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Big John Patton — 268, 267

Album: Blue John (Recorded 1963, released 1986)

MVC Rating: 4.5/$$$$

If you are introducing someone to good jazz, Blue John is a good place to start. Because it is so much fun. What do you expect from an album that starts off with “Hot Sauce.”

This record has an odd history. It was recorded in 1963 but didn’t see its release until 1986 on Blue Note.

Allmusic.com says this: “There may be something of a novelty element to (George) Braith‘s (saxophone) playing, but bluesy, groove-centered soul-jazz rarely sounds this bright and exuberant, which is reason enough not to dismiss his contributions.”

In addition to Braith’s funky sax sounds, Grant Green’s guitar throughout is tasty. Many people get introduced to good jazz with ‘Kinda Blue’ by Miles Davis or John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” or “My Favorite Things.” Great albums and must haves for a jazz collection. But Blue John by Big John Patton is an instant like with its laid back tempo and bluesy swing.

Links to Wikipedia bios of these musicians below.

John Patton – organ

Tommy Turrentine – trumpet (5, 6)

George Braith – soprano saxophone, stritch

Grant Green – guitar

Ben Dixon – drums

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Joe Henderson — 427

By Guy MacPherson – Joe Henderson, CC BY 2.0, 4 WIKI

ALBUMS: Our Thing (1964, RE  Blue Note 1985)

MVC Rating: 5.0/$$$$$

Another Blue Note reissue. Another great jazz album.

It’s the bop era, late 50s, early 60s. The drumming is always setting pace. –doh doh doh chicka doe.

A little bass, boom boom de boom. Piano, tinkle tinkle.

Then Henderson blows the sax…. whaa whoa whaa whoa whee whah, wha whump.

There you go my note-for-note rendition of Teeter Totter. which is an up B-flat blues, says a Youtuber. It is the only major key track in the set. I’ll try to pull a video of it.

Meanwhile, however many solos Henderson takes, the light but steady and ready Tap Tap Tap Tap continues on the drum and cymbal. This song I can watch the news to. Of course turning the volume off the TV.

Gordon’s music has a way  of putting the daily disasters in their place.

Its  more fun than progressive rock.

So putting that fun aside, this is seriously good jazz from a jazz rich era. The band is tight and Henderson’s keeps it all reeled in, even when it seems it’s not.

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Dexter Gordon — 449

ALBUM: One Flight Up (Reissue 1985)

MVC Rating: 5/$$$$$

Great jazz combo here from 1964. Led by Dexter Gordon, this is a jazz classic. I got as a cut-out reissue from 1985. If I see a cut-out or discounted record with Blue Note on, it I’ll buy, no questions.

The band, which includes Donald Byrd, Art Taylor, Kenny Drew and Niels-Henning Orsted, is tight.

Byrd almost steals the show with his tasteful rapid fire trumpet runs, like automatic fire — pup, pup,pup – landing like marshmallows, soft and sweet. Particularly on his song, ‘Tanya’ which covers all of side 1.

Gordon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the jazz movie ‘Round Midnight.’

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Dizzy Gillespie — 454

ALBUMS: New Faces  

MVC Rating: 4.5/$$$$

Now I’m not huge into jazz but I have some good  jazz records.

I have this Dizzy; a Dexter Gordon Blue Note label album; a Harry James record; some Miles Davis; John Coltrane on CD);Teo Macero, another Blue Note special of Bud Powell, one of my favorite jazz pianists along with Errol Garner. I also have some rock/soul/jazz fusion, if that’s a thing, Steve Howe, Dixie Dregs, Sea Level, and Glenn Phillips.

And going A to Z, I also have some Chet Atkins and Frank Zappa that I would consider jazz or jazzy.

And I have Louis Armstrong, one of my favorite old schoolers,  mainly because my father was a big fan of Satchmo, and I heard it at an earl age around the house.

The cool thing about this album is it brings in some newcomers — at least they were new in the 1980s when this was made, including Branford Marsalis, who went on to be the bandleader for Jay Leno for a couple of years and is one of the top saxophonists in the world.

So this has old man Dizzy, he of the bent trumpet and swollen cheeks, has rounded up some youth to make a contemporary jazz record with some old stuff mixed in.

The sound jumps out of the speakers, I must say, which I like on all vinyl productions but especially jazz. I like the trumpet player right in the room with me. I know this seems like my ongoing advice, but this is a good pick in a used record store, high high quality jazz in the ‘bop’ style with an old cheek-ballooning patriarch overseeing some  top notch jazz youngsters.

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Miles Davis — 541

ALBUM: Milesones (1958)

MVC Rating: 5.0/$$$$$

ALBUM: Milestones (1958)

MVC Rating: 5.0/$$$$$

I don’t know if it’s a Lewy thing but I’m enjoying this jazz more than ever.  I’ve played this Miles record, both sides about five times in the past two days.  It’s old  new jazz. (Also jumped into a Dizzy Gillespie record,  I’ll review in the G’s.}

It’s modern jazz, sometimes ‘played too darn fast’ Chuck Berry famously complained. It’s modern but it’s 1958, a year before I was born and a year before Davis gave us his masterpiece (IMHO) ‘Kind of Blue.’

But this one with  Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane burned pretty well. I gave it a ‘5’ anyway. I remember buying this used at some kind of flea market in Anniston, AL.  Would have  been 1982.  I knew who Davis was but upon seeing the cover photo I felt like  I had to have the album. Pretty intense and cool looking dude. And that’s what his music looks and sounds like: Him.

Below, Miles and company play:

Counting down my 678  vinyl records  before I die of  brain disease.

 

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The Dave Clark Five — 541

ALBUM: The Best of the Dave Clark Five (1970).

MVC Ratings: 4.0/$$$

‘Glad All Over,’ ‘Bits and Pieces,’ ‘Catch Us if you Can,’ ‘Do you Love Me’ — the hits kept coming from this Fab Four plus One.

No, not really close to the Beatles  in both performance and songwriting, although ‘Glad All Over’ and “Because’ and ‘Can’t You See that She’s Mine’ — which the vocalist, Mike Smith,  vows to ‘keep on holding her hand — sound just like early Beatles. ‘Because’ is the name of a Beatles song — but not this one.

This is one of the better British invasion bands and there were many.

The interesting anomaly here is Blueberry Hill, the song  made famous by Fats Domino. Smith does some hard-kick vocals here, channeling, or trying to channel Wilson Pickett or Otis Redding and gets close enough to make it interesting.

It’s rock and soul and I like it.

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.