DVD : Jazz Casual DVD (Count Basie, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305979784
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, Live, NTSC
ISBN: 6305979782
Label: Rhino / Wea
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Rhino / Wea
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 22, 2000
Running Time: 90 minutes
Sales Rank: 58861
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Theatrical Release Date: March 23, 1999
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Count Basie
A telling moment in this terrific Jazz Casual program occurs very early on, when host Ralph J. Gleason asks Count Basie the name of the first piece that the pianist-bandleader and his small group played. "I don't know," says Basie with a laugh. He's not being flip. "I Don't Know," as it eventually became known, is, like most of the other music Basie and company play here, nothing more or less than a blues jam, improvised on the spot. The "casual" label has never been more appropriate, as this 1968 performance finds Basie at his most relaxed. He smokes a lot. He talks a lot: about the influence of Duke Ellington and such legendary pianists as Fats Waller, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis; about the genesis of "One O'Clock Jump," the Basie band's signature tune; and about his own playing style, which he self-effacingly calls "dated." And, best of all, he plays a lot, accompanied by the superb rhythm section of Sonny Payne on drums, Norman Keenan on bass, and the redoubtable Freddie Green on guitar. "I never get tired of playing the blues," Basie tells Gleason, and in the hands of these pros, you'll never get tired of listening to it. Basie's blues are inimitable: effortlessly swinging, completely cool, at once laconic and driving, danceable, humorous, just unmistakably right, with the rhythm players always on the beat and Basie himself the master of what not to play. This is great stuff, and highly recommended. --Sam Graham
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie--trumpeter, bandleader, entertainer--was 43 and still at the peak of his powers when he appeared with his quintet on Ralph J. Gleason's performance-interview TV program, Jazz Casual, in early 1961. And while his style had become somewhat cooler since the days when he and Charlie Parker led jazz's bebop revolution, this four-song set is as identifiably Dizzy as his trademark up-tilted horn and ballooning cheeks. The tunes, from Benny Golson's mid-tempo "Blues After Dark" to Dizzy's own "Lorraine" (with an exotic, sinuous melody reminiscent of his more famous "Night in Tunisia"), are invariably swinging, with fine solo turns by Gillespie, saxophonist-flutist Leo Wright, and a pianist named Lalo Schifrin. That's the same Lalo Schifrin who within a few short years would achieve pop music immortality by composing the Mission: Impossible theme. --Sam Graham
John Coltrane
It might not seem like much: 30 minutes, three tunes, four musicians on a bare- bones soundstage. But this is John Coltrane, and any opportunity to see the legendary saxophonist at work is something to be savored. That's especially true with this January 1964 television performance. Some five years after his membership in Miles Davis's immortal Kind of Blue group, he was well past playing the usual standards and ballads; at the same time, he had yet to explore the outer reaches of the avant-garde. Joined here by pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones--the classic Coltrane quartet, and undoubtedly one of the most important and influential groups in jazz history--he works his way through three numbers that were familiar components of the Coltrane repertoire: Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue," which finds Trane on soprano sax and features a typically dynamic Tyner solo; "Alabama," a Coltrane original with a brooding, droning intro and conclusion sandwiched around the middle section's slow, swinging groove; and "Impressions," the modal touchstone, which at nearly 14 minutes long gives all four musicians plenty of room to stretch out.
Playing the tenor horn here, Coltrane is typically restless and searching, volcanic and commanding. It's not necessarily pretty, especially when he is backed only by Jones's angry, explosive polyrhythms, but the power is undeniable. The fact that Coltrane says nothing (all other Jazz Casual guests were interviewed by host Ralph J. Gleason) is immaterial; what could he say with his voice that he hadn't already said with his horn? --Sam Graham
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Afro Blue: It may be one of my favourite tunes of Coltrane, but here Coltrane seems just a little uninspired. A couple of times his soprano rises above the low-set mike and the sound drops out. McCoy Tyner is more worthy of attention, with a fine piano solo. Oh yes, and why is Coltrane holding a cigarette at the beginning of the performance?? He pauses, takes a puff, and grinds it out with his shoe - all in mid-performance! I think this may be Coltrane's sense of humour - he knew the cameras would be on him and wanted to do something weird. I couldn't imagine even trying to play an instrument with a cigarette in one hand.
Also, watch out for Ralph Gleason's condescending attitude - his peering down at Tyner's piano with smug curiosity when he does a fantastic solo, and actually laughing when Coltrane's solo reaches its peak. And don't even mention the insipid speech (jazz musicians like poets in a supermarket???)
Alabama: Get the disc if only for this. This is the only recorded performance of Alabama that is complete. The version on disc was sadly incomplete thanks to a screw-up in the recording studio! The style is sombre and quiet, a good contrast to the screeching of Afro Blue. I like Elvin Jones' drumming here. Look out for Alice Coltrane sitting in the background here.
Impressions: The other two numbers are pretty short, seemingly to make room for a truly inspired performance of Impressions that lasts fourteen ... Read More
Rating: -
It seems as though this disc polarizes the reviewers; either they love it or hate it. Though it has its flaws, I'd have to say it's very worthwhile. I agree with the ones who didn't like Ralph J. Gleason's style. Yes, he's irritating, but he takes up very little time on the Gillespie and Coltrane segments. See the "Jazz Scene USA" series with Oscar Brown, Jr. for a late 50s/early 60s era jazz program with a first rate host and better production values. At first viewing I thought the Basie segment was disappointing, but it's grown on me. Diz was the main reason I bought this disc, and he didn't disappoint. He was even a good sport for the interview. His segment cooks at a consistent simmer. Very nice, but Coltrane cuts Diz for the highlight of the program. He's at one of his peaks, with a killer band, and they just keep ratcheting the intensity up higher and higher until the end. I'm not sure about the guy who gave this one star... he talks as if the picture and sound are worse than they actually are (reasonable but not stellar for their era) and like Gleason was on between every song (he was for Basie's and The Count seemed annoyed). I'd like to see more of these 3-on-1 Jazz Casual compilations. A single disc of 30 minutes with no bonus material is a waste.
Rating: -
I really love the way Count Basie played piano and one didn't get to hear much of it in the big band setting. This VCR/DVD gives one a chance to let the Count stretch out and also gives the viewer an opportunity to watch him and his group play and listen to the Count talk. Recommended for the jazz fan and any piano student. I play it often and learn something every time. It features the Count, Sonny Payne, Freddie Greene and Norman Keenan on bass.
I was, however, disappointed with the sound quality. One can hear some of Freddie Green but the bass is lost.
Finally, I was amazed at the naivete and incompetence of the host, Ralph J. Gleason. The VCR opens with Basie and the boys playing a simple generic 32 bar AABA tune, probably derived as so many are, from the basic "I Got Rythmn" structure. As the Basie finishes, Ralph slides in on the piano bench beside Basie and says, first, "Well, Count what do you call that?". Clearly it has no name and Basie mumbles something to that effect and then Raph says, "Is that the way you used to play the blues in Kansas City?". I nearly fell of my chair the first time I saw this (for the non fan, the blues has a 12 bar structure) and even Basie is nonplused for a few moments but he recovers nicely without telling Ralph what a fool he is. I guess the musicians tolerated Ralph because he does come across as a nice guy.
Finally, for the listener interested in hearing Basie stretch out more, see the "Basie and Zoot" cd.
Rating: -
I'm a working jazz pianist in the Seattle area and always looking to get closer to Basie's perspective. If you've got ears and want to see these guys in action, get this disk. Granted, there are some short interviews, but it's a small price to pay to see a slice of the minimal good footage available from these long gone times in jazz history. A player's textbook in black and white!
Rating:  -
...The music is really great. Coltrane is so awesome that his music magnetizes, you can't even put it at the background: it takes all your attention.
Now the problem is that the interview is very poor... I think that even with talented interviewer the musical DVD should have the option to skip the dialogs and to choose to play the music only. It is also strange that the sound recording not as good as it supposed to be and the video picture is sometimes very dirty. Don't buy this DVD.
Somebody needs to remake this DVD and make some cleaning of it.
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