it's so good. Monk's piano is really the perfect accompaniment for Rouse- who has an exquisitely warm tone and at the same time was a master of rhythm on his instrument. He'll be a severely underrated tenor in the jazz canon no matter how many accolades he gets. Butch Warren on bass and Ben Riley on kit also give a masterclass on swing, and it's impossible to ignore how scrumptious their rhythm work is with how much space Monk and Rouse incorporate into their playing.

After three minutes of crazy swing Riley takes an absolutely bonkers solo. Just absolutely nuts. His ideas are so succinct, perfectly executed, and his kit is excellently recorded. After that Monk recapitulates the beginning with more rubato this time to bring the track to a close with a 2-minute ritardando. Absolute cinema. One trillion rhoditos out of 10

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No song posts yesterday or today... famine... pestilence... I guess it's a good time to share my youtube! I post music I make there. Instrumental fusion inspired electronic-y things. It's not super good music but, if you're curious, here's a playlist with all my songs that you can look at and shuffle and whatnot- it's around 20 hours of music long at the moment! I'll resume song recommendations tomorrow!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPXtXx69NA5U1B_jdLdX7ZtRqxm0d-peN&si=elaCxfHajxFbfBbM

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ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs #4 "Kingdom of Thunder" ʙʏ Sun Ra ᴀᴠᴀɴᴛ-ɢᴀʀᴅᴇ ᴊᴀᴢᴢ

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Day 4: "Kingdom of Thunder" by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, the fifth track on Fate in a Pleasant Mood. Sun Ra. Pioneer of Afrofuturism and of the most prolific bandleaders of the 20th century. Fate in a Pleasant Mood, Recorded in mid-to-late 1960 in Chicago, Illinois, captures Sun Ra's Arkestra utilizing more dissonance and percussion in their sound, and "Kingdom of Thunder" is perhaps the most percussion-led track on the record (if not "Space Mates" earlier on). Ra's piano playing is entirely absent on this charming little tune, which opts for call-and-response between winds and drums to develop the initial theme, and while it might not be the most mind-blowing track in Sun Ra's catalogue (and certainly not the last of Sun Ra you'll be seeing here), it's a delightful listen. It gets 7 rhoditos out of 10

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ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs #3 "Marciac Moon" ʙʏ Wynton Marsalis ᴘᴏsᴛ-ʙᴏᴘ

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Day 3: "Marciac Moon" by Wynton Marsalis and his septet, the eighth track on The Marciac Suite

Wynton is a great genius of our time and The Marciac Suite, recorded in February of 1999 and written in dedication to the small town of Marciac, France, contains some of his most joyful and self-indulgent compositions. It's a warm, sunny listen and the 9 minute waltz "Marciac Moon," the second longest track on the record and I would say the most photogenic, is a must-listen. Everybody here plays beautifully, easy 10 out of 10 rhoditos

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ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs #2 "Keep That Same Old Feeling" ʙʏ The Crusaders ꜰᴜsɪᴏɴ

Sorry, tumbler wont let me upload the raw audio file this time...

Day 2: "Keep That Same Old Feeling" by The Crusaders, the second track on Those Southern Knights

The Crusaders are one of my favorite jazz/R&B groups of all time and Those Southern Knights, recorded in the late summer and autumn months of 1975, is one of my favorite records from the band's crossover period. It was trombonist and co-founder Wayne Henderson's final album with the band after 15 years of playing with them. Joe Sample has a gorgeous touch and warm tone on the Fender Rhodes and takes a simply beautiful solo halfway through this track following Henderson's similarly tasty solo in the first leg. A wonderful performance from start to finish and it gets 10 rhoditos out of 10

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ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴛᴇs #1 "Lines" ʙʏ Sam Rivers ᴘᴏsᴛ-ʙᴏᴘ

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This is a new blog and I want to start something, so I'll post one song I really like every day or two (try to). It's mostly going to be jazz and other Black American music. I don't have a grand mission beyond sharing music that's stuck with me and maybe getting someone else to listen. I'm a musician and I listen to a lot of music, so this is a good excuse to put into words why I love the music that I do

Day 1: "Lines" by Sam Rivers, the closing track on Contrasts.

Contrasts, recorded in December of 1979, is an avant-garde jazz album by a fantastic saxophonist, and "Lines" is an uptempo post-bop tune with a catchy, angular head that sticks out on the tracklist with its trio instrumentation (Sam Rivers tenor, Dave Holland bass, Thurman Barker drums). The sparse instrumentation complements the fast tempo, and Rivers' playing is intensely lyrical and in the pocket with Holland and Barker who are firing on all cylinders. You're also treated to a Holland bass solo in the third quarter of the track which reminds you why he's one of the greatest to ever do it. A very delicious recording by three fantastic musicians, 9 rhoditos out of 10

I might not write as much as I did here for future posts... but I'll try!