Journey in Free Jazz, Day 1

I'm starting to listen to free jazz to see how it effects the way I think, live, and act.

I'm planning to do posts on each of the albums I'm using, consisting of a CD review, and personal notes about my applications for each.

The CDs I'm Using:

Free Jazz (A Collective Improvisation)- Ornette Coleman
Sound Grammar- Ornette Coleman
The Shape of Jazz to Come- Ornette Coleman
Sun Ship- John Coltrane
A Love Supreme- John Coltrane
Meditations- John Coltrane
History, Mystery- Bill Frisell (I suppose Concept Album would be a better phrase for this)
Black Saint and the Sinner Lady- Charles Mingus (again, more of a Concept Album)
*****'s Brew- Miles Davis
Between Nothingness and Eternity- Mahavishnu Orchestra


This is just a preliminary list. Some I won't listen to nearly as much as others, but it's all as I see fit...

If anybody has suggestions for CDs I should listen to our reasons to listen to the above listed CDs, please comment and let me know.

I look forward to sharing with you all how free jazz affects my life...

Hip Hop Jazz: Does it Assist or should it Desist?

I've been reading a debate over at jazz.com about Jazz and Hip Hop. Alan Kurtz recently wrote this article bashing everything Jared Pauley recently wrote good reviews for.

Now, some of it I agree with, and some could be made by Soulja Boy for all I can tell. Let's go on a track by track basis. (Here's an iMix of all songs mentioned: iTunes iMix
)

Hip hop (not rap) is something I have some respect for. For those of you that haven't read the blog before, I am a big fan of my own genre of Jazz-Based Sampledelic Groove Funk. Basically, this encompasses hiphop and electronica that grooves constantly, is funky, and has lots of jazz samples. So let's go ahead and look at the songs.

First they discuss "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" by US3 a song sampling Cantaloupe Island and digging into the Blue Note vaults for anything else. It had huge crossover success when it was released (1993?).

My verdict: Mr. Kurtz. The beat isn't very strong at all, the rapper's voice is icky, and the rap is terrible. There were four 5 and 4 star reviews of the song in iTunes, and I looked at the reviewers and one listened to Kate Perry, the other to disco and electronica, the third to Eminem, and lastly one who put 1 star reviews on Flo Rida and told them to go check out Cantaloop.

Yeah..... not a jazz tune.

Then he bashes Miles Davis' "The Doo-Bop Song" a collaboration with Easy Mo-Bee from the album Doo-Bop. The whole album is hiphop jams with Miles going over it.

Verdict: HIPHOP!!!! I actually really like The Doo-Bop Song and the whole album! The beat is stylish, Miles' playing is beautiful and melodic, and the rap is decent. In fact I really like "Chocolate Chip" and "Height Speed Chase" from the album too.

Not to mention Herbie Hancock's successful similar venture, "Dis is Da Drum" with him, Hubert Laws, Wallace Roney, Bennie Maupin, Wah Wah Watson, Bill Summers, and of course the hip hop producers. It was genious. Just check the title track.

In fact, Kurtz misses some important jazz/hiphop tunes.

"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by The Digable Planets which I think is the freshest, chill-est, most bound-to-have-you-make-up-words-to-describe-it jam ever. It throws props to Miles over a spacious beat and bassline with horn samples. Plus the raps are PURE genius.

And in my first ever post on this blog, I reviewed a Miles Davis compilation: Evolution of the Groove, in which NAS spits ryhmes over Freedom Jazz Dance.

And it was tight.

So, sorry Mr. Kurtz, I have to go with Hip Hop on this one. And everyone reading: check all the tracks to see what i mean. Here's an iMix of all the songs mentioned: iTunes iMix

5 Songs that got me into jazz

Let's face it, we're at a point here where a lot of people are "introduced" to jazz later in their life. I was one of them. Most of the stuff that "inducted" me was jazz-funk or fusion and whatnot, but anyways, here's a look at what got me into jazz.

And make sure you come up with your own list in the comments, I'd love to post a second round with all your thoughts.

1. Chameleon- Herbie Hancock I first heard this song in a medley of stuff that Maynard Ferguson and his band did when he dropped by my township's high school for a master class and performance. The persistent groove really stuck with me and I loved getting my non-jazz friends hooked on that bass groove.

2. Birdland- Weather Report My bassist friend told me to give Weather Report a listen, so I went straight for Heavy Weather. It was a good choice. I still listen to that whole album, they're all genious. I now own this one on vinyl.

3. Kind of Blue (album)- Miles Davis This one I heard much earlier then anything else listed here. I heard this album going into 4th grade and loved So What, Freddie the Freeloader, and All Blues.

4. Embraceable You/I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good- Louis Prima and Keely Smith I never knew anybody was ever allowed to have this much fun, especially when playing music.

5. Salt Peanuts- Dizzy Gillespie I dare you to listen and NOT say "Salt Peanuts! Salt Peanuts!" I mean, seriously...

Ok, well there's my list of 5 Songs that got me into jazz. Of course I left some out like Soul Bossa Nova, and anything Vince Guaraldi, but we'll save that for another time....

-jazzfreak11