If you use Qobuz, Igor Butman is very well represented there. Likewise Jan Johansson. My "must play" list is growing.
Vijay Iyer, "Black and Tan Fantasy":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp8ILy2PSR0
Jazz for aficionados
Jazz for aficionados
I'm going to review records in my collection, and you'll be able to decide if they're worthy of your collection. These records are what I consider "must haves" for any jazz aficionado, and would be found in their collections. I wont review any record that's not on CD, nor will I review any record if the CD is markedly inferior. Fortunately, I only found 1 case where the CD was markedly inferior to the record.
Our first album is "Moanin" by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. We have Lee Morgan , trumpet; Benney Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums.
The title tune "Moanin" is by Bobby Timmons, it conveys the emotion of the title like no other tune I've ever heard, even better than any words could ever convey. This music pictures a person whose down to his last nickel, and all he can do is "moan".
"Along Came Betty" is a tune by Benny Golson, it reminds me of a Betty I once knew. She was gorgeous with a jazzy personality, and she moved smooth and easy, just like this tune. Somebody find me a time machine! Maybe you knew a Betty.
While the rest of the music is just fine, those are my favorite tunes. Why don't you share your, "must have" jazz albums with us.
Enjoy the music.
I'm going to review records in my collection, and you'll be able to decide if they're worthy of your collection. These records are what I consider "must haves" for any jazz aficionado, and would be found in their collections. I wont review any record that's not on CD, nor will I review any record if the CD is markedly inferior. Fortunately, I only found 1 case where the CD was markedly inferior to the record.
Our first album is "Moanin" by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. We have Lee Morgan , trumpet; Benney Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums.
The title tune "Moanin" is by Bobby Timmons, it conveys the emotion of the title like no other tune I've ever heard, even better than any words could ever convey. This music pictures a person whose down to his last nickel, and all he can do is "moan".
"Along Came Betty" is a tune by Benny Golson, it reminds me of a Betty I once knew. She was gorgeous with a jazzy personality, and she moved smooth and easy, just like this tune. Somebody find me a time machine! Maybe you knew a Betty.
While the rest of the music is just fine, those are my favorite tunes. Why don't you share your, "must have" jazz albums with us.
Enjoy the music.
Showing 37 responses by ho249
Check out David Sanborn (really!!) on this Gil Evans track: https://youtu.be/CAD8CqYCGwQ?si=dQkU5w2NMCW_784x
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@pjw81563 Thanks for setting me straight! I did not realize Sanborn had recorded so much as a leader and sideman. |
Found this on internet radio (Radio JRiver): https://youtu.be/Ethes76EgLE?si=mkCB-850BueDBADv Good to play if you need a boost of energy! Another find from internet radio: https://youtu.be/DDV0QXqKJfA?si=4fJZntFels3tYnTu More subdued... These are like hidden treasures! Was totally unfamiliar with these musicians before the streaming encounters. Hope you enjoy!
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@alexatpos Thanks for posting the video! Wonderful to hear live jazz, hope you enjoyed the show. |
Another Canadian group, Peace Flag Ensemble: https://peaceflagensemble.bandcamp.com/album/astral-plains Brand-new album, also on Qobuz... |
@dmk_calgary You are welcome. I "discovered" PFE inadvertently, while reviewing the new jazz releases on Qobuz. If you're on a classical kick, this is one of my favorite classical recordings: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/18370780?ev=rb Very well recorded. The rendition of "L´Histoire Du Soldat" is wonderful. |
Paolo Fresu & Ralph Towner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUIJZL_uWPY They made an ECM album together (could not find a video of this): https://ecmrecords.com/product/chiaroscuro-ralph-towner-paolo-fresu/ It's on Qobuz...
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Nardis ("Nar-This") with Brad Mehldau (p), Matt Brewer (b), and Antonio Sanchez (d): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMacgXW_tSA Recorded 2015 (2014?) |
@pjw81563 Thanks for posting the Youtube track, it's wonderful! We've got tickets for a "Love In Exile" concert with Iyer, Aroob Aftab and Shahzad Ismaily - coming up soon. Not a jazz concert, but surely improvised music. Here's a link to a performance by these musicians from NPR last May: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/12/1173970913/arooj-aftab-vijay-iyer-shahzad-ismaily-tiny-desk-concert |
Heard this track on the car radio today, my good fortune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcdOmnHverk Had never heard of tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore prior to today. Looking forward to playing his recordings. |
@curiousjim My pleasure! Thanks also to Korry Cook at KSYM radio for playing the record. Cook is a very good drummer, by the way. |
Just found out about this today: https://www.youtube.com/@GaryBurtonBootlegs @curiousjim "The Believer" by Coltrane is on Qobuz.
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Lots of good music on ECM. The recordings are typically very well-engineered and sound great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6JLiA8k780 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jME2KLZt-AE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8iRCLjClKQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElLEU9ry2-8
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One of our forum members made this comment about ECM Records: "For anyone that listens ECM (and some others) albums, you should try to reverse polarity on your preamp, or on your speaker terminals, as those albums are ’out of phase’." This comment really surprised me, as in my opinion, ECM engineering is typically excellent. I decided to do some research. I went to a forum of ECM devotees on another site and asked about this issue; none of them had ever heard of it. Based on what I read there, I don’t believe that there’s any authoritative information to substantiate the "out of phase" claim. That being said, each of us is, of course, absolutely, totally free to set and reset our equipment as we see fit. I apologize for the rant! I’m interested in the truth and am totally open to seeing authoritative information on this topic. Thank you for your patience. Enough, time for some jazz! |
@curiousjim He was very fine player. He's featured on a Blue Note album by Jimmy Smith entitled "The Sermon". You might check out Booker Ervin and Hank Mobley, if you haven't already done so. By the way, the folks on the ECM forum went totally bonkers over my question about "out of phase" recordings. I think they're going to kick me off the site! 🤣🤣 |
@pjw81563 +1 on the "Stockholm 1960 Complete" set. Love it! In his solos, Coltrane does some astonishing things with harmonics! |
I search for new music regularly, and am really intrigued with this record: https://redhookrecords.bandcamp.com/album/refract Is it jazz? Maybe. Definitely improvised music. It's on Qobuz too. |
With the idea of "less is more", here’s an interesting ECM recording. It was apparently produced by Creed Taylor in 1961, and remixed by the folks at ECM. The group is the Jimmy Giuffre 3, with Guiffre, Paul Bley and Steve Swallow. I haven’t heard the whole thing, but I really like what i have played. It’s a lot different than the group that included Jim Hall and Ralph Pena. Here’s a link on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4EjAwetGTd02wpbCzBIuUf?si=0rGadnZ1TgKMhYBtZegxRA Hope the link works. Album is called "Jimmy Giuffre 3, 1961"
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@curiousjim I've listened to about half of "1961". Good record when one is in the mood for some quiet sounds imo. Also KW's first album on ECM is "Gnu High". Very highly recommended. I think it was just reissued on vinyl. Backup group is Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack Dejohnette. PM's first ECM album was "Conception Vessel". Haven't played it in a long time. There's an ECM enthusiasts group on Facebook that's fairly active; for streaming, I follow it and try to keep a list of the recordings that look interesting. |
@curiousjim I understand, no apologies please! No jazz police around here... |
Came upon a new release from John Zorn, entitled "Homenaje a Remedios Varo" (Como se dice en ingles = "Tribute to Remedios Varo"). Here's a track: https://youtu.be/mmdYRnKlxgE?si=hmTrtOLdoFzQUm1v The guitarist is Julian Lage. The whole album is on Spotify. I had never encountered John Zorn before; he seems to be a renaissance man.
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@mahgister Great post, thank you! I hadn't heard of Klezmer music before this very moment. More to learn. Also, your last 4 sentences hit home.
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Been out of pocket, here's a track I really like by Charles Lloyd quartet: https://open.spotify.com/track/40ZvTRrjQZ1JQiJnl3MkKR?si=b6a83562137d40d0 Any of you folks have a phono stage that you'd recommend? The Manley Chinook is intriguing to me, but runs $3,200. I'd like to find one a tad cheaper if possible. I'm in the market for a cartridge too, but that's a complicated story. |
@curiousjim Thanks for your input! I'll probably post my dilemma in the analog forum after reviewing your links. Charles Davis is another good baritone saxophonist. You can hear him on this album: https://youtu.be/3JIlzhYs5iI?si=wSpYaZ6TJ7LG-jhC I had the good fortune to hear Gary Smulyan live with the Dave Holland big band a few years ago. He had maybe 4 solos during the show, all well done.
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@curiousjim None of the live jazz shows I've attended were so loud that I needed ear plugs. If the group has any jazz-rock leanings, I'd probably bring ear plugs to be safe. New release from Jimmy Giuffre I like, concert from 1959. The sound is very good: https://youtu.be/0SZqivUMVTg?si=vh-Fd0ghDMmwr5CH He plays tenor sax on this track. It sounds better on Qobuz than on YouTube. |