Babybear, are you certain Monty Alexander is on that Summerwind recording with Ray Brown? Ray did a Summerwind recording with Gene Harris on piano. Probably one of their hottest recordings during their 80-90's pairing. Check Gene out on 'Can't help lovin' dat man'. Talk about a clinic, and having the audience in your pocket!
Jazz must have pressings???
Since this board is dominated by rock n' rollers, let's hear from a jazz oriented crowd.
Being a piano-guitar player my vinyl collection is heavy with those two instruments. I'm thinking of expanding my vinyl collection to balance it a bit.
So the ? is, what selections do you recommend that are absolutely 'must haves'?
Being a piano-guitar player my vinyl collection is heavy with those two instruments. I'm thinking of expanding my vinyl collection to balance it a bit.
So the ? is, what selections do you recommend that are absolutely 'must haves'?
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Yes, I am 100% sure its Monty Alexander. Here is a link to a CD version on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/RAY-BROWN-BASS-SUMMERWIND-NEW-CD-/120649110905?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item1c173f5579 The LP is hard to find. I think the one that you are referring to is called The Ray Brown Trio Live at the LOA Summerwind (I have it on CD). That is Ray Brown, Gene Harris and Jeff Hamilton. I agree that Gene Harris is great. Which reminds me that another very good LP is The Gene Harris Trio Plus One. |
Anything you can find by the L.A. Four on Concord is golden. The Concord LPs of the '70s and '80s have stunning clarity and dynamics, and the LA Four was a jazz supergroup composed of Ray Brown, Bud Shank (flute, sax), Laurinda Almeida (classical guitar), and Shelley Manne on drums, later replaced by Jeff Hamilton. I have 3 of their LPs and they're all tremendous, both musically and sonically. For piano one of my favorites is "Satch and Josh" on Pablo from the mid-'70s. First pairing of Count Basie and Oscar Peterson, which made for an interesting counterpoint of styles while both have an impeccable sense of timing. The band is rounded out with Ray Brown, Freddie Green, and Louie Bellson. In other words, another supergroup. |
Coltrane, interesting choice for a moniker by someone who asks for "must have" jazz lists. ;-) The problem is that the field of jazz is so diverse, to recommend recordings to someone I don't know is a very difficult task. As I understand your post you are looking for specific recording recommendations, not merely artists. So as one who's moniker on another site includes 3M (for Miles, Monk, and Mingus) I'll give it a shot. First, if you'd like a broad perspective on jazz, a great starting place is the Smithsonian Jazz boxed set. That will expose you to a good variety of styles and history. I think the most accessible jazz artist, and therefore an easy one to start with, is Dave Brubeck. Most might recommend his "Time Out" album. But I'll suggest his "Quartet at Carnegie Hall" as a better choice, because it includes his best known hits but also many other gems for more variety. Perhaps the artist with the greatest influence on jazz was Louis Armstrong. Among all his great recordings try "Ambassador Satch" or "Plays Fats Waller". My single top desert island disk would be Miles' "Kind of Blue". It has received much notoriety in the last several years with multiple reissues. I've owned it since it came out and still never tire of hearing it. Miles changed his groups and styles several times over his career so no single album completely represents him. Since you play guitar you may know Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez". If you like that check out Miles and Gil Evans' "Sketches of Spain" which was based on that theme. And I'll second Elizabeth's choice of "Bitches Brew" as the best of the "electric Miles" years. Back to Rodrigo, for subtle guitar it would be hard to top Jim Hall's "Concierto" which also features Paul Desmond and Chet Baker. Another choice with lots of discussion (popularity) since it was reissued is Oliver Nelson's "Blues and the Abstract Truth". For stream-of-conscious jazz piano, Keith Jarrett's "Koln Concert" is a marvel of creativity. In the '50s there was a rivalry between East Coast and West Coast jazz. Two records that can give a taste of each would be Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' "Night In Tunisia" and Jerry Mulligan/Chet Baker's "California Concerts" respectively. My listing could go on much longer but others have listed good recommendations too so I'll end with one with a familiar name, John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" . I consider that one of his most accessible albums so a good place to begin with. It is still melodic and before he got into his "sheets of sound" and more abstract playing. Have fun digging, this is a very deep mine. |
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