-
Yeah I was listening to the Ronnie Scotts CD last night (haven’t heard it for ages). I think it’s got some great playing on it. Check out Wes’ fast playing here at 2 minutes, it’s pretty amazing.
Also a great chord solo from 4:10.
-
07-02-2022 04:43 AM
-
It struck me that it’s fortunate Wes made that European tour, otherwise we’d have very little film of him (as far as I’m aware). It’s quite surprising how much they filmed him during those couple of months, the ones I know about are as follows:
BBC Jazz 625 - with Wes’ group.
British TV ‘Tempo’ - with the Ronnie Scott house band.
Dutch TV - with the Pim Jacobs trio.
Belgian TV - with Wes’ group.
German TV - with a large group including Johnny Griffin and Martial Solal.
-
I think that’s consistent with my impression that top flight jazz performers like Wes were not taken for granted on the right side of the pond like they were by us here in the big cities of the US. We really did those who created and developed jazz a horrible disservice over here. They were as integral a part of American (and world) culture as any other artists in any other medium. Sadly, they got very little support and were truly either taken for granted or just ignored by most of American society and the institutions that are supposed to support it.
Originally Posted by grahambop
Wes appeared in a fair number of TV shows here, and the footage is still around - I see several clips on YT. This page lists far more than I remember, but none is the length of those European TV features. I’ll search the web later to see how many I can find.
I watched our public TV station a lot as a kid to find jazz. I remember one half hour show with MJQ and one with Oscar Peterson, but I don’t recall seeing Wes on public TV except for a documentary called something like Jazz People that I think I watched while still in college around ‘66-67.
Interestingly enough, that public station in Boston was WGBH, the same one that grudgingly let Julia Child create and produce The French Chef (which she paid for herself because they didn’t think it was of much interest). Watch the documentary about the creation of that show and you realize that as a country, we were blind to the art, culture, music etc of the rest of the world and equally uninterested in those Americans who truly had knowledge, talents, taste, and creativity equal to any around the world. Fortunately, enough here did respond to all this to keep much of it alive (barely). But we lost huge numbers of our cultural and artistic population to a diaspora forced by a lack of support of our own people in their own country. It’s truly depressing to realize what music and art could have been here had it been supported as fully and actively as it has been in Europe.Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 07-02-2022 at 08:39 AM.
-
On a side note, the man playing piano in the Wes Recordings from Ronny Scotts is Stan Tracey.
A somewhat quirky British pianist, who recorded one of my favourite Jazz albums ' Under Milk Wood', inspired by Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
I have yet to find a copy of this album and not sure how well known Stand Tracey or Bobby Wellins (Scottish saxophonist) are in the U:S.
Here is a song from the the album 'Under Milk Wood' by the Stan Tracy Quartet.
Last edited by Archie; 07-02-2022 at 02:38 PM.
-
Yes Stan was great, I saw him quite a few times at Ronnies with his son Clark on drums. I have got Under Milk Wood on CD, it must have been reissued at some point.
Sonny Rollins praised Stan after playing with him at Ronnie Scott’s club, apparently he said ‘Does anyone here know how good he is?’
-
Checking on Ebay I've found a few copies on vinyl. Originally Posted by grahambop
Now I just have to find the even rarer recording of the Hermeto Pascoal 'Sambrasa Trio' (1965).
-
I recently saw Hermeto Pascoal in Norwich of all places. He is getting a bit frail, but still a crazy guy. Whenever he wanted his band to play louder, he signalled it by lifting his hat up above his head!
-
Sad facts of life. Rock got all of the praise from the young crowd during those days. It would be a decade before even the Japanese came out in huge numbers in support of jazz. By the 80’s Keith Jarrett could have retired in Japan as a God! All the while America saw the music as simple noise that they were clueless to understand. As a collective society they’ve had zero appreciation for what could be known as the finest musicianship ever created. My .02. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
-
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
But seriously, you’re unfortunately correct. I love my country and will defend it to my last breath, but there’s room for improvement.
-
As long as competitive sports rule the education system music, of all sorts, is short changed here. I remember my first UK trip in a very nice restaurant with a trio playing. ONE table in the joint was talking over the music. Their accent: decidedly New York.
Tal loved, and I mean loved! his European tours for that reason. He would say how nice it was to be listened to, watched, rather than talked over and unseen. I’m sorry Silverfoxx but Dublin pubs were his #1.
Never you are correct. A great country with issues. General/President Grant’s quote is usually “my country right or wrong”
NO
”My country right or wrong. If she’s right, keep her right. If she’s wrong make her right”. Good man that.
-
It’s funny how often the first half of a quote or line is remembered and second half conveniently forgotten haha
-
Indeed! Originally Posted by Christian Miller
Fools rush in..........and get the best seats.
A fool and his money..........................give up a great day job to busk.
A penny saved...........................is a drop in the bucket.
Reply With Quote
Giving the Loar some love
Today, 05:05 PM in The Builder's Bench