The new boxed set The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 documents the death knell of jazz as a form of popular music. Months after Miles Davis’ sublime Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s monumental Giant Steps were released, the jazz titans toured Europe with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.
Eager audiences expected to hear a unified band firing on all cylinders. The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 is the sound of disappointment. A press release insists that the 220-minute collection showcases the “musical chemistry shared by Miles and Trane.” What a laugh!
Davis and Coltrane are clearly at odds with one another. Coltrane’s connection with the rhythm section is even shakier. I’m on #teamtrane, but I understand how Coltrane’s lengthy and often dissonant solos could be construed as selfish grandstanding. The band’s unwillingness or inability to respond with a corresponding sense of exploration is cringe-inducing.
The clearly audible responses of enraged fans seem misguided in hindsight, but the auspiciousness of the participants places these sessions among the most significant breaches of jazz’s accord with the general public.
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I consider suburban jazz at Plastic Sax.
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Avicii has died.
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“Groomed By the Block” is the best track on Kontra-Band, a collaboration between the Kansas City rappers Stevie Stone and JL.
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Kandace Springs reveals her supper club inclinations on the three-song Black Orchid. RIYL: Diana Ross, formal wear, Dionne Warwick. Here’s the title track.
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I like J. Cole as a person but I don’t particularly care for his music. Most of KOD is insufferable.
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Sorrows & Triumphs may be too much of a good thing. Edward Simon’s latest effort features a large cast of ringers including Brian Blade, Imani Winds, David Binney and Gretchen Parlato. The result is aggravatingly fussy.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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