I wrote once about Sonny Rollins Brass/Trio and a pedant of my acquaintance got all up my nose because it wasn't the greatest Sonny Rollins, in his opinion. This made me cross. I like something Wynton Marsalis said in a random interview on Australian TV. He was asked who the greatest jazz musicians were, and he said, "There are so many great people who on any given solo can manifest something you never thought of, and it's not reduced to just the people who are famous. It's like life." I think a canon in any field is useful for pointing you to some good work but it doesn't tell you useful things about the rest of the field.
Excellent article! Actually, "The Black Cat" was re-released with Ammons/Stitt "You Talk That Talk" - both in their entirety along with 2 additional tracks on "Legends of Acid Jazz", which is available. I'm getting my copy now.
Thanks for this thoughtful essay! By the way, I, too, always check the Braxton and Cecil bins first, but they're always empty...you must have gotten there before me ;)
This is a fine piece. Back in the day, when The Black Cat was released, we used to call albums like this “B-albums.” Like B-movies, well crafted music with its own integrity and frequently as—or more—worth spending time with than higher profile counterparts. These albums exist in all genres and they’re what make record collecting fun. And incidentally, George Freeman’s Birth Sign, from 1969, on Delmark would be another prime example. Thanks!
My own recent version of this journey has been picking up dirt-cheap CDs from the late ‘80s-early ‘00s mainstream. That’s basically when I was first getting heavily into jazz, and at that time I disdained modern mainstream stuff in favor of the (older) classics and/or the (newer) avant-garde. With CDs from that era so cheap now, I’ve been finally checking out people like Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, etc., etc. And, of course, much of it is excellent.
Re: Soul Station- often referenced as Mobley’s best LP but rarely placed in the rarefied “classics” cannon. And yet, I find myself giving that album more spins than the many of the classics that I own. (I also think No Room for Squares has some masterful playing.)
I wrote once about Sonny Rollins Brass/Trio and a pedant of my acquaintance got all up my nose because it wasn't the greatest Sonny Rollins, in his opinion. This made me cross. I like something Wynton Marsalis said in a random interview on Australian TV. He was asked who the greatest jazz musicians were, and he said, "There are so many great people who on any given solo can manifest something you never thought of, and it's not reduced to just the people who are famous. It's like life." I think a canon in any field is useful for pointing you to some good work but it doesn't tell you useful things about the rest of the field.
very well put, Paul!
Beautiful Hank!!!
Excellent article! Actually, "The Black Cat" was re-released with Ammons/Stitt "You Talk That Talk" - both in their entirety along with 2 additional tracks on "Legends of Acid Jazz", which is available. I'm getting my copy now.
ah, good to know - thanks for the heads-up, Tom!
Thanks for this thoughtful essay! By the way, I, too, always check the Braxton and Cecil bins first, but they're always empty...you must have gotten there before me ;)
This is a fine piece. Back in the day, when The Black Cat was released, we used to call albums like this “B-albums.” Like B-movies, well crafted music with its own integrity and frequently as—or more—worth spending time with than higher profile counterparts. These albums exist in all genres and they’re what make record collecting fun. And incidentally, George Freeman’s Birth Sign, from 1969, on Delmark would be another prime example. Thanks!
My own recent version of this journey has been picking up dirt-cheap CDs from the late ‘80s-early ‘00s mainstream. That’s basically when I was first getting heavily into jazz, and at that time I disdained modern mainstream stuff in favor of the (older) classics and/or the (newer) avant-garde. With CDs from that era so cheap now, I’ve been finally checking out people like Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, etc., etc. And, of course, much of it is excellent.
Re: Soul Station- often referenced as Mobley’s best LP but rarely placed in the rarefied “classics” cannon. And yet, I find myself giving that album more spins than the many of the classics that I own. (I also think No Room for Squares has some masterful playing.)