jazz casual series

[3pointdeli]

i recently found a cheap used vhs copy of art farmer/jim hall on ralph gleason's jazz casual. i didn't buy it but i'm thinking about going back for it. i was curious if all, or most, of the episodes in this series are similar to the coltrane episode (i.e. well filmed, but really short).

anyone have thoughts on this series of videos?

[peter rh]

I have a couple of DVDs which each have 2 episodes on.They
were cheap but cheap videos should be OK if you're interested in
the particular musician.There is no advantage in the DVDs unless
you prefer the format alone.I doubt that either provide value at
their full price (whatever that might be ). Could be wrong but I
think they are all Black/White only.Don't know the one you mention, but the Coltrane has little or no interview.

[John Tapscott]

I enjoyed all those that I've seen. The Coltrane is strange in some respects, though well worth watching. For some reason it was filmed with Elvin Jones' back to the camera, plus there's no interview.
The Basie is really nice, as is the Jimmy Rushing and the Sonny Rollins. The Woody Herman has his roaring '63-'64 Herd with Bill Chase, Sal Nistico, Phil Wilson, and the great Jake Hanna on drums. Essential for big band fans.

All that I've seen are in b&w. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, esp. if you get them cheaply.

[kh1958]

The Jazz Casual series on DVD is highly recommended in my opinion. The Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderley and B.B. King episodes are all pretty wonderful.

Hopefully they will release more episodes.

[Pharaohrock]

not to be contrary but i think it's great watching Elvin from behind like that. You actually get a better sense of the way he "lurched" over his kit and his (VERY) loose limbs.....

[3pointdeli]

i've got to agree with pharoah on this one.

[kh1958]

Actually, Cannonball is on the Jazz Scene USA series, another public television series from the 1960s, which is also quite good. There are DVDs out with Teddy Edwards, Jimmy Smith, Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne, Phineas Newborn and Shorty Rogers led groups.

[3pointdeli]

well, yesterday evening i was next door to the pawn shop that had the art farmer/jim hall video. i decided not to buy it, based on some reviews from amazon. i got the impression that it's mostly ballads (i.e. nice to hear, but not much fun to watch, imo). i decided to save the money and spend it on a cd instead.

they should put out a dvd set with all the episodes. it would probably all fit on two dvds. i'd buy that.

[kdd]

The Sonny Rollins one is great.

[jazzcritic]

I have several of the individual VHS tapes in the series as well as some DVD compilations, the latter which have three shows each. Unfortunately, it's been a couple of years since Rhino has put anymore out.

The reason that there was no interview with Coltrane is that he didn't wish to be interviewed. Gleason is a congenial host, but is sometimes annoying, particularly with Count Basie.

The sound quality is generally good, though there are some defects caused by outside noise or occasionally poor engineering during certain shows. All of them are worth owning, even if you can only locate the CD versions put out by Koch.

[peter rh]

jazzcritic - I understand that the DVDs in UK are all doubles and
that they differ in the combinations of artists available in USA.
Single VHS tapes are also in UK

[jazzcritic]

I haven't pursued any of the UK editions.

The CD which contains Sonny Rollins' appearance is out of print.
I never received a promo copy, and my Koch contact told me that Rollins didn't authorize its release. I don't know if that means that Rhino had to delete the video, too. I did find a copy of the CD through half.com awhile back.

[peter rh]

I suppose there is only a remote possibilty that someone from
outside North America will view this thread :rolleyes:

[3pointdeli]

i'm not sure what you're trying to say, peter.

[BruceH]

I recently bought the Teddy Edwards/Cannonball Adderly Jazz Scene USA DVD and very highly recommend it. Great to hear AND see these guys performing solid music in their prime. The host is not as good as Ralph Gleason, IMHO, but the music makes up for it.

[GA Russell]

I remember watching the Coltrane on TV, about 1968.

Halfway through, my mother in the kitchen doing the dishes insisted that I turn it off. Not just turn the volume down. OFF!

Since then, I've held jazz to the "Mom test": People shouldn't wonder why the art form is unpopular if it drives normal people out of the room!

[BruceH]

Which is worse, to a parent's ears, I wonder: Coltrane or rap?

[jazzcritic]

To me, rap is unlistenable in almost any form, particularly those who scream their drivel in front of lame, repetitious background "music."

And you probably have to be careful about which Coltrane you choose for most mothers, unless yours is already steeped in jazz. An easy alternative is to play her some Duke Ellington.

[BruceH]

My mother recently told me that there was a CD-insert in a mystery novel she purchased. The favorite jazz tunes of the main character or some such. She said she actually liked some of it. This naturally piqued my curiosity, so I asked her what the tunes were. Oh, I don't know their NAMES, she said. She just liked how some of them sounded. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I guess it's a good thing. Unless they were just New Age drivel, which is certainly possible.