Birth of the Cool

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

[Quahog]

1. Oh yeah

One of my ten favorite jazz recordings of all time.

So, CStT, are you a Bill Evans fan?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. I love Bill Evans

I have about 15 of his albums

[Surf Cowboy]

3. I'm pretty sure his name is Gil Evans.

But don't quote me.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Gil Evans was the arranger for Birth of the Cool and a bunch of other gems

But the question was Bill Evans - :shrug:

Incidently there was a Bill Evans who played sax as well

[tigereye]

5. "Everybody Digs Bill Evans" right?

The Birth of the Cool is very cool. My husband was and is a big Miles fan.. used to play it late at night before we got together when we lived in a group house together. I guess it was part of his plan to bring me into his life. He also used to play Eno and Cluster and John Hassell.


are you a John Hassell fan, Chavez? Wonderful space-out, drify music.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. You're right

I haven't heard any of hasell's stuff - recommendations?

[tigereye]

16. here is a link

I am blanking on the name of the one I have heard the most... I will ask my husb. and PM you.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:sm3zefqkhgfn

I don't really think of him as "new age" although that is how they classify him here.

[Surf Cowboy]

18. You've got to love Ahmad Jamal...

[rlpincus]

6. Bill Evans

is one of the five greatest jazz pianists of all time. His influence is everywhere. Who are the other four you ask? Well, today I'd say Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Monk, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Those could change depending on the mood, but Bill will always be top five.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. Never leave Herbie Hancock of a top 5 list

IMO

[chenGOD]

14. No Oscar Peterson?

great googlie mooglie man....

[rlpincus]

17. Art Tatum

covered that territory.

[Quahog]

19. I'd have to agree with you

My parents simply worship Peterson, but I find his work derivative of Tatum, and not as tasteful.

I don't think a top-five list of jazz pianists is possible. Cuz you need a place for Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea.

But I still enjoy listening to Bill Evans more than any of them. I love "Undercurrent," his duet recording with Herb Ellis. Sweet.

[Zensea]

4. Chavez, check this out

http://www.locustmusic.com/patchen.html

http://www.locustmusic.com/catalog.html

Slightly off topic.
From about the same time period. Patchen must be heard. He was also doing stuff with Mingus around the same time but unfortunately none of it got recorded.
pic --




There was a radio play of his that John Cage did the music for a few years earlier in collaboration with Patchen also.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

10. Seems real cool - know where I can hear some?

[Zensea]

12. It just got released on CD

don't know if it's on the net or not.
All I 've got is a cassette I made off of the original vinyl record my dad bought back in the 60s, so I can't help out on that end.

I just checked Amazon and they don't have samples available. They say this which is true "On a single October evening in 1959, fabled people’s poet Kenneth Patchen and Vancouver’s Alan Neil Quartet made a little bit of history. Together, they cut one of the first jazz-and-poetry recordings to disc – fiery, spontaneous and free of pretensions, where hard bop playing wailed neck-and-neck with Patchen’s scathing, slurred, rabid vocalizations. Today, many see Jazz In Canada as among the very first truly beat documents on record – preceding efforts by Kerouac, Ferlinghetti & Ginsberg. This new edition features original notes by Alan Neil & new retrospective notes by rock’n’roll poet of the San Francisco renaissance David Meltzer, as well as wonderful cover reproductions of several of Patchen’s picture-poem paintings."

I know for a fact that Patchen is highly respected among that group of poets. I have had conversations with Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti and Creeley about him. Creeley believes that because of Patchen having been so political at a time when non-political art was considered better, that he has been overlooked but that in 50 years he will resurface as being important.

Also, if you have heard of the current bassist William Parker (who is big in the avant-garde scene here in NYC and plays with David S. Ware), you might like to know that W. Parker speaks very highly of Patchen as well.

[parasim]

11. Yes!

I know everybody says "In a Silent Way",
but to me, this is the quintessential Miles album.

[Quahog]

20. Actually, I think everyone says "Kind Of Blue"

I hear a lot of jibber-jabber about that being the "greatest jazz album of all time." And it's great, surely. But I like both "Birth" and "Siilent Way" better.

[parasim]

21. You're absolutely right.

It was "Kind of Blue" I was thinking of. I also think "In a Silent Way" and "Birth" are better. I even prefer "Milestones" over "Kind of Blue"...

thanks for pointing out my mistake...

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

22. I like E.S.P. better

[bif]

13. Ever heard the "Rebirth of the Cool"?

That one's cool as well.

[tishaLA]

15. I'll commit a heresy

By confessing I don't like this CD much. Almost never listen to it.