A good friend once said that on a Sunday, you should only listen to either Reggae or Jazz. Seeing as I've no lectures until tomorrow, today is practically my Sunday. So I will post a little jazz which I have been chilling out to.
After all the craziness of moving over to London, I've recently had more time to devote to just lazing around the kitchen of my new (small) house. The first selection is from one of the great trumpeters. Clifford Brown (1930 - 1956), was a genius who had a bad habit of getting in car accidents. The first left him bed-ridden for a year and the second finished him off at the tender age of 25. His career was short and sweet, spanning only four years, but his influence was huge. He teamed up with the eminent drummer Max Roach for the bulk of his recordings. These marked the pinnacle of the hard-bop style. He played with a fat tone and an effortlessly fluid style. He also had a deep understanding of jazz harmony which is evident in his dazzling solos and his compositions. All this, he managed to do while at the same time, avoiding the scourge of heroin which dominated the Jazz scene. He wasn't even fond of the drink, which makes him somewhat exceptional, but all the more admirable. Here's one of the tunes he wrote which has become a Jazz standard.
Clifford Brown - Daahound
My second selection has been a long-time favourite. It holds a few dear memories for me, but above all, it is a stellar recording. It comes from the canonical album Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley but the outstanding contribution comes from Miles Davis as sideman. He leads the solos on most of the tracks and composed the title track. My favourite, however, is the opening track, Autumn Leaves. In my opinion, it is the best recording of this timneless standard. Miles' delicately lyrical tone is unbeatable. His wailing and whimpering perfectly expresses the emotion in this ballad, so that the sentiment is clear even without any lyrics.
Cannonball Adderley - Autumn Leaves
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