Best (& worst) jazz by non-jazz musicians

[Nate Dorward]

Interpret the parameters as you like--could stretch to anything from the Kronos 4tet to Joni Mitchell's Mingus album to Texas swing. I was interested in hearing about jazz performances by players usually identified with other genres--both the really good instances, & (ahem) any memorable train wrecks. I ask in part because I'm usually fairly leery of such things (e.g. classical musicians doing albums of jazz tunes) but every so often something good comes....

One personal favourite is Debbie Harry's work on the Jazz Passengers' Individually Twisted--a terrific cover of "Angel Eyes", for instance, & her version of the JPs' "Imitation of a Kiss" gets the nod even over Jimmy Scott's rendition on In Love. The duet with Elvis Costello on a Neal Hefti tune is also pretty darn good.

[Dmitry]

Duke's "East St. Louis Toodle Oo" by Steely Dan, from Pretzel Logic ... I'm still idiosyncratic about it.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Well, if you don't consider Western Swing to be jazz to begin with (Bird thought it was jazz.), it would be hard to beat Vol. 3 of the classic Tiffany Transcriptions, which is devoted to jazz and blues tunes by Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Relaxed, swinging, funny, and afire with dozens of brilliant instrumental passages.

1. Basin Street Blues
2. I'm a Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas)
3. Crazy Rhythm
4. Milk Cow Blues
5. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
6. Four or Five Times
7. Frankie Jean _
8. It's Your Red Wagon _ _
9. Good Man Is Hard to Find _ _
10. You Just Take Her_ _
11. Barnard Blues _ _
12. I Never Knew _
13. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
14. Take the "A" Train

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000333V.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg




The worst? It's been a long time since I've actually heard them, but my recollection is that the attempts at jazz-classical fusion by composer Claude Bolling reached depths of boredom that surpassed anything those two great musical traditions had previously reached on their own.

[Jason Bivins]

Anything by Sting, whose aspirations to "jazziness" I've always found nauseating.

[stonemonkts]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000C9ZEX.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[gnhrtg]

So stonemonkts, what's the worst, then ?

[Dan G]

Short but enjoyable segment of Bill Payne's solo and the dixieland-style horns during Spanish Moon on Little Feat's live Waiting for Columbus makes me think these guys could really play jazz if they wanted to.

[Tanager]

Hank Garland's Jazz Winds from a New Direction ranks at the top of the heap for me. Simply incredible music. Agree with Jason re: Sting - what massive suckery.

[stonemonkts]

Originally posted by gnhrtg
So stonemonkts, what's the worst, then ?

Hahahahahaha. I posted Roddy for the benefit of Mr. Nagel. I suppose if one wished to torture him, all you'd need is the commercial for that piece of putrid shit. Tie the man up and force him to watch it over and over, Clockwork Orange style.

I'm sure there are far worse albums than that one, but I challenge anyone to dig one up from the past two years which rivals it.

[Pete C]

I'm very fond of Dr. John's standards albums, if he counts as a non-jazz musician.

I've never heard Charlie Watts' "Live at Fullham Town Hall," but it certainly has an interesting cast:

Jack Bruce - Cello
Evan Parker - Sax (Tenor)
Courtney Pine - Sax (Tenor)
John Stevens - Drums
Charlie Watts - Drums
Harry Beckett - Trumpet
Alan Cohen - Conductor
Jimmy Deuchar - Trumpet
Paul Rutherford - Trombone
Alan Skidmore - Sax (Tenor)
Stan Tracey - Piano
Bobby Wellins - Sax (Tenor)
Don Weller - Sax (Tenor)
Dave Green - Bass
Dave Defries - Trumpet
Ted Emmet - Trumpet
Bill Eyden - Drums
Willie Garnett - Sax (Alto)
John Huckridge - Trumpet
Peter King - Sax (Alto)
Jim Lawless - Vibraphone
Bill Le Sage - Vibraphone
Ron Matthewson - Bass
Danny Moss - Sax (Tenor)
John Picard - Trombone
Chris Pyne - Trombone
Steve Sidwell - Trumpet
Colin Smith - Trumpet
Gail Thompson - Euphonium
Olaf Vas - Clarinet, Flute
Ray Warleigh - Sax (Alto)
Annie Whitehead - Trombone

[Nate Dorward]

I think I used to play that one when I had a radio show....didn't it have "Lester Leaps In" or some other Basie/Prez tune on it, done as a tenor battle (with Evan included!)? I don't remember much about it, though. My impression was that Stevens was the "real" drummer of the band...

[Nate Dorward]

Originally posted by stonemonkts
I'm sure there are far worse albums than that one, but I challenge anyone to dig one up from the past two years which rivals it. Don't tempt me.....


& yeah, however you classify Texas swing, Bob Wills was great. I've always been curious about his ill-fated contemporary Milton Brown (& his Brownies)--anyone heard that stuff?

Some of Lyle Lovett's stuff in this vein is OK too--there's even a Clifford Brown cover on the Large Band album (though Lyle doesn't play/sing on it). & someday I've got to track down his promo-disc duo with Blossom Dearie......

[Chris D]

It was more Louis Jordan-style at heart, but Joe Jackson's "Jumpin' Jive" was a respectable effort.

[me wag]

Terry Adams' (NRBQ) Terrible CD has to be one of the best. Of course, he may have too many real jazz credentials to count.

[Pete C]

I once saw Terry Adams do a duo concert with Marshall Allen.

[chuckyd4]

Not totally sure I'm understanding the premise here (should I have pulled a Nagel and signed off that way?), but here goes:

Best : Fela. Strikes me as a non-jazz artist playing something "jazzy." (I've made my girlfriend swear to never use that word in my presence, so she'd really enjoy seeing this thread now I'm sure)

Worst : Any saxophone playing on David Bowie's albums. Drives me up a fucking wall. Ruins otherwise perfectly good songs for me. Atrocious, and if I was allowed the chance to remix some of his classic albums, that shit would be entirely gone.

[frank m]

During WWII there was a superb classical pianist name Jose Iturbi. For reasons unknown he decided to do a boogie woogie number on record.
It is memorable for its dumb headedness.a true classic of its genre.

[hornplayer]

My favorite "Awful" Jazz by non-Jazz Artists remains "Blue Skies" by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. She is a superb operatic artist who unfortunately thought she was a crossover artist! I have never forgotten that album. Nelson Riddle did the arrangements and conducted the orchestra. We laughed so hard we had to run to the bathroom! I don't imagine there are too many leftovers of that album, but if you ever see one, it's a true hoot.

[graypencil]

Best: the recent Brasilan album by Yo Yo Ma (with Paquito Rivera and several others of equal stature ) Ma really likes to take chances ..and he makes them all come off well ..

There was a duet CD with Itzak Perelman and Oscar Peterson some years ago that was also very effective ..

Worst: WE've already covered that ..and I despise him as badly as Nagel does...


( its too bad we don't have an emoticon for a rancid festering POS ..It would comr in handy in this case )

[Pete C]

Best: the recent Brasilan album by Yo Yo Ma (with Paquito Rivera and several others of equal stature ) Ma really likes to take chances ..and he makes them all come off well ..


The album has a remarkable number of top Brazilian musicians, excellent choice of repertoire (Brazilian warhorses, for the most part), and it's great that it will expose a lot of new ears to these players and tunes.

[Mike Schwartz]

The album has a remarkable number of top Brazilian musicians, excellent choice of repertoire (Brazilian warhorses, for the most part), and it's great that it will expose a lot of new ears to these players and tunes.


I don't like your attitude here Pete...all sounding WAY too kind ;-)

[Pete C]

Well, I was going to add that it does have a certain prissiness, as crossover albums by classical musicians often do, and that I'd rather hear Jacques Morelenbaum's cello in Brazilian music than Ma's, but I was trying to suppress my inner bad seed.

[Elliot]

If Carlos Santana counts as "non-jazz," I'd point to Santana's excellent cover of "In a Silent Way." (I don't know if that's on any of Santana's own albums; I have it on the "Fillmore" soundtrack album [from the closing concert of the Fillmore West].) There's also Santana's album with John McLaughlin, which works for me only in spots.

Jerry Garcia (not jazz) and David Grisman (arguably borderline jazz) did a respectable-but-not-great album of jazz tunes together ("So What," "Bag's Groove," etc.). Grisman and Martin Taylor (definitely jazz) did an excellent album of string-band jazz together.

Derek Trucks (who recently joined the Allman Brothers Band, and who is the best rock guitarist working today IMHO) did some jazz tunes on his first (pre-Allmans, Derek Trucks Band) album; I really like his versions of "Footprints" and "Mr. PC," though I can't say that his "Naima" works as well.

And I certainly second the nomination of Steely Dan's version of "East St. Louis."

As for worst, I haven't heard Ten Years After's cover of "Woodchopper's Ball" in ages, but I don't recall liking it.

[pollo loco]

There was a duet CD with Itzak Perelman and Oscar Peterson some years ago that was also very effective.

I'm a Oscar Peterson fan. That said, I can tell you that I did not like the Perelman/Peterson duo--at all. I still own that recording to remind me that my idol does indeed have clay feet!
pl

[Pete C]

The Grappelli/Menhuin duets were pretty schlocky. Menhuin had his "improvisations" composed by someone else and notated for him.

[SinginSumo]

Wonderful album (and, to these ears, the best of an impressive pop catalog):

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000089HC7.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg




Big thumbs-up to Pete C. in recognizing this terrific album:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002LHG.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


********************************************************

Proof that producer Craig Street had absolutely no clue about the music or legacy of Louis Armstrong:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004YNGW.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg



What stinkers these are:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002KMN.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpghttp://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002VGE.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Nate Dorward]

I once saw Terry Adams do a duo concert with Marshall Allen.Yeah I did too (a Toronto gig), but truthfully it was horrible. Allen was OK but Adams seemed to be goofing off (& under the mistaken impression that "goofing off" was easily mistaken for the work of Sun Ra or Thelonious Monk).

Incidentally I learn from Country Music: The Rough Guide that Phil Alvin of the Blasters recorded an album, Un "Sung" Stories, which includes the Sun Ra Arkestra among the personnel (as well as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band). Anyone ever hear this?

David Grisman's album with Stephane Grappelli by the way is pretty good, I remember--good version of "Pent Up House" on there for instance, though the rest of the material I recall as duller ("Satin Doll" anyone?). -- Richard Greene's Ramblin' also has a nifty bluegrass cover of Ornette Coleman's title-tune. I think Buell Neidlinger is in tow on that one.

[Pete C]

There's also Santana's album with John McLaughlin, which works for me only in spots.


There were two, "Love, Devotion & Surrender" and "Welcome." Both work for me in general.

Santana's "Lotus" album, a live double CD recorded in Japan in the early 70's is very much influenced by electric Miles. Leon Thomas is the vocalist. It's fun to hear him sing "Black Magic Woman."

The only opera singer who was a credible jazz singer was Eileen Farrell.

[Elliot]

There were two, "Love, Devotion & Surrender" and "Welcome." Both work for me in general.

Santana's "Lotus" album, a live double CD recorded in Japan in the early 70's is very much influenced by electric Miles. Leon Thomas is the vocalist. It's fun to hear him sing "Black Magic Woman."


I was thinking of "Love, Devotion, Surrender."

"Lotus" is also an excellent album. I'm not familiar with "Welcome."

[DTMX]

I've never heard Charlie Watts' "Live at Fullham Town Hall," but it certainly has an interesting cast:

Evan Parker - Sax (Tenor)
John Stevens - Drums
Paul Rutherford - Trombone
etc...

What - no Derek Bailey on guitar? :confused:

[Pete C]

What - no Derek Bailey on guitar? :confused:

Apparently, you couldn't get Derek and Evan in the same room. I don't know what the rift was about. Does anybody? And how about the Bennink/Reijseger rift?

[Underhound]

The references to Santana reminded me of a pretty tasty album he did in 1980 called "Swing of Delight" with Miles' old crew of Hancock. Shorter, Carter, and Wiliiams.

One of my favorite out-of-place jazz surprises is on an old Bachman-Turner Overdrive album that I had as a kid (the one with Takin' Care of Business). At the end of some rock riff tune they tag on this swinging bop guitar thing with Randy Bachman showing off some fairly adept jazzoid licks ( he did name his son Tal)

Incidentally I learn from Country Music: The Rough Guide that Phil Alvin of the Blasters recorded an album, Un "Sung" Stories, which includes the Sun Ra Arkestra among the personnel (as well as the Dity Dozen Brass Band). Anyone ever hear this?

Yes, I have this on vinyl. Haven't heard it in years. Ra flavored roots music makes a nice mix.

[Nate Dorward]

And how about the Bennink/Reijseger rift?Perhaps audiences started to find Ernst funnier than Han.

The one reasonably authoritative version of the Parker/Bailey split I heard (via a friend who knows Parker) was that it involved bitter disagreement over the sharing of responsibilities at Incus, but I've no idea if that's the full story.

[Root Doctor]

[QUOTE=Nate Dorward]Don't tempt me.....


& yeah, however you classify Texas swing, Bob Wills was great. I've always been curious about his ill-fated contemporary Milton Brown (& his Brownies)--anyone heard that stuff?

Milton Brown is wonderful. Proper has a cheap box set of his stuff available, Daddy of Western Swing. I recommend it.

[Deke]

Best - Moondog - Lament for Bird

Worst - Rod Stewart - No idea what it's called, but he's been doing the talk show circuit over here for a while pushing something that sounds re-e-eally painful. :confused:

[Root Doctor]

[QUOTE=Nate Dorward]Incidentally I learn from Country Music: The Rough Guide that Phil Alvin of the Blasters recorded an album, Un "Sung" Stories, which includes the Sun Ra Arkestra among the personnel (as well as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band). Anyone ever hear this?

This is a very fine album, with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in attendance as well. I don't believe it's ever been available on compact disc.

Thanks, Gordon and Stone, re: Ware's Surrendered. Your points are well taken, but I enjoy it despite the obvious flaws, particularly when I'm driving the same long, uneventful stretch of Route 89 several times a week.

Gordon, is there a good Billy Harper disc?

[Chris D]

[QUOTE=Nate Dorward]Incidentally I learn from Country Music: The Rough Guide that Phil Alvin of the Blasters recorded an album, Un "Sung" Stories, which includes the Sun Ra Arkestra among the personnel (as well as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band). Anyone ever hear this?

This is a very fine album, with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in attendance as well. I don't believe it's ever been available on compact disc.

Someone stole Gabriel's horn!

[stonemonkts]

Thanks, Gordon and Stone, re: Ware's Surrendered. Your points are well taken, but I enjoy it despite the obvious flaws, particularly when I'm driving the same long, uneventful stretch of Route 89 several times a week.

Gordon, is there a good Billy Harper disc?

Root - Are you familiar with any of these?:
Dao
Flight of I
Go See The World
Godspellized

The reason I ask is if you aren't, I would recommend any of them to you without hesitation.

I'm not Gordon but as long as I'm posting...I like Billy Harper's "Black Saint" and "Somalia".

[Brian Olewnick]

I recall liking Harper's "Black Saint" as well (though I don't own it), but his work on Gil Evans' "Svengali" is pretty nice.

[Root Doctor]

Stone: Thanks for the Harper recs. I'll check them out.

Yes, I have those Ware discs, as well as Cryptology on Homestead. While I do think they're superior to Surrendered, I enjoy hearing Ware and company playing pretty much straightahead. I can see where others might be bored by it, particularly considering his previous work.

[pollo loco]

I like Willie Nelson singing ballads ordinarily given to jazz treatments.
pl

[Nate Dorward]

Somalia is great stuff. It's got a double-drummer setup, & it has a real kick-in-the-gut power to it as a result.

[mtaylorjazz]

A LOOOONG time ago, Barry Tuckwell did an album of Jerome Kern tunes (I think is was Jerome Kern...). Horn and strings w/a rhythm section as I recall. I wasn't into jazz at the time and have only the vaguest recollection of it. I KNOW he didn't attempt any improvisation.

I guess it made a really strong impression, eh?

:rolleyes:


M

http://www.cdbaby.com/marktaylor

[iris]

what about Bjork singing jazz standards? has anyone heard that record? I haven't for a few years, but I remember liking it.

[claude]

Don't know if this will fall into the best or worst category (or, more likely somewhere in between) but I thought it fit under this thread.




Tuesday, May 4, 2004


Bachman pays tribute to jazzman mentor
By PAT ST. GERMAIN -- Winnipeg Sun
Who says you can't go home again? Randy Bachman returns to his musical roots on new album JazzThing (released today) and pays tribute to late jazzman mentor Lenny Breau at the same time.

"For me it's quite a full circle," says Bachman, who'll play an intimate jazz gig at the Windsor Hotel May 18.

The veteran rocker was just 15 when he started hanging out with then 16-year-old Breau during lunch breaks from classes at Garden City Collegiate.

"When I met Lenny Breau, I stopped going back to school after lunch," Bachman says.

That was in 1957. Already a professional musician, Breau had just moved with his parents to Winnipeg from the U.S. and travelled the province playing country music gigs with The CKY Caravan.

Murdered in L.A.

Breau, who was murdered in Los Angeles in 1984, made his mark in jazz, while Bachman famously rocked the Canadian music world in bands The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive.

But Bachman, now a father of eight and grandfather of 16, says he always played jazz between shows. Now, he's moving his hobby to the front burner.

With some 2,000 hours of Breau's music in his possession Bachman -- who has released six posthumous Breau albums, with royalties going to Breau's heirs -- decided to duet on JazzThing. That's Breau playing on cuts Breau's Blues and Summertime, to which Bachman added vocals a la Natalie Cole's Unforgettable duet with her late father Nat King Cole.

Chet Baker influence

"I just thought this very appropriate that I do this with Lenny," Bachman says, acknowledging the Chet Baker influence in his breathy rendition of the standard.

He says Lenny Breau introduced him to "the two Chets" and told him he should aim to play guitar like Chet Atkins and sing like Chet Baker.

But he admits he's not expecting people to buy the album for his vocal prowess.

"I'm not a serious singer. I have to sort of noodle with the track," he says.

The jazz foundations of Bachman-penned classics Undun and Looking Out for Number One aside, the seasoned performer, who now lives on Saltspring Island in B.C., says it was scary to commit to playing a full jazz set onstage. He says fans expect to hear his songs played note-for-note as they've heard them for the past 30 years -- and he expects to play them that way at more Guess Who gigs this year or next. But he felt he needed to "go to the edge," for a while. And he did feel on edge when he played his first JazzThing concert in front of TV cameras, at a March taping for Bravo! concert series Live at the Rehearsal Hall in Toronto.

With guests including his wife, singer Denise McCann, son Tal Bachman and Winnipeg-born Joel Kroeker, Bachman played for more than 90 minutes.

The Bravo! show airs May 11 and the full concert will be released on DVD this fall.

"I was pretty nervous. The first time we'd played together was on the Bravo! show," he says. "It's a whole new adventure, it's quite fun." (More on Randy Bachman)

[hornplayer]

A LOOOONG time ago, Barry Tuckwell did an album of Jerome Kern tunes (I think is was Jerome Kern...). Horn and strings w/a rhythm section as I recall. I wasn't into jazz at the time and have only the vaguest recollection of it. I KNOW he didn't attempt any improvisation.

I guess it made a really strong impression, eh?

:rolleyes:


M

http://www.cdbaby.com/marktaylor
I have that cd, Mark.... it's too "pretty" for my ears to call it Jazz... way too straight. :rolleyes:
hp

[mtaylorjazz]

I have that cd, Mark.... it's too "pretty" for my ears to call it Jazz... way too straight. :rolleyes:
hp
that's about how i remember it too. thanks for backing me up

;)

http://www.cdbaby.com/marktaylor