Round 5, Thanksgiving 2024
I listened to a lot of jazz this holiday weekend, and I got takes and good music for ya.
Hanging Out off the Basie Jams album is incredible. I've had an great run with a special vinyl series from Pablo Records, a collection of 5-10 albums that have been in constant rotation this year. It all started with Roots, another from the series, that is a piano tag team with Count Basie and Oscar Peterson. But what shines in both of these songs and albums is the bass. Ray Brown is the jazz discovery of 2024. I've been hoarding any record I can find with him on it. The bass teaches one about rhythm, pace, and balance. It's been fun paying attention to this.
Ray Brown was a central piece of the Oscar Peterson Trio in the prime of the genre (1955-1965). This live YouTube set is the go to live set. To have a live recorded performance in the prime of that time, provides a welcomed lens to the heart and spirit of the music and era.
And to build on all of this, my favorite find on vinyl (another Pablo record), The Kansas City Three led by Count Basie on piano and Ray Brown on bass. Another trio with a steady line of incredible melodies. Easy background music, and also fun to really listen to. You have options.
The encore goes to Jon Batiste and the masterpiece he put out last week. Not exactly jazz but close enough. Dusklight Movement and American Symphony Theme are two songs that will be staples of "the season" for the rest of my life.
Tune into JADO Holiday for the best holiday playlist ever independently brewed.
The one thing I love about jazz is the extreme catalogue collections. Look at Oscar Peterson Trio on Spotify and you'll get an idea. We're talking hundreds of records for the big names of jazz in that era. So when you find someone like Oscar Peterson, it's easy to quickly swoop a dozen records for cheap. They all have their own twist of awesome. And the jazz collection is growing fast. I've now got over 100 jazz records, and I'm being forced to be creative with space, which is a great problem to have.
My favorite random $3 pickup this weekend was this Ray Bryant album. Finding a black dude smoking a cig at the piano in the 50s is always a safe bet. You'll get a good feel for the "twist of awesome" on this album.
What's next? More.
Reading my blog post from January gave me smiles. It's fun to see the maturity and evolution in such a small time window. The deeper you go down the wormhole, the world of it all gets exponentially bigger.
One year ago I was deep in experimentation. I was broad in finding what I liked. And broad jazz experiments can be risky business. Especially when surrounded by others that aren't as consumed in the process. My family didn't love the vibes, and in fairness to the them, the vibra is truly terrible.
This year the scope was narrow. I pursued a specific type of pace. Slow. Melodic. Stripped down. Less is more. Piano, drums, bass. The hope is to layer in soft brass into the collection. The pace of the lounge piano vibe with an enhanced layer. I'm going to start by riffing off this Lester Young album, which encompasses that feel. I'm confident I've got the family vibes on lock this year.
Got a hot pick? Text me - 619-629-5017
Round 4, May 2024
Jazz is in full balance. I feel no conflict.
Round 3, January 2024
I'm officially annoying everyone. My love for jazz has been met with the strong forces of "STOP" in the world around me. Honestly tragic, because my passion for it exceeds typical passion. But it just doesn't resonate with the average chap.
I think there's a few things that need to happen.
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Stop trying with everyone I know. Keep jazz for myself.
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Find new friends. People that get it.
Honestly bitter about all of this, but I also can't carry on in my same way. It's making life less enjoyable. I have to change, because it's easier to change myself than to change others.
I will privately reside on this elitist hill with my stake firmly in the ground. Jazz is the best of what music can be. The nuance of all of it, the collaboration of instruments, the solos, the lack of structure, the beauty of the unknown, the discovery, the history. It's the best, and if you disagree you're fucking wrong.
Round 2, August 2023
Song of the day: Far More Blue, Dave Brubek quartet
I've been completely obsessed with Dave Brubek. The hit rate is near 100% on his stuff.
Time Out and Time Further Out are near perfect albums.
I've leveled up on Jazz over the past 6 weeks (big thanks to Idyllwild Jazz Festival).
My ear / eye for what I want continues to be honed in.
First level: jazz is actually pretty dope
Second level: 40s and 50s jazz era is where I should focus
Current level: 40s and 50s jazz, ideally a quartet. Most important distinction is the combo of instruments. Assuming that bass and drums are always in place, you have two variable instruments. For me, piano and trumpet are the best combo. Dualing trumpet / piano is the best combo I've found.
Can't wait for the next level! It's a never ending road of discovery, learning, and joy.
Trios / solo stuff is too heavily rooted in one instrument (e.g. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, not for me). A big miss for me when it comes to the horns specifically (the exception of piano, because it's very down tempo and serene). I love the balance, melody, and chemistry of the musicians. Focusing on one trumpet is not an enjoyable time.
My first Jazz discovery was Teddy Wilson. Roughly 100 albums you can explore on Spotify. If you go to a good record store, they'll have dozens of different Teddy Wilson records.
I bought a bunch, and learned a lot.
Orchestra = bad -- too much going on
If one of the musicians played Xylophone -- don't need that in my life
If it was solo Teddy -- it was going to be low key and chill
If playing with a quartet (ideally trumpet) it would hit the spot just right.
One artist, a dozen flavors.
The beauty of jazz is that its endless. With most bands, they have a very focused / narrow catalogue.
As opposed to albums and songs, you just listen to the music. You hone in on a "category" (e.g. trumpet / piano quartet) and then it's a cool long ride of a wave. No other genre like it. It's the best.
I used to think that Jazz was the sound of the holidays.
Jazz is now taking over all the seasons. Consuming the majority of my listening hours.
I might have some random day where I just listen to metal or electronic. But those little wormholes are always short lived.
Recently, it always comes back to Jazz.
I can't wait to go back to Folk Arts and buy another batch of records. With each batch, I get better at picking. And the learning / progress I make within the music accelerates. It's truly a beautiful thing. The gems of life right here. I live for this shit.
September 2022
Tee up Go Lil Liza by Coleman Hawkins.
I have two frequencies for when I feel emotional. Fuck your face heavy metal and soothing jazz. Both weirdly have the same effect on me. This morning is certainly a jazz vibe.
Today and Now is my favorite jazz album. It pairs well with dirty martinis at Christmas and naps at dope resort pools in Sedona. Real range.
Jazz is my favorite genre for diving down the wormhole. Endless discovery. Generally I use Spotify artist bios as my compass. There will generally be dozens of artists linked in the bio -- and bios (especially for older artists) are a great way to learn. Location and era are two good cornerstones of discovery. When looking for Jazz I'm generally floating in the 40s, 50s, and 60s and I'm a big fan of swing / New Orleans style. The trombone and clarinet are beautiful instruments. Jazz is so fun.
And if you want an easy route for discovery, just type in Morning Jazz, Winter Jazz, Thursday Jazz, Cooking Jazz, Chill Jazz into Spotify and they'll have you covered. You really can't go wrong.
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I picked up Jazz in New Orleans – Julia and I spent the month of November living in New Orleans and it was a renaissance for me. Many nights eating french food and making our way to the jazz club, drinking dirty martinis. A new me. A sophisticated man. I like this new direction.