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Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas
by Marc Davis
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the corniest jazz-Christmas album ever made. And that's OK. It's even good. I know the dig. What Vince Guaraldi played wasn't jazz, it was lounge music. It was sentimental. It was lightweight. It was sappy. Yep. All of that. So what? Christmas time is about memories. That's ...
Kenny Burrell: Blue Lights – 1958
by Marc Davis
The name on the cover is Kenny Burrell, but Blue Lights isn't really a Kenny Burrell album. He may be the leader, but the stars are everyone else. This is truly a democratic 1950s jam session. I came to Blue Lights fresh from Burrell's Midnight Blue, expecting another laid-back blues guitar vehicle. Not even ...
Stanley Jordan: Standards Volume 1 – 1986
by Marc Davis
In my lust for Blue Note CDs, I've mostly focused on the label's classic period: the 1950s and '60s. That's where you'll find the very best hard bop and soul-jazz ever produced. But nothing good lasts forever, and no particular musical style stays popular for long. As bop and soul faded, so did Blue ...
Herbie Hancock: Speak Like a Child – 1968
by Marc Davis
Speak Like a Child feels like the mash-up of two separate albums. One is a lyrical set of three tunes--mellow songs with childhood themes. The other is a standard set of three bop tunes. Both are nice, but the quieter songs are maybe a bit too tame. Give Herbie Hancock credit for trying something ...
Benny Golson and the Philadelphians - 1958
by Marc Davis
I have hundreds of jazz CDs. I'm a huge fan of bebop, hard bop and all manner of piano playing. Yet I have blind spots in my collection and in my jazz knowledge. The big names are all accounted for. And now that I've been exploring Blue Note's back catalogue--especially the 1950s and '60s--I'm ...
Lou Donaldson: Blues Walk – 1958
by Marc Davis
There's a tendency among some jazz purists to poo-poo Lou Donaldson. Not flashy enough, they say. Not groundbreaking. Too bluesy, too simple. Predictable. Derivative. A notch below the best Blue Note saxmen. A craftsman, not an artist. Aw phooey! I like Lou Donaldson and I don't mind anyone knowing. It has always ...
Lee Morgan, Volume Three - 1957
by Marc Davis
In jazz, as in rock, there's a tendency to overlook composers. Performers get all the nods. Consider Duke Ellington. One of the greatest bandleaders and composers of all time. But Billy Strayhorn? Not as famous--even though he wrote some of Duke's best pieces: “Take the A Train" and “Lush Life" and “Chelsea Bridge."
Andrew Hill: Point of Departure – 1964
by Marc Davis
I have put off writing this blog post as long as possible. For three weeks, I've been listening to Andrew Hill's Point of Departure and contemplating what I can say that isn't blatantly subjective and negative. I give up. I just don't like it. I honestly thought I might appreciate this, even ...
Jimmy Smith: Groovin’ at Smalls Paradise – 1957
by Marc Davis
I love the jazz organ. I love Jimmy Smith. But I don't love Groovin' at Smalls Paradise. When Smith burst onto the scene in 1956, he was a genuine phenomenon. Not only was he wildly popular, but also wildly prolific. In just three years, from 1956 to 1958, Smith put out a mind-boggling 23 ...
Sonny Rollins, Volume Two – 1957
by Marc Davis
There are no bad records by Sonny Rollins, but some are better than others. This is one of the better ones. Sonny Rollins Volume Two is, as the name suggests, Rollins' second recording for Blue Note. It's uniformly excellent with a fantastic band, especially the great J.J. Johnson on trombone and two tracks with ...
