Customer Reviews

Jimmy Giuffre 3

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jimmy Giuffre seems to have become an extremely overlooked and unfortunately forgotten master within his genre. While Jazz underwent a very vast transformation during the late 50's and early 60's (only Duke Ellington survived musically, from the old school) Giuffre and his small group were at the forefront of this revolution. Crafting Jazz in ways never before even thought of. In 'The Jimmy Giuffre 3' we find Jimmy teamed with Jazz guitarist Jim Hall and Bassist Ralph Pena. The music has no piano, no drums and no vocal. It stands strongly without and reminds us that their talent is more powerful than any rhythm section. This music is transcendental and evokes a purity that is nearly unrivalled. By all means if you get the opportunity to watch the film 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' you will see Giuffre at work in the opening sequence. Im dumbfounded however, that so much of his work is so hard to come by. In addition to this 1957 release, the 'Western Suite' CD is just as amazing. The 'Western Suite' (released in 1958) features the same group as seen at Newport in 1958; Giuffre, Jim Hall on Guitar and Bob Brookmeyer on Valve Trombone. Unfortunately it is only available as an import. Please do yourself a favor and hunt down a copy, either here on ... or on the other competitive ... music stores. Both these Giuffre works should be a requirement for any true Jazz Collection.

It is truly unfortunate that most music lovers do not know who Jimmy Giuffre is. He and his trio are one of the most underrated groups in music. His "15 minutes" took place in the wonderful film "Jazz On A Summer's Day" as the opening performer at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. This CD is cool jazz at the same artistic level as Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" or Miles Davis' "Kind Of Blue". It should certainly be in any jazz lover's collection. The multi-instrumental talents of Giuffre with accompanyment from Jim Hall's guitar and Ralph Pena's bass is a treat.

If you are in a rut listening to the same old bop recordings or tired sounding renditions of standards - give this disc a try. I think this trio has a very unique sound, and they go in some unconventional directions. I am very impressed with Jimmy Giuffre and his work with small groups. Jim Hall as always has that perfect tone that so many guitarists search for....

I do not know anyone who has heard this music who does NOT like it. It contains some of the most sophisticated and moving interplay in all of jazz. Giuffre, Hall and Pena have a simpatico that is almost mystical. Giuffre's tone on all the horns is richly textured, and Pena's bass lines perfectly punctuate the unique melodies Giuffre creates in the playbook, but it is Hall's guitar work that really makes the proceedings come alive. He worked for years with Chico Hamilton and on his own in developing an intensely melodic approach before teaming up with Giuffre. He was not a pyrotechnically-inclined guitarist; rather it is the depth and purely soulful feeling he conveys in his playing that grabs the listener, and this is especially apparent on "Crawdad Suite." This is not some pseudo-funk a la Herb Ellis. It is thoughtful, tasteful, and inspired playing. No wonder Hall was such a great complement to Sonny Rollins' work in the early `60s, though this was never fully captured on the RCA recordings.

This CD should be awarded ten stars: five for the first listening and five for the second, since you'll hear far more on a second listening than on a first. Ornette Coleman said that Giuffre's music brought tears to his eyes. Get this CD. You'll see why.

This Jimmy Giuffre trio was not as neglected when the recording here under review appeared as it suddenly became. For one thing, Giuffre was an acknowledged important jazzman because of his work in other contexts. But this recording established him as a highly individualised and inventive talent, on clarinet, tenor, and baritone, each of which he played with mastery, ease, elegance, and great beauty. His tone and suggestiveness on clarinet are especially miraculous. The absence of a drummer is in many ways a blessing, as it allows those who play to be heard the better, and in some respects the swing is more easily felt than if someone had been there to accentuate it! - Joost Daalder

...by Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny? If you did, you should give this disc a try. No drums but you feel the rhythm imposed by melody. Giuffre said he was trying to infuse his jazz with folk-music elements and impressions. It reminds me more of classical music, especially Grieg or Dvorak, in its melodic intensity. In the 60's, Giuffre moved more towards free-jazz-esque melodic exploration but at this time he was playing beautiful music in a classic sense. Introduce this CD to someone who doesn't like jazz and you might open some eyes!

Giuffre is the master of the clarinet in its low register, so don't expect Benny Goodman. Imagine him in a small club, with Ralph Pena on bass, Jim Hall on guitar. The music is quiet, but creative, nicely crafted, open, impressive. Tune into it, sip your drink absently, know what it is to Be There.

I'm buying this to replace my vinyl, and I only wish someone would reissue Sonny Stitt Plays Jimmy Giuffre Arrangements. [2010: It's out! It's great! Get it!] The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet has been reissued, and Thesis, the companion to Freefall, is available in a 2-CD set titled 1961. These too are worth going for.

Both my Mother and my Father had vinyl copies of this record, and both had worn to the point of no return. Hissy, scratchy but still beautiful when this CD with added tracks became available. While "The Train and The River" itself is the perfect song to invite us in to the sun strewn, seasided film of the Newport Festival, "Jazz On A sumer's Day", the whole of that original album (released in the UK as "The Train and The River" by the Jimmy Giuffre Trio) is a mellow, laid back, superbly played joy. Only two or three instruments being played at any point adds to the "less is more" lack of extraneous noise. This is a gem of a recording - once bought, replayed forever.