Jazz

Fats Navarro and Friends: “52nd Street Theme”

March 12, 2018
1 Min Read

I started out aiming to do a post on Fats Navarro, and sort of made it.

This is “52nd Street Theme,” which Wikipedia says was written by Thelonious Monk, with Navarro on trumpet. The other players, according to the posting at YouTube, are Charlie Parker on alto sax (its his quintet), Tommy Potter on bass, Walter Bishop on piano and Roy Haynes (identified at YouTube as The GREAT) Roy Haynes on drums. I am not expert, but that sounds like an all star lineup to me. It was recorded at Birdland on June 30, 1950. The photo montage is absolutely outstanding.

Please check out an interview about Parker with jazz critic Scott Yanow. Also check out “Dexterity” and “Yardbird Suite.” The latter is one of the greatest pieces of music ever, in my opinion. Here is more on Navarro.

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Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

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--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

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The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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