Enjoyed this piece immensely, Robert. So elegantly written and informative. Will have to go back and listen to some of this wonderful music again later.
Thanks for using No Room for Squares to highlight Philly Joe’s craftsmanship. No Room for Squares is one of my favorite jazz albums because it straddles hard-bop and modal so well. As an album it’s not at the vanguard, but as you point out Up a Step is a killer tune and I would argue that track could go on a “best of modal” playlist right next to early/mid-60s Miles, Coltrane and Shorter. And of course, what better drummer to have for the two sessions than Philly Joe, who was steeped in both hard-bop and modal. Great piece!
Thanks so much William. 'Everybody Digs Bill Evans' is my favourite Evans recording. He blends so beautifully with "Philly" Joe and bassist Sam Jones too.
Enjoyed this piece immensely, Robert. So elegantly written and informative. Will have to go back and listen to some of this wonderful music again later.
Thanks so much, Andrew! Appreciate the kind words.
Love, LOVE "No Room for Squares."
Me too - a Blue Note classic.
Thanks for using No Room for Squares to highlight Philly Joe’s craftsmanship. No Room for Squares is one of my favorite jazz albums because it straddles hard-bop and modal so well. As an album it’s not at the vanguard, but as you point out Up a Step is a killer tune and I would argue that track could go on a “best of modal” playlist right next to early/mid-60s Miles, Coltrane and Shorter. And of course, what better drummer to have for the two sessions than Philly Joe, who was steeped in both hard-bop and modal. Great piece!
Thanks for the kind words. 'No Room for Squares' has long been a favourite and "Philly" Joe is the spark.
Great work as always, Robert. When I saw the title I was going to mention his playing on Everybody Digs Bill Evans - but you got there before me!
Thanks so much William. 'Everybody Digs Bill Evans' is my favourite Evans recording. He blends so beautifully with "Philly" Joe and bassist Sam Jones too.
Very nice tribute. But please check your spelling. You’ve got some errors.
Thanks so much, and thanks as well for the heads up on the typos. I think I caught them all.