Thursday, March 3, 2011

What was happening in 1959?

All released in 1959...
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Take Five - Dave Brubeck
Ah Om - Charles Mingus
The Shape of Jazz to Come - Ornette Coleman

Mis-spent youth.  At the time, I was listening to the Everly Brothers, the New Christy Minstrels, Connie Frances, and Bobby Darin.  Well, maybe not too much Connie Frances.  And there was some Ray Charles and Chuck Berry in the mix.

2 comments:

  1. Wow -- an eventful year for Jazz? I have heard of three of those albums (own two of them) -- I don't know if that means they hit the popular mainstream, or if they are the tip of the iceberg, so well respected that even non-jazz enthusiasts have heard of them.

    Are any other years as impressive?

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  2. Off hand, I'd say it's hard to find as revolutionary a set in popular music.

    The BBC did a poll, and 1967 was the answer:

    Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band -- the Beatles
    Surrealistic Pillow - the Jefferson Airplane
    Are You Experienced - the Jimi Hendrix Experience
    Their Satanic Majesties Request - the Rolling Stones
    Disraeli Gears - Cream
    The Who Sell Out - the Who

    It certainly doesn't represent the same radical shift. Not even sure that these are the best these groups produced.

    So maybe the answer is no.

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