There are hundreds, and probably several thousand, of jazz performances that were recorded live, and I could recommend any number of them for you. However, it would be helpful if you could provide some more information, such as:
1. style(s) of jazz that interest you;
2. any artists that you like;
3. time period(s) you prefer (1930's; 1940's; 1950's; etc.)
With some of this information, I'd be happy to recommend some live recordings. Out of curiosity, why the special interest in live vs. studio recordings? |
Clifford Jordan - "Live At Ethell's" on Mapleshade. |
Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard on XRCD. |
Tennisball: I like live stuff too sometimes and sometimes not. I am curious like Scott as to why you like live and exactly what is "live" anyway? In front of an audiece I guess?
Sometimes the crowd adds excitement or something which I like and sometimes I want to tell then to "shut up" as the noise just gets in the way. In any event, I tend to like live pop music more than jazz. Especially, if the pop music is recorded piece by piece (individual tracks for everybody) and then mixed. It's hard to put together a good recording that way and to often you hear the "seams" of the mix. You avoid this with a live performance and when musicans actually play together there seems to be a dynamic that cannot be created by editing and mixing a bunch of solos done in recording boths. This is true for vocals and instruments. There is thread now that talks about some cds sounding worse the more you improve your equipment. In my opinion this holds true for lots of studio pop stuff.
More of the good jazz studio recordings are actually recorded "live" in the sense that everybody is in the studio at one time playin the music. Sadly, I've been told that this is a rarity in popular music these days. Many of the so called "live" performaces are dubbed to death back in the studio too.
Back to the thread and as Scott says there are so many I will give you one listened to today:
Horace Silver, Natives are Restless Tonight. I think this is cut from several concerts.
Sincerely, I remain |
Hi, here's an excellent one that I just listened to this morning, first on CD (good) and then on double LP (fantastic): Jazz at the Pawnshop. The tinkling of ice against the glasses, the low murmur of talking between numbers, and the vibes are all incredible sounding on this recording. |
Sc53: apparently 3 different recordings/volumes? which volume do you have? Are they all good?
I remain, |
Jazz is not primarily the style of music that I listen to. With that being said (and my relative ignorance of jazz) I LOVE Al Hirt "Live on Bourbon Street" (Laserlight 17 075). Very good pressing. His love of the trumpet, playfulness with band members and the audience ("St. James Infirmary") as well as some truly memorable solos make this a CD that, in my opinion, captures the essence of this man's greatness. Through this recording, the late Al Hirt will live forever in my heart! Happy Tunes! |
In addition to the above you might check out the following:
Bill Evans Trio-Waltz For Debby (24K Gold-Analogue Productions), Chet Baker-The Last Great Concert Vol. I & II, Pat Martino-Live At Yoshi's, SuperBass 2 w/Ray Brown, John Clayton, & Christian McBride-Live At The Blue Note, The Stan Getz Quartet w/Chet Baker-Quintessence Vol. I & II, Keith Jarrett w/Gary Peacock & Jack Dejohnette-Tokyo'96, Scott Hamilton-Live At Brecon Jazz Festival, Kevin Eubanks-Live At Bradley's, & Joshua Redman Quartet-Spirit Of The Moment-Live At The Village Vanguard.
These are just a few that come to mind.
Enjoy! |
Overlooked the "master" himself: Jimmy Smith Trio-The Master-includes such classics as "I Got My Mojo Workin' and "Back At the Chicken Shack." Recorded live at Kirin Plaza Osaka, Japan.
Enjoy! |
The Paul Desmond Quarter "Live" This hard to find double LP finally arrived on cd a few years. Much to be enjoyed. |
Hi, the Jazz at the Pawnshop recording I was referring to is vol. 1, the original. On CD it is just one disk, but it's a double LP. Another one I just listened to, this time on Sunday morning, is Shelly Manne at the Manne-Hole, any one of vols. 1-5. A series of live recordings, really beautiful. He's called "West Coast jazz." |
a real sleeper of a live jazz recording is "Wynton Marsalis Septet--Live At the Village Vangard", a 7 disc package. recorded live over a 4 year period (1990-1994). there are 3 different bands for the various sessions. it was all recorded with that casual, spontanious feel that only live jazz can capture. as with anything this long there are inconsistencies but the recording quality is excellent thruout and the sense of discovery and anticipation make this memorable. highly recommended. |
Monk Live at the It Club in L.A. Excellent intimate recording with that typical on the edge live feel and spontaneity Monk does par excellence. 2 CD set on Columbia. A staple for Monk fans and a should hear for the rest. |
