https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/90761/The_Ray_Brown_Trio-Soular_Energy-45_RPM_Vinyl_Record
Just reissued. A great pressing and one of those essential albums you can always refer to for evaluating a system
Help me build up a jazz album collection. Can you suggest a must have album?
Just got back into analog after not having a turntable for 38 years. That was a Thorens TD 320. Now I have a VPI. Building a jazz album collection now since jazz seems to be what I enjoy now. I have barely 12 albums from Miles Davis, Art Blakey, King Curtis, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Ike Quebec and Illinios Jacquet. Can you suggest a must have album? I generally like great sax, and percussion and sometimes a good vocalist, but I am open to anything that sounds GREAT. Also, if there is a particular label, issue or type of album. Thanks in advance.
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This list is still fairly parochial. Pianists. No one mentioned the very late very great Chick Corea, Hank Jones; the pianist who made the young Oscar Peterson cry (Art Tatum); the guy who alternates with Bill Evans as pianist on KOB (McCoy Tyner), Monk’s sometime roommate, Bud Powell; the George Shearing series with various vocalists; Teddy Wilson, who played with the Benny Goodman Quartet; and what about Duke Ellington or Count Basie? Besides being band leaders, and in the case of Duke a great composer, they also played piano. There are dozens more. Then there’s sax players. No one mentions the generally accepted GOAT, Charlie Parker. Admittedly, most of his LPs are from the late 40s to mid 50s and will be in mono, but he must be heard. (I beg to differ with Elliot that you must have a mono cartridge to listen to mono LPs. A mono switch on your linestage will suffice, and in a pinch, so will just using your stereo cartridge in stereo.) Then there is also, in no particular order, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon; Art Pepper’s contemporary also on alto sax, Lee Konitz; Stanley Turrentine, Gene Ammons, Benny Golson, Zoot Simms, Wayne Shorter, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins. These are just some of my favorites. Here is a list of 50 great sax players. And this is just some of the great players on only two instruments (3 if you separate alto and tenor sax). This is why I say I have 2000-ish great jazz LPs. As to the years of great jazz recordings, I would pretty much avoid the 70s and early 80s, because in those years jazz players were desperately trying to find an audience by interpreting the contemporary music of those years, which music in my opinion does not translate well to the jazz styles I like. Not to say also that a lot of the music of those years is weak. |
You should attend Axpona next month and spend some time in Expo Hall and Record Fair. I usually spend hours there talking with local and national dealers about new music and sounds. Very educational. I have purchased new music on the advice of Chesky records, Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds and many others. Check out the dealers attending Axpona |
The Modern Jazz Quartet. "The Last Concert" live at Carnegie Hall. It was the first jazz record I ever bought on recommendation from Stereo Review c. 1974. I still have it, play it often, and get something new out of it every time. Ellington's small group performances on "Money Jungle," and "The Intimate Ellington." The combo on "Money Jungle consists of Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. How cool is that? For big band jazz anything by Duke and Count Basie, but a special favorite is the three record set of Linda Ronstadt singing from the great American songbook, "'Round Midnight." Nelson Riddle orchestrated the whole shebang and led his orchestra. Is it jazz? It'll do 'til the real thing comes along, to paraphrase Patricia Barber. Her "Live, A Fortnight in France" is also a fine album. |
Dave Brubeck's-"Time Out" Columbia 45 rpm pressing CS 8192 Art Blakey's- "Just Coolin"-Blue Note pressing ST-64201 Paul Chambers-"Bass on Top"-Blue Note pressing BST 81569 Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday at Newport-(side A is Ella recorded July4th,1957) (side B is Billie recorded July 6th-1957) Both pressing originals by Verve Records pressing MG V-82341-1958- Current re-release by Not Now Music (visit-- Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong-Verve pressing-MG V 4003 Enjoy the music.
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Lennie Tristano and his star pupil, my teacher, Sal Mosca. Has anybody mentioned Armstrong? Not a jazz collection overall without him. Lester Young with the Nat Cole Trio will have you humming his solos all day long, and his solo on "Embraceable You" on the "Charlie Parker Jazz at the Philharmonic 1949" album is one of the greatest of all saxophone improvisations. And don’t neglect the best of the big bands and swing. As Duke Ellington said, "All the audiences are still there." |
Two sides of jazz, east coast and west coast. Two different sounds. Many have recommended great east coast jazz albums. To add some great west coast artists: Art Pepper, saxophone, any album any time in his great career Chet Baker, trumpet, especially the early years Shelley Manne, one of the great drummers and band leaders Lastly, a brand new but going to be one of the all time great jazz singers (4 Grammy awards at the age of 24) SAMARA JOY -GAR |
Esbjorn Svennson Trio “Plays Monk” The Ray Brown Trio “Soular Energy” Les Meccan & Eddie Harris “Swiss Movement” Stan Getz “Bossas and Ballards” Kurt Elling “The Gate” Benny Green Trio “Greens” Art Pepper “The Trip” Mary Lou Williams Trio “Free Spirits” Frank Morgan “A Lovesome Thing” Wayne Shorter”Speak No Evil” |
@gareents- I got turned on to Horace Tapscott a while ago; that live double album, side 3, is killer. Through him I also got onto Nate Morgan--Journey Into Nigritia is pretty amazing. He was not only was part of that underground ensemble, but worked with Chaka Khan! Not well-known players but fascinating stuff. |
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