2. best-of
  3. 1029896571

Best "Village Vanguard" or "Blue Note" recording

Many of the great jazz artists seem to have recorded an album at either the Village Vanguard or the Blue Note at some point in their careers, which leads me to the following question: which of the albums recorded at these venues would you rank as the greatest and why?

Some followup possibilities: Do you think playing at one of these venues affects the nature of the artist's performance? i.e., do shows at these venues cause artists to take more risks? play more popular songs? elevate their playing?

Finally, if you have attended shows at both venues, which was your favorite and why?
swingman

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
As you note, there have been a lot of great recordings of jazz performances at the Village Vanguard. The Vanguard is almost a one-of-a-kind club -- small, intimate, and the walls seem permeated by the spirits of all the great performers who have appeared there.

Three of my favorite live recordings at the Vanguard include the Bill Evans Trio (Saturday and Sunday sessions, 1961, with bassist Scott LaFaro); Sonny Rollins; and Art Pepper sessions recorded for Galaxy Records (in 1978, I think).
More to discover