Jammin' the Blues (Djon Mili, 1944)

Like Forough Farrokhzad and Jean Genet, the Albanian-born Djon Mili belongs to that small group of artists who, when counted officially (theatrical release of a completed film), might have directed only one short film. Yet that short, entitled Jammin' the Blues (1944), remains a touchstone of jazz on film.

Jammin' the Blues (1944)

© Ehsan Khoshbakht (text/story), Naiel Ibarrola (art)

JAMMIN’ THE BLUES
USA, 1944 Regia: Gjon Mili
F.: Robert Burks. M.: Everett Dodd. Scgf.: Roland Hill. Int.: Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel, Jo Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet. Prod.: Warner Bros.

Like Forough Farrokhzad and Jean Genet, the Albanian born Djon Mili belongs to a small group of artists, each of whom has directed a single film which has had a lasting impact on cinema history. Better known as a Life photographer, Mili freed jazz film from many restricting elements, elevating the music from a side attraction to having its own captivating aesthetic. Recreating the atmosphere of an after-hours jam session, the musicians were handpicked by jazz impresario Norman Granz and the shooting (with Robert Burks in his first DoP job) wrapped after four sessions. The film was released in December 1944, billed alongside Passage to Marseille, and was nominated for an Oscar. Drawing on Mili’s photographic studies of bodies in motion, each composition radiates energy. When each performer takes his or her solo, the camera treats it as the centre of a spatial arrangement before cutting away in all directions, breaking that space into smaller parts, each lending a unique feeling to the music. (Ehsan Khoshbakht)

Jonathan Rosenbaum Takes the "A" Train

Jonathan Rosenbaum [image courtesy of San Sebastián Film Festival]

As a part of Jonathan Rosenbaum's 70th birthday posts on my jazz and film blogs, I asked him to compile a playlist of his favorite jazz tunes and he kindly provided me with the music that has inspired him, moved him and has stayed with him through the years. (the slideshow includes the cover of the albums used in the playlist) He shares details of his jazz life with us in the interview published on Keyframe. And if you want to catch up with some of his writings on jazz and film, or jazz in general, please visit this index that I posted yesterday.

The discographical information is given below the player. If this particular player isn't compatible with your system, there a simpler one, if you just scroll down the page, where, alternatively, you can download it and listen to it offline.

Even on his birthday, it is Jonathan who gives us presents.

Radio Hawkins#23: Americans in Paris II

 راديو هاوكينز: جاز براي ايران

اپيزود 23

آمريكايي ها در پاريس

بخش دوم

اين جا بشنويد

دانلود

فهرست قطعات

All recorded in Paris, France, unless noted.

Sidney Bechet and His Orchestra
On the Sunny Side of the Street
Gérard Bayol (tp), Benny Vasseur (tb), Sidney Bechet (ss), Eddie Bernard (p), Jean-Pierre Sasson (g), Guy De Fatto (b), André Jourdan (dm)
16 May 1949

Oscar Peterson-Stephane Grappelli Quartet
Autumn Leaves
Stephane Grappelli (vln) Oscar Peterson (p) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
22 or 23 February 1973

Bud Powell
Idaho
Johnny Griffin (ts), Bud Powell (p)
14 February 1960

Stan Getz Quartet
Manha de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnival)
Stan Getz (ts), Gary Burton (vib), Steve Swallow (b), Roy Haynes (d)
13 November 1966

Marlene Dietrich & Freddy Johnson

Wo Ist der Mann?
Arthur Briggs (t), Peter Duconge (cl), Freddy Johnson (p), Huan Fernandez (b), Billy Taylor (d), Peter Kreuder (arr, ldr), Marlene Dietrich (voc)
8 July 1933

Blossom Dearie
April in Paris
Blossom Dearie (p), Herman Garst (b), Bernard Planchenault (d)
1955

Dizzy Gillespie Quartet And The Double Six Of Paris
Con Alma
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Bud Powell (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d), Claudine Barge, Jean-Claude Briodin, Christiane Legrand, Eddy Louiss, Mimi Perrin, Robert Smart, Ward Swingle (vo)
8 July 1963

Lucky Thompson
Lucky Strikes
Lucky Thompson (ts), Jean-Pierre Sasson (g), Paul Rovére (b), Gérard 'Dave' Pochonet (d)
27 March 1956

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Paris Stairs
Ray Nance, c; Bill Berry, Roy Burrowes, Eddie Mullens, t; Lawrence Brown, Leon Cox, tb; Chuck Connors, btb; Jimmy Hamilton, cl, ts; Johnny Hodges, as; Russell Procope, as, cl; Paul Gonsalves, ts; Harry Carney, bs; Duke Ellington, p; Aaron Bell, b; Sonny Greer, d.
New York City, 29 March 1962

Lester Young
Back Home Again in Idiana
Lester Young (ts), Rene Urtreger (p), Jimmy Gourley (g), Jamil Nasser (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
4 March 1959

Joe Albany
Lush Life
Joe Albany (p, cov)
1977

Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver Orchestra
La Vie en Rose
Cy Oliver (arr), Louis Armstrong (t, voc), Melvin Solomon (t), Bernie Parivin (t), Paul Webster (t), Morton Bullman (tb), Hymie Schertzer (as), Milt Yaner (as), Art Drelinger (ts), Bill Holcomb (ts), Earl Hines (p), Everett Barksdale (g), George Duvivier (b), Johnny Blowers (d)
New York City, 26 June 1950

Charles Mingus
Sophisticated Lady
Jaki Byard (p), Charles Mingus (b)
18 April 1964

Bill Coleman
Afromotive in Blue
Bill Coleman (tp), Quentin Jackson (tr), Budd Johnson (tsax), Les Spann (g), Patti Bown (p), Buddy Catlett (b), Joe Harris (d)21 or 22 January 1960

Al Haig
Round About Midnight
Al Haig (p), Pierre Michelot (b)
23 September 1977

Radio Hawkins#21

RADIO HAWKINS: JAZZ FOR IRAN#21

   

 Download mp3 

DOWNLOAD

Shelly Manne
Take the "A" Train
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Hank Jones (p), George Duvivier (b), Shelly Manne (d)
N.Y.C., Februray 1962

Stuff Smith Trio

Hillcrest
Dudley Brooks (p), Stuff Smith (violin), Jess Simpkins (b)
Los Angeles, CA, October 25, 1956

Tubby Hayes Quartet
Tin Tin Deo
Tubby Hayes (tenor sax), Terry Shannon (piano), Jeff Clyne (bass), Phil Seamen (drums)
London?, December, 1959

Jimmy Yancey
How Long Blues

Jimmy Yancey (solo piano)
July 18, 1951

René Thomas Modern Group
A night in Tunisia
Rene Thomas (guitar), Bib Monville (tenor sax), Roland Ronchaud (piano), Benoit Quersin (bass), Jose Bourguignon (drums)
Paris, 1956/3/22

Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Clark Terry (t), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Gildo Mahones (p), George Tucker (b), Jimmie Smith (d), Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, Yolande Bavan (vocals).

July 5, 1963

Thad Jones Quintet

Billie-Doo
Thad Jones (t), Billy Mitchell (ts), Barry Harris (p), Oercy Heath (b), Max Roach (d)
New Jersey, July 14, 1956

Thad Jones

Something to Remember You By
Thad Jones (t), Kenny Burrell (g)
New Jersey, July 9, 1956

Miles Davis Quintet
Little Melonae
Miles Davis (tp) John Coltrane (ts) Red Garland (p) Paul Chambers (b) Philly Joe Jones (d)
NYC, October 26, 1955

Lester Young-Teddy Wilson Quartet
Louise
Lester Young (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jo Jones (d)

NYC, January 13, 1956

Wynton Kelly Trio & Kenny Burrell
Kelly Roll
Wynton Kelly (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Paul Chambers (b), Jimmy Cobb (d)
NYC?, March, 1964

Radio Hawkins#13: On the Road with Kerouac

 برنامۀ سيزدهم

جك كرواك و موسيقي جاز

مجموعه قطعاتي از موزيسين هاي محبوب جك، كاري كه به اسم خود او نوشته و اجرا شده. اشعار او با صداي خودش و با صداي آلن گينزبورگ و مروري بر موسيقي بي باپ كه جك شاهد عيني تولد و اوج گرفتن آن بود

همراه با

لستر يانگ، برو مور، كانت بيسي، جرج شيرينگ، ساني استيت، فليپ فليپس، چارلي پاركر، ديزي گيلسپي، تلانيوس مانك

به برنامه سيزدهم در اين جا گوش كنيد

DOWNLOAD

دانلود با كيفيت بالا

با كيفيت متوسط و متناسب با سرعت اينترنت ايران در اين جا

 صفحۀ فيس بوك برنامۀ ما

Musicians on Musicians#3: Jennifer Anderson and 5 tenor

Jennifer Anderson is a saxophone player from Glenview, Illinois, and currently based in L.A. In addition to being a musician and painter, Mrs Anderson is a grade school music teacher. She is still doing her "big band thing," as well as working in the recording studios. I interviewed her via email, and here she talks about her influences and tenor saxophonists who have inspired her through the years. Like other interviewees, it was impossible for her to just stick to five names, and at one point she quoted from a friend, Chuck Johnson, to point how different players feel close to different sounds and musical personalities. "The attraction to Dexter Gordon for me is immediate because of his sound…big, robust, clear and warm," Jennifer quoted Chuck Johnson, "he has the ability to place every note he plays clearly and distinctly no matter the tempo of the tune.  But delve beyond his sound and you find a musician with a fertile aptitude to create improvisations that build logically, melodically and with intensity, chorus after chorus after chorus. And he masterfully and cleverly injects song quotes within any song he is performing. Dexter was also able to synthesize the cool, lyricism and storytelling of Lester Young with the harmonic advancement and fluidity of Charlie Parker and create his own personality." Well, not only we learn from people we love, but also we learn from the way people love other people. That's the main point of these interviews.

◘  ◘  ◘

Sonny Rollins: One of my first jazz music lessons actually came from a Sonny Rollins record. My first saxophone was a tenor. I didn't know much about the saxophone or sax players at the time, so I went to the local record store and picked up some records with pictures of guys with a saxophones one the front. One of them way Sonny Rollins' Way Out West with drummer Shelly Manne and bass player Ray Brown. I loved the cover--he looked so bad-ass slinging the sax and wearing a ten gallon hat out in the desert. When I heard I'm an Old Cowhand I realized the song was him! Never mind that it was a hokey old song. The music sounded as serious as it was fun--and swung like crazy! You could transcribe Sonny's solo and study it in a college classroom, but I really heard his personality coming through. That really got my imagination because Sonny made me see potential and possibility. Throughout his career, he has really dug into that potential and possibility and amazed us all with his interesting use of harmony, fluidity, spontaneity, and wit. There probably are people out there jamming on his tunes right now as well as studying him in college classrooms!

Ben Webster: Like Duke Ellington said said "I've always had a yen for Ben". The distinctive sound of Ben Webster is one that you can recognize is a few notes. Whether he is playing sweet or growly sexy, you could never confuse his sound with anyone else. That sound always seems to go right to my gut somehow. He was a big sensation in the Duke Ellington band in the 40's. Many musicians have paid tribute to him by playing his Cottontail solo, which was a big hit for the Ellington band. My recomendation would be Poutin'!

Coleman Hawkins: I know that historically Coleman Hawkins is a very important innovator. He took an instrument that was more of a novelty and band instrument before the 30's and really wowed the world with his playing. This drew lots of attention to the sax and made it a much more popular as a "legitimate" instrument. But even so, I feel like he would be awesome during any time period, and he was! His career was amazing even through the bop era. His beautiful, strong, colorful, lyrical sound is one I could never tire of. I love how his lines are seamless and ornamental at the same time. What a brain he must have had. Maybe that's why his nickname was Bean.

Lester Young: Lester Young was one of the first people to inspire me to play the saxophone. What I heard made so much sense to me. He seemed to speak in complete musical sentences. I loved his light sound. The problem was that he influenced me so much that I was always playing too laid back, and not in a good way! I finally realized it and stopped trying to be Lester Young. There definitely was only one of him. He is also famous for playing and and recording with his friend Billy Holiday.

Stan Getz: He is probably most known for his work with Antonio Carlos Jobim, which created the Bossa Nova craze in the 60's. But during his career he played it all--big band, cool jazz, bop and more. I heard that he was inspired by Lester Young. He has always been a huge inspiration to me because of the pure magic he created with his sound. When I first heard The Girl From Ipenema I was absolutely spellbound. His magical sound hooked me. I am currently enjoying his recordings that he made with guitarist Johnny Smith.

Classics 1325: Lester Young 1951-52

Classics 1325
Lester Young
1951-1952
Release Date: 2004
Rating: B

Other notable musicians in this CD: John Lewis, Jo Jones, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessel.

label(s): Verve , Norgran
Number of sessions: 3
Unissued materials: None
Track Highlights: I Can't Get Started, These Foolish Things, Slow Motion Blues, A Foggy Day.
Other Ratings: Allmusic 3 (from 5)

Other issue or reissues:
Lester Young & the Piano Giants (Verve, 835316-2)
Masters of Jazz: Lester Young (Storyville, 4107)
The President Plays (Verve, 521451-2)
Verve Jazz Masters 30 (Verve, 521859-2)

About the period: Lester at the top. Blowing like no other cat in the whole history of jazz.

The Album: It's a great set, but unfortunately loaded with familiar materials that have been available so far, in countless reissues, especially the recording date with Oscar Peterson Trio. Some people talks of better sound quality in Classics edition, than Verve's own luxury release, but even that, don't make this CD an essential entry in Classic series. The first 9 tracks, from a John Lewis session, are more scarce items in Lester's catalog.
Thom Jurek in his short review of the album indicates the contrast of Lewis and Peterson's piano styles: "while Lewis is clearly a more delicate classicist, his approach swings a bit harder because he's not as interested in pursuing the role of being soloist with Young as much as he is in leading the ensemble." -- Ehsan Khoshbakht


Details:

Lester Young Quartet
Lester Young (ts), John Lewis (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jo Jones (d)

• New York, January 16, 1951

486-3 Frenesi
487-2 Pete's cafe
488-1 Little Pee blues

Lester Young Quartet
Lester Young (ts), John Lewis (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jo Jones (d)

• New York, March 8, 1951

529-3 A foggy day
530-1 In a little Spanish town [T'was on a night like this]
531-1 Let's fall in love
532-2 Down `n' Adam
533-1 Lester swings
534-1 Slow motion blues

Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio
Lester Young (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), J.C. Heard (d)

• New York, November 28, 1952

883-2 Ad lib blues
884-1 Just you, just me
885-1 Tea for two
886-1 Indiana
887-1 These foolish things (remind me of you)
888-2 I can't get started (with you)
889-1 Star dust
890-1 (It) Takes two to tango [Lester sings in this track!]
891-2 On the sunny side of the street
892-3 Almost like being in love

Total Time: 80 mins. (approximately)

(Available via Amazon as audio CD and MP3)

Count Basie at Newport 1957

یکی از بهترین آلبوم هایی که در زندگی ام شنیده ام این کار درجه یک کنت بیسی در فستیوال جاز نیوپورت (نیویورک) 1957 است، کنسرتی که رفقای قدیم بیسی - لستر یانگ، ایلی نوی جکت، جو جونز و روی الدریج - با آدم های همیشگی‌اش مثل جیمی راشینگ، جو ویلیامز، سانی پین و فردی گرین و دیگران را دور هم جمع می کند تا برای یک ساعت برق از سر شنونده فستیوال، و امروز شنونده آلبوم ضبط شده، بپراند. جان هاموند اعضای گروه را معرفی می کند و بین اجراها با شعف از بیسی و مردانش حرف می زند. "سویینگ در نیوپورت" که مخصوص این واقعه نوشته شده آغازگر آلبوم و یکی از بهترین قطعات است. بعد از مدتی که یاران قدیم می آیند آلبوم شتاب و جانی می گیرد که دیگر هیچ چیز نمی تواند متوقفش کند. آلبوم را این جا بشنوید.

Lester Young Trio (1946)

آلبوم دوشنبه ها: جنگ تازه به پایان رسیده بود که لستر چمدانی خالی و ساکسفون تنور را برداشت و از شرق به غرب رفت. در 1946 به لوس آنجلس رسید و یکی از مهم ترین تریوهای تاریخ جاز را با نت کینگ کول (پیانو) و بادی ریچ (درامز/طبل) تشکیل داد. اگرچه از نظر تکنیکی همه به این موسیقی قسم می دهند اما بگذارید بگویم از نظر احساسی لستر خالص ترین نوازنده ای است که در هر نوع متصوری از موسیقی می توان سراغ گرفت.

کمپانی verve در نسخه تازه ای که از این آلبوم روی CD منتشر کرده (که به نظرم لینک دانلود آلبوم هم به همین نسخه منتهی می شود) کار احمقانه ای کرده و چهار آهنگ به آلبوم اضافه کرده که ربطی به لستر ندارد و ضبط های اولیه دکستر گوردون در 1943 و 1944 با هری سوییت ادیسون و نت کول است که احتمالاً تنها توجیه حضور آنها در این مجموعه این است که بسیار شبیه به لستر و تحت تأثیر او در تنور می مد.