The Classics
 

First, Bird

YouTube - Donna Lee - Charlie Parker Quintet

Bird and Diz

YouTube - Charlie Parker - Dexterity

More Bird and Diz

YouTube - Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie

Diz Quintet

YouTube - Dizzy Gillespie Quintet (trumpet)

Monk

YouTube - Thelonious Monk - Epistrophy

More Monk (because Monk RULES!!!)

YouTube - Thelonious Monk Quartet - Straight, No Chaser - Paris, 1969

More Monk (and you know why)

YouTube - Thelonious Monk - Off Minor - 1963

Mingus

YouTube - Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

Lester (since we just heard porkpie hat)

YouTube - Lester Young 1945 - Lester Leaps In

And finally Miles and Train

YouTube - So What - Jonh Coltrane and Miles Davis

finally! someone out here with some jazz-sense!

Actually there has been a bunch of jazz, just seemed like time to address the "classics". All the Pat, Johnnie Mac, Al D, Jaco, Chick, RTF, Weather Report, and yes, even the Allman Bros. (#^&#^&#^&#^&ie said it, and I agree, they are a jazz band) it's all jazz, just different forms of Jazz.

So I added some BeBop, some Cool, and Monk (he is to his own music), just the straight ahead stuff versus the "fusion" kind. It's all good. Some just better than others depending on your taste or mood (my case it's just a mood thing cause I like it all).

and so some more

Duke (small group)

YouTube - Duke Ellington: Take The "A" Train

and full orchestra

YouTube - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Take the "A" Train

And Sir Louis my favorite way (Hot Five and Hot Seven)

YouTube - Louis Armstrong "WILD MAN BLUES" (1927)

For a quick "reference" to the "classics" I often use the WKCR 24 hour birthday salutes for a "list" which would be:

Long ago it became tradition at WKCR to play 24 hours of a jazz great's music on his/her birthday.

Max Roach
(b. January 10, 1924)

Roy Eldridge
(b. January 30, 1911; d. February 26, 1989)

Ornette Coleman
(b. March 9, 1930)

Bix Beiderbecke
(b. March 10, 1903; d. August 7, 1931)

Billie Holiday
(b. April 7, 1915; d. July 17, 1959)

Charles Mingus
(b. April 22, 1922; d. January 5, 1979)

Duke Ellington
(April 29,1899; d. May 24, 1974)

Louis Armstrong
(b. August 4, 1901; d. July 6, 1971)
(he believed his birthdate to be July 4th 1900, so we celebrate both birthdays.)

Lester Young
(b. August 27, 1909; d. March 15, 1959)

Charlie Parker
(b. August 29, 1920; d. March 12, 1955)
(combines with Lester Young to form a three-day broadcast)

John Coltrane
(b. September 23, 1926; d. July 17, 1967)

Thelonious Monk
(b. Oct. 10, 1917; d. February 17, 1982)

Clifford Brown
(b. October 30, 1930; d. June 26, 1956)

Coleman Hawkins
(b. Nov. 21, 1904; d. May 19, 1969)

and so here is Clifford and Max

YouTube - Clifford Brown Max Roach 1955

i like it all

Im a purist, there are a million musicians out there that can jam along with the Allman Bros, but if you play a basic Parker or Monk tune they wont be able to play a single coherent idea. "real" jazz to me is a complicated science that only gifted or schooled musicians can play. Its very, very hard to even plan lousy jazz.

The best "explanation" I heard was by a jazz guitarist whose name escapes me at the moment. He basically said the different genres of music are like different languages. Not that one is better or harder or takes more talent than the other, they are just very different. Not too many folks speak a number of different music languages well if at all.

I like em all too Paul.

It's a mood thing with me as to what I listen to at any given moment. I do have some favs though. In all genres (languages) as well.

You hit the nail on the head. It is a mood thing for me also. And god knows I am moody,. just ask my wife. IMO you don't have to be fluent in a particular music to enjoy it . Sometimes ignorance is bliss and sometimes over analyzing it takes the fun right out of it instead of just taking it at face value and just enjoying the great sound as a whole. There is not anything wrong about being a purist either. Its a great thing to know what you like and to know all the ins and outs of it. Just sometimes I enjoy to not know what the hell is going on :confused:and just sit back and listen. IMO nothing is better than hearing, or doing for that matter, anything for the first time. Enough rambling. Now that is something I am a purist at.:uhuh:

I didnt say anything about "like". I like it all too. I love all kinds of music. I am just very protective of jazz as it is a higher art form. I wonder who that quote is from as it is demonstrably incorrect. To say jazz is not harder is foolish. Just for giggles - the chords to a "blues" by the Allmans would be for ex: G7 - C7 - D7 in a 12 bar form. The same exact form, a G blues, as played by most of the people you have posted above would be something like - G7, Am7/d7/G7,Dm7-G7b9/C7/C#dim and thats just the first 6 bars and it will eb different every 12 bars! The thing is this is just the language of jazz, its a complete comfort in a musical form and being able to adjust melody and harmony on the spot. People think jazz guys are just playing with emotion, they are playing brillant and extremely complex ideas over harmonically complex songs - mostly thanks to Bird.
I apologize for being too geeky, but as a lifelong practicing musician, jazz is misunderstood. I dont think its better than other forms of music, some of my favorite tunes and artists play 3 chords songs, and they are brilliant. Jazz is a very complicated music to play and understand.

check this out-
From Charlie Parkers first recording as a leader - the tune is Koko and is based on the chord changes to a popular tune "Cherokee"
First listen to a recording of Cherokee - a great jazz standard on its own

YouTube - SCOTT HAMILTON QUARTET - CHEROKEE

Now, listen to what Bird did with it. This is not Avant Gard or outside jazz, this is a perfect piece of music that once analyzed shows a brillaint understanding of complex musical harmonies. This recording changed jazz forever. Now, when you hear so and so band was working on an album for YEARS, thsi reciording was made in a few minutes , with few rehearals, no over dubs, most likley no producer and the musicians are seeing this on paper a few minutes before the tape roles. Dizzy was a kindred spirit and knew what Parker was trying to do on this. This is pure brillinace.
In the end, all that matters is what you enjoy, to me calling something jazz means something, to say its not "harder" to play like this vs other music is plain crazy.
enjoy
YouTube - Ko-ko

Complicated like this

Attachment 36597

Thanks for the Koko Bird and Diz are top favs. Used to listen the Phil Shapp's (sp) Bird show every morning on the way to work when I lived in Jersey, and I miss it terribly. Nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Keep defending and being geeky. That's what makes this little corner of S-B special. Bob H.