Some great, some ok tonight. Mostly Oliver Nelson

Listening to "Straight Ahead" with Oliver Nelson and Eric Dolphy.  They do not have the bluesy chemistry that I enjoyed yesterday.  Funny listening to both play Alto.  The 1961 recording is ok but does not have the fire or feel of the two Blues albums, I rate at a B,  Nelson had that not that much prior made. This OJC album is readily available. This is still good music, just not an A or higher like the albums mentioned yesterday.

I received several albums in the mail today.  I listened to two.  The Sound track to the movie "Around the World in 80 days"  A newly remastered and appears to already be out of print cd.  My father taught me to love the movie.  Try World Records in San Francisco.

Larry Bunker is one often on bass in my many West Coast Jazz lps.  So a Japanese label printed a performance in LA in the late 70's with Gary Burton.  Album is only available in Japan of course.  Anyway Larry and Gary Burton are good but on first listen, were not worth the 25 dollars or so I paid for the CD.  That being said, of the Absord Music Japan albums I have purchased, most have met the challenge. The recording is good.  For me the album squeaks in with a B-.

Oliver Nelson"s "Fantabulous" that at the least is a B+ but for me it is A.  The room bops from moment the album comes on.  Horns dancing wonderful tunes from beginning to end. Great album to get you up. I have had this for sometime, unfortunately, I have not listened to it fully prior to tonight.  See any more good Oliver Nelson albums, let me know please?

Joe Newman played Trumpet with Count Basie.  His album on Verve and Mercury, "Live at Count Basies" is great.  Oliver Nelson plays Tenor Sax and the rythem section does not let you down.  Frankly, I saw this in the store and just bought it.  It is one of those limited edition Verve CD's , in theory I was to buy in 2006 or it would never be printed again.  Wonderful album. A is deserved.

Newborn Junior Continued and Screamin the Blues is great by Oliver Nelson

The first album I purchased by Newborn Jr is "Harlem Blues".  This is an XRCD, which is a digitally state of the art CD. They retail with tax at around $40 Canadian.  The album is with Ray Brown and Elvin Jones, an awesome rhythm section.  Brown, of course, one time husband of Ella Fitzgerald, and better known as the bass player of Oscar Peterson Trio, the Bass player of the Poll Winners, with Barney Kessel and Shelly Manne, the Bass player with so many of the tremendous artists of the day and Elvin Jones, drummer for John Coltrane and brother of Hank Jones.  They play soft balads wonderfully on this album.

I listened prior to this album today, "Screamin the Blues" by Oliver Nelson.  Great bluesy album with tremendous horn playing from Oliver and Eric Dolphy and Richard Williams. Really fantastic album.  Very boring album cover so do not be fooled. Buy it. I rate Screamin the Blues, a A lp. I have to leave room for "Blues and the Abstract Truth" which is not just Oliver's Best Album, but one of what I think are the best Bebop albums.  I have not listened today but that album is whatever the highest rating would be. I rank it with Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue" and Wynton Kelly "Kelly Blue" as having the best written examples of bebop ever written.  Now that you ask , Kind of Blue has several great songs, but "So What" is the standard on that album. It should be noted that in the sixties, JJ Johnstone and a Big Band did a great version of "So What" arranged differently.  Anyway, the Screamin the Blues is a great album!

A place to write about music

Hello



I am an audiophile and collect jazz cd's primarily from the early 1950's to the late 1960,s but do listen and buy some there after until now. Thought I would write to stimulate my mind as I listen to so many wonderful albums.



Today, I listened to two CD's by Phineas Newborn Jr. , "A World of Piano" and then "We Three" with Roy Haynes and Paul Chambers.



We Three really bops. It is not surprising this album keeps showing up at various stores as music is happy. I have another Newborn album and maybe I will listen later. I just put on an Oliver Nelson album, Live in LA where they do an amazing performance of Milestones. Oliver Nelson is truely one of the all time best arrangers of jazz and big band music. This must have been an amazing concert with the great artists in his band in the late sixties when everyone was exploring rock or muszac.

Today, I am listening to music that the performer starts with N. I know todays writing is poor but it is my start.

CM