What jazz music are you listening to?

[Antonmb]

David Larsen - The Mulligan Chronicles
via Qobuz

David Larsen is a Mulligan devotee, and this recording is all Mulligan compositions or tunes he recorded. Larsen is no Gerry Mulligan, but it’s a pleasant enough listen. IMG_0767.jpg

[bart]

Hendrik Lasure
Manolo Cabras
Mathieu Calleja - Orange Moon




Intelligent interplay on this piano trio jazz album.

[bart]

Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple
Qobuz 24/192




One of the lesser known gems of Shorter. And it is a gem!

Recorded Feb. 3 & 24, '66.

Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Reggie Workman – bass
Joe Chambers – drums

Writing in Jazz Journal, Mark Gardner urged readers, "For goodness sake don’t miss this one." Gardner called the record "a tour de force for Shorter the soloist as distinct from Shorter the composer."[3]

A retrospective AllMusic review by Stacia Proefrock states, "it really does rank with the best of his output from this incredibly fertile period. Taken in isolation, this is one of the great works of mid-'60s jazz, but when Shorter has already achieved a unique performance style, compositional excellence, and a perfectly balanced relationship with his sidemen, it is hard to be impressed by the fact that he manages to continue to do these things album after album."

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Wayne Shorter - 'Juju'
Qobuz 24/96




Recorded August 3, '64.
The 60s were a great period for Shorter, but the last 15 years were outstanding also. He's had a career of almost 70 years! Seems to be suffering from less good health now.

Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
McCoy Tyner – piano
Reggie Workman – bass
Elvin Jones – drums

A bit more of that fantastic era of Shorter (and jazz in general of course).

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Wayne Shorter - Schizophrenia




Besides having his place as player and composer in Miles Davis' second great quintet, Shorter recorded some very fine albums with his own band in the 60s.
This is one of them.

Streaming it this time, via Qobuz (24/192).

[bart]

Miles Davis - E.S.P.
via Qobuz




I own the SACD, but am now streaming the album.
It is one of the desert island albums from the second great quintet of Miles.
I have to play them a couple of times a year.
It's a pure necessity.

ESP marks the beginning of a revitalization for Miles Davis, as his second classic quintet -- saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams -- gels, establishing what would become their signature adventurous hard bop. Miles had been moving toward this direction in the two years preceding the release of ESP and he had recorded with everyone outside of Shorter prior to this record, but his addition galvanizes the group, pushing them toward music that was recognizably bop but as adventurous as jazz's avant-garde. Outwardly, this music doesn't take as many risks as Coltrane or Ornette Coleman's recordings of the mid-'60s, but by borrowing some of the same theories -- a de-emphasis of composition in favor of sheer improvisation, elastic definitions of tonality -- they created a unique sound that came to define the very sound of modern jazz. Certainly, many musicians have returned to this group for inspiration, but their recordings remain fresh, because they exist at this fine dividing line between standard bop and avant. On ESP, they tilt a bit toward conventional hard bop (something that's apparent toward the end of the record), largely because this is their first effort, but the fact is, this difference between this album and hard bop from the early '60s is remarkable. This is exploratory music, whether it's rushing by in a flurry of notes or elegantly reclining in Hancock's calm yet complex chords. The compositions are brilliantly structured as well, encouraging such free-form exploration with their elliptical yet memorable themes. This quintet may have cut more adventurous records, but ESP remains one of their very best albums.

© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

[bart]

Miles Davis Quintet - Miles Smiles
Qobuz 24/88.2




I needed a bit more of this mesmerising quintet...

With their second album, Miles Smiles, the second Miles Davis Quintet really began to hit their stride, delving deeper into the more adventurous, exploratory side of their signature sound. This is clear as soon as "Orbits" comes crashing out the gate, but it's not just the fast, manic material that has an edge -- slower, quieter numbers are mercurial, not just in how they shift melodies and chords, but how the voicing and phrasing never settles into a comfortable groove. This is music that demands attention, never taking predictable paths or easy choices. Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible -- it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release. And, like its predecessor, ESP, this freshness informs the writing as well, as the originals are memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century. Arguably, this quintet was never better than they are here, when all their strengths are in full bloom.

© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

[bart]

Dalgoo - Liberté Égalité Fraternité
via Qobuz




Although at times it made me think of Ornette Coleman, I didn't really like this album.

[bart]

Michael Moore & Paul Berner - Amulet
DXD (352kHz) - 32bit




First listen.
As always excellent sound.
I'll judge the music after a second listen.

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by bart

I need to play this every couple of months.
With the Mola Mola Tambaqui, I'm hearing details that I hadn't heard earlier.

So much to catch up!

I'll start by saying... Bart, congratulations on the acquisition of the Tambaqui