GMG Classical Music Forum

The Music Room => The Jazz Lounge => Topic started by: XB-70 Valkyrie on June 22, 2015, 07:25:14 PM

Title: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on June 22, 2015, 07:25:14 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CyishTwSL._SY450_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71mho38PJyL._SY450_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AAC50S6YL.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: escher on June 23, 2015, 01:19:14 AM
Nite life is simply timeless, probably my favorite piano solo recording. I remember listening 30 seconds of a sample of What's your story morning glory over and over again and I decided that I had to hear the whole album. Rarely I've heard a blues played with such refined harmonies.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on August 20, 2015, 08:45:23 AM
Is this as good as it looks?

[asin]B002XVZ1O4[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Karl Henning on August 20, 2015, 08:56:10 AM
Well, it's got Legendary in the title . . . .   0:)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on August 26, 2015, 06:25:58 PM
Considering these live dates. Anybody know 'em?

[asin]B001GBZEDK[/asin]
I have this same group's Giants of Jazz date in London, from the same tour, and the night ranges from pretty good to totally spectacular. (The spectacular tracks are #1-3 on CD2, in my opinion.)


[asin]B00FZRMIX0[/asin]
Philly Joe Jones appears on 1 track.


[asin]B00AROAWGG[/asin]
Previously issued as "Monk in France" and "Monk in Italy".


[asin]B00B329UYG[/asin]
Previously issued as "Hawkins! Alive!" and "Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive!"


[asin]B000003H8W[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Todd on August 26, 2015, 06:37:08 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 26, 2015, 06:25:58 PMConsidering these live dates. Anybody know 'em?



Don't know those specifically, but based on my experience, all Monk recordings are more than worth considering.  Same with Hawkins. 
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Bogey on August 26, 2015, 06:53:54 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B6FDW7NNL.jpg)  (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511FD2L1T4L._SX466_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: kishnevi on August 26, 2015, 07:20:34 PM
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00AROAWGG.01.L.jpg)
Interesting..the track listings and timings are not quite the same as the two equivalent CDs in the Riverside All Monk set.  And track order is not the same.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on September 08, 2015, 04:32:54 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 26, 2015, 06:25:58 PM
Considering these live dates. Anybody know 'em?

The Hawkins recordings are great! However, these are grey market/public domain reissues (and frankly, as they do contain the CD bonus tracks, they might be partly bootlegs, if those bonus tracks, as I think, first appeared on the 90s CD reissues - as it might be somewhat difficult to track down the original reissues - the quartet one was Japanese on top of it - I'm not saying you should stay away, but you should be aware ... same goes for the Monk if it's indeed the Riverside, it's probably properly PD, but there were official reissues, and as always in such cases, you don't quite know about what sources were used by the PD folks).

The Monk 1969 is good (not very good) but from a historic perspective, it's most valuable of course.

The Giants of Jazz stuff is good (though it usually doesn't get me all too excited), but it's bootlegs indeed - the material is in circulation, depending on how you do your collecting, you might look for it on the internets instead of nurturing the pirates.


The J.J. material with Bobby Jaspar is great. Not sure there'd be any official reissues of it ... I have the old Mosaic box of J.J.'s Columbia Small group dates and love it. Besides the Columbia recordings, it also contains Fresh Sounds own (bootleg, I assume) "Live at the Cafe Bohemia", which adds more music by a good band ... musically, a great package for sure! (Not idea though about sources - not legal to cop off the Mosaic, but I'd not be surprised if that's what they did ... and if they did, let's hope they didn't run too many filters that did damage to the sound.)


Finally, Evans/Baker - yes, looks better than it is, I'm afraid. Neither man's best recordings, again I'd say: good, not very good (nor great). It should, though, be pretty easy in this case to lay hands on the official reissues ("Chet" was part of the Keepnews Series done by Concord, "Lerner and Loewe" was part of the even more recent OJC Remasters series, and both were available as OJCCDs for decades before that).

[asin]B000PY30JE[/asin]
[asin]B00CU9LE5Y[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Scion7 on September 08, 2015, 06:46:11 AM
It's hard for me to say too much about these recent re-assemblies or recent live albums from radio broadcasts or tv broadcasts compared to the original albums (which I mostly have) and therefore don't buy compilations - I would say if the sound quality is pretty good, then any Monk from the Sixties is going to be at least decent, although I would go for the Blue Note sides and albums that do not have Charlie Rouse - he was not the right player for Monk.  IN ACTION and MISTERIOSO was his best band.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on October 02, 2015, 05:55:50 PM
THANK YOU king ubu - our tastes are very similar so I love reading your comments -

Any fans of this?:

(http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/300/0/7/7/1/171770.jpg)

Oscar Peterson Meets Roy Hargrove and Ralph Moore (Telarc)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 07, 2015, 09:41:13 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81bVXMQO%2BBL._SY355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81N61FSDWML._SY355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71Rrz9nJ9SL._SX355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ig3UErVmL._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 07, 2015, 11:41:28 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 02, 2015, 05:55:50 PM
THANK YOU king ubu - our tastes are very similar so I love reading your comments -

Any fans of this?:

(http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/300/0/7/7/1/171770.jpg)

Oscar Peterson Meets Roy Hargrove and Ralph Moore (Telarc)

I've got the other one of these meetings with the oldsters (Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Ray Brown + Lorne Lofsky, Lewis Nash) and enjoy that one ... but I've got so much OP (fifty? sixty?), at this time I really don't feel like getting more  :)

The Haden/Rubalcaba is on my wantlist as well - love all those Haden+piano duets!

Related (p/b duo, re-vamped Impulse! label) I finally just got the Barron/Holland duo album and am positively surprised! I know Barron is a fine piano player but still he fails to catch my attention at times. Not here!

My favourites on the new Impulse (which is also kind of the new Gitanes/Verve France, as Jean-Philippe Allard is there, the guy who did all those great Randy Weston, Helen Merrill, Teddy Edwards etc. albums in the nineties) are the live Hall/Haden and the Ran Blake though.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 30, 2015, 03:44:53 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 26, 2015, 06:25:58 PM
Considering these live dates. Anybody know 'em?

[asin]B001GBZEDK[/asin]
I have this same group's Giants of Jazz date in London, from the same tour, and the night ranges from pretty good to totally spectacular. (The spectacular tracks are #1-3 on CD2, in my opinion.)

By an amazing coincidence I was just listening to that--but not for long.  It has that speaker-packed-with cotton bad sound that makes it hard to get into...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on October 30, 2015, 04:39:53 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 07, 2015, 09:41:13 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81bVXMQO%2BBL._SY155_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81N61FSDWML._SY155_.jpg)


The Haden/Rubalcaba (I know their studio disc and assume this live date is also good) and Gerald Clayton are highly recommendable. 
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 30, 2015, 12:10:28 PM
Not sure what Haden/Rubalcaba studio disc you are referring to, the one I've known for a while is the trio set with Motian from Haden's Montreal Tapes (live and wonderful).

I've had the Tokyo disc for a few days now and enjoy it a lot. Though it's somewhat subdued - adagio, dig? ;)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on October 30, 2015, 12:18:37 PM
Quote from: king ubu on October 30, 2015, 12:10:28 PM
Not sure what Haden/Rubalcaba studio disc you are referring to, the one I've known for a while is the trio set with Motian from Haden's Montreal Tapes (live and wonderful).

I've had the Tokyo disc for a few days now and enjoy it a lot. Though it's somewhat subdued - adagio, dig? ;)

This one

[asin]B0002O37RM[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 30, 2015, 12:38:59 PM
Ah, of course .... like that one as well, but the smaller combinations (trio in Montréal,  duo in Tokyo) are more down my alley!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 30, 2015, 04:34:04 PM
Thanks for the comments. I'm getting ready to drop a shite-load of money on CDs from Amazon. Here are a few more I heard snippets of recently and enjoyed:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71RrzHXSpYL._SX355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NDavNZ85L._SY355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FuP60lPcL._SX355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Archaic Torso of Apollo on October 30, 2015, 05:04:46 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 30, 2015, 04:34:04 PM
Thanks for the comments. I'm getting ready to drop a shite-load of money on CDs from Amazon. Here are a few more I heard snippets of recently and enjoyed:

I've got one Gustavsen disc (The Ground). I like it, although listened to in one go it's a little too much smooth. Haven't heard Changing Places.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 31, 2015, 03:00:46 AM
I love the Ornette - too bad he hardly recorded in his last 20 or so years, but there exist live recordings, and it's good to have at least one of them officially released!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on October 31, 2015, 03:42:30 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 30, 2015, 04:34:04 PM
Thanks for the comments. I'm getting ready to drop a shite-load of money on CDs from Amazon. Here are a few more I heard snippets of recently and enjoyed:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71RrzHXSpYL._SX355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NDavNZ85L._SY355_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FuP60lPcL._SX355_.jpg)

Of these three, the Ornette is a clear choice.  Gustavsen is good too, if you enjoy the ECM sound - which I do.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mirror Image on November 01, 2015, 05:50:00 PM
Quote from: Scion7 on September 08, 2015, 06:46:11 AM
It's hard for me to say too much about these recent re-assemblies or recent live albums from radio broadcasts or tv broadcasts compared to the original albums (which I mostly have) and therefore don't buy compilations - I would say if the sound quality is pretty good, then any Monk from the Sixties is going to be at least decent, although I would go for the Blue Note sides and albums that do not have Charlie Rouse - he was not the right player for Monk.  IN ACTION and MISTERIOSO was his best band.

I wished Johnny Griffin (aka "Little Giant") played more with Monk. A very underrated saxophonist IMHO and much, much better than Rouse.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on November 01, 2015, 11:02:29 PM
I'll say that: Rouse was definitely the right player for Monk, THE right player at the time he joined. Monk wouldn't have kept him for so long if not, I'm quite sure. He's definitely not the inspired soloist that John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins were when they played with Monk, nor is he the quick-fingered, big-toned, soulful musician that Griffin was, but the Monk bands from the sixties were in the pocket to a degree that the earlier units were not. The first two Columbia albums (Monk's Dream, Criss Cross) to me rank with the finest that Monk left behind (which includes the Blue Notes, much of the Prestige, and much of the Riverside output). I'm not *that* big on "Monk." and "Monk Time", but "Straight No Chaser" (I only know the Legacy edition with all tracks restored ... leads to some sameness as you always get theme-ts-p-b-d-theme and the bass solos usually are but some walking, but still, I enjoy hearing the music as committed to disc) and "Underground" I like quite a bit again.

Re: live recordings, "It Club" is wonderful, "Jazz Workshop" a bit less so, "Tokyo" though is great again, as it features the early band with Frankie Dunlop on drums (he who fires up "Monk's Dream" and "Criss Cross" as well - there's at least one Scandinavian concert out on a decent/real label, Storyville, by that band as well ... those Domino/Gambit/RLR things I prefer to get from dime or other sources, they're all as bootleg as it gets).

Then there's the Newport set with Pee Wee Russell coming on stage for two of the four titles - the 2CD complete edition added another, previously unreleased Newport set which is okay as well (though I've not heard it for quite a long time, to be honest).

What's pretty amazing is the 2CD set compiling Monk' Columbia solo recordings, as the initial album itself is the weakest of Monk's solo efforts by far (in my book, the 1954 Vogue album is the best, followed by "Thelonious Alone in San Francisco" which is somehow a very dry and strict album, "Thelonious Himself" which is looser, and then the Columbia) - but the two disc set with all the other studio solo cuts added from other albums, as well as some added rarities, amounts to so much more than a reissue of that album!

What's very attractive, too, is the later large bands - not just "Big Band and Quartet in Concert" (still no proper remaster around of that one, only an early/mid nineties edition), but also - bootleg territory! - the European tour ... there's a fairly common Paris concert from 1967, and the good news is: Johnny Griffin is on board as well!

Re: best tenor soloists with Monk: I found the 1957 Carnegie Hall concert released on Blue Note (LP on Mosaic) revelatory in many ways, up to that point quite possibly the very best we have by Coltrane - and the way him and Monk interact, with the whole quartet in full sync, is plain amazing! The 1958 set released on Blue Note is pretty good but in bad sound (initially released as "Discovery!" in wrong speed and with the 1957 line-up - Wilbur Ware/Shadow Wilson - given, later in the Monk Blue Note 4CD box in correct speed and with date/line-up fixed: 1958, Coltrane jumping in for Griffin, Ahmed Abdul-Malik/Roy Haynes playing, but sound is mushy, so ... you don't hear much detail by the rhythm guys, since otherwise Haynes should be quite easy to recognize anyway).

Griffin, I absolutely love! One of my very favourite musicians! I love "Misterioso" and (a tiny bit less, probably because of repertory) "Thelonious In Action", and I love the bonus material from an earlier Five Spot gig that was added to the CDs. However, I still think he's not digging into Monk's music as deeply as Coltrane or Rollins do (and not as deeply as Rouse does either). But then that's not a big issue at all as he makes good with his enormous amount of ideas and his infectious groove!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 02, 2015, 05:12:11 AM
Quote from: king ubu on November 01, 2015, 11:02:29 PM
I'll say that: Rouse was definitely the right player for Monk,
+1
  By chance I played Monk's Dream this afternoon, and my first thought was how much I like Rouse.  I think he is the perfect, sobering, counterbalance for Monk.  I love how he says so much with so little, with that big, fat, mellow tone. Griffin is fun and exciting, but for me Monk needs Rouse to anchor his band.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on November 02, 2015, 10:31:23 AM
I think Coltrane really dug in deepest ... but obviously playing with Monk was just a station (a crucial one though, as far as I'm aware by his own admittance, too) on his path, while Rouse was a much less "leader" guy it seems (his few own albums aren't half bad, in fact "Yeah." is pretty darn good! and then there were The Jazz Modes with Julius Watkins, a group that remains fascinating).
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on November 02, 2015, 11:12:07 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 02, 2015, 05:12:11 AM
+1
  By chance I played Monk's Dream this afternoon, and my first thought was how much I like Rouse.  I think he is the perfect, sobering, counterbalance for Monk.  I love how he says so much with so little, with that big, fat, mellow tone. Griffin is fun and exciting, but for me Monk needs Rouse to anchor his band.
I'm glad to see a pro-Rouse movement here. I don't actually love Rouse's style - so dry - but he is a perfect match for Monk's style, in that way, and he definitely encourages Monk's eccentricity by matching it. The Monk you hear on Rouse albums is willing to go to such weird places, and Rouse will follow him all the way.

My favorite sax pairing is Coleman Hawkins on "Ruby, My Dear," from Monk's Music - because I love the supreme lyricists like Hawkins and Cannonball - but that is a very different experience. Maybe it is a matter of taste. When Monk plays with Hawk, or Clark Terry, or Johnny Griffin, that is a whole different style, where the two forces create a new balance and really bring out the "tug" between Monk's wild side and his romantic melodic gift. Whereas Charlie Rouse and Thelonious, together, often take the song apart as if they're playing with Legos. That's something very special and interesting, too. :)

BTW king ubu, we really do have similar taste. I just listened to Live at the Jazz Workshop and was feeling it didn't meet the standards of It Club... Tokyo is next on my purchase list, and probably that Scandinavian date too.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on November 02, 2015, 12:47:33 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 02, 2015, 11:12:07 AM
I'm glad to see a pro-Rouse movement here. I don't actually love Rouse's style - so dry - but he is a perfect match for Monk's style, in that way, and he definitely encourages Monk's eccentricity by matching it. The Monk you hear on Rouse albums is willing to go to such weird places, and Rouse will follow him all the way.

My favorite sax pairing is Coleman Hawkins on "Ruby, My Dear," from Monk's Music - because I love the supreme lyricists like Hawkins and Cannonball - but that is a very different experience. Maybe it is a matter of taste. When Monk plays with Hawk, or Clark Terry, or Johnny Griffin, that is a whole different style, where the two forces create a new balance and really bring out the "tug" between Monk's wild side and his romantic melodic gift. Whereas Charlie Rouse and Thelonious, together, often take the song apart as if they're playing with Legos. That's something very special and interesting, too. :)

BTW king ubu, we really do have similar taste. I just listened to Live at the Jazz Workshop and was feeling it didn't meet the standards of It Club... Tokyo is next on my purchase list, and probably that Scandinavian date too.
Okay, I left out Hawkins ... love his playing (though in the end I'd be a Pres man, if I had to make that impossible choice), but as he was never really part of a working Monk group (the other way 'round it would be somewhat closer to the truth and the four sides Hawkins made with Monk aren't half bad but not Hawk's finest either, yet Monk is quite clearly recognizable in spots!).

Anyway, the Copenhagen disc is this here:

[asin]B0000022J5[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on November 02, 2015, 12:54:53 PM
Thanks!

Yeah, including Hawkins was totally cheating.  ;)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Bogey on November 07, 2015, 03:36:07 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61YhxXq0uLL._SX425_.jpg)  (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61uNsaPzLyL._SX425_.jpg)  (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71e2CmABHVL._SX425_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 10, 2015, 01:07:51 AM
I actually KNOW I'm going to get this...I just can't decide what to get with it (very cheap from Amazon Italy).

[asin]B003V1ARGC[/asin]
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 10, 2015, 01:14:04 AM
Actually, my shop has this for $25.  Looks like the way to go, eh? ;D

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hyeTBk4zL._SS280.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on November 11, 2015, 07:35:33 PM
Added yet another one to my cart:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81pM5kAlMsL._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Green Destiny on January 09, 2016, 03:25:44 PM
I want to get a Stan Getz box - there are 2 I am considering:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71ChHjhk0QL._SL1101_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/712TuW9MggL._SL1101_.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71EDhw7fdRL._SL1232_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81lftik8IzL._SL1199_.jpg)

The Columbia box is a bit cheaper at the moment - I already have the Best of Two Worlds from this set and love it.
I can only afford to get 1 box - would appreciate any thoughts on which one would be the best to get :)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: SimonNZ on January 09, 2016, 03:31:26 PM
^The bossa-nova stuff is fine, but these's much more variety in the second box.

And "The Peacocks" from the album with Jimmy Rawls is alone worth whatever you pay for the whole set.

(I've been meaning to play the Captain Marvel disc again - may do that shortly)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Green Destiny on January 09, 2016, 03:37:43 PM
Quote from: SimonNZ on January 09, 2016, 03:31:26 PM
^The bossa-nova stuff is fine, but these's much more variety in the second box.

And "The Peacocks" from the album with Jimmy Rawls is alone worth whatever you pay for the whole set.

(I've been meaning to play the Captain Marvel disc again - may do that shortly)

Hey Simon - I wasn't sure if the first box might be over-doing it a bit with the Jazz-Bossa Nova thing (as cool as it is).
Maybe I will take a hit to the finances and get both boxes im not sure?.
Glad to know the Columbia box has some good albums - I didn't find many reviews of it. Thanks for your input :)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on January 10, 2016, 02:39:04 AM
Quote from: SimonNZ on January 09, 2016, 03:31:26 PM
^The bossa-nova stuff is fine, but these's much more variety in the second box.

And "The Peacocks" from the album with Jimmy Rawls is alone worth whatever you pay for the whole set.

(I've been meaning to play the Captain Marvel disc again - may do that shortly)

Getz is a huge topic ... the boxes around don't offer his best recordings, I think. Attempting a quick rundown:

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/496/MI0002496675.jpg)

Teenage Stan - Getz started out with Woody Herman, "Early Autumn" made him famous - check it out, it's wonderful indeed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrHGpzbLKec

There's more there of course ... but I guess you'd rather look closer upon exploring Woody Herman (which is worth doing).

From this time, there's also a disc compiling his "Complete Savoy Recordings" - 1945-49, starting with a 1946 quartet date with Hank Jones and Max Roach, then a Kai Winding-led session with Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne (1945), and ending with a 1949 date including Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Jimmy Raney, Duke Jordan (more about these below). But this is mostly not prime Getz quite yet, see next paragraph for that.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/521/MI0001521821.jpg)

Early Stan

Getz matured as a musician in amazingly short time (as a human being, I'm not sure he ever grew up though, he seems to have been, as some have said, "a nice bunch of guys") ... Al Haig was his preferred piano player (he shared that with Bird), with him he made some wonderful recordings for Roost in 1950/51, the most famous of them being the "Live at Storyville" ones (1951, with Jimmy Raney on guitar - that Getz/Raney axis is pure magic!), but the earlier studio recordings are wonderful as well - check out "Imagination" for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYhJvhte9mU

There's much more there, but the Roost recordings hold a special place in my collection. There was a 3CD set out on Blue Note/EMI/Capitol that is OOP but grab it if you can! In addition, there were several discs out on Fantasy, collecting the Prestige recordings of Getz: "Quartets" (two sessions with Haig, one with Tony Aless), "Prezervation" (with Haig, other that turn up include Raney, Kai Winding, Roy Haynes, Blossom Dearie), "Early Stan" (a Raney date and a Terry Gibbs date, both with Getz, among the other sidemen: Shorty Rogers, George Wallington) and finally "The Brothers", harking back to the Herman days and pairing Getz with Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Allen Eager and Brew Moore, as well as including an early Cohn/Sims collaboration (1952, with Winding and Wallington again, Art Blakey on drums, no Getz there).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/060/MI0003060475.jpg)

This early period went on with a Verve album, "Stan Getz Plays" - again with Raney, but by now Duke Jordan on piano (another Charlie Parker regular). In 1952, Getz founded a new band with Bob Brookmeyer as second horn and John Williams on piano. These Verve quartet studio recordings were compiled by Hip-O-Select, the alas no longer existing Universal boutique label, into a nice 7"-sized book/box, going up to 1954 and closing with the two tracks from 1955 when Tony Fruscella, the wonderful trumpet player, stepped in as Brookmeyer's replacement.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/876/MI0000876994.jpg)

From that same band, there's also "Live at the Shrine" (1954), which again is wonderful. From 1955, there's "Stan Getz in Stockholm" - we're still on Verve there, this was done with a fine swedish rhythm section with Bengt Hallberg on piano. Both of these were part of the Verve "Originals" reissues series.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/532/MI0001532303.jpg)

Mid/late fifties

Then, from 1955-57, Getz made a series of sessions in LA, compiled by Verve as "East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions" (3CD) - Lou Levy is on piano there, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, Shelly Manne on drums (on the last date, Stan Levey steps in), and the first session also has Conte Candoli on trumpet. Very good music! The original albums (mostly reissued in the "Verve Master Edition") were "West Coast Jazz", "The Steamer", and "Award Winner", some more tracks were on "Stan Getz & The Cool Sounds", which also contains the Fruscella tracks and a few of the earlier band with Brookmeyer.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/363/MI0003363868.jpg)

In the late 50s, Getz was back in Sweden, there are quite a few good recordings with Hallberg or Jan Johansson on piano, if I had to recommend but one, it would be "Stan Getz at Large" (reissued as a 2CD set by Storyville, should still be around).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/613/MI0001613005.jpg)

In those years, Getz was teamed up by producer Norman Granz with many other greats that were on his label Verve's roster: Dizzy Gillespie ("Diz and Getz" and "For Musicians Only" where Sonny Stitt was the third co-leader), Lionel Hampton ("Hamp and Getz"), the "Jazz Giants '58" album with Gerry Mulligan, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Louie Bellson and Oscar Peterson, "Sittin' In" with Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins and Paul Gonsalves, he also made a somewhat subdued album with the Oscar Peterson trio (the Ellis/Brown edition, no drums), co-headed one of the "At the Opera House" series of albums with J.J. Johnson, teamed up with Chet Baker for a somewhat weird album with a Chicago rhythm section (Jodie Christian on piano), and he paired up with Gerry Mulligan for the later's series of "Mulligan Meets" albums as well (of those, I love the one with Ben Webster most, the Hodges one is pretty great too, the Getz one fine, and then there's the Verve one with Paul Desmond which is amazing, better to my ears than the later Mulligan/Desmond on RCA).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/801/MI0002801424.jpg)

Lest I forget, 1958 also saw Getz with Cal Tjader (Fantasy), and that album is highly recommded, too!

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/912/MI0001912269.jpg)

Strings/Voices - "Focus"

In 1960, Getz made "Cool Velvet", an album with strings (arr/cond Russ Garcia) - nice enough, but true magic was to happen on the second one, "Focus" (1961, arr/cond Eddie Sauter). This is a definitive statement of the odd third stream type of music some dudes considered to be a good idea back then ... anyway, there's again a Verve Master Edition reissue of this.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/090/MI0002090000.jpg)

There are some other albums that fit in here without being fo the same class ... "Reflections" (1963, Lalo Schifrin and Claus Ogerman in charge, voices, lush arrangements, some nice music but nothing too deep), "Mickey One" (1965, Verve Master Edition - again with Eddie Sauter and in parts very, very good - this was a soundtrack album for a pretty great film of the same title, btw), "Voices" (1966, again Ogerman).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/349/MI0000349446.jpg)

Also, in 1961 (Verve was sold to MGM in 1962, while Getz was of course not dropped, he made very different albums after that point mostly - the ones just mentioned above) Getz teamed up again with Bob Brookmeyer for the oddly titled "Recorded Fall 1961" with the great Steve Kuhn on piano (Verve Master Edition).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/333/MI0002333059.jpg)

Bossa Nova

There's overlap in chronology there, as you may be aware ... "Jazz Samba" was made in 1962, it's a terrific album and remains a cornerstone ... the next year brought to the fore a few follow-ups, amongst wich "Getz/Gilberto" is the best known, it's great as well, but my favourite is "Jazz Samba Encore" which has Luiz Bonfa on board. Also in that year, Getz met with Laurindo Almeida, who was, a decade earlier, part of the first genuine "jazz meets Brasil" project, headed by Bud Shank ("Brazilliance", Pacific Jazz - no bossa back then of course, but fine music). This is lesser known than the albums with Byrd and Gilberto, but undeservedly so! Already in 1962, "Big Band Bossa Nova" (arr/cond Gary McFarland) was made, a bit of an odd hybrid and I think the least successful of Getz' bossa albums.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/760/MI0000760958.jpg)

1964 brought "Getz/Gilberto #2" (there was a 90s CD reissue with plenty of bonus tracks omitted from the later "Originals" one - moronic "original LP contents only" policy there ... people who want the original LP should buy just that ... and maybe set up their music room as in 1962, have newspapers and fashion and furniture from back then if they want to be in their bubble ...) and another famous one, "Getz A Go Go". By now, Gary Burton as on board, a fine young vibes player who helped re-invogariting Getz ... but I guess that's the next chapter.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/857/MI0001857834.jpg)

Mid/late 60s

That new band with Gary Burton on vibes was a quartet. Initially, Gene Cherico (b) and Joe Hunt (d) completed the line-up, later on, more heavyweight players came in: Steve Swallow (b) and Roy Haynes (d). With the former line-up, besides the 1964 bossa albums, you can try and find "Nobody Else But Me", a very fine live recording.

From and with the later line-up 1966 comes "In Paris" (part of EmArcy/Universal's "Jazz in Paris" series, a series I dearly love).

In 1967, Getz made another great album, "Sweet Rain", with a new, quite heavy band: Chick Corea (p), Ron Carter (b), Grady Tate (d) - reissued in Verve's "Originals" series, highly recommended. This shows that Getz still had his ears open ... to the likes of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis' "second quintet" (from whom he borrowed Ron Carter).

There's a gap then, until 1971 (not sure if that gap's just in my collection or if there's really nothing at all).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/476/MI0001476714.jpg)

The 70s

In 1971, Getz teamed up with the great Clarke/Boland Big Band for "Change of Scenes" (reissued in the limited edition series "Verve Elite Edition", probably hard to find in okay condition, these were digipacks), he also teamed up with Michel Legrand for the less successful "Communications '72" (part of the "Jazz in Paris" series), and he made "Dynasty", a fun live double album from Ronnie Scott's in London, with Eddy Louiss on organ, René Thomas on guitar and Bernard Lubat on drums (an earlier edition contained one more track, but the dumbing down "Originals" reissue left it off again). Getz of course wouldn't get all greasy, but still, this is a wonderful band (check out more Louiss in the "Jazz in Paris" series, and check out anything you can by/with René Thomas, most notably his Jazzland album "Guitar Groove"!)

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/767/MI0002767659.jpg)

In 1975 then, Getz signed with Columbia ... that's where the box above comes in (me, I have the French box, "The Worlds of Stan Getz", I think contents are mostly the same, the US one has that bonus disc though, which I miss). To me, it's very much a mixed bag, even more so after the loads of excellent music Getz made before (and after). But "The Peacocks", which is really a Jimmy Rowles album, is wonderful all around, "The Masters" with Albert Dailey on piano is a very solid quartet date, and all of the others have plenty of enjoyable music on them, that's for sure. But none of these form part of a Getz core collection I'd say.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/635/MI0001635177.jpg)

The Eighties - Late Getz

In the eighties, late Getz kicks in ... and he went on to make one beautiful album after the other, many of them live and mostly straight quartet settings - no more experiments. He was still the great improviser he was all his life, and he settled down to playing with fine rhythm sections, headed by pianists such as Lou Levy (remember the sessions in 1957? two Concord albums with him, "The Dolphin" and "Spring Is Here" were coupled on "My Old Flame"), Jim McNeely ("Pure Getz", "Live in Paris/Live at the New Morning") and - probably most notable - Kenny Barron.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/628/MI0001628759.jpg)

With Barron, Getz not only made two terrific quartet albums ("Serenity", "Anniversary", both live and from 1987), but also his final recordings in duo (live in Copenhagen, 1991), which were released in their entirety a few years ago. Sublime stuff, on this box:

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/928/MI0002928723.jpg)

The eighties also saw Getz teaming up with Albert Dailey again, for a wonderful set of duos, "Poetry" (Elektra, CD reissue on Blue Note/Capitol/EMI)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Green Destiny on January 10, 2016, 02:58:24 AM
Quote from: king ubu on January 10, 2016, 02:39:04 AM
Getz is a huge topic ... the boxes around don't offer his best recordings, I think. Attempting a quick rundown:

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/496/MI0002496675.jpg)

Teenage Stan - Getz started out with Woody Herman, "Early Autumn" made him famous - check it out, it's wonderful indeed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrHGpzbLKec

There's more there of course ... but I guess you'd rather look closer upon exploring Woody Herman (which is worth doing).

From this time, there's also a disc compiling his "Complete Savoy Recordings" - 1945-49, starting with a 1946 quartet date with Hank Jones and Max Roach, then a Kai Winding-led session with Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne (1945), and ending with a 1949 date including Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Jimmy Raney, Duke Jordan (more about these below). But this is mostly not prime Getz quite yet, see next paragraph for that.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/521/MI0001521821.jpg)

Early Stan

Getz matured as a musician in amazingly short time (as a human being, I'm not sure he ever grew up though, he seems to have been, as some have said, "a nice bunch of guys") ... Al Haig was his preferred piano player (he shared that with Bird), with him he made some wonderful recordings for Roost in 1950/51, the most famous of them being the "Live at Storyville" ones (1951, with Jimmy Raney on guitar - that Getz/Raney axis is pure magic!), but the earlier studio recordings are wonderful as well - check out "Imagination" for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYhJvhte9mU

There's much more there, but the Roost recordings hold a special place in my collection. There was a 3CD set out on Blue Note/EMI/Capitol that is OOP but grab it if you can! In addition, there were several discs out on Fantasy, collecting the Prestige recordings of Getz: "Quartets" (two sessions with Haig, one with Tony Aless), "Prezervation" (with Haig, other that turn up include Raney, Kai Winding, Roy Haynes, Blossom Dearie), "Early Stan" (a Raney date and a Terry Gibbs date, both with Getz, among the other sidemen: Shorty Rogers, George Wallington) and finally "The Brothers", harking back to the Herman days and pairing Getz with Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Allen Eager and Brew Moore, as well as including an early Cohn/Sims collaboration (1952, with Winding and Wallington again, Art Blakey on drums, no Getz there).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/060/MI0003060475.jpg)

This early period went on with a Verve album, "Stan Getz Plays" - again with Raney, but by now Duke Jordan on piano (another Charlie Parker regular). In 1952, Getz founded a new band with Bob Brookmeyer as second horn and John Williams on piano. These Verve quartet studio recordings were compiled by Hip-O-Select, the alas no longer existing Universal boutique label, into a nice 7"-sized book/box, going up to 1954 and closing with the two tracks from 1955 when Tony Fruscella, the wonderful trumpet player, stepped in as Brookmeyer's replacement.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/876/MI0000876994.jpg)

From that same band, there's also "Live at the Shrine" (1954), which again is wonderful. From 1955, there's "Stan Getz in Stockholm" - we're still on Verve there, this was done with a fine swedish rhythm section with Bengt Hallberg on piano. Both of these were part of the Verve "Originals" reissues series.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/532/MI0001532303.jpg)

Mid/late fifties

Then, from 1955-57, Getz made a series of sessions in LA, compiled by Verve as "East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions" (3CD) - Lou Levy is on piano there, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, Shelly Manne on drums (on the last date, Stan Levey steps in), and the first session also has Conte Candoli on trumpet. Very good music! The original albums (mostly reissued in the "Verve Master Edition") were "West Coast Jazz", "The Steamer", and "Award Winner", some more tracks were on "Stan Getz & The Cool Sounds", which also contains the Fruscella tracks and a few of the earlier band with Brookmeyer.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/363/MI0003363868.jpg)

In the late 50s, Getz was back in Sweden, there are quite a few good recordings with Hallberg or Jan Johansson on piano, if I had to recommend but one, it would be "Stan Getz at Large" (reissued as a 2CD set by Storyville, should still be around).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/613/MI0001613005.jpg)

In those years, Getz was teamed up by producer Norman Granz with many other greats that were on his label Verve's roster: Dizzy Gillespie ("Diz and Getz" and "For Musicians Only" where Sonny Stitt was the third co-leader), Lionel Hampton ("Hamp and Getz"), the "Jazz Giants '58" album with Gerry Mulligan, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Louie Bellson and Oscar Peterson, "Sittin' In" with Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins and Paul Gonsalves, he also made a somewhat subdued album with the Oscar Peterson trio (the Ellis/Brown edition, no drums), co-headed one of the "At the Opera House" series of albums with J.J. Johnson, teamed up with Chet Baker for a somewhat weird album with a Chicago rhythm section (Jodie Christian on piano), and he paired up with Gerry Mulligan for the later's series of "Mulligan Meets" albums as well (of those, I love the one with Ben Webster most, the Hodges one is pretty great too, the Getz one fine, and then there's the Verve one with Paul Desmond which is amazing, better to my ears than the later Mulligan/Desmond on RCA).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/801/MI0002801424.jpg)

Lest I forget, 1958 also saw Getz with Cal Tjader (Fantasy), and that album is highly recommded, too!

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/912/MI0001912269.jpg)

Strings/Voices - "Focus"

In 1960, Getz made "Cool Velvet", an album with strings (arr/cond Russ Garcia) - nice enough, but true magic was to happen on the second one, "Focus" (1961, arr/cond Eddie Sauter). This is a definitive statement of the odd third stream type of music some dudes considered to be a good idea back then ... anyway, there's again a Verve Master Edition reissue of this.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/090/MI0002090000.jpg)

There are some other albums that fit in here without being fo the same class ... "Reflections" (1963, Lalo Schifrin and Claus Ogerman in charge, voices, lush arrangements, some nice music but nothing too deep), "Mickey One" (1965, Verve Master Edition - again with Eddie Sauter and in parts very, very good - this was a soundtrack album for a pretty great film of the same title, btw), "Voices" (1966, again Ogerman).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/349/MI0000349446.jpg)

Also, in 1961 (Verve was sold to MGM in 1962, while Getz was of course not dropped, he made very different albums after that point mostly - the ones just mentioned above) Getz teamed up again with Bob Brookmeyer for the oddly titled "Recorded Fall 1961" with the great Steve Kuhn on piano (Verve Master Edition).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/333/MI0002333059.jpg)

Bossa Nova

There's overlap in chronology there, as you may be aware ... "Jazz Samba" was made in 1962, it's a terrific album and remains a cornerstone ... the next year brought to the fore a few follow-ups, amongst wich "Getz/Gilberto" is the best known, it's great as well, but my favourite is "Jazz Samba Encore" which has Luiz Bonfa on board. Also in that year, Getz met with Laurindo Almeida, who was, a decade earlier, part of the first genuine "jazz meets Brasil" project, headed by Bud Shank ("Brazilliance", Pacific Jazz - no bossa back then of course, but fine music). This is lesser known than the albums with Byrd and Gilberto, but undeservedly so! Already in 1962, "Big Band Bossa Nova" (arr/cond Gary McFarland) was made, a bit of an odd hybrid and I think the least successful of Getz' bossa albums.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/760/MI0000760958.jpg)

1964 brought "Getz/Gilberto #2" (there was a 90s CD reissue with plenty of bonus tracks omitted from the later "Originals" one - moronic "original LP contents only" policy there ... people who want the original LP should buy just that ... and maybe set up their music room as in 1962, have newspapers and fashion and furniture from back then if they want to be in their bubble ...) and another famous one, "Getz A Go Go". By now, Gary Burton as on board, a fine young vibes player who helped re-invogariting Getz ... but I guess that's the next chapter.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/857/MI0001857834.jpg)

Mid/late 60s

That new band with Gary Burton on vibes was a quartet. Initially, Gene Cherico (b) and Joe Hunt (d) completed the line-up, later on, more heavyweight players came in: Steve Swallow (b) and Roy Haynes (d). With the former line-up, besides the 1964 bossa albums, you can try and find "Nobody Else But Me", a very fine live recording.

From and with the later line-up 1966 comes "In Paris" (part of EmArcy/Universal's "Jazz in Paris" series, a series I dearly love).

In 1967, Getz made another great album, "Sweet Rain", with a new, quite heavy band: Chick Corea (p), Ron Carter (b), Grady Tate (d) - reissued in Verve's "Originals" series, highly recommended. This shows that Getz still had his ears open ... to the likes of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis' "second quintet" (from whom he borrowed Ron Carter).

There's a gap then, until 1971 (not sure if that gap's just in my collection or if there's really nothing at all).

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/476/MI0001476714.jpg)

The 70s

In 1971, Getz teamed up with the great Clarke/Boland Big Band for "Change of Scenes" (reissued in the limited edition series "Verve Elite Edition", probably hard to find in okay condition, these were digipacks), he also teamed up with Michel Legrand for the less successful "Communications '72" (part of the "Jazz in Paris" series), and he made "Dynasty", a fun live double album from Ronnie Scott's in London, with Eddy Louiss on organ, René Thomas on guitar and Bernard Lubat on drums (an earlier edition contained one more track, but the dumbing down "Originals" reissue left it off again). Getz of course wouldn't get all greasy, but still, this is a wonderful band (check out more Louiss in the "Jazz in Paris" series, and check out anything you can by/with René Thomas, most notably his Jazzland album "Guitar Groove"!)

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/767/MI0002767659.jpg)

In 1975 then, Getz signed with Columbia ... that's where the box above comes in (me, I have the French box, "The Worlds of Stan Getz", I think contents are mostly the same, the US one has that bonus disc though, which I miss). To me, it's very much a mixed bag, even more so after the loads of excellent music Getz made before (and after). But "The Peacocks", which is really a Jimmy Rowles album, is wonderful all around, "The Masters" with Albert Dailey on piano is a very solid quartet date, and all of the others have plenty of enjoyable music on them, that's for sure. But none of these form part of a Getz core collection I'd say.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/635/MI0001635177.jpg)

The Eighties - Late Getz

In the eighties, late Getz kicks in ... and he went on to make one beautiful album after the other, many of them live and mostly straight quartet settings - no more experiments. He was still the great improviser he was all his life, and he settled down to playing with fine rhythm sections, headed by pianists such as Lou Levy (remember the sessions in 1957? two Concord albums with him, "The Dolphin" and "Spring Is Here" were coupled on "My Old Flame"), Jim McNeely ("Pure Getz", "Live in Paris/Live at the New Morning") and - probably most notable - Kenny Barron.

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/628/MI0001628759.jpg)

With Barron, Getz not only made two terrific quartet albums ("Serenity", "Anniversary", both live and from 1987), but also his final recordings in duo (live in Copenhagen, 1991), which were released in their entirety a few years ago. Sublime stuff, on this box:

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/928/MI0002928723.jpg)

The eighties also saw Getz teaming up with Albert Dailey again, for a wonderful set of duos, "Poetry" (Elektra, CD reissue on Blue Note/Capitol/EMI)

Wow, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed post - I see you picked out some key albums from each period of Getz career too, that's very helpful!
It will probably take me a while to chew on your post and work out what album(s) I would be best served in getting - I appreciate your input :)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on January 10, 2016, 05:39:21 AM
Quote from: Green Destiny on January 10, 2016, 02:58:24 AM
Wow, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed post - I see you picked out some key albums from each period of Getz career too, that's very helpful!
It will probably take me a while to chew on your post and work out what album(s) I would be best served in getting - I appreciate your input :)

My pleasure! I love Getz' music, and I really think people should look beyond these easy-to-get boxes. The bossa one is essential in the end though I have the discs on their own in mostly older releases, "Jazz Samba Encore" also as a Japanese vinyl reissue ... and as I mentioned I think I'd really miss the - mostly instrumental/jazz - bonus tracks from my older edition of "Getz/Gilberto #2". Anyway, even the bossa box might be somewhat of an overkill as an entry point - and it might pigeon-hole Getz in an unfair way, too.

Alas, as the jazz reissue age has definitely ended (about ten years ago, ever since it's mostly just the PD labels that remain active and I hate them, mostly ... Fresh Sound is probably the one big exception though their (un-)doings are sometimes shady as well), it's not even easy to find reissues such as the "Originals" editions of "At the Shrine", "In Stockholm" ... but for one, "Sweet Rain" is still around and right now part of a "3 discs for 15€" sale at aDE:
http://www.amazon.de/Sweet-Rain-Stan-Getz/dp/B0019F8HSC/

"Focus", in its later "Originals" incarnation, is still around as well:
http://www.amazon.de/Focus-Verve-Originals-Serie-Stan/dp/B000AXZCSC/

The "People Time" box is still around, too - don't hesitate on that! it's cheapest from aIT right now as I see, but not much more expensive on DE:
http://www.amazon.it/People-Time-The-Complete-Recording/dp/B002R7SCOK/

But you might have other options in down under ... the "People Time" box would arrive crushed due to bad packaging, I assume. I hate when that happens (most recently for me with the Busch Quartet box from Warner's), but it's not worth complaining as international returns even for me, when all these (Germany, France, Italy) are neighbouring countries, are a bit of a nightmare.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on February 08, 2016, 03:08:41 PM
(http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/300/9/4/2/9/2859249.jpg) (http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/300/8/5/0/7/2787058.jpg)

I know stuff like this is on a public-domain label (Solar), and sound quality can be an issue, but are alternative sources even available for some of these live dates? Many are billed as first CD releases. I am checking on these issues where possible, even finding spare tracks online, to test sound before investing.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on February 09, 2016, 12:11:17 AM
Quote from: Brian on February 08, 2016, 03:08:41 PM
(http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/300/9/4/2/9/2859249.jpg) (http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/300/8/5/0/7/2787058.jpg)

I know stuff like this is on a public-domain label (Solar), and sound quality can be an issue, but are alternative sources even available for some of these live dates? Many are billed as first CD releases. I am checking on these issues where possible, even finding spare tracks online, to test sound before investing.

Not for these - you can go into bit-torrent or trading of FLAC alternatively, but if you prefer CDs, you have to buy these, I guess (I think the Manchester Messengers might have been on a previous similar release).

Honestly though: in both these cases I'd tend to only recommend these once you have just about everything official from Blakey up to 1965 and everything official (plus [semi?-]official live recordings such as the Copenhagen on Storyville, much of the Monk family stuff released on Joel Dorn's labels and explore records etc.).

Not saying these aren't worth it, but the 1961 Messengers recorded half a dozen of great albums, as well as double live album that's really quite great (can't find the proper RVG Edition 2CD reissue on amazon.com, it's likely OOP anyway):

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M8SZT6P2L.jpg)

Re: Monk, depending on your likings, live recordings might indeed be more fun, but there's a Columbia box now, and as I mentioned, there's official or semi-official stuff around. There's also some good stuff by the 1967 large band tour of Europe with Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Ray Copeland, Jimmy Cleveland, Phil Woods added to the quartet (with Rouse, Gales, Riley) - those recordings are really good additions to the official catalogue as that band went undocumented other than a couple of tracks (sans Terry) on the "Straight No Chaser" soundtrack (these are also on the quite nice three disc overview of Monk's Columbia years that does contain several rarities for the die-hard Monk fan).
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on July 10, 2016, 07:42:35 PM
King Ubu or anyone else, what artists & albums should I explore next if I love the two Columbia albums with George Benson, Lonnie Smith, & Ronnie Cuber (It's Uptown and Cookbook)? Don't know any of Smith's solo work, or Brother Jack, so it feels like those are the logical next step? Looking for a similar feel in the jazz-soul borderland. I also associate early Benson with a youthful optimism and upbeat charm.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on July 10, 2016, 10:34:02 PM
Quote from: Brian on July 10, 2016, 07:42:35 PM
King Ubu or anyone else, what artists & albums should I explore next if I love the two Columbia albums with George Benson, Lonnie Smith, & Ronnie Cuber (It's Uptown and Cookbook)? Don't know any of Smith's solo work, or Brother Jack, so it feels like those are the logical next step? Looking for a similar feel in the jazz-soul borderland. I also associate early Benson with a youthful optimism and upbeat charm.
I'm not too big on Benson, honestly ... there's an album of his with McDuff's band - one album his, one McDuff's with Benson on guitar.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-new-boss-guitar-of-george-benson-mw0000690477
Full disclosure: that Benson album is also found on this more recent twofer:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/george-benson-jack-mcduff-mw0000584878
But the *other* album on that twofer is found on yet another great McDuff twofer, so get this one and the Benson single (or the twofer if it's cheaper or easier to find, which might be the case):
http://www.allmusic.com/album/brother-jack-mcduff-live!-mw0000628223

Jack McDuff on the other hand ... totally different story, terrific musician! He made his quartets (that's what he usually led: ts, g, org, d) sound like whole orchestras, with the arrangements and the band's sound tightly knit and thought out in a great way that never makes the band sound contained or restrained.

McDuff had his share of great sidemen, notably Grant Green, but also lesser known (but very good) guys such as Harold Vick or Red Holloway. In Joe Dukes he had an amazing drummer who really helped producing that "band sound" (and propelling the band, bigtime). He also got his own album, which can be found on this fine twofer:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/soulful-drums-2001-mw0000588209
All of this is with the core group of that time: Holloway, Benson, McDuff, Dukes (both the "Live!" and the "Soulful Drums" twofers I mean).

Regarding single albums reissued as standalones, "The Honeydripper" is highly recommended (there's an RVG Remaster edition), same goes for the album co-led with Gene Ammons ("Brother Jack Meets the Boss") and the one with Sonny Stitt ("Sonny Stitt Meets Brother Jack", with the underrated Eddie Diehl on guitar). Then there's the meeting with Roland Kirk, again pretty good ("Kirk's Work").

The Legends of Acid Jazz twofers are mighty fine as well. "Glide On" with Bill Jennings (and no horns) has an after hours feeling to it that I love, but it's so laid back some might find it a bit on the boring side.

McDuff's not subtitled "Legends of Acid Jazz" twofer has more fine music from the group with Benson, but it's the other one I'd particularly recommend, "Legends of Acid Jazz: Brother Jack": the album with Vick, Green and Dukes is amongst McDuff's finest.

If you turn into a McDuff completist, be aware that the series of Prestige/Fantasy twofers and compilations contains almost his complete Prestige recordings (I think just a few titles are absent), but lots of it reshuffeled, sometimes in an order that makes sense, sometimes less so ... such twofers/compilations are "Prelude", "Concert McDuff", "The Last Good'un" and "Silken Soul".

More notes:

"Crash" is a twofer with albums by McDuff/Kenny Burrell ... and while I consider Burrell one of my favourite jazz guitarists (next to Grant Green and some of the cooler school), the match is somewhat less exciting than with Green and Benson (Burrell worked best with Jimmy Smith though, whose one encounter with Green is somewhat underwhelming).

"Soul Summit" is another twofer ... too many stars, not quite enough coherence - for completists only I'd say.

single albums reissued that I'd not consider at the very top (but none of them is bad): "Brother Jack", "Tough Duff" and "Screamin'" (the later has Leo Wright on alto sax - an acquired taste for some, and a musician sounding somewhat shrill if not out of tune to many others, so beware if you don't know him ... one sort of sub-radar second row essential he's one is Johnny Coles' lone Blue Note outing "Little Johnny C", which is pretty nice with its Duke Pearson arrangements for a three-horn-frontline, none other than Joe Henderson being third)


As for McDuff on other labels, I'm afraid with him, I prefer the "pure" productions of Prestige. His Atlantic albums are good fun, the one with Fathead ("Double Barelled Soul") holds the most attraction for me.

The Blue Notes are fun, and I guess I might not quite *get* "Moon Rappin'" yet, but "Down Home Style" has a nice cover of course.


This got long ... but I really love McDuff! Bundling, I'd say, get:

- Live! (for Benson, or rather the Holloway/Benson/Dukes band)
- Legends of Acid Jazz: Brother Jack (for the Vick/Green/Dukes album - the one on the twofer is fine, too!)
- The Honeydripper (for it being a classic)

and then go from there  :)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on July 13, 2016, 06:51:43 AM
Thanks so much for this guide!
I'm really digging that quartet formation (ts, g, org, d) so I just ordered the "Brother Jack Live!" twofer and wishlisted your other recommendations, including the Gene Ammons collaboration. Also appreciate the warning about Screamin'. I will look up Leo Wright on YouTube just to get a taste of that style.

Honestly I think my favorite thing about Benson is his exuberance when singing, and the way he sounds like he is constantly delighted with even the cheesiest song lyrics. He certainly doesn't sing "straight" like a Joe Williams - lots more vocal styling, tricks, ornamentation, but in a way that I enjoy.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on July 13, 2016, 09:45:03 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 13, 2016, 06:51:43 AM
Thanks so much for this guide!
I'm really digging that quartet formation (ts, g, org, d) so I just ordered the "Brother Jack Live!" twofer and wishlisted your other recommendations, including the Gene Ammons collaboration.
Anytime, when I can :)

Quote from: Brian on July 13, 2016, 06:51:43 AMAlso appreciate the warning about Screamin'. I will look up Leo Wright on YouTube just to get a taste of that style.
Wise decision, but as I said, he's on that really nice Johnny Coles album, so you could also just order that one  ;)
Actually he's on quite a few nice similar under-the-radar albums such as Richard Williams' lone album as a leader ("New Horn in Town" on Candid, Williams played with Mingus, the Jones/Lewis Big Band and many others and co-led a band with Gigi Gryce that recorded several albums, mainly three very good ones on Prestige/New Jazz) ... and Wright has his own album on Atlantic, "Blues Shout", with Richard Williams and violin player Harry Lookofsky amongst others, that's a really interesting one actually, reissued on a CD twofer by Collectables (and elsewhere I assume) also containing an album by Hank Crawford (if you enjoy easy-going funky jazz, note his "More Soul", also on Atlantic - that's Ray Charles' band without the leader, and what a great band that was! (If you're a CD buyer, the Atlantic Jazz Masters reissue is the one to get: https://www.discogs.com/de/Hank-Crawford-More-Soul/release/5329265)

Quote from: Brian on July 13, 2016, 06:51:43 AMHonestly I think my favorite thing about Benson is his exuberance when singing, and the way he sounds like he is constantly delighted with even the cheesiest song lyrics. He certainly doesn't sing "straight" like a Joe Williams - lots more vocal styling, tricks, ornamentation, but in a way that I enjoy.
Hm, I love Joe Williams and a few other singers (Andy Bey, Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy Rushing) but usually don't really look for male jazz singers ... but I guess I should give Benson another try some day. He's actually a pretty fine guitar player as those records with McDuff's band amply proof (not sure he still is, the kind of stuff he or someone like Hugh Masekela - who's early stuff I love - does nowadays has me heading in the opposite direction).
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on July 22, 2016, 09:55:58 PM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/715IaL9duML._SY355_.jpg)

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YD2iw2IyL._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: HIPster on July 28, 2016, 08:36:25 AM
Impulse! 25 CD set to be released:

http://www.udiscovermusic.com/discover-your-impulsive-side-with-this-25-cd-box-set

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on July 28, 2016, 12:38:33 PM
Quote from: HIPster on July 28, 2016, 08:36:25 AM
Impulse! 25 CD set to be released:

http://www.udiscovermusic.com/discover-your-impulsive-side-with-this-25-cd-box-set
Hmmm. I only own 1 (grey market, though), 8, and 13, so this may well be worth it for me. Never even heard of the artists on #21-24.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: North Star on July 28, 2016, 12:50:30 PM
Quote from: Brian on July 28, 2016, 12:38:33 PM
Hmmm. I only own 1 (grey market, though), 8, and 13, so this may well be worth it for me. Never even heard of the artists on #21-24.
Never heard of Alice Coltrane? I suspect you've heard of her husband... The album in the box is a classic, and rather easier listening than the later works of her husband. There's a fair bit of Indian influence, and a tamboura and an oud are featured.

Haden played bass in Ornette Coleman's band, don't know much more about him.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: kishnevi on July 28, 2016, 06:56:35 PM
Quote from: North Star on July 28, 2016, 12:50:30 PM
Never heard of Alice Coltrane? I suspect you've heard of her husband... The album in the box is a classic, and rather easier listening than the later works of her husband. There's a fair bit of Indian influence, and a tamboura and an oud are featured.

Haden played bass in Ornette Coleman's band, don't know much more about him.

I think Haden passed away within the last year.  He partnered with Jarrett on some ECM recordings of recent vintage.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on August 01, 2016, 06:45:00 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on July 22, 2016, 09:55:58 PM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YD2iw2IyL._SY355_.jpg)
Excellent music ... probably in less than ideal but acceptable sound - European PD release, perfectly legal, but as usual you don't know the sources (and what they do with them). Though from that bunch, Fresh Sound is certainly one of the more thorough and generally rather reliable labels.

"Cookin'" was on Savoy initially, and it's too bad those Denon/Savoy reissues from the late 80s (sloppy editing wrt to covers/info - some mistakes in line-ups etc., but good sound) are pretty rare. "That's It" was on Candid and an official reissue straight from Candid should be around. Those two are amongst his best, the Candid maybe having the edge (though the Savoy adds Richard Williams, whom I always enjoy hearing). The third one, "The Book Cooks", is somewhat less essential. It was released on Bethlehem, had some CD reissues, but I have no idea how many and how obtainable they are (I have the Avenue Jazz/Rhino one). It pairs Ervin with Zoot Sims (a nice but somewhat odd idea, I think), adds another unsung trumpet player (Tommy Turrentine), and has the smoother, more elegant Tommy Flanagan on piano and the some much less smooth Dannie Richmond on drums, while retaining the bass player of the Parlan/Tucker/Harewood trio that worked so well together with both Booker as well as with Stanley & Tommy Turrentine. A fine bunch of albums, no doubt. My Ervin top (as a leader) would probably read like this: The Freedom Book, The Space Book, That's It. The first two of those have his *other* congenial piano accompanist, Jaki Byard, the amazing Richard Davis on bass, and Alan Dawson on drums. I don't think Ervin made a bad album, not even a bad song ... but there's some truth to the statement that he always plays the same solo. I don't care, as I love the energy and conviction that's always there as soon as he starts playing. Obviously, he learnt a lot while with Mingus. "Mingus in Wonderland" displays him alongside John Handy and is burning hot, but he's on a few other classic Mingus albums, of course! And he's brilliant on Randy Weston's Monterey 1966 concert, released on Verve/PolyGram/Gitanes/whatever.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on August 01, 2016, 11:50:00 AM
Thanks for the detailed reply. How did you learn so much about jazz?

Here is another very beautiful one I just heard last night on Rise:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61v%2BeXcLGrL._SY355_.jpg)

And this too, especially the track "Sophisticated Lady" sung by Jeanne Lee:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41faEg9HudL._SY355_.jpg)

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on August 02, 2016, 07:27:41 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on August 01, 2016, 11:50:00 AM
Thanks for the detailed reply. How did you learn so much about jazz?

A lot is just ... opinion, though I am most often happy to give reasons and provide explanations.

I started avidly listening (and collecting) at around 15, my parents have a broad range of LPs and CDs, music was always around (including two favourites of theirs, "African Marketplace" by Dollar Brand and "Amandla" by Miles Davis - I heard both so often as a kid that I know them by heart, really ...  same btw for the Prey/Orfeo recording of Brahms/Tieck's "Die schöne Magelone").

But it quickly grew into almost an obsession and went far beyond what my parents were able to pass on (they always encouraged my curiosity and I will be thankful for that always). So I started reading some books (chiefly JE Berendt's "Das Jazz-Buch", still one of the best books in German if you want to get an overview, though I don't know if some of the sorta Hegelian models of progress/development of my late 80s edition were gotten rid of in later editions, hopefully so!).

Other than that, once I got online at the end of the 90s, I started frequenting some jazz boards with lots of activity and plenty of older knowledgeable folks around were I picked up lots of recommendations that often went beyond the obvious and into the obscure. Some of those discussions also were elemental in how I learnt thinking about music (and arts in general).

Then I went on to study history (plus German literature and philosophy as minors), so the painstakingly exact (self-)education went to the next level ... and the main thing was: I always got immense pleasure out of it, even if I know it's nothing that can be put to real use in our capitalist system ...

One other thing I got from home: playing an instrument (and persevering). After several years of dreadful recorder lessons (as I name-dropped Hegel, the teacher's name was Marx), I switched to clarinet, and halfway through high school to tenor saxophone. But I never reached any really good level as an improviser, remaining more a guts player, eventually experimenting with free improv, too ... but that stopped a while ago (and the actual alternative to history would have been to attend conservatory on clarinet ... not to be mistaken as an anti-intellectual stance [that's mostly a bad excuse for laziness and discrimination anyway], but I don't quite embrace those schools that pretend to teach jazz ... they teach technical proficiency and a subset of common performance practises but jazz is so much more ... and eventually music prove too dear to my heart to make it my profession - so there's my reply to that other very interesting thread).

Bottom line: more than 20 years of passionate listening, discussing, reading, and sometimes writing.

And that, too, explains why I am kinda shy around here, as it never quite feels right to discuss classical music in that same manner, though I really try hard to do some catching up!

Sorry to digress for so long  :)

(edited for smartphone induced typos)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on August 11, 2016, 12:06:21 PM
No idea if there's interest, but ...

JPC has nice prices on some of the Storyville boxes - these go for 35€ currently, and at least the Duke Ellington set ist easily recommended, with the (sonically amazing) Fargo set, it contains a most important bit of Ellingtonia:

The Duke Box

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/Duke-Ellington-1899-1974-The-Duke-Box/hnum/8707288

The Blues Box

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/The-Blues-Box-7CD-DVD/hnum/5557134

The Armstrong Box

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/Louis-Armstrong-1901-1971-The-Armstrong-Box-7-CD-DVD/hnum/9912297

George Lewis - Keeper of the Flame

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/George-Lewis-Keeper-Of-The-Flame/hnum/4080235

Billy Strayhorn - Out of the Shadows

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/billy-strayhorn-out-of-the-shadows/hnum/5247145



The recent Earl Hines goes for €43:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/earl-hines-piano-genius-at-work/hnum/8602936
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Spineur on September 17, 2016, 10:27:06 AM
Hi !  I have been listening to some Till  Brönner on the radio and on YT and found it quite appealing to the point of thinking to purchase one or two albums.  He has done quite a few, most of them being well recieved.
At this stage, I would gladly take some advice from the GMG jazz crowd.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on September 17, 2016, 01:02:11 PM
Frank reply: skip it, forget it ... he is present on silly talent tv shows and stuff, more like a model/actor than a jazz musician (and that includes when he's playing jazz). Though he definitely has chops, that's quite clear. The one fond memory I have is of him playing a set in trio (with Johan Leijonhufvud on guitar and Dieter Ilg on bass if memory doesn't play any tricks on me - not familiar with Leijonhufvud otherwise) at the Zurich "jazznojazz" festival and I heard that on the radio ... seemed pretty good indeed. But in general, he's too much façade, too much smart guy, too much marketing for my liking.

May be I'm unfair there and should judge the music on its own merits and solely on that ... but there's so much music to choose from - ars longa, vita brevis and all that  :)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 24, 2016, 11:25:08 AM
Anyone heard this? I have Sorey's beautiful CD Alloy, but was rather blown away by this when I heard it on KCSM a few nights ago.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61DoiTzi6oL.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on September 24, 2016, 02:18:51 PM
Have it on the piles, actually wanted to play it earlier today but was derailed and went on with other things ... I think it's a kind of ambitious, composed project, but I guess you're aware of those details and the line-up etc. A friend of mine who's a big fan of Sorey's likes it a lot, whatever that is worth.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on September 25, 2016, 07:49:06 AM
Alright, the Tyshawn Sorey made it to the player today - first impression: this is brooding chamber jazz, melodic, melancholic, long-form, slowly evolving ... I liked it a lot!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2016, 05:44:24 PM
Cool. Do you have Alloy? Alloy is largely similar--subdued, introspective, minimalist--a long drawn out meditation in Feldmanesque style.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on September 25, 2016, 10:54:43 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2016, 05:44:24 PM
Cool. Do you have Alloy? Alloy is largely similar--subdued, introspective, minimalist--a long drawn out meditation in Feldmanesque style.

No, not yet ... still catching up on some Pi releases - great label, actually, but initially I focused more on the veterans and Chicagoans whom I love (Threadgill, Roscoe, Muhal). Got some catching up to do with the Steves (Colelman and Lehman) and some others.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 07, 2016, 07:30:05 PM
Will probably get these...

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31XCYQ0RT0L.jpg)

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81KwA%2B5RcKL._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 08, 2016, 07:11:40 AM
Not really familiar with late Jamal (but heard a great concert with George Coleman and Idris Muhammad some 15 years ago).

The Cannonball is lovely, some spirited soloing by Cannon ... but it's lightweight and probably ranks at position 15 to 20 if ny favourite Cannonball albums.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 08, 2016, 09:01:34 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 08, 2016, 07:11:40 AM
...

The Cannonball is lovely, some spirited soloing by Cannon ... but it's lightweight and probably ranks at position 15 to 20 if ny favourite Cannonball albums.

To follow-up on this, as I really love Cannonball Adderley's music - grouped, and sorted chronologically by group (not ba ranking):


top:

Somethin' Else (the near-mystique Blue Note classic with a shabby trumpet guy  ;) and a great rhythm section)
In San Francisco (the amazing live album with Bobby Timmons and his tune "Dis Here")
Cannonball in Europe! (live) (favourite of mine amongst the sextet albums with Lateef - dig him on oboe on "Trouble in Mind")
Nippon Soul (live) (second of my top tier albums by the sextet - more in the next group)


excellent:

The Savoy albums from 1955*
Quintet in Chicago (the Miles band sans leader, Cannon & Coltrane blowing up some storms)
w/Milt Jackson - Things Are Getting Better (other than the pairing with Bill Evans later down the road, this one is a smoking hot affair, Wynton Kelly and Art Blakey help, too!)
Quintet at the Lighthouse (live) (with Victor Feldman, who followed after a short stint by Barry Harris, see next group of albums)
Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley
The Cannonball Adderley Sextet In New York (live) (the new sextet line-up with Yusef Lateef added to the brothers and Joe Zawinul on piano)
Jazzworkshop Revisited (live) (same group, all their albums are mighty good in my opinion, I love Lateef even more than Cannonball)
Live! (live) (the new sextet line-up w/Charles Lloyd in for Lateef)
Money in the Pocket (live) (the new quintet, the one that would pioneer use of the fender rhodes piano ... still w/Zawinul, of course!)
Cannonball in Japan (live) (a live album I've loved for almost two decades by now)
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (live) (the title tune is a classic, but the rest just about fails to make it into the very top group)
Why Am I Treated So Bad? (live) (another great and funky album - Capitol, the new label, understood that a live setting worked best)
Accent on Africa (David Axelrod over-production, but wow this is fun! and you get Cannonball on soprano)
The Black Messiah - Recorded Live at The Troubadour (live) (the new group with George Duke on keys comes in with a bang - a great live double album)


very good:

Cannonball Takes Charge (w/Wynton Kelly, sans Nat)
Them Dirty Blues (quintet w/Timmons and his replacement Barry Harris, who's not a natural, but some mighty good stuff on there - that slow blues is da shit!)
Paris, 1960 (live) (the band w/Feldman live)
What Is This Thing Called Love (live) (more of that)
Cannonball Adderley and the Poll-Winners: Ray Brown, Wes Montgomery (an all star album, but a very sympathetic one, sans Nat)
African Waltz (a big band album, arr. Bob Brookmeyer & Ernie Wilkins, Cannonball the star soloist and main attraction)
Quintet Plus (Feldman also on vibes, with Wynton Kelly guesting as the "Plus")
w/Bill Evans - Know What I Mean? (two different temperaments, not a classic but still lovely, sans Nat)
w/Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson: Cleanhead & Cannonball
Lugano, 1963 - Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series Vol. 3 (live) (a somewhat routine gig by the great sextet w/Lateef)
Fiddler on the Roof (the new sextet line-up with Charles Lloyd stepping in for Lateef)
Domination (another big band affair, this time in Oliver Nelson's hands)
74 Miles Away (Walk Tall) (yet one more by the new quintet line-up of the mid/late 60s - see group above for more)
Country Preacher (live) (next one of that series of mostly live albums)


good:

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (EmArcy, some added horns, arr. Quincy Jones - from the days when he still wrote himself, I guess)
the EmArcy quintet albums by the brothers with Junior Mance **)
Quintets at Newport (live) (shared with the George Shearing quintet, the Adderleys sitting in with that band, too - nice but not essential)
Portrait of Cannonball (with Blue Mitchell and Bill Evans ... not the fastest start on Riverside, but not bad at all)
Live in Cologne 1961 (live) (two short sets - the other by Benny Carter - somehow not quite enough meat on the bone)
Cannonball's Bosa Nova - Cannonball Adderley and the Bossa Rio Sextet (lightweight but charming ... and nowhere near bossa nova of course, more like spirited soulful samba)
w/Ernie Andrews - Live Session (live) (fun stuff with a singer I otherwise don't know at all)
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet "In Person" with Special Guest Stars Nancy Wilson & Lou Rawls (not his best outing, but plenty to enjoy, incl. the two fine guests)
The Happy People (another latin affair)


three later Fantasy albums are on my shelves, but I'm not familiar enough with them to group them yet:

Inside Straight (live)
Pyramid
Phenix


*) best in the official two-disc set "Adderley Brothers - The Summer of '55", in typical Orrin Keepnews manner misses a few alternate takes, but this is great stuff, includes Kenny Clarke's "Bohemia After Dark" with both Adderleys, Donald Byrd and Jerome Richardson, Julian's "Spontaneous Combustion" with Nat, and Nat's "That's Nat" without Julian but with Richardson, who's an unsung hero of that era anyway ... should you want the missing takes, look for the old Denon/Savoy disc "Discoveries"

**) official double disc: "Sophisticated Swing - The EmArcy Small-Group Sessions", four albums (one under Nat's name) - this is all a bit too tightly produced (too many too short tunes with not enough blowing space) compared to the Riverside sessions


additions:

Introducing Nat Adderley (sans Cannon, but a great 1955 album with Johnny Griffin, Horace Silver, Paul Chambers and Roy Haynes - quite a band!) - mentioning this as it falls within the "Summer of '55" and later EmArcy albums and somehow belongs among them ... Nat later had his own series of Riverside albums, usually without Cannonball, the best of them I think are "Branching Out" (Griffin again, plus The Three Sounds), "Work Song" (my personal favourite, unusual instrumentation with just Nat's horn, Wes Montgomery, Timmons, Sam Jones partly on cello, Keter Betts, Percy Heath and Louis Hayes), and "That's Right" (with a sex section of Cannonball, Lateef, Jimmy Heath, Charlie Rouse and Tate Houston)


silly/of its time:

Soul Zodiac (Cannonball Adderley Presents "Soul Zodiac" Written and Narrated by Rick Holmes, The Nat Adderley Sextet)


there's more as far as sideman sessions go, including a mighty good Ray Brown big band album with Cannonball the star soloist, a gorgeous folksy third stream album by John Benson Brooks ... and of course the few sessions with Miles Davis, Machito's "Kenya" again with Cannonball the featured soloist, a side-spot as "Buckshot Le Fonque" with Louis Smith ...

after all, it has to be said that Cannonball's exuberance may get on some people's nerves rather quickly ... so don't jump in head over heels but get some, let it drizzle in and then figure out if he's for you or not - in my case, no further evidence needed, I think  ;D

I'd love the Capitol albums to be grouped and reissued in their entirety ... a few recent reissues I still have to get, but more is around than what made it to CD, they're surely a mixed bunch, but boxing them would be at least as revelatory as when Sony boxed Herbie Hancock's albums a while back (and I don't think the worst of Cannonball ever got near the hideous stuff that can be heard on the worst of Hancock's albums)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on October 08, 2016, 05:48:59 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 07, 2016, 07:30:05 PM
Will probably get these...

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31XCYQ0RT0L.jpg)

No question about this one. Quality stuff. In fact, all three in the "Essence" series are must-haves. Jamal's late-career renaissance (starting from about the mid-90s on into the 2000s) is a storehouse of high quality music. It's not given the attention it deserves but the sheer originality of the music is impressive.

Jamal also began writing more of his own tunes at this time. But either way we win.


Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 08, 2016, 06:44:49 PM
Thanks gentlemen!

My intro to Cannonball was Somethin' Else--specifically the Blue Note 50th Anniversary LP I bought a couple years ago! Really eye-opening stuff, and it is amazing how much he sounds like Bird at times. I do want to explore more, so thanks very much for the list!!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 09, 2016, 06:46:42 AM
Re: Jamal, as I said, I'm not really familiar with his later output ... but if you love his early stuff (Argo recordings, mainly the fabulous trio with Israel Crosby and Vernel Fournier), you have to be aware that his playing changed, bigtime. Already by the time of his Impulse albums in the seventies, it got much less spacey and refined, and I guess that went on into 90s and 00s and to present day. Not saying that it's a bad thing, but I really think it would be hard for anyone blindfolded to tell it's the same guy.

As his mid/late fifties and early sixties output is - justly! - famous, for those familiar with some of it, his later music may be off-putting or just not what they expected. However, what I have heard of the later output was uniformly good to very good (though I do prefer the brilliant elegance of the early period, those recordings are quite simply unique in many respects ... which is probably why I know just some stray records from later on).
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on October 09, 2016, 07:48:17 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 09, 2016, 06:46:42 AM
Re: Jamal, as I said, I'm not really familiar with his later output ... but if you love his early stuff (Argo recordings, mainly the fabulous trio with Israel Crosby and Vernel Fournier), you have to be aware that his playing changed, bigtime. Already by the time of his Impulse albums in the seventies, it got much less spacey and refined, and I guess that went on into 90s and 00s and to present day. Not saying that it's a bad thing, but I really think it would be hard for anyone blindfolded to tell it's the same guy.

As his mid/late fifties and early sixties output is - justly! - famous, for those familiar with some of it, his later music may be off-putting or just not what they expected. However, what I have heard of the later output was uniformly good to very good (though I do prefer the brilliant elegance of the early period, those recordings are quite simply unique in many respects ... which is probably why I know just some stray records from later on).

I agree with some of what you say but not all of it. Jamal's "middle period" is, as you say, lacking the direction and emphasis of his earlier period, which is justly famous.

However, starting with his Telarc discs in 1992 and on through is Birdology years in the mid-90s to about 2008 his music takes on a new force (as I mentioned, his "renaissance"). Here, to me, his music flowers to its absolute fullest, even SURPASSING his early period.

This late period - as of yet - lies mainly undiscovered by the mainstream but is Jamal at his greatest.

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on October 09, 2016, 09:35:55 AM
Diff'rent strokes, I guess ... I quite like his Impulse albums actually. The late period has so far just not touched me in a way his early recordings do.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on January 05, 2017, 09:59:09 AM
Does anybody have any experience with "TCB The Montreux Jazz Label"? Specifically their "Swiss Radio Days" series? Looks like they've been releasing Swiss radio concerts of classic jazz artists for a couple decades now, stuff like

(http://cms.new-art.nl/assets/image.php?width=290&image=/content/img/new_products/1456153857.jpg) (http://cms.new-art.nl/assets/image.php?width=290&image=/content/img/new_products/1455721040.jpg) (http://cms.new-art.nl/assets/image.php?width=290&image=/content/img/new_products/1436365502.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: king ubu on January 07, 2017, 09:15:26 AM
Great series, usually in excellent sound quality.

Can list some faves later on, but on those three: Gordon and Webster only olay two loose jams together, for the rest it's either Frog or LTD with rhythm. A rather spontaneous affair, nice but far from essential.

The Rollins Trio/Silver Quintet is wonderful (but again there's so much from them, I'd hardly consider essential,  regardless of its excellence).

The Ella/OP I barely listened to so far ... but its instrumental counterpart - OP & JATP - is mighty cool as the band includes the real president, Lester Young.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Spineur on June 09, 2017, 11:29:55 AM
Complete 1957 riverside recording.  It is a reissue of the 2006 edition on the Concord label.  There is a hires version but I am not sure if it has been remastered.

(https://static.qobuz.com/images/covers/54/21/0088807202154_600.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 02, 2017, 08:16:20 PM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61QS0b8H9iL._SX425_.jpg)

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Apv-4L5gL._SY355_.jpg)

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81vgA90CL2L._SY355_.jpg)

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Ms8PHNUAL._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on September 12, 2018, 03:00:52 PM
Anybody ever heard either album by the Riverside Reunion Band? Nat Adderley, Albert Heath, Tommy Flanagan, some other guys like that...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 29, 2018, 06:51:27 PM
Bill Evans complete Fantasy recordings. Anyone own it?

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/611Hb7NaOVL._SL1200_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: SimonNZ on September 30, 2018, 03:00:24 PM
I used to have that and it was a great introduction for me to many items in the Evans discography that are too often and unjustly overlooked by the critics.

It bothered be that by filling each cd to 1hour plus it split many of the albums across two discs without making it clear where one ended and the next started. Eventually I sold it and reacquired six or seven favorites from the box - including the Tokyo concert disc you mentioned on the other thread.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 30, 2018, 08:29:44 PM
Thanks for your thoughts. The packaging is pretty disappointing, and of course it would be much more appealing (at least to me) if the sleeves had original cover art, and contained only the original album--even if this does make for shorter durations. I might look into downloads. I want to buy some of these LPs, but not all of them, so maybe some combination thereof...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: NikF on October 01, 2018, 04:27:39 PM
Quote from: SimonNZ on September 30, 2018, 03:00:24 PM
I used to have that and it was a great introduction for me to many items in the Evans discography that are too often and unjustly overlooked by the critics.

It bothered be that by filling each cd to 1hour plus it split many of the albums across two discs without making it clear where one ended and the next started.  Eventually I sold it and reacquired six or seven favorites from the box - including the Tokyo concert disc you mentioned on the other thread.

Yeah, that sounds the reasonable way to roll.

Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 30, 2018, 08:29:44 PM
Thanks for your thoughts. The packaging is pretty disappointing, and of course it would be much more appealing (at least to me) if the sleeves had original cover art, and contained only the original album--even if this does make for shorter durations. I might look into downloads. I want to buy some of these LPs, but not all of them, so maybe some combination thereof...

I've been there, mate. I think I've seen you post about enjoying vinyl? In that case, perhaps it has the potential of being a long term pursuit?
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 01, 2018, 04:39:00 PM
Quote from: SimonNZ on September 30, 2018, 03:00:24 PMIt bothered be that by filling each cd to 1hour plus it split many of the albums across two discs without making it clear where one ended and the next started. Eventually I sold it and reacquired six or seven favorites from the box - including the Tokyo concert disc you mentioned on the other thread.

I listen to jazz with iTunes and my solution with those pile-of-albums sets is to make playlists for the individual albums - a case where computer makes it possible to return to the original packaging of the music.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 05:46:06 PM
Quote from: NikF on October 01, 2018, 04:27:39 PM
Yeah, that sounds the reasonable way to roll.

I've been there, mate. I think I've seen you post about enjoying vinyl? In that case, perhaps it has the potential of being a long term pursuit?

Have been collecting vinyl since 1990, when everyone was getting rid of it. I absolutely love everything about vinyl, and in 20+ years of owning an Oracle Delphi III/SME V tonearm/Sumiko Blue Point, I have had ZERO problems. A clean, high-quality record on this rig is spectacular and even cheap/bargain vinyl from years ago is still wonderful. (My hearing is exceptional BTW--the best my ENT has ever seen) The late Brooks Berdan who set everything up, was certainly one of the greatest turntable/audio guys on the planet, and now his son has taken over and serves my audio needs quite well.

I do like CDs for larger sets and various other things--partly because I have limited time and bandwidth to digitize LPs. I actually really enjoy doing this, but a single LP takes about 2 hr from start to finish. I usually do one a week. Every few months, I take a dozen or so my LPs to my audio dealer's shop to clean them on the $6K Keith Monks, or lately, the ClearAudio machine, followed by some lunch and lounge drinks/dessert. It's a nice day out. (wife sometimes comes along and does her shopping).

I prefer the original vinyl (or sometimes the vinyl reissues) for various things like various classical performers, labels (Westminster, Period, early Decca, RCA Stereo, etc.). Especially lately, I like the original vinyl for jazz and jazz/pop vocalists from the 50s-70s. Julie London, June Christy, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett--man I love those covers!

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: NikF on October 01, 2018, 06:57:46 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 05:46:06 PM
Have been collecting vinyl since 1990, when everyone was getting rid of it. I absolutely love everything about vinyl, and in 20+ years of owning an Oracle Delphi III/SME V tonearm/Sumiko Blue Point, I have had ZERO problems. A clean, high-quality record on this rig is spectacular and even cheap/bargain vinyl from years ago is still wonderful. (My hearing is exceptional BTW--the best my ENT has ever seen) The late Brooks Berdan who set everything up, was certainly one of the greatest turntable/audio guys on the planet, and now his son has taken over and serves my audio needs quite well.

I do like CDs for larger sets and various other things--partly because I have limited time and bandwidth to digitize LPs. I actually really enjoy doing this, but a single LP takes about 2 hr from start to finish. I usually do one a week. Every few months, I take a dozen or so my LPs to my audio dealer's shop to clean them on the $6K Keith Monks, or lately, the ClearAudio machine, followed by some lunch and lounge drinks/dessert. It's a nice day out. (wife sometimes comes along and does her shopping).

I prefer the original vinyl (or sometimes the vinyl reissues) for various things like various classical performers, labels (Westminster, Period, early Decca, RCA Stereo, etc.). Especially lately, I like the original vinyl for jazz and jazz/pop vocalists from the 50s-70s. Julie London, June Christy, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett--man I love those covers!

I don't know anything about the tech of that stuff, but I've heard what some set ups are capable of. And as ever, when pleasure is found in any pursuit - good stuff.
As for the cover art, yeah, I know from speaking with you before that you can well appreciate such pieces. In many instances there's a lasting beauty in both the final product and how it was executed.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 07:13:19 PM
And hey, you have nice taste in cameras (Nikon F in your avatar)!

You've seen this?? Digital backs for 35mm SLRs? I like the idea, but am very skeptical.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/7113780578/i-m-back-digital-back-for-analog-slrs-is-now-in-production

My old Olympus OM-2s is sadly neglected for years now. Call me a hipster if you like (I'm 46 and don't have a beard, but I DO drive an old Volvo!). It would be fun to load it with film and fire it up, if it would even work. Film did have a nice tactile feel, and I still miss loading a new roll and advancing the lever. However, in terms of IQ, cost, and the enormous ease of post-processing, I have no romantic notions about film vs. digital the way I do for LPs! My Nikon 7200 annhilates film in pretty much every respect--better IQ at ISO 10000 than film had at ISO 400. Cards are scandalously cheap compared to film, and LR 7 provides me with insane range of options.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 07:17:07 PM
In terms of such cover art, a couple favorites

(https://img.discogs.com/FOH9Rm5WLVK6N_R03HHg__ppbcQ=/fit-in/600x597/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2009795-1302943888.jpeg.jpg)

(https://img.discogs.com/yW1dE3x17hU9NuD6Tte6V4HjPac=/fit-in/500x500/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-10222170-1493646788-8245.jpeg.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: NikF on October 01, 2018, 07:56:00 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 07:13:19 PM
And hey, you have nice taste in cameras (Nikon F in your avatar)!

You've seen this?? Digital backs for 35mm SLRs? I like the idea, but am very skeptical.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/7113780578/i-m-back-digital-back-for-analog-slrs-is-now-in-production

My old Olympus OM-2s is sadly neglected for years now. Call me a hipster if you like (I'm 46 and don't have a beard, but I DO drive an old Volvo!). It would be fun to load it with film and fire it up, if it would even work. Film did have a nice tactile feel, and I still miss loading a new roll and advancing the lever. However, in terms of IQ, cost, and the enormous ease of post-processing, I have no romantic notions about film vs. digital the way I do for LPs! My Nikon 7200 annhilates film in pretty much every respect--better IQ at ISO 10000 than film had at ISO 400. Cards are scandalously cheap compared to film, and LR 7 provides me with insane range of options.

No, I haven't seen that, but it's interesting. Cheers for the link.

Yeah, my avatar is a photo by my ex and it doubled as my username.

I agree with you 99.99% re: analogue v digital. It's just lingering faith that when correctly exposing over 11 zones that film is going to help me minimise chances of clipping - with a background consisting of echoes of decades of photo editors and printers lingering in my memory.  ;D

e: and looking at my avatar now, I think there's also some backing tape from Adox 120 or one of those old style emulsions.

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: NikF on October 01, 2018, 08:04:37 PM
I think both are cool for a number of reasons.

Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 07:17:07 PM
In terms of such cover art, a couple favorites

(https://img.discogs.com/FOH9Rm5WLVK6N_R03HHg__ppbcQ=/fit-in/600x597/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2009795-1302943888.jpeg.jpg)

But this one...

Quote
(https://img.discogs.com/yW1dE3x17hU9NuD6Tte6V4HjPac=/fit-in/500x500/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-10222170-1493646788-8245.jpeg.jpg)

...this is where it's at. Gimme.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 08:24:14 PM
Quote from: NikF on October 01, 2018, 08:04:37 PM
But this one...
...this is where it's at. Gimme.

Uh huh huh huh! Come to Butthead!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 08:26:12 PM
As for film, I don't know what you think of Ken Rockwell (he is kind of Trumpian), but I am absolutely fascinated by this article on the Kodak Medalist II medium format camera. I am tempted!!

https://kenrockwell.com/kodak/medalist-ii.htm#intro

https://kenrockwell.com/kodak/medalist-ii.htm

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: NikF on October 02, 2018, 02:45:51 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 01, 2018, 08:26:12 PM
As for film, I don't know what you think of Ken Rockwell (he is kind of Trumpian), but I am absolutely fascinated by this article on the Kodak Medalist II medium format camera. I am tempted!!

https://kenrockwell.com/kodak/medalist-ii.htm#intro

https://kenrockwell.com/kodak/medalist-ii.htm


The worst I could say about him is that he frequently points out his site is ad free, despite it being one big ad with every paragraph seeming to contain an affiliate hyperlink or two. And he seems to be kind of a dick.  ;D

As for the camera, I like old cool stuff. Having said that, I tend to view those things as nothing more than tools. Although it's a different format and optical formula, I had an old speed graphic and a couple of boards, one of which was for an aero ektar. Remember those? Anyway, they're fun and interesting so if you've got the time/cash, why not? And 6x9 is nice on 120. Once in a while I carry that combo in my pocket -

(https://i.postimg.cc/xTybr7JW/IMG_20181002_112420_873.jpg)

- my avatar now has an example of the output. It's a 1940s(?) bessa rf.

Having said all that, I've a super ikonta that despite having a (relatively) wide lens seems to love women, and it's a real favourite. Anyway, if you decide to go for a medalist let me know how you get on.

e: just an attempt to keep this (even faintly  :laugh:) on topic, is that shot of Julie London can be dated by the way it's lit. Look at the little triangle of light under her eye - old school Rembrandt Lighting.  ;D

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on August 08, 2019, 10:46:03 AM
What are some favorite Chet Baker albums where he does NOT sing?

I was just listening to "Chet Is Back!" and wishing for more like that.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on August 08, 2019, 07:55:40 PM
I recommend Chet Baker and Bill Evans Complete Recordings highly--one of my favorites! I have the 2 LP set (great) and cannot speak to the quality of the CDs.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41UJHY1Vs0L._SY450_.jpg)

I am also looking at this one, which is ridiculously cheap. But, I already have so many unlistened-to disks, I am going to wait a while.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91-U2ZnkAoL._SX522_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 13, 2019, 02:01:22 PM
Sam Rivers, http://nobusinessrecords.com/zenith.html (http://nobusinessrecords.com/zenith.html) Zenith
(http://nobusinessrecords.com/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/Zenith.9c057a36f0899e0f0dab4b221424bcc8520.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 15, 2019, 02:03:04 PM
(https://cdn2.dustygroove.com/images/products/b/brown_mario_portonovo_103b.jpg)
Will definitely purchase if the reissue happens (which is far from certain IMO)...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Alek Hidell on November 15, 2019, 07:51:43 PM
Quote from: T. D. on November 13, 2019, 02:01:22 PM
Sam Rivers, http://nobusinessrecords.com/zenith.html (http://nobusinessrecords.com/zenith.html) Zenith
(http://nobusinessrecords.com/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/Zenith.9c057a36f0899e0f0dab4b221424bcc8520.jpg)

Ooo, this release is news to me. Considering the personnel, I'd say you should move this one from "considering" to "purchased." :)

And I need to make a mental note of it, too ...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 20, 2019, 01:08:27 PM
Quote from: Alek Hidell on November 15, 2019, 07:51:43 PM
Ooo, this release is news to me. Considering the personnel, I'd say you should move this one from "considering" to "purchased." :)

And I need to make a mental note of it, too ...

Done. BTW, I recommend Emanation, the predecessor (in a promised series) on the same label...
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Alek Hidell on November 20, 2019, 07:17:31 PM
Quote from: T. D. on November 20, 2019, 01:08:27 PM
Done. BTW, I recommend Emanation, the predecessor (in a promised series) on the same label...

Thanks! There's a lot of Sam Rivers' discography I have yet to explore.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 06:40:20 AM
Emanation is good but maybe not essential, depending on how many Rivers recordings you have. I don't own all that much (missed out on the big band stuff, for instance), but want to support the new project.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on November 21, 2019, 10:00:55 AM
A Sam Rivers album that I like a lot is Involution, with Andrew Hill.

(https://londonjazzcollector.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/samrivewrsinvolution_cover_1600.jpg?w=1166&h=1150)

The Andrew Hill tracks were never released originally and only appeared as this twofer reissue. 
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 01:49:01 PM
Quote from: San Antone on November 21, 2019, 10:00:55 AM
A Sam Rivers album that I like a lot is Involution, with Andrew Hill.

(https://londonjazzcollector.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/samrivewrsinvolution_cover_1600.jpg?w=1166&h=1150)

The Andrew Hill tracks were never released originally and only appeared as this twofer reissue.

The 4 tracks w. Hill and Rivers were issued on CD under Hill's name as part of the Andrew Hill Blue Note Mosaic (big box), and also on the BN Conn disc Change. I'm a fan of Hill, missed out on the Mosaic, but acquired Change in the process of duplicating the Mosaic (except Pax, which I have yet to buy) on single CDs.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on November 21, 2019, 02:31:57 PM
Quote from: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 01:49:01 PM
The 4 tracks w. Hill and Rivers were issued on CD under Hill's name as part of the Andrew Hill Blue Note Mosaic (big box), and also on the BN Conn disc Change. I'm a fan of Hill, missed out on the Mosaic, but acquired Change in the process of duplicating the Mosaic (except Pax, which I have yet to buy) on single CDs.

You are correct, I had forgotten to mention the Mosaic box.  What I meant was that the sessions were not released under Rivers' name at the time of their production (I believe he was the leader on the original session), and were only issued later, first as the vinyl twofer (which is how I first heard them) and then included in the comprehensive Andrew Hill Mosaic box set.  I am unfamiliar with the Change CD you mentioned.

I have always thought of those recordings as first rate for both Hill and Rivers, I especially liked the string quartet writing by Hill.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 03:13:50 PM
I wound up with all of the material on the Involution vinyl twofer via combination of Hill's Change and the BN Rivers CD Dimensions & Extensions. Being late to the game and generally too cheap to spring for Mosaic big boxes, research was necessary...
There's some great string quartet material (but no Rivers) on the Hill Mosaic Select #16.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on November 21, 2019, 03:24:27 PM
Quote from: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 03:13:50 PM
I wound up with all of the material on the Involution vinyl twofer via combination of Hill's Change and the BN Rivers CD Dimensions & Extensions. Being late to the game and generally too cheap to spring for Mosaic big boxes, research was necessary...
There's some great string quartet material (but no Rivers) on the Hill Mosaic Select #16.

Looks like I am mis-remembering the twofer recording - I had thought the string quartet arrangements were with Sam Rivers, but I guess they were the tracks of Andrew Hill Quartet, without Rivers.  I found Change on Spotify, and it is the four tracks from Involution with Rivers, but  not the tracks I enjoyed the most, which were the string quartet sides.  I have that Mosaic box and need to get it out and listen to it.  Andrew Hill is just about my favorite jazz pianist/band leader.   

EDIT: I Googled "Andrew Hill string quartet" and found the twofer I was really thinking of, One for One:

(https://img.discogs.com/CGv3r316q4rlEWtdKn1DJ4AHCFg=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1657575-1363039812-7944.jpeg.jpg)



Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on November 21, 2019, 03:42:01 PM
Back to Sam Rivers, and recordings worth considering, there are two recordings of his big band, Rivbea All-Star Orchestra - Culmination and Inspiration.

(https://cdn-s3.allmusic.com/release-covers/500/0000/004/0000004591.jpg) (https://cdn-s3.allmusic.com/release-covers/500/0000/118/0000118584.jpg)

I was in NYC during the jazz loft period, where this band was developed by Rivers.  These recordings are more like documents to capture the band, but during their performances, they would stretch out on the tunes far longer than is offered on the recordings.  Rivers no doubt wished to record as many of the songs as possible and limited the blowing on each one.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on November 21, 2019, 04:07:10 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. I really enjoy NYC loft-era big band music but missed out on the Rivbea Mosaic Select. Aurora, a similar single CD, has been in my Amazon wish list for a long time. Will add these two.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on December 17, 2019, 07:12:50 PM
(http://www.mosaicrecords.com/images/268.jpg)
Mosaic The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70
On the fence about this one...love the Mobley 50s box, but this is a big investment and I'm not overly fond of Mosaic packaging/format.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on December 18, 2019, 01:31:24 AM
Quote from: T. D. on December 17, 2019, 07:12:50 PM
(http://www.mosaicrecords.com/images/268.jpg)
Mosaic The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70
On the fence about this one...love the Mobley 50s box, but this is a big investment and I'm not overly fond of Mosaic packaging/format.

I bought that one when it first came out (for a while I was buying Mosaic boxes regularly) and enjoy it quite a bit.  But I like their packaging/format.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: josevalle on December 20, 2019, 03:58:12 AM
Wow guys! Beautiful recordings. They are amazing!!!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on December 23, 2019, 06:33:28 PM

(http://www.mosaicrecords.com/images/268.jpg)
Mosaic The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70
[Follow-up] Had some unexpected year-end income and ordered the set.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on January 28, 2020, 05:47:14 PM
(https://img.discogs.com/g6OOL_bJQmmQzZ0bUouspPJhT7A=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-10495893-1498655083-7356.jpeg.jpg)
Just ordered the ZYX edition of the Complete Solo Masterpieces, originally on Pablo. I only recently purchased the ZYX Part 1 (Complete Group Masterpieces) box, and it's so incredibly good that I had to add the solo material.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on January 29, 2020, 05:40:23 AM
Quote from: T. D. on January 28, 2020, 05:47:14 PM
(https://img.discogs.com/g6OOL_bJQmmQzZ0bUouspPJhT7A=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-10495893-1498655083-7356.jpeg.jpg)
Just ordered the ZYX edition of the Complete Solo Masterpieces, originally on Pablo. I only recently purchased the ZYX Part 1 (Complete Group Masterpieces) box, and it's so incredibly good that I had to add the solo material.

I have the original Pablo solo recordings - I agree, great stuff.  I never bought the group recordings, except for the Tatum/Webster LP - now, that one is special.  Are the ZYX recordings re-mastered or improved in any way?  The Pablo discs sounded great, and I probably would not buy them in any event but it would be good to know.  All of the Pablo recordings are available to stream, anyway.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on January 29, 2020, 06:11:02 AM
I don't believe the ZYX are remastered or improved. The packaging is rather cheapo and contains no claims of remastering (which I wouldn't necessarily believe in any case, as with the "remastered" Proper Boxes  ;) ). But I think the sound quality is fine.
I'd ordinarily go with the solo recordings first, but decided to take a chance and go the other route. The group sessions greatly exceeded expectations.
I'm an old dinosaur and haven't gotten with the streaming thing. Would have to do some audio system upgrades first, as my computer speakers are minimal and not suited for serious listening.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on January 29, 2020, 06:40:54 AM
I prefer the group recordings, myself - it's fun to hear Tatum jousting with other gifted improvisers rather than running around on his own. You're gonna have some fun more listening coming soon, San Antone.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: San Antone on January 29, 2020, 07:58:46 AM
Quote from: T. D. on January 29, 2020, 06:11:02 AM
I don't believe the ZYX are remastered or improved. The packaging is rather cheapo and contains no claims of remastering (which I wouldn't necessarily believe in any case, as with the "remastered" Proper Boxes  ;) ). But I think the sound quality is fine.
I'd ordinarily go with the solo recordings first, but decided to take a chance and go the other route. The group sessions greatly exceeded expectations.
I'm an old dinosaur and haven't gotten with the streaming thing. Would have to do some audio system upgrades first, as my computer speakers are minimal and not suited for serious listening.

Quote from: Brian on January 29, 2020, 06:40:54 AM
I prefer the group recordings, myself - it's fun to hear Tatum jousting with other gifted improvisers rather than running around on his own. You're gonna have some fun more listening coming soon, San Antone.

Yeah, I've been listening to the group sessions this morning.  I think when I first checked out some of them what I heard were had bad sound and it kind of ruined it for me.  Those Pablo sessions sound great, and include some really good bands.

Then I switched to some Earl Hines.  If you haven't heard those Mosaic recordings, you should check them out. 

(https://img.discogs.com/xB1c9Lk2yn5UE1xozXc1V-o35Hw=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-12826518-1542705790-5668.jpeg.jpg)

They've been re-issued with different covers by Legacy (I think they're the same recordings, but can't be sure since I don't have the booklets):

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ur3NzhKkL._SS500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on March 27, 2020, 06:29:59 PM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91V-HagwwuL._SX425_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: T. D. on April 19, 2020, 05:47:44 PM
Interesting (Japanese) Hampton Hawes release coming up:
(https://cdn2.dustygroove.com/images/products/h/hawes_hampt_liveatthe_101b.jpg)
BTW, the shop Dusty Groove has a useful "coming soon" page https://www.dustygroove.com/coming-soon/jazz (https://www.dustygroove.com/coming-soon/jazz)
(Standard disclaimer: I have no relationship to the vendor mentioned, etc.)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: staxomega on April 19, 2020, 06:01:17 PM
Quote from: San Antone on January 29, 2020, 07:58:46 AM


Yeah, I've been listening to the group sessions this morning.  I think when I first checked out some of them what I heard were had bad sound and it kind of ruined it for me.  Those Pablo sessions sound great, and include some really good bands.

Then I switched to some Earl Hines.  If you haven't heard those Mosaic recordings, you should check them out. 

(https://img.discogs.com/xB1c9Lk2yn5UE1xozXc1V-o35Hw=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-12826518-1542705790-5668.jpeg.jpg)

They've been re-issued with different covers by Legacy (I think they're the same recordings, but can't be sure since I don't have the booklets):

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ur3NzhKkL._SS500_.jpg)

That Earl Hines Mosaic is one of my favorite Mosaic sets, absolutely amazing.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Henk on April 22, 2020, 04:50:32 AM
'Is That So' by John Mclaughlin

Recent interview in Downbeat.

"East-meets-West project with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and one of India's foremost singer-composers, Shankar Mahadevan."

https://downbeat.com/news/detail/john-mclaughlin-heads-out-on-the-road-again (https://downbeat.com/news/detail/john-mclaughlin-heads-out-on-the-road-again)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on April 22, 2020, 08:10:55 AM
(clicks Coleman Hawkins album on Amazon)

Sponsored products related to your item:
"How to Care for Your Aging Parents"

>:( ;D
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: vers la flamme on December 21, 2022, 03:12:42 AM
Considering getting more Charlie Parker... but I don't know where to start. I currently have just one disc of his music:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TJVhS1kLL._SY580_.jpg)

It's a one-disc comp of some of his later Verve recordings, but man, it sounds great. Open to any recommendations.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 21, 2022, 05:21:57 AM


(https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music118/v4/b1/ac/b4/b1acb466-bcd4-7389-5ea0-3d211bb84d04/00602567828914.rgb.jpg/632x632bb.webp)

(https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/81/57/88/mzi.mkhfseol.jpg/600x600bb.webp)

(https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music128/v4/dc/a6/fb/dca6fb53-46a2-9f0f-1aee-4eaee9c59b9b/00602577176692.rgb.jpg/632x632bb.webp)



Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: SimonNZ on December 25, 2022, 06:43:09 PM
Quote from: vers la flamme on December 21, 2022, 03:12:42 AMConsidering getting more Charlie Parker... but I don't know where to start. I currently have just one disc of his music:

It's a one-disc comp of some of his later Verve recordings, but man, it sounds great. Open to any recommendations.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41sEIwUF0PL._UX358_FMwebp_QL85_.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Complete-Savoy-Studio-Recordings/dp/B08BHV3JH7

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/51VVBSBzfOL._SX425_.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Parker-Strings-Master-Takes/dp/B0000046WK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=28FW10EQ9Q8UW&keywords=charlie+parker+strings&qid=1672026122&s=music&sprefix=charlie+parker+string%2Cmusic-intl-ship%2C580&sr=1-3

Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 26, 2022, 02:30:52 PM
Quote from: SimonNZ on December 25, 2022, 06:43:09 PM(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41sEIwUF0PL._UX358_FMwebp_QL85_.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Complete-Savoy-Studio-Recordings/dp/B08BHV3JH7

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T1/images/I/51VVBSBzfOL._SX425_.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Parker-Strings-Master-Takes/dp/B0000046WK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=28FW10EQ9Q8UW&keywords=charlie+parker+strings&qid=1672026122&s=music&sprefix=charlie+parker+string%2Cmusic-intl-ship%2C580&sr=1-3



VG recordings!
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 26, 2022, 02:37:59 PM
I should've recommended the movie in the first place.


(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Tl6tVFqjL._SX385_.jpg)
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on March 05, 2023, 12:47:38 PM
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81AseghB7kL._SL1500_.jpg)

$25

Is this essential or non-essential Nina? Or is all Nina essential? (I do like the smaller group, more personal stuff better than the orchestral and crossover stuff.)

The albums are: 'Nuff Said, To Love Somebody, Black Gold, Nina Simone and Piano!, and It Is Finished
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on March 05, 2023, 01:10:44 PM
^ I only know a few of them but they are good albums.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 17, 2023, 02:46:57 AM
More Ahmad Jamal? He just passed away today. I love him, but to be honest, I thought he'd been gone for decades.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on April 17, 2023, 07:12:28 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on April 17, 2023, 02:46:57 AMMore Ahmad Jamal? He just passed away today. I love him, but to be honest, I thought he'd been gone for decades.
Last night I listened to the complete Pershing and Blackhawk, the classic albums everyone buys first. There were two new 2 CD sets released just this December, featuring his Seattle concerts in the 1960s. That Seattle club recorded all their sets and only recently began reissuing them - there's a Cannonball Adderley set from that source too. The sound on the Adderley album is not incredible, a little flat, but it's not awful. Very curious about those Ahmad Jamal albums and might buy them in tribute.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 18, 2023, 12:21:12 AM
As I recall the story, Bill Evans was a fan at the time he (Bill Evans) was playing with Miles Davis, and took Miles to see him play. Jamal was playing some Far-from-jazz-standard tunes, like "Someday My Prince Will Come" that worked so well Miles started playing them, too.
  The Adderly album sounds tempting. His "Something Else" is so damn good, I'm always disappointed when I hear other stuff by him because it never lives up...but perhaps I just haven't heard the right stuff yet. 
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on April 18, 2023, 02:52:00 PM
Hmmm. "Somethin' Else" is a little bit outside Cannonball's usual wheelhouse - I almost think of it more like a Miles Davis album than a Cannonball one. Cannonball's usual personality is so garrulous and boisterous and fun and loud, like a Harlem Globetrotters player - not profound, just happy. And his own band with his brother often featured really tight ensemble work. My girlfriend loves their sound because she played sax in school and appreciates how well-rehearsed and together they are. Obviously that's different from the average Miles band of that era, with his more mellow, improvised approach  ;D

Cannonball's in a more relaxed mood on his Bill Evans album "Know What I Mean," and on some parts of "Things Are Getting Better" with Milt Jackson. And I definitely need to mention Quintet in Chicago, which is the whole Miles Davis band minus Miles.

Have you explored much of the Yusuf Lateef collaborations?
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 19, 2023, 03:25:16 AM
I absolutely agree with Something Else being practically a Miles album, but I'm a huge Miles fan, so that's why I like it so much. Since my last post, I listened to some of his older stuff with Milt Jackson, which I enjoyed. Yusuf Lateef I either don't know or have forgotten. I'll look for Quintet in Chicago. The 60s (and 70s?) stuff with Nat didn't do anything for me--but I'm mostly an old school fan in jazz. I like 1920s to 1950s best, and mostly dislike fusion, and really dislike free jazz. There are exceptions, of course.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: Brian on April 19, 2023, 06:59:50 AM
Oh, if you dislike fusion and "soul" jazz, you will be fairly limited with Cannonball to his stuff before about 1960-61. Now, you should definitely look up the albums with vocalists Eddie Vinson (who also replaces Cannonball on sax for a few tracks; "Arriving Soon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6Md5VKE7A)," a Vinson original, is one of my favorite jazz tunes ever) and Nancy Wilson.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: KevinP on January 22, 2024, 01:50:27 PM
(https://d1rgjmn2wmqeif.cloudfront.net/r/b/367003.jpg)

https://newland.ochre.store/format/1217313-with-strings-attached-1957-1965

This has been on my radar since it was released, coincidentally about the same time I discovered her.

It's a bit pricey at US$250, but I don't mind that. Six remastered LPs and a really nice booklet make a really nice box set, and all the reviews have been glowing. She's also someone who deserves a lovingly-assembled box set.

What does make me hesitate is that that price is well above what I'm allowed to freely import into Korea, and I'll get slammed with import tarrifs, meaning I'll be paying a lot more than the $250.
Title: Re: Jazz recordings you are considering
Post by: KevinP on January 22, 2024, 05:09:04 PM
*Sigh* Was about to bite, but shipping is US$83+. And that counts for the total price on which I'm taxed...