I haven't been doing many jazz notes of late, in part because I have blog specifically devoted to jazz: Jazz Note SDP. My friend Ken Laster, whose In The Groove Podcast I have praised frequently, but not enough, has a post on the Jazz Note site about a concert he recently enjoyed. Tenor players George Coleman and Eric Alexander shared the stage at The Jazz Standard in New York City. I am very jealous. Alexander is a young man, representing the current generation of jazzmen. Coleman was the tenor player for the Miles Davis Quintet, briefly, between the tenures of Hank Mobley and Wayne Shorter.
I think that Coleman is very under appreciated. In the first cut on My Funny Valentine, a live recording of the Davis quintet in 1964, Coleman seems to be playing two different instruments. You can hear this cut if you go to my post "My Funny Valentine 1956 and 1964." Another good place to sample Coleman is at Daily Motion. Here he plays with the great Ahmad Jamal's Trio. The piece is an excellent showcase for Coleman's mind. The recording is marred only by the fact that you can't really hear the bass.
If you think that you are brilliant, but no one else seems to notice, talk to George Coleman. He knows how to do what jazz does best: explore all the nooks and crannies of melody without ever losing his way.
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