It’s Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and, for some reason, this seems a day to sit around and do nothing except listen to music. So I have been in my music room poring through records and putting on some favorites that I don’t listen to all of the time, or haven’t listened to on vinyl in a while. I started with an old Riverside, Bags Meets Wes, Riverside 407. This was recorded in December 1961 and features a great rhythm section of Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, in addition, of course, to Milt Jackson and West Montgomery. Side one starts with a blues, “S.K.J” and then Stablemates, Stairway to the Stars and another blues, Blue Roz. I got involved listening to Philly Joe on brushes, which is always a miracle, and that led me to Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness, Prestige 7047, not Side One with Coltrane, but Side Two featuring Paul’s Pal, with some great Philly Joe brushwork, then My Reverie and The Most Beautiful Girl in the world. Read more
Tag: Philly Joe Jones
The Gift Of Hindsight
One of the pleasures of having an extensive jazz collection is that it gives you the opportunity to go back and review the history of jazz in real time, as it was happening. This is particularly the case when you look at old issues of Downbeat or Metronome, or review old liner notes, an art form that began approaching extinction with the advent of the compact disc format. In any case, allow me to share some interesting stuff from my archives.
Downbeat, January 18, 1962
Review: John Coltrane, Africa/Brass, Impulse 6
This record was a departure for Coltrane: The first time he ever played with a brass section. It is now regarded as a classic, rightfully so, particularly the title cut, which makes up the entire first side of the album. At the time, however, the Downbeat reviewer, Martin Williams, didn’t see it that way. He gave it only two stars, out of a possible five. Here’s a sample from the review:
April is Jazz Month
