# Desert Island Jazz



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Okay, what jazz recordings do you have on the desert island? No box sets, or compilations - original recordings only. Between 8-12 ideally.

My list:

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Nefertiti - Miles Davis
Plays W.C. Handy - Louis Armstrong
Satchmo Plays King Oliver - Louis Armstrong
Play the Blues Back to Back - Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges
At Newport '56 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane
Misterioso - Thelonious Monk
A Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 - Sonny Rollins
A Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 2 - Sonny Rollins


----------



## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

My 12...

Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream
Thelonious Monk - Live at the It Club
Thelonious Monk - with Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Charles Mingus - Ah Um
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kind of blue
Keith Jarrett - at the Blue Note
Keith Jarrett - Sun Bear Concerts
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Dexter Gordon - Go
Michel Petrucciani - au Champs Elysees


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

SanAntone said:


> Okay, what jazz recordings do you have on the desert island? No box sets, or compilations - original recordings only. Between 8-12 ideally.
> 
> My list:
> 
> ...


Adding this one which I just bought today.

View attachment 145417


* Jelly Roll Morton ‎- The Complete Library Of Congress Recordings By Alan Lomax *

_Jelly Roll Morton: The Complete Library of Congress Recordings_ is a 2005 box set of recordings from jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. The set spans 128 tracks over eight CDs. It won two Grammy Awards in 2006, Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes.

In 2005, Rounder released the 1938 recordings in their entirety as part of an eight-disc box set. The first seven discs include Lomax's 1938 interviews, in which Morton describes his life and the early days of jazz, plays piano, and sings. The eighth disc includes 1949 recordings of Morton's contemporaries, reminiscing about Morton and providing musical demonstrations.

The set was originally released in a piano-shaped box and included a copy of _Mister Jelly Roll_, Lomax's biography about Morton. The set also includes a PDF file including additional liner notes, complete transcriptions of the recorded dialogue and lyrics, additional unrecorded interviews and archival documents and photos.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
Eric Dolphy - Out There
Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Charles Mingus - Black Saint and Sinner Lady
Andrew Hill - Point of Departure
Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Dizzy Gillespie - Birk's Works
Duke Ellington - Uptown
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Oliver Nelson - Blues and Abstract Truth


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Gary Burton - Lofty Fake Anagram
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come
Albert Ayler - Live in Greenwich Village
Keith Jarrett - Köln Concert
The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall
Thelonious Monk - Criss Cross
Charles Lloyd - Dream Weaver
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

I would happily listen to these on my desert island or more likely, my living room, this weekend.

Note as per the O.P. - no boxes!


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I could probably compile a wheen (Scottish word for a lot) of desert island lists and be happy with them all. There’s just so much great stuff out there. Actually it’s fun just to do that and have a bunch of playlists to dip into. And I’ll start by pirating the lists compiled so far!:lol:


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Barbebleu said:


> Gary Burton - Lofty Fake Anagram
> Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come
> Albert Ayler - Live in Greenwich Village
> Keith Jarrett - Köln Concert
> ...


Good list, there.

With a subsequent post I broke my own rule. But on reflection I would not take that Jelly Roll Morton box since the audio quality has some bothersome aspects which over time would grow wearisome.

I might change my list a bit, though not by much.

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Nefertiti - Miles Davis
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Plays W.C. Handy - Louis Armstrong
Satchmo Plays King Oliver - Louis Armstrong
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band - Duke Ellington
Masterpieces - Ellington
Play the Blues Back to Back - Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges
Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane
Misterioso - Thelonious Monk
A Night at the Village Vanguard, complete - Sonny Rollins
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Ah Um - Charles Mingus


----------



## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

ESP
Speak no Evil
Bitches Brew
Monk - Underground
Oscar Peterson meets Louis Armstrong
Oscar Peterson - Motions and Emotions (really just for the solo on Wave)
Pat Metheny Group - Letter from Home
John Zorn - Naked City
John Scofield - Uberjam
RH Factor - Hard Groove
Tony Allen - The Source


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Keith Jarrett: Treasure Island
Pat Metheny: Travels
Pat Metheny: The First Circle
Miles Davis: ESP
Thelonious Monk: Monk's Music
RTF: Light As A Feather
Jackie McLean: Destination Out
Allan Holdsworth: Secrets
Oliver Nelson: Straight Ahead
Mingus At Antibes
Sonny Rollins: Way Out West
John Scofield: Time On My Hands


----------



## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

Shorty Rogers - Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (1954)
Al Caiola - Serenade in Blue (1955)
Erroll Garner - Erroll Garner Plays Misty (1955)
Marty Paich - I Get a Boot Out of You (1959)
Henry Mancini - Music from Mr. Lucky (1960)
Henry Mancini - The Blues and the Beat (1960)
Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (1962)
Paul Desmond - Late Lament (1962)
Sam "The Man" Taylor - Mist of the Orient (1962)
Don Ellis - Soaring (1973)
Tom Scott - Flashpoint (1988)
Franco Ambrosetti - Music for Symphony and Jazz Band (1991)
Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski - Made in Poland (1995)
Jan Garbarek - Visible World (1996)
Charlie Mariano - Not Quite A Ballad (2004)
Contemporary Noise Sextet - Unaffected Thought Flow (2008)
Dimitris Kalantzis Quintet & Athens Camerata - Jazz Tribute To Manos Hadjidakis (2011)
Bill Frisell - Guitar in the Space Age! (2014)
Eddie Higgins Quintet - A Handful of Stars (2014)
Gerardo Frisina - Movement (2014)
Niechęć - Niechęć (2016)


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

If San Antone is breaking his own rules adding a Jelly Roll Morton box, then I'll just take half my collection. I'd hate to leave all my great ECM titles behind. And all my Oregon albums. And I'll need 40-50 Blue Note albums.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

starthrower said:


> If San Antone is breaking his own rules adding a Jelly Roll Morton box, then I'll just take half my collection. I'd hate to leave all my great ECM titles behind. And all my Oregon albums. And I'll need 40-50 Blue Note albums.


I rescinded that selection in a followup post. 

But I am thinking of relaxing that rule somewhat since there are some great 2CD-4CD boxes that are like giant sets.

So, new rule: *box sets are allowed but no more than 5 discs.*


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I find that I don't listen to the vintage jazz albums as much anymore. I've got hundreds of CDs just collecting dust. I don't really need a dozen titles by many of these artists and could probably whittle it down to 3-4 each with the exception of the big discographies of Miles, Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, and Ellington. I'd probably need at least a dozen of their titles.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

starthrower said:


> I find that I don't listen to the vintage jazz albums as much anymore. I've got hundreds of CDs just collecting dust. I don't really need a dozen titles by many of these artists and could probably whittle it down to 3-4 each with the exception of the big discographies of Miles, Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, and Ellington. I'd probably need at least a dozen of their titles.


Well, not to wishing to deprive anyone of what they need ..... let's just open it up, anything goes.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Some titles from my personal collection. Most of which wouldn't make the predictable jazz magazines desert island lists but are vital to my listening experience as a jazz fan.

Hermeto Pacoal: Slaves Mass
Flora Purim: Encounter
Volker Kriegel: Inside - Missing Link
Oregon: Bremen 1974
Archie Shepp: The Way Ahead
Chick Corea: My Spanish Heart
Patricia Barber: Modern Cool
Joe Henderson: Inner Urge
Herbie Hancock: Gershwin's World
John Scofield: Grace Under Pressure
Dave Holland: Extensions
Weather Report: s/t
David Grisman Quintet: s/t
Pat Metheny Group: The Road To You
Danny Gatton/Joey DeFrancesco: Relentless
Pat Martino: Consciousness
Alice Coltrane: Monastic Trio
David Murray: Fast Life
Mark Murphy Sings
Roland Kirk: Bright Moments
Yusef Lateef: Live at Pep's
Ralph Towner: Solo Concert
Kenny Wheeler: Deer Wan
Charlie Haden/ Egberto Gismonti: In Montreal
Sun Ra: Jazz In Silhouette
Eric Dolphy: Last Date


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

> Hermeto Pacoal: Slaves Mass
> Joe Henderson: Inner Urge
> Dave Holland: Extensions
> Danny Gatton/Joey DeFrancesco: Relentless
> Charlie Haden/ Egberto Gismonti: In Montreal


I could see these on my desert island.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Doo-Bop -Miles Davis
All Ella ' albums 
Eileen Farrell -Sings Torch Songs, Arrangements by Loonis McGlohon, Reference Recordings, 1990
Eileen Farrell -I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues, conducted by Luther Henderson and his Orchestra
For starters .


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Rogerx said:


> Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
> Doo-Bop -Miles Davis
> All Ella ' albums
> Eileen Farrell -Sings Torch Songs, Arrangements by Loonis McGlohon, Reference Recordings, 1990
> ...


You had me with KoB but then lost me with Doo Bop.

I need to listen to some Eileen Farrell, of course I've heard of her but not sure if I've ever actually listened to her.


----------



## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

James P. Johnson - Carolina Shout
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Charlie Parker - Now's The Time
Miles Davis - 'Round About Midnight
Mal Waldron - Left Alone
Blue Mitchell - Blue's Moods
Freddie Redd - The Music From "The Connection" (Blue Note)
Booker Little (Time)
Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings
Eric Dolphy - At the Five Spot
Larry Young - Unity


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

_*Kind of Blue*_ ranks at the top of my jazz "desert island disc" list. (I hope the island has the recently released clear vinyl version from Analogue Productions - UHQR 0004. And that I can bring my turntable rig along.) It's a record I have in many of its various releases, on both vinyl and CD.

Too, I collect the bossa masterwork *Getz / Gilberto* featuring Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. (The SACD from Analogue Productions - CVRJ 8545 SA, has stunning sound.)

Besides that, other of my "did" list offerings may prove less profound than the Miles Davis masterpiece. And among jazz records I play and enjoy most often are two I would certainly not want to live without: *Letter To Evan* (from pianist David Benoit), and *Canyon Lady* (from saxophonist Joe Henderson). The first of these is likely the most often spun disc in my collection, the second is a work I once told my wife to play if ever I were on my death bed since I don't believe I could die while listening to the title cut, it is so invigorating.









The most recent addition to my "did" list is a guitar album I can't keep out of my SONY disc player. It's a masterpiece, and to a somewhat guitar player like me quite humbling. Gene Bertoncini - *Someone To Light Up My Life*, Chiaroscuro Records - CR(D)343. I've been recommending this to guitar playing friends and acquaintances. None has given it a bad review. So, it resides on my island.









After those three there are dozens I can think of. (I'd prefer a large desert island with plenty of record shelving, and at least one fine restaurant.)

Here are a few from that wish list:

Toots Thielemans - _*The Brasil Project*_ - Label: Private Music - 01005 82101 2
Various Artists - _*The Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook - Wave*_ - Label: Verve Records - 314 535 528-2
Bob James - _*Touchdown*_ - Label: Tappan Zee Records - 9 45969-2
Ricky Ford - *Loxodonta Africana* - Label: New World Records - 80204-2
Earl Klugh - _*Naked Guitar*_ - Label: Koch Records - KOC-CD-9949
Kenny Burrell - _*Handcrafted*_ - Label: Jazz Heritage Society - 5163157
Mike Nock - *Ondas* - Label: ECM Records - ECM 1220

That makes a dozen, and though I probably couldn't live with just those 12 albums, they would last me a while on a desert island, or anyplace else. All of them are among the most often played in my collection of several thousand discs.

And I could come up with a dozen dozen more with little trouble at all, but I'd rather go off and listen to some music. Maybe even on or more of the discs on this list. It's been at least a few days since I heard any of them. Way too long a hiatus.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

SanAntone said:


> You had me with KoB but then lost me with Doo Bop.
> 
> _I need to listen to some Eileen Farrell,_ of course I've heard of her but not sure if I've ever actually listened to her.


They are on R.R recordings, great sound.


----------



## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Artie Shaw - In the Blue Room


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues

Eileen Farrell

Luther Henderson & His Orchestra


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Rogerx said:


> I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
> 
> Eileen Farrell
> 
> Luther Henderson & His Orchestra


She doesn't look like she has that right.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

SanAntone said:


> She doesn't look like she has that right.







I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues (Voice)

Have sneak pre listening. :angel:


----------



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Soul Sauce - Cal Tjader 
Street of Dreams - Grant Green
Too Much Sugar for a Dime - Henry Threadgill
Science Fiction Sessions - Ornette Coleman
Waltz for Debby - Bill Evans Trio 
Home - David Murray Octet
Gateway - Abercrombie, Holland, DeJohnette
The Incredible Jazz Guitar - Wes Montgomery
Interstellar Low Ways - Sun Ra & Myth Science Orchestra
When Will the Blues Leave - Paul Bley Trio
Let Freedom Ring - Jackie Mclean
Hyperion with Higgins - Charles Lloyd
Live at Philharmonic Hall - Miles Davis
Monk - Thelonious Monk
Heavy Soul - Ike Quebec 
Impressions - John Coltrane
Swinging Easy - Sarah Vaughan
Willisau 1991 - Anthony Braxton Quartet 
Atmospheres - Hamasyan, Aarset, Henriksen, Bang


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

SanAntone said:


> She doesn't look like she has that right.


This lady here does. Marya Lawrence singing a fine version from one of four CDs Chico Hamilton released about 15 years ago. I think I have three of them.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Sun Ra - Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra 
George Russell - Jazz Workshop
McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
Speak No Evil (unimpressed by everything else by Shorter)
Mingus - Black Saint ....

Recently reappraised Eric Dolphy, and just got sick of his ways as a bandleader.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I haven't got a massive collection - in fact, just five artists make up about half of it, so I'd have to choose carefully if I only want one album per artist.

Duke Ellington - _Black Brown and Beige_ (later version)
Thelonius Monk - _Misterioso_
Ornette Coleman - _This is Our Music_
Cecil Taylor - _The World of..._
Larry Young - _Unity_
Andrew Hill - _Point of Departure_
Charles Mingus - _Oh Yeah_
Pharoah Sanders - _Karma_
McCoy Tyner - _The Real McCoy_
Miles Davis - _Bitches Brew_
Lee Morgan - _The Sidewinder_
Herbie Hancock - _Maiden Voyage_


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> I haven't got a massive collection - in fact, just five artists make up about half of it, so I'd have to choose carefully if I only want one album per artist.
> 
> Duke Ellington - _Black Brown and Beige_ (later version)
> Thelonius Monk - _Misterioso_
> ...


Yeah, I could sit on a desert island with these!:tiphat:


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Barbebleu said:


> Yeah, I could sit on a desert island with these!:tiphat:


I thank you. It's always nice to receive approbation from someone who knows more about something than I do.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> I thank you. It's always nice to receive approbation from someone who knows more about something than I do.


I think you underestimate your own knowledge and wildly overestimate mine!:lol:


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Barbebleu said:


> I think you underestimate your own knowledge and wildly overestimate mine!:lol:


No false modesty on my part, mate - I read the TC jazz threads often enough to recognise those who truly know their stuff compared to me.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> No false modesty on my part, mate - I read the TC jazz threads often enough to recognise those who truly know their stuff compared to me.


Very kind of you. I'm actually listening to Bitches Brew just now. My wife is out with our granddaughter and I'm waiting for a Hermes delivery so I can play this without hard stares!:lol:


----------



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> Recently reappraised Eric Dolphy, and just got sick of his ways as a bandleader.


I drift to his work as bandmate instead... with Coltrane, Nelson, Waldron, Mingus, etc... so that I don't get overloaded with Dolphy's tonal habits... he would conflict with almost any musical context the minute he took a solo ... he could just ignore Coltrane's raga-like chords and play his own licks over them... free jazz!

Speaking of Nelson, Blues and the Abstract Truth is certainly a candidate for a list.


----------



## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

elgars ghost said:


> I haven't got a massive collection - in fact, just five artists make up about half of it, so I'd have to choose carefully if I only want one album per artist.
> 
> Duke Ellington - _Black Brown and Beige_ (later version)
> Thelonius Monk - _Misterioso_
> ...


Just for kicks I searched my iTunes library for "jazz". While there are 153 individual tracks that span a total of 23 hours, I'm struck by the variety of _*artists*_ that are classified as JAZZ, and the wide _variety_ of _*styles*_ of music that can be classified as "Jazz".

Al Di Meola
Benny Goodman
Billie Holiday
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Brooke Benton
Lionel Hampton
Peggy Lee
Perry Como . . . . . . . .


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

pianozach said:


> Just for kicks I searched my iTunes library for "jazz". While there are 153 individual tracks that span a total of 23 hours, I'm struck by the variety of _*artists*_ that are classified as JAZZ, and the wide _variety_ of _*styles*_ of music that can be classified as "Jazz".
> 
> Al Di Meola
> Benny Goodman
> ...


Well, three out of eight ain't bad!:lol:


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Any William Parker fans? I love his stuff. Spotify has a compilation of 50 tracks on his page. The Luc's Lantern CD is a favorite.


----------



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

William Parker is a monster, I've seen him with both Shipp and Ware, but choosing from his albums is hard, some earlier ones didn't convey his live energy for me. His recent releases are really good tho, it's cool to hear his electric guitar trio on Mayan Space Station. I also like the live set with Daniel Carter and Shipp and, from his earlier days, Celebrated Blazons with Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley.

PS - he's been biographed, could be an interesting read


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I am not a big fan of the hardcore free jazz movement. Other than *Ornette Coleman*, I don't listen much.

I do enjoy those musicians who have incorporated some aspects of free playing into their stye, e.g. Miles Davis's Second Quintet 1965-1968, or Keith Jarrett's explorations in this area, his American Quartet.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Parker doesn't sound hardcore to my ears. His stuff is very accessible and appealing and his albums are beautifully recorded.

I don't know what "hardcore free jazz" means? There's nothing radical about not having a lot of chord changes in music. There really hasn't been anything radical going on in jazz for decades.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

starthrower said:


> Parker doesn't sound hardcore to my ears. His stuff is very accessible and appealing and his albums are beautifully recorded.


I heard him with Cecil Taylor and that was hardcore enough for me.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

SanAntone said:


> I heard him with Cecil Taylor and that was hardcore enough for me.


That's not the same as listening to his own stuff. Cecil Taylor is dead.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

starthrower said:


> That's not the same as listening to his own stuff. Cecil Taylor is dead.


I've sampled some of his stuff as a leader. Not my thing, if that's okay with you.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Fine, just don't label Parker a radical.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

starthrower said:


> Fine, just don't label Parker a radical.


I didn't.

I included him in the category of _hardcore Free Jazz_, which I stand by. I don't consider these musicians "radicals" just stylistically devoted exclusively to free jazz as opposed to someone like *Archie Shepp* whose done both, free and mainstream Jazz. Or like musicians such as *Miles Davis* or *Keith Jarrett* who've incorporated some aspects of free Jazz into their overall style.


----------



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't know what hard core means either... sometimes one has to see these people live to be converted...


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I explained (rather clearly) what I meant by "hardcore." I have no need to be "converted" since I've had plenty of experience listening to Free Jazz both live and on recordings.


----------



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

OK, clearly we're not on the same desert island here


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

philoctetes said:


> OK, clearly we're not on the same desert island here


No, but they all have internet service!


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Rogerx said:


> I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
> 
> Eileen Farrell
> 
> Luther Henderson & His Orchestra


Farrell certainly can sing, and her well-trained and commanding voice serves these "tunes" well. This recording proves a legitimate desert island disc, featuring 24 tracks, mainly "standards", spanning a time of 75'53.

(I must like this disc. I see from my Discogs database that I was the one who submitted this disc to Discogs. A worthy addition.)

If you're in the mood for exploring (possibly) surprising jazz singers worthy of desert island discs, you might look into Molly Ringwald's _Except Sometime_, on Concord Records - CRE-34068-02. Ringwald's voice won't be confused for Farrell's, but she sings her mostly lesser known songs with honesty and a femme fatale attitude that keeps one intrigued. To say her voice is "sexy" would be understatement. But what makes for a better sound round the campfire on a desert island?

Try the ironic title tune from _Except Sometime_, "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)".






Had I to pick just one of these albums for inclusion on my desert island, I would be hard pressed. Perhaps I'd have to flip a coin. Or should I select the one whose cover I would prefer to stare at during those long desert island nights? Hmmm.... Quite the quandary.

By the way, both Farrell and Ringwald were born in February, five days apart (but not in the same year, of course). Both belong to Zodiac sign Aquarius, of which my Horoscope guru informs me: "Every Aquarian is a rebel at heart: These air signs despise authority and anything that represents conventionality. Free-spirited and eccentric, they can often be identified by their offbeat fashion sensibilities, unusual hobbies, and nonconformist attitude." Which may explain why they both stepped out of their comfort zones (opera on the one hand, acting on the other) to sing jazz!


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I didn't know *Molly Ringwald* sang, much less Standards. I only knew her from the movies.

*Sonnet*, have you heard any *Chris Conner*? Her set of Gershwin tunes is excellent, one of the best.


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

SanAntone said:


> I didn't know *Molly Ringwald* sang, much less Standards. I only knew her from the movies.
> 
> *Sonnet*, have you heard any *Chris Conner*? Her set of Gershwin tunes is excellent, one of the best.


Thanks for the info. I don't have any Chris Conner in my collection ... yet. Liking what I hear, though. Thanks for the link.

----

I spoke too soon. Checking my Discogs database, I got three hits for Chris Conner in my collection, including her singing "The Night We Called It A Day" in the 8-CD box set collection _The 100 Best Jazz Tunes Of The 1950's_ Chrome Dreams - CD8CD5056; and singing "Baia" on the Stan Kenton 4-CD compilation _Swing House_ on Quadromania - 222450-444. I can now go to my CD shelves and find these discs. (Which shows how convenient cataloguing with Discogs can become.)


----------



## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

There's no way to limit this list to ten. So here are eleven: 

Ahmad Jamal -- At the Pershing: But Not For Me
Bill Evans Trio -- Sunday at the Village Vanguard / Waltz for Debby
Eric Dolphy -- Out to Lunch
Miles Davis -- Collector's Items
John Coltrane -- Giant Steps
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong -- Ella and Louis
John Lewis -- Evolution
Joe Pass -- Virtuoso
Tierney Sutton -- Blue in Green
Andre Previn, Mundell Lowe, Ray Brown -- Old Friends
Jimmy Scott -- Mood Indigo


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

fluteman said:


> There's no way to limit this list to ten. So here are eleven:
> 
> *Ahmad Jamal -- At the Pershing: But Not For Me*
> *Bill Evans Trio -- Sunday at the Village Vanguard / Waltz for Debby*
> ...


These four I've bolded are stand outs , IMO - especially the *Ahmad Jamal*. His bassist *Israel Crosby* was a big influence on me as a young bassist. His big round sound, and note selection, and swing, all made a huge impressions. I loved that trio. So different from the *Bill Evans*, whose bassist *Scott LaFaro* also made big impact. I can probably say that my Jazz journey was driven by my interest in various bass players. They were the doorway into a band.

I don't know *Sutton Tierney*, will have to check him out (EDIT: found *Tierney Sutton* on Spotify -she's very interesting).

*Joe Pass* is a monster, love his solo stuff. Those *Andre Previn* Jazz records are cool, he kind of reminds me of *George Shearing*. I assume the Miles is a compilation? Of course _Giant Steps_ is a landmark record. As is _Out to Lunch_ by *Eric Dolphy*, featuring another one of my favorite bass players, Richard Davis. Never been a big fan of Jimmy Scott.

Have you listened much to Andrew Hill? A great pianist/composer with a Monkish style.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Listening right now to After Blue by *Tierney Sutton* tiphat: fluteman) - a collection of songs by *Joni Mitchell* featuring the T*urtle Island String Quartet* as well as a group of great Jazz musicians playing behind her and some really nice string quartet arrangements.










Notes from her website:



> Sutton performs a beautiful vocal alchemy with Mitchell's material. She steps far enough out of her jazz box of familiarity to transform her voice into a new force of nature. With perfect comfort, Sutton renews this material with her singing. These performances exist on an equal footing with the originals, not as imitations, but as complete re-assimilations. This is what interpretive art is meant to be. This swirling evolution is what makes Sutton one of the two or three most important vocalists in the post-Fitzgerald-Vaughan-Carter period.
> 
> Another area in which Sutton excels is in the collaborative arranging of these songs. She has always experimented with format and does not alter her modus operandi here. On "Blue," (arranged by David Balakrishnan) "Little Green," (arranged by Julie Bernstein) and "Both Sides Now," (arranged by Mark Summer) as well as"All I Want," Sutton is backed by the Turtle Island String Quartet. Sutton's soprano is well suited for this chamber treatment making these pieces exceptional.


Blue
All I Want
Court and Spark
Don't Go To Stranger
The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines
Big Yellow Taxi
Woodstock
Little Green
Be Cool
Answer Me
My Love
Both Sides
Now
April in Paris/Free Man in Paris

Tierney Sutton: Vocals
Hubert Laws: Flute (5, 9)
Peter Erskine: Drums (5, 9)
Ralph Humphrey: Drums (6)
Larry Goldings: Piano, B3 organ (3, 5, 7, 9, 12)
Serge Merlaud: Guitar (4, 10)
Kevin Axt: Bass (4)
Al Jarreau: Vocals (9)
Turtle Island String Quartet (1, 2, 8, 11)


----------



## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> These four I've bolded are stand outs , IMO - especially the *Ahmad Jamal*. His bassist *Israel Crosby* was a big influence on me as a young bassist. His big round sound, and note selection, and swing, all made a huge impressions. I loved that trio. So different from the *Bill Evans*, whose bassist *Scott LaFaro* also made big impact. I can probably say that my Jazz journey was driven by my interest in various bass players. They were the doorway into a band.
> 
> I don't know *Sutton Tierney*, will have to check him out (EDIT: found *Tierney Sutton* on Spotify -she's very interesting).
> 
> ...


Awww, I don't have a proofreader, Tierney Sutton, obviously. Blue in Green is my favorite of her many fine albums. As for Jimmy Scott, as you surely know, his career began in the 40s, but he faded from the scene in the early 60s. Then he suddenly returned in the early 90s. I heard him live in 2000 when he was about 76 and was amazed. And I'm not easily amazed. Mood Indigo dates from then, I heard him sing the title song from that album. I heard him live a second time doing Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2004, but by then he was quite frail and had to sit on a stool.

The old Jimmy Scott could barely sing at all, more like croaking, really. Yet amazingly expressive, and skillfully accompanied, especially on that Mood Indigo album. IMO.

The Turtle Island string quartet, George Shearing and Hubert Laws are also big favorites of mine and could have been included on my list.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

philoctetes said:


> William Parker is a monster, I've seen him with both Shipp and Ware, but choosing from his albums is hard, some earlier ones didn't convey his live energy for me. His recent releases are really good tho, it's cool to hear his electric guitar trio on Mayan Space Station. I also like the live set with Daniel Carter and Shipp and, from his earlier days, Celebrated Blazons with Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley.
> 
> PS - he's been biographed, could be an interesting read


I've got Celebrated Blazons but I've not got around to listening to it. I must remedy that.


----------



## Jay (Jul 21, 2014)

philoctetes said:


> I drift to his work as bandmate instead... with Coltrane, Nelson, Waldron, Mingus, etc... so that I don't get overloaded with Dolphy's tonal habits... he would conflict with almost any musical context the minute he took a solo ... he could just ignore Coltrane's raga-like chords and play his own licks over them... free jazz!


I can hear that one lick he played _ad nauseum_ in my head as I type. I prefer him as a sideman--except with Trane, with whom he simply wasn't strong enough--where the length of his solos was kept in check (he's alright on the Russell sides). Dolphy was a player "in between," caught between bop and the new thing, neither of which he fully internalized nor transcended.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Jay said:


> I can hear that one lick he played _ad nauseum_ in my head as I type. I prefer him as a sideman--except with Trane, with whom he simply wasn't strong enough--where the length of his solos was kept in check (he's alright on the Russell sides). Dolphy was a player "in between," caught between bop and the new thing, neither of which he fully internalized nor transcended.


Are we talking about a different Eric Dolphy here? The criticism I'm reading here doesn't reflect the Dolphy I've been listening to over the years!


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

What is that one lick? From Outward Bound, to Out To Lunch, to Last Date, and everything in between he sounds like a master musician to my ears. Just alright on the Russell sides? His playing on Round Midnight is astonishing. Not to mention his work with Oliver Nelson, Mal Waldron, and Mingus. I don't listen to the Coltrane Vanguard stuff. I've never been a Trane fanatic, and the stage isn't big enough for those two guys. I think Clifford Jordan, and Booker Ervin were a better contrast for Dolphy.


----------

