Denzil Best

1. Fell down the subway stairs and died.

Roland Barthes was hit by a bus.

No shit.

I did not know that!

I also didn't know until recently that Sartre hallucinated crabs. I mentioned that already, though.

My first semester in college - intro course to the department I was going to major in, then hated, then eventually majored in - the two main things I remember from the section discussions were that Barthes was hit by a bus and Louis Althusser killed his wife.

2. He wrote "Move." Charlie Parker used to play that song very, very fast. Sometimes the Super Mario Bros. theme reminds me of something off of Birth of the Cool.

I think I need to work my way back as far as jazz is concerned - I started w/Ornette, Cecil Taylor, Ayler and worked forward to Borbetomagus, Last Exit, Brotzmann/Bennink, etc.

Oh, shit, yes. You really should.

There's this contemporary group that has some "old school" elements to it that I like - Peter Evans Quartet - Peter Evans is a really amazing trumpet player.

3. Had an alcohol problem.

4. Considered a transitional drummer.

Denardo Coleman was underrated

So, what would be a good album to get, if I were to work my way backward from The Shape of Jazz to Come?

Birth of the Cool. Or I could make a longer list to increase your chances of coming across something used. But certainly get that.

if you want to make a longer list - that'd be great - lists are great - ilx likes lists. people like tiny things.

Money Jungle - Ellington, Mingus, Roach

Actually is later than The Shape of Jazz to Come.

Thelonious Monk -

Brilliant Corners
Solo Monk
Straight, No Chaser

Charlie Parker -

Bird on 52nd St
The Genius of Charlie Parker

Art Tatum - just look for those Pablo reissues for the small groups and solo stuff. Really, anything by him is good.

cool, thanks!

Not pre-Coleman, but not really free:

Roland Kirk -

Natural Black Inventions
Blacknuss

Jelly Roll Morton - almost anything?

I also need to listen to James Blood Ulmer and Ronald Shannon Jackson more.

Obviously listen to John Coltrane.

I also really like New York Eye & Ear Control

Ulmer's rad. He put out a CD of blues a few years ago that's really good. Birthright.

xpost I have never heard that.

Obv. noise and vinyl dudes would help. & Jazz D.Bags thread.

xp - it's Ayler & Don cherry

I'll have to look at my records, too. CDs are one thing, and then the records I have a very different kind of catalog.

Ohhh.

5. He became depressed because of insecurities about his position as a composer.

xp - yeah, i have downloaded stuff, cds, records, and some cassettes - a bag of stuff that my friend gave me that he dubbed from things when he was in hs and college. He & I have pretty similar tastes.

I should make a looser list Sarah jazz list, I guess.

yay!

Like, I have almost no Kirk on CD, but I have ten or twelve things on LP. But I have three or four times the amount of Coltrane on CD than compared to LP. Both of those are completely understandable disparities, but then with others the reasons for them become subtler.

looser list sarah jazz list

Anyway, what I mean is that they don't all have to be heavy hitters.

And some things you'll grow into, or some things you won't.

probably my one preference would be for stuff with interesting drumming - because i'm a nerd like that.

Haha. Then I won't recommend anything Denzil Best is playing on. Unless you like understatement.

i'm fine with understatement if it's good.

I used to collect requiems, now I'm more into "ascentions"

Ulmer's rad. He put out a CD of blues a few years ago that's really good. Birthright.

I listened to this yesterday, I liked it a lot.