Funny, all this discussion about favorite live recordings made me think of the most memorable concerts I’ve attended.
While jazz is my preferred music, and I’ve attended many concerts and festivals (I’m pretty old!), not many near the top of my personal list have been jazz.
Among those that were, the first concert I attended was Louie Armstrong and the All Stars with my parents at a local theater around 1952. That was wonderful and left lasting memories. While in college we drove to Detroit for several concerts at a small local club, The Minor Key. There I saw Miles, Coltrane, Evans, Cannonball, Silver, Jazz Messengers, and more. I can’t honestly say one stood out but as a group they collectively rate very high.
Other top favorite live experiences were non-jazz, including The Mahavishnu Orchestra early on at a small local club, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at our county fair, Mendelssohn’s "Octet" with a collection of top flight musicians at our Mainly Mozart Festival, and Lang Lang performing with our local symphony orchestra. In each case it was an emotional connection with the music that made them outstanding. See, I said I enjoy many types of music. ;^)
While jazz is my preferred music, and I’ve attended many concerts and festivals (I’m pretty old!), not many near the top of my personal list have been jazz.
Among those that were, the first concert I attended was Louie Armstrong and the All Stars with my parents at a local theater around 1952. That was wonderful and left lasting memories. While in college we drove to Detroit for several concerts at a small local club, The Minor Key. There I saw Miles, Coltrane, Evans, Cannonball, Silver, Jazz Messengers, and more. I can’t honestly say one stood out but as a group they collectively rate very high.
Other top favorite live experiences were non-jazz, including The Mahavishnu Orchestra early on at a small local club, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at our county fair, Mendelssohn’s "Octet" with a collection of top flight musicians at our Mainly Mozart Festival, and Lang Lang performing with our local symphony orchestra. In each case it was an emotional connection with the music that made them outstanding. See, I said I enjoy many types of music. ;^)