Best jazz rock WITH vocals
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Topic: Best jazz rock WITH vocals
Posted By: Dick Heath
Subject: Best jazz rock WITH vocals
Date Posted: November 01 2007 at 11:41
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Inspired by a parallel thread dealing with favourite instrumental tunes (surely songs are tunes with words....?), what are folks favourite jazz rock songs with space made for vocals. Here's a few of mine:
Joni Mitchell: Shadows & Light
Bruford: Feels Good To Me
Allan Holdsworth: Road Games & IOU
Susan Weinert: Running Out Of Time
Flora Purim: Open Your Eyes You Can Fly
Jan Hammer Group: Oh Yeah! and for a one off: Weather Report & Manhattan Transfer: Birdland
Jack Bruce across his own solo jazz-oriented recordings, and especially those done with Michael Mantler (Mantler have brought some remarkable performances from left field(?) singers: Marianne Faithful, Bruce, Wyatt, Kevin Coyne), and Kip Hanrahan.
Then Robert Wyatt, again, on Nick Mason's (surely strictly Carla Bley's) Fictious Sports.
Richard Sinclair guesting on 3 tracks of Theo Travis's Earth To Ether album.
Then a few Steely Dan and Donald Fagen's first solo; ditto Cassandra Wilson (especially her Miles tribute). I'm afraid Gayle Moran does nothing for me.
------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Replies:
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: November 01 2007 at 14:20
Can I count the Softies' "Hope for Happines" in?  Actually we shouldn't, if we had Canterbury in, it would all be sooo easy.  I'd say "What game shall we play today?" from Return to Forever, the album. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!" 
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:11
That's Flora again, isn't it? ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
andu wrote:Posted By: andu
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:13
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Yes, that's her. Still thinking for some other good JRF with vocals... ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!"
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:26
For some reason it is a sub-genre many people assume is vocal-free - but as you pointed out indirectly with reference to Hope For Happiness (although personally I hear the versions with Ratledge on, as left field psychedelia, the one without Ratledge as raga-influenced rock), one part of jazz rock fusion grew out rock musicians moving into jazz (especially the European side), hence vocals were not out of place. Which has sparked off the thought:
Tasavallan Presidentti: Lambertland.
And just reminded myself, Tony Williams did a couple of eerie vocals on Lifetime's Turn It Over
Holdsworth has done one vocal, found on his collaborative album with Gordon Beck: Sunbird - sort of reminded me of Chet Baker's soulful but one octave range vocal recordings and so I'm tempted to ask for more! ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 14:33
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"When I Look Into Your Eyes" - Santana - "Welcome" (Leon Thomas, vocals) "Sound of Love" - David Sancious & Tone - "True Stories" (Alex Ligertwood, vocals) "Street Life" - Crusaders - "Street Life" (Randy Crawford, vocals) "Raging Waters" - Al Jarreau - "Live in London" (Al Jarreau, vocals) "Who Do You Love" - Lenny White - "Present Tense" (Chaka Khan, vocals) |
Posted By: ten years after
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 23:17
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My favourites are
Elegy (the Valentyne Suite) - Colosseum
Also Colosseum's version of "Theme for an Imaginary Western" on the Reunion Tour 1994.
"IF" are also well worth a listen but their studio albums lacked the brilliance of their live act.. The 1972 live CD (released about 10 years ago) is rather good.
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 23:41
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I'm with those who mentioned Flora's vocals with RTF, and yes! the Santana songs from Welcome. And let's consider perhaps Bob Tench with the Jeff Beck Group as well. |
Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 00:22
| Most of the tunes off the first three Chicago albums. |
Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 00:47
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There is always Alex Ligertwood's vocals on those live Brian Auger Oblivion Express albums, Brian's vocals are OK sometimes and grating at other times.
Also when you think of early jazzy rock albums by bands like Santana and Allman Brothers, it seems like the vocals were just a set up for the jam part. |
Posted By: ten years after
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 01:13
| mmm yes. Chicago Transit Authority in particular is quite exceptional. |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: November 04 2007 at 10:19
| Robert Wyatt's new COMICOPERA is jazzier than he's ever been (there's rock as well), it features vocals AND it's superb! |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: November 04 2007 at 15:30
A forgotten classic: Ten Wheel Drive w\Genya Raven
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: November 10 2007 at 14:01
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Anybody come across the 80's (?) US fusion band Kittyhawk - I know their song Race To The Oasis. And of course there is Brecker Brothers' East River, La Di Da If Chicago gets mentioned have to also mention a couple of vocalists for BST - Dave Clayton Thomas (Canadian but hales from the same town as Judy Andrews & me , Walton on Thames in SE England) - but never quite got to grips with Al Kooper's voice. BST do a get cover of Billy Holliday's God Bless The Child. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: markosherrera
Date Posted: November 10 2007 at 18:39
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THE underrated Gino Vannelli Canadian italian singer and composer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHRuCJ4vezE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHRuCJ4vezE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3gi6p-5h-4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3gi6p-5h-4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr7t-8dUR-o - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr7t-8dUR-o
His most famous pop song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgxwZN49fLs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgxwZN49fLs
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Posted By: markosherrera
Date Posted: November 10 2007 at 18:57
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Some songs of Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOvGa-8-Lns - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOvGa-8-Lns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjGXxt_GI38 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjGXxt_GI38
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Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 10:04
Although I wasn't a fan of Manhattan Transfer I thought they worked very well with Weather Report on the track Where the Moon Goes from Procession.
Donald Fagen's first solo album is a classic as is much of Steely Dan.
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Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 10:55
David Sancious and Tone : "True Stories". An excellent mix of dynamic keyboards (David Sancious) and lead vocals (Alex Ligertwood).
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Posted By: sircosick
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 12:30
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Being some Allan Holdsworth stuff already mentioned, I'll add a couple more that I consider excellent jazz rock with vocals: - Metal Fatigue (1985) - Wardenclyffe Tower (1992) ------------- The best you can is good enough... |
Posted By: bsurmano
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 14:25
True !
 In that context my favourites :
Chris Farlowe on Colosseum's Live album in 'Rope Ladder To The Moon'
Paul Williams on Dick Heckstall-Smith's 'A Story Ended' album in 'Crabs'
------------- 'Sundown,yellow moon, I replay the past I know every scene by heart, they all went by so fast..... Either I'm too sensitive or else I'm gettin' soft.' Bob Dylan |