Non Mandolin Jazz

[mandopops]

Don’t forget another Jazz instrument, the human voice. The Jazz vocalists are important members of the Jazz family.
Start, of course, with Louis Armstrong. He set the standard for which all others are judged. Armstrong sang the Music with his heart & soul, infused with warmth & humor.
Bessie Smith, Jimmy Rushing were great Blues stylists. Billie Holiday did wonderful interpretations of pop songs. Nat Cole another great stylist. Grand Jazz divas, Ella & Sarah, I was fortunate to hear live & they were swinging & elegant. I did hear Carmen McRae live & she was great. I seldom hear her name mentioned.
Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson & others developed interesting vocal approaches to the idiom. I loved to hear Mose Allison. He was an eccentric singer, homespun country Blues philosopher. Clark Terry had a unique “mumbling “ scat style. Jumping back to the Art Ensemble of Chicago, they did a track with Lester Bowie’s wife, R&B singer, Fontella Bass, Theme de Yo-Yo. Outstanding.
My favorite Jazz singer, is Chicago’s own Joe Williams. (Not Delta Blues singer, Big Joe Williams). He could sing Blues, ballads, swingers, & scat. He could ad lib talk thru songs. His breakthrough was with Count Basie. You can check out his interpretations of Blues & Standards on a 2fer collection Count Basie Swings/Joe Williams sings & Sings Standards. Check it out. Another Big Band recording Joe did, was a session with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orch. It is a master work. There is a set at a Newport Jazz fest with Coleman Hawkins & Clark Terry. Good stuff. All kinds of recordings of Joe are available. One of my favorite versions of Green Dolphin Street is Joe singing it with the Adderley brothers. I saw him many times in Chicago, usually a Trio. Though hearing Joe doing a reunion with Count Basie in New York at Lincoln center was a highlight.
Of course, Frankie is a singer of note. There are two live recordings (Paris & Australia) of him with a small 6 piece group (both contain vibes). They are swinging sets. Mr. Bennett is still going strong.
Cassandra Wilson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling are on the scene & worth checking out.
If there is a tune you want to learn, try & find a good vocal version.

Joe B

P.S. talking about Lou Donaldson, he’s 92 & I think is still playing, saw him again just a couple years ago.

[catmandu2]

A couple of my favorites by Stitt are the sessions with Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins - Tune Up and Constellation. The earlier sessions with Bud, McGhee, Johnson et al are essential.

Another guitarist I don't know's been mentioned is Grant Green who played on and led countless sessions with the greats.

Also don't forget vocalist Leon Thomas. And Herbie Nichols, Evans, LaFaro, Ornette, Sunny Murray (and everyone else connected with the Aylers and Cecil Taylor...like everyone on the Conquistador/Unit Structures sessions).

Jimmy Lyons
Eddie Gale (Arkestra member)
Ken McKintyre
Henry Grimes
Alan Silva
Andrew Cyrille

And as well, virtually everyone playing with Ornette are innovators as well: David Izenzon, Charles Moffet, Milford Graves, Archie Shepp.. Of course it's mostly outre players, but in my view essential in jazz history.

A prominent leader of the New York scene over the past 20+ years, William Parker..

*Green's, Idle Moments, with Henderson and Hutcherson is now on ytube I see..

[catmandu2]

And I have to give some love to Birth of the Cool, Konitz, Tristano, George Russell.. Ellington, through Mingus, to Sun Ra could distill it all for me. Jazz supported soooo many artists/theorists, schools. The whole European scene was all about it, exploiting the new idioms. I like James B Ulmer, and Ornette, and Zorn...all these bands employed and fostered leaders and innovators since the beginning - sidemen from Dodds, Hodges, Gilmore...

[AlanN]

Sonny Clark is a fave for his trio recordings. Mention was made of Grant Green; this is great Grant Green - The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark.

And the West Coast produced some great 50's/60's-era collaborations - Shelly Manne and His Men, Shorty Rogers, etc.

[catmandu2]

Love it. Sonny is a favorite, love his work with the blue note crew as well.

A pretty good blues record with Jackie McLean, Art Farmer and the section https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3FLd1eBmTU

Hank Jones, Gospel, … I think my favorite blues is Lady Day and Mal Waldron.

[David Lewis]

I agree with the poster who preferred the solidbody jazz guitarists. And indeed, the less 'pure' they are, the more I appreciate them. Wes was great. Wes's copyists, not so much. I can say the same about Jimi, Eddie, James burton, etc.

My two favourite jazz guitarists are mike stern and Bill frisell. Both bring a different sensibility to jazz that I like, and give me lots of great ideas. Danny Gatton, on redneck jazz explosion is awesome too.

Toots thielemann on the harmonica is another great non mando jazz artist.

And for the poster who mentions vocalists, I’d add bobby mcferrin to your eminent list.

[AlanN]

Wes was great. Wes's copyists, not so much.

hmmm....Emily Remler, Pat Martino, George Benson - all 'copyists' (not sure what that even means), at one time or another...and all great, imo.

Toots thielemann on the harmonica is another great non mando jazz artist.

Toots also a fine guitarist.

Many a great guitar:

Billy Bauer
The Raneys (Father Jimmy, son Doug)
Howard Roberts
Joe Pass
Barney Kessel
Herb Ellis
The Pizzarellis - Bucky and John
Joe Puma
Chuck Wayne
John Pisano
Charlie Byrd
plus many others, including many more recent cats

[catmandu2]

I agree with the poster who preferred the solidbody jazz guitarists. And indeed, the less 'pure' they are, the more I appreciate them. Wes was great. Wes's copyists, not so much. I can say the same about Jimi, Eddie, James burton, etc.

Well, Wes influenced everyone.

I prefer modern styles too, and am more apt to be listening to Fred Frith, Ribot or Cline than Jimmy Raney, but every generation has its "greats." The moderns assimilate what preceded, and expanded. The vocabulary is extant, not extinct.

If it's "processed" guitar you like, there's a whooole bunch of stuff since Jimi and Eddie..

[David Lewis]

hmmm....Emily Remler, Pat Martino, George Benson - all 'copyists' (not sure what that even means), at one time or another...and all great, imo.

All of those are great. Maybe imitator a better word.

[Perry]

Anybody mention the great Bill Frisell yet?

Frisell is the master at embellishing the melody. His Fretboard Journal videos are great examples of his recent style. A style that can be translated to mandolin.

A lesson that may be finally sinking in for me: Internalize the melody; learn it everywhere on your fretboard then soloing becomes easier.

[catmandu2]

I like Frisell, he's very accessible - good for mndln, as you say.

I like a little more edge, re guitarists:
I like Jeff Parker (another AACM member) and Joe Morris. Lately I've been listening to Susan Alcorn, and Mary Halverson.

[catmandu2]

This is a gas. Bit more punked-out https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...6768&FORM=VIRE


https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...rc&FORM=VDRVRV

[mandopops]

Definitely count be in as a member of the Bill Frisell fan club. He can play straight ahead standards with Paul Motian. He’s done Rock tunes, a Lennon tribute & Guitars in the Space age. He’s explored American roots (Frisell style) in The Willes & Nashville (Mandolin content Adam Steffey, & dobro with Jerry Douglas). Even recording film scores to Buster Keaton silent movies (Buster is a major clown idol of mine, so Frisell gets 5 extra gold stars). He did an album of movie sound trax a couple of years ago. To me, he’s about arrangements, not just play the head, solo, back to the head.

Joe B

[John Soper]

...and if we're talking non-mandolin jazz, don't forget Django on his birthday!

[catmandu2]

Here's some more trad and some nice playing on a great set of tunes, including some Gismonti : https://youtu.be/LjoD_Wsd43U

[DSDarr]

Anybody mention the great Bill Frisell yet?

Frisell is the master at embellishing the melody. His Fretboard Journal videos are great examples of his recent style. A style that can be translated to mandolin.

Count me in as a Frisell fan too. I'm also a big fan of Julian Lage's. I've been listening to him avidly ever since I accidentally stumbled into a set of his with Chris Eldridge at Wintergrass a few years ago. That was more "folky" than "jazzy" but there was jazz too -- and I've been following him ever since then.

David

[catmandu2]

A cool guitar vid ; Burrell, Kessel, Green: https://youtu.be/_4jMQNJFPO4

[AlanN]

...and speaking of Kenny

[Rick Jones]

Thanks for that post, Alan. I've got several Kenny Burrell discs, but not this track. I've got one disc of Kenny playing solo guitar. Just sublime.

[AlanN]

Thanks for that post, Alan. I've got several Kenny Burrell discs, but not this track. I've got one disc of Kenny playing solo guitar. Just sublime.

It's on this

[mandopops]

Yes, I’ll join the Burrel fan club with Alan, Rick. One of the greatest Jazz Guitarists. He just oozes the Blues.
Back in high school in the 60’s, I was solidly digging the Rock sounds of the day, Beatles, Dylan, etc. and my Blues journey was just beginning with Butterfield & Bloom & the British Bluesers. Some how during that time, probably through a friend of my older brother, 2 records found their way into our collection, Wes & Jimmy, dynamic Duo & Burrel’s Midnight Blue. Wow! They were mind blowing & ear expanding. We knew these guys were operating on a whole different level. I still listen to those records today (still have the Vinyl).

Joe B

[AlanN]

Other KB faves:

[Will Patton]

catmandu2: A couple of my favorites by Stitt are the sessions with Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins - Tune Up and Constellation.

Yup, those were the albums (vinyl, of course) that did it for me. Quicksilver!

[ralph johansson]

Although I improvise a lot and have written jazzlike tunes I'm in no way a jazz musician. It never was my aspiration - as I don't play the piano my harmonic knowledge is too shallow. But most of the music I listen to can be labeled jazz.

To me the most expressive instruments are the tenor saxophone and violin.

On the latter instrument my favorites from an older generation include Svend Asmussen and Stéphane Grappelli. It was their joint record "Two of a Mind" that put me on the jazz track 50 years ago. More recent favorites of mine include Jason Anick and Benjamin Schmid (who is also a classical virtuoso).

Possibly the most inventive tenor player today is Joshua Redman. From the same generation I would list Jeff Coffin, esp. his wonderful albums for Compass, Commonality and Go-Round. Another interesting name is Marius Neset esp.for his trio album with Morten Lund and Lars Danielsson a couple of years ago, recorded in just a few hours. Older favorites include Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Scott Hamilton.

On the guitar, my main instrument, I particularly dig Frank Vignola, Julian Lage and Martin Taylor for their acoustic work. Gypsy swing of course showcases the acoustic guitar, and I dig those who have broadened the idiom, e.g., John Jorgenson and Olli Soikkeli.
Electric: Barney Kessel for his biting attack and harmonic sense; Bucky Pizzarelli for his duo projects with Zoot Sims and Scott Hamilton.

I'm not crazy about piano in standard trio settings - I own exactly one album in that genre, Innertrio/8 Bitar, with Jan Johansson (1931-1968). Check out Rebus on YouTube, a wonder of economy and form. I often feel that trio pianists neglect or dwarf the left hand but that objection certainly does not apply here ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgIjhzG96ko


I like some piano players for their solo or duo work, e.g., Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Kenny Barron (with Stan Getz), Art Lande (with Jan Garbarek or Peter Sommer). Nat Cole contributed beautifully in non-standard trio settings with Lester Young (and Red Callender, bass, or Buddy Rich, drums).

On alto sax I dig some of the older cats like Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter. Parker. Lou Donaldson. I like Ornette Coleman's early work but he got stuck on his pet licks and endless sequencing about 1966.

Trumpet: Clifford Brown, of course. Miles Davis, but he was so much more, leader, composer, conceiver, etc. His treatment of standards in the early 60's borders on the surreal.

I'm not crazy about vibraphone, organ, Fender-Rhodes, "live electronics" and voice.