Note: Singles, up until the late 1960s, tell a completely different tale to LPs. Were the Cold Coffee project keeping track of singles this recap (this whole blog) would be telling a supremely different tale. 1950-54 for instance would have included Louis Jordan doing some outstanding work but entirely focused on the singles market. The Cold Coffee Music Library is attempting to make a study of relevant LPs that excel in one way or another.
Popular memory of the early 50s is of a bland, overtly commercial era. Big Band's popularity had peaked by World War Two, they'd died out and all that was left were smooth singers and jazz combos. If you were hip with the times, you listened to jazz. If you were square (or your parents) you preferred the singers. And if you were interested in rock and roll the early 1950s were a wasteland. "Before Elvis there was nothing," as John Lennon said.
What you have to do some digging to discover is that the early 50s had a substantial value. There were great innovators like the Peruvian Yma Sumac, who took the lounge genre and made it avant-garde, and like Stan Kenton, who never gave up on Big Band's possibilities and pushed it to an orchestral, experimental limit. Exciting innovation isn't associated with an era when Elvis Presley sparked major controversy but Elvis shocked mostly because of his stage persona - he was hardly the first to stand up musically and rock the boat.
From 1950-54 rock and roll was a blip on the radar, represented very badly by Bill Haley and the Comets. If you were smart you paid him no mind and hunted for awesomeness in greener pastures. If you wanted great guitar playing, country music as represented by Chet Atkins would do wonders. If jazz spoke to you, there was the début recording of Toshiko Akiyoshi, backed by Oscar Peterson's rhythm section, along with a four-way collaboration between Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich and Thelonious Monk. These were the EXCITING sounds available to people who didn't limit themselves to the Great American Songbook and show another, sadly forgotten side to the early 50s - a healthy landscape of excitement, innovation and new sounds. "New concepts," as Stan Kenton would say.
And so, here are the albums we tried to digest, numbered from best to worst. And we do apologise if we missed out discovering a favourite record or failed to connect with a cherished piece of music. An analysis of what sold the most copies isn't the whole story and neither is our humble little library.
The "Ambassador of Jazz" earns his right to the title with this tribute to the "Father of the Blues." Everything works perfectly. Nymith
Speed-demon jazz from Japan, as wild and exciting as you'd ever hoped it could be. Nymith
Sumac at her most lush, romantic and melodic. Dazzling. Nymith
Everything comes together on this record. Start here if you want to explore Chet Atkins virtuoso guitar playing. Ticharu
Don't try this on headphones, you'll need a proper loud stereo and a comfortable chair to be appropriately blasted into the back of. Ticharu
Slightly marred by Les Baxter's production on the first half, nevertheless these two projects represent Sumac at her edgiest and most experimental. Don't miss it. Nymith
Compact arrangments that make bop jazz actually kind of fun! Ticharu
Ella Fitzgerald with an understated piano accompaniment singing some rather good songs... not bad. Ticharu
Ella Fitzgerald with an understated piano accompaniment singing some not quite as good songs... still not bad. Ticharu
Hollywood production values and bop jazz are ill-suited to each other. File under failed experiment. Nymith
The mambo craze meets the lounge craze... unfortunately it makes rather poor use of an extremely talented singer. Ticharu
Rock and Roll began its life as a country-swing novelty for children. Totally vapid and featuring more than one "rockin" nursery rhyme, which says it all. Nymith
The Unused Bin:
B.G. In Hi-Fi from 1954 by Benny Goodman
Expecting greatness from Benny Goodman but this one is just a bit bland.
City Of Glass from 1951 by Stan Kenton
This is a stunning recording, it really is, top of the heap. We just felt a bit out of our depth in trying to review music that is for all intents and purposes classical.
Also tried and failed listening to An Evening At Home With The Bird by Charlie Parker and The Early Show by Art Pepper. Failed to grasp the significance of these records.
No comments:
Post a Comment