# History's Great Jazz Moments **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526 "2006-05-12T16:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/21 "2006-05-13T17:10:49Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > “Friday Night in San Francisco” a live performance in 1980 by Jaco Pastorius, Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin, playing together. It is amazing. The first song on that album is one of my favorite songs of all time. Go look it up on Amazon right now and read the reviews. John McLaughlin, not Jaco Pastorius. But I’ll go with the original Miles Davis Quintet (_Relaxin’ with_ is my favorite jazz album) or his line-up for _Kind of Blue_ as mentioned by the OP. That and the fact that basically the whole album is first-take improvised with very little preparation beforehand means that they were really clicking. There is a note in “So What”, a high B that Miles holds, that my trumpet playing friend calls “the best note in all of jazz.” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/22 "2006-05-14T00:59:48Z")
> [@Hoops](#): > > Michael Brecker in his prime Michael Brecker had a prime? And yes, Cedar Walton is supercalifragilicious. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/23 "2006-05-14T06:44:54Z")
Miles Davis (trumpet) Tony Williams (not only IMO the greatest drummer who ever lived but IMO pound for pound the greatest instrumentalist who ever lived - the Hendrix of drums) Wayne Shorter (tenor) Herbie Hancock (Piano) Ron Carter (bass) The Miles Davis Quintet c 1964 - 1969 - at their absolute peak on the “Miles Smiles” album ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/24 "2006-05-14T15:05:02Z")
Not to hijack myself, but I’ve read that Miles Davis didn’t particularly care for Bill Evans’ playing, after collaborating for some time. Anybody know the story to this? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/25 "2006-05-14T15:24:42Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > Yeah, that’s one of the all time great moments – and was my vote. Up there for me too. But probably more significant for jazz as a mass cultural phenomenon – although no one could really have understood at the time – was BG bringing swing music to nationally sponsored radio, with _Let’s Dance_ in 1934. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/26 "2006-05-14T15:30:40Z")
Just wanted to add that Jimmy Cobb was in the Miles Davis early quintet and I believe played drums on the _Kind of Blue_ album. He’s still alive, by the way. We just saw him play last night at a Lincoln Center Jazz Presents concert here in town. They played only Miles Davis tunes and were terrific. ---
**Author:** ![seoulsoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@seoulsoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seoulsoul)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/27 "2006-05-14T15:51:05Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Not to hijack myself, but I’ve read that Miles Davis didn’t particularly care for Bill Evans’ playing, after collaborating for some time. > > Anybody know the story to this? Of course Miles loved Bills playing. You could argue that the entire concept for “Kind of Blue” came from Evans. He was being influenced by the work of Debussey and Ravel, and their ideas of modality. (see Peace piece 1958) The idea of playing modaly was at the time quite radical. Blue and Green was written by Evans, though Miles often tried to take credit for it. I’ve heard Bill got quite upset when Miles brought in Wynton Kelly to play on All Blues (perhaps the most “bluesy track”) But that’s a different story… ---
**Author:** ![seoulsoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@seoulsoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seoulsoul)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/28 "2006-05-14T16:01:52Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Despite 20 years as a jazz lover, it still blows my mind that Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and Bill Evans once played together. > > I’m still a jazz neophyte, so I’m going to withhold my contributions for now. > > But what ensembles (or recordings) of past today still make your jaw drop, based on the sheer brilliance of each member? I would like to suggest that these kinds of groups still exist ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/29 "2006-05-14T19:46:13Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Not to hijack myself, but I’ve read that Miles Davis didn’t particularly care for Bill Evans’ playing, after collaborating for some time. > > Anybody know the story to this? Considering how Miles felt about most white people (didn’t like um), he must have liked Evans’ playing a hell of a lot to let him into his band. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/30 "2006-05-14T22:15:14Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > Considering how Miles felt about most white people (didn’t like um), he must have liked Evans’ playing a hell of a lot to let him into his band. Yeah, I remember seeing an interview of him wherein he stated that white people can’t play jazz. When asked why, he said “Because they’re always behind the beat”. ---
**Author:** ![Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olive_The_Other_Reindeer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/31 "2006-05-14T23:41:51Z")
> [@Mal Adroit](#): > > [The Quintet](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47E1ADB4AAE7120D7913050DDFA60FA0CD34CDA9A162F4746D3BB7F4B82006AF44DF7888FB0B670AB78ADE02CA45A099FC9E454FAD6653B2DED93&sql=10:fy08b5f4bsqf) > > Charlie Parker - alto sax > Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet > Bud Powell - piano > Charlie Mingus - bass > Max Roach - drums > > I mean, got damn. /hijack from Olive Probably one of the best quintets ever!!! Max Roach is one of my idols, and I learned how to play in trio, quartet and quintet from listening to him. He doesn’t overpower, but takes control of the beat. I’ve played with Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan. I was in a jazz symposium lead by Bill Finnegan, and each of us attending had to bring one of our charts. Since I was playing baritone sax at the time, I had an awesome solo prepared for my piece. Imagine how I felt when I found out Gerry was part of the test band ☹ Anyway, after the first run through, Gerry was kind enough to say that it was good enough to play again, but he wanted me to play the first solo, and the band would repeat that section again - and he’d take a solo, and then we’d repeat that part until we signaled the band to go to the coda. Well, I did my solo, Gerry soloed, and picked up some of my riffs and expanded on them, my turn again, and I elaborated, and picked up some of his stuff . . . and so on for 15 repeats!!! I learned more about jazz in that 1/2 hr than most people will in a lifetime. These guys weren’t legends because they had great chops, they were legends because how they treated the next generation. This happened back in 1974, and the most important lesson I learned that day was that you needed to teach as well as perform, something I kept close to my heart, and still practice. Frank If you want to hear an old fart talk about the old days, feel free to email me: /returning to Olive ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526/32 "2006-05-15T07:24:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Just wanted to add that Jimmy Cobb was in the Miles Davis early quintet and I believe played drums on the _Kind of Blue_ album. He’s still alive, by the way. We just saw him play last night at a Lincoln Center Jazz Presents concert here in town. They played only Miles Davis tunes and were terrific. Is Jimmy Cobb not the only person who played on this album who _is_ still alive? mm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historys-great-jazz-moments/356526.md?page=1)