Some of you might be noticing I’m writing less raves these days, and a lot more “WORTH A LISTEN” and “DON’T BOTHER” reviews. It’s not that I’m grumpy. There’s actually a good reason.
I started thinking about all of the great jazzmen, the ones who have a dozen or more great albums to their credit, people like John McLaughlin, Dave Liebman, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Michael Brecker, and so on. Any time you pick up one of their recordings, there’s an expectation that you’re going to hear some really good music.
The thing is, no one hits it out of the park every time. McCoy Tyner has recorded lousy albums. So has Thelonious Monk. So, as a reviewer, it’s my job to review ALL of these great jazzmen’s releases so you know which ones to buy and which ones to avoid.
Now, 2nd tier jazzers like Carla Bley might have recorded some good albums, but I don’t have the same high expectations of them, so I won’t bother to review all of her albums. I’ll just review the ones worth buying.
Sometimes, I’ll review an album even though the leader is not very reliable, like Miroslav Vitous for example, because his sidemen on the date are extraordinary, as I did on the review for Universal Syncopations.
As a record buyer, sometimes you make these gambles. Sometimes the gamble pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.
I see my role as helping my readers to find great work they might not be aware of, but also to winnow the wheat from the chaff, so they spend their money as wisely as possible. Putting it another way, I’m trying to help you hedge your bets.