#daveburns

[projazznet]

Dave Burns – Dave Burns

“… the trumpeter has been following the advice of the great Lester Young on how to play a ballad: learn the words first,” - Eugene Chadbourne/AllMusic. Dave Burns – trumpet

[mystical-mischief]

Crucifixion by Alonso cano

[altoecko]

Album on table! #thedizzygillespiestory #dizzygillespie #johnnyrichard #bebopboys #miltjackson #hankjones #jamesmoody #raybrown #johnbrown #daveburns #joeharris #jazz #savoy #savoyrecords #1984 #fun #vinyl #vinylgram #vinyligclub #vinylrecords #vinyljunkie #vinylshopping #licoricepizza #instawax #instavinyl #nowplaying #nowspinning #noyoutubevideos #nospotify (at Peachtree Corners, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4eBr0DJXQk/?igshid=fduqvpnt5gpk

[plungermusic]

Altruism’s all very well, but what’s in it for Plunger ?

Plunger missed Benjamin Folke Thomas’ last sold-out gig with Dave Burn at the Green Note after giving up our ‘in’ for someone else in a rare (admittedly lager-inspired) act of generosity: reverting to type we made sure we bagged ringside seats for the return match.

Benjamin (clad in surprisingly climate appropriate Hawaiian shirt given this was what’s laughingly known as ‘spring’) announced he would be doing only obscure back catalogue numbers, “and none of the hits…” Despite that opened alone with the old favourite Gettysburg, a bustling Atlantic City-meets-Mr Tambourine Man epic, epitomising his strong vocal and striking use of imagery. There were some lesser known gems in his solo stint, including the chiming Greenwich Village vibe of Struck Gold with some Youngian harp, the melancholy finger-picked circular reverie of Bullet Proof, an uptempo boogieing Dream About You Baby and the bouncy country-inflected Martyr’s Cross with self deprecatory, matter-of-fact lyrics that raised some laughs.

Dave then joined Ben for another couple of ‘hits’, the lilting music box picking of Copenhagen and the breezy Jackson Brownesque Rhythm And Blues. Ben has amassed a tight knot of loyal fans, (many here having been at his previous show in darkest Hampshire), and they showed their enthusiasm with frequent bursts of joining in, on the latter number being urged ever higher in the closing bars by a playful Ben. The crowd choir also got in on the act for another golden oldie, Gimme A Smile, the first song the pair ever wrote together, where Dave’s heartfelt mellow lead vox contrasted with Ben’s rich baritone vibrato.

There were more chances for communal singing in another recent live favourite Paul Newman, a surprisingly moving serious/not serious epic dream narrative with fine high harmony ooh-oohs, and in the sunny uptempo Love Somebody. Darker moods came in the impassioned refugee-inspired polemic Finn, the hypnotic picking underpinning a brooding tale of struggle and flight, Dave adding brittle crystalline high capo’d chiming guitar, and with a mantra quality to the closing refrain.

Although we were denied any penguins or ice-cream men, Ben’s wry humour was in evidence throughout, both in inter-song banter (Dave’s capo-placement blindness being one example) and in his songs themselves: celebrating his recent signing to Aveline records Ben declared “I hate the music business” before playing Tasteless And Complacent, a jangly pettyish number with more high harmony ooh-ing, and Petty-style flavours appeared once more in the chugging chords of One Day, a jaundiced look at the lure of sell-out success. After informing us (to cheers) of his upcoming marriage Ben gave us One More Chance, a sprightly James Taylory melody on the cheery subject of what would happen if his wife-to-be left him, and the melancholy Postcard From Cazal (a short tale of misery in France) was preceded by the Pinteresque mini-drama of its writing.

“Dave Burn wrote this song, he let’s me sing it sometimes… and this is one of those times” heralded a less bitter tongue-in-cheek look at life on the road, Vans, and two other covers completed the setlist: the shitkicking country bustle of Nanci Griffith’s I Wish It Would Rain with sweet two-part Nashville vocal harmonies and, in keeping with BFT tradition, a closing Warren Zevon song, the celtic-flavoured ballad of Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner capped the dark undercurrent of much of the evening.

Fantastic singing, stylish playing and intricate and intriguing lyrics combined with a surrealist mash-up of the bleak and light-hearted, the comic and the deadly serious are hallmarks of all Ben Folke Thomas’ shows and long may it be so... well worth selling your own granny for.

[talkaboutlistening]

Any time Blue Note records gave a record a red Reid Miles cover, you can bank on it being amazing. Drummer Art Taylor only recorded one album as a leader for the label - something that is incomprehensible to me - and what a record it is! The liner notes on "A.T's Delight" open with the funniest phrase: "Arthur Taylor may have an outward veneer of aloofness but don't let it fool you." I bet this is a sort of "you had to know him" kind of thing, but it is so incongruous to me considering this is the man who wrote what is one of the best, most insightful books on Jazz - 'Notes and Tones'. Not only that, his playing has the kind of laser focus that is, to me, permanently related to the redness of this album cover. Again, I do not think it was a coincidence. With an all-star backing band featuring Paul Chambers (b), Wynton Kelly,(p) Stanley Turrentine (ts), Dave Burns (tp) and some appearances by Potato Valdez on conga, this is am atom bomb of a session. AT was never one to shy away from fast tempos (listen to John Coltrane's 'Countdown' and you'll see what I mean) and they are featured here, but we also get some mid tempo swingers that let mid-tempo king Turrentine shine with his impossibly happy tenor playing. It's no coincidence that another important line from the liner notes, this time from the man himself, so perfectly distills the essence of this recording: "A drummer should keep time and swing while doing it." So obvious, but also the understatement of the century when talking about Taylor's ability to do just that. As big a delight for the listener as it is for the player, if not bigger. Classic in every way! #arthurtaylor #arttaylor #bluenote #paulchambers #wyntonkelly #stanleyturrentine #daveburns #potatovaldez #jazzvinyl #bluenote #bluenoterecords #jazzdrummer #talkaboutlistening #sundayvinyl #nowspinning #jazz