Best j*** recordings of all time

Not only do we have different opinions, but we are also at different points on the journey.

Do you really think how you feel about music will remain static for 50 years?

Things come and things go, but I am happy to report that I am enjoying music more than at any point before.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
Not only do we have different opinions, but we are also at different points on the journey.

Do you really think how you feel about music will remain static for 50 years?

Things come and things go, but I am happy to report that I am enjoying music more than at any point before.

Mike,

I couldn't agree more with you

Some more words about "Solo Monk", using "I'm Confessin'" and "Everything Happens to Me" in particular as examples.

You never know what Monk is going to do, and I particularly enjoy the way he throws the harmony like a ball in a game. But one thing you can count on : he will never violate the integrity of the underlying tune, it is always present, undamaged and full of vitality.

That matters a great deal to me with these two tunes, which are beautiful and fresh in their unaltered state, even when you hum them :-)

"Solo Monk" is a treasure. Every track makes me fall in love with the tune itself, all over again.

PD

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by jazzfan:

I'm 46 too and spent most of my teens listening to rock/pop but, after I started listening to jazz in my early 20s, I very rapidly lost interest in the former and now find almost nothing whatsoever in it to interest me.

I'm 56, and grew up listening to rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, blues, R&B and soul, music from other cultures and from other eras, and I still listen to and love all of it!

Fred

Fred:


Your tastes are definitely more eclectic than mine! Nevertheless, I would not want to give the impression that I don't listen to anything other than jazz - I do like a lot of the R&B music produced in the 1960s and 70s (e.g. Ray Charles,Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin)as well as some of the traditional blues music by performers like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, etc. I have recently been buying more classical music and liking some of that as well.

However, over the last 25 years or so, absolutely nothing has excited, thrilled or moved me as much as jazz, and this is by a wide margin. Over the years, I have kept finding new performers and performances that have kept my interest in the genre alive and well and actually growing. I'm no expert in music technique but I do believe that there is a higher level of skill at musical expressiveness and innovation among jazz musicians than among those in most other genres, and that is what has kept my interest alive and growing all these years. It's certainly not a dead or dying art form and I hope it will never become one.

Regards,

JF

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

quote:

people declaring that they don't like a particular genre when in fact they've barely heard anything from it.

I don't like rap or hip-hop whatever it is ...

Frank Zappa once said: Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny.

As Douglas MacArthur said: jazz is not dead, it just faded away.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
Some more words about "Solo Monk", using "I'm Confessin'" and "Everything Happens to Me" in particular as examples.

You never know what Monk is going to do, and I particularly enjoy the way he throws the harmony like a ball in a game. But one thing you can count on : he will never violate the integrity of the underlying tune, it is always present, undamaged and full of vitality.

That matters a great deal to me with these two tunes, which are beautiful and fresh in their unaltered state, even when you hum them :-)

"Solo Monk" is a treasure. Every track makes me fall in love with the tune itself, all over again.

Be it solo, in a trio, quartet or more, Monk is always a religious experience for me! I love all his albums. After migrating from cassette, the very first album that I bought in the CD format almost 20 years ago is Monk's Live in Newport. On sale and just dumped in a bin, going for a measly Pound Sterling 2.99 (sorry, no Pound symbol on my keyboard)

I have to agree with the above - I never encountered a Monk album I didn't like, and they are all extremely accessible (IMO anyway). My possible favourite is this one:



but it has a lot of competition, trust me

Well, this may not be an all time classic, but it is the best new jazz recording I have heard in quite some time. It is called "Into each day, something good" (AUM Fidelity)by the Eri Yamamoto piano trio. The compositions and soulful playing by Ms. Yamamoto (in a rather spare kinda Paul Bley style) are simply superb, and the interaction of bass and drums could not be more sympathetic. Ms. Yamamoto is likely a new name for many, but anyone interested in jazz piano is advised to get ahold of this wonderful disc, superbly recorded in the Systems Two studio in Brooklyn by probably the finest small group jazz engineer, Mike Marciano. Yamamoto's other two trio recordings ("Redwoods" on AUM and "Cobalt Blue" on Thirsty Ear) are also excellent. Easily the best jazz recording I have heard so far this year.

Too many to choose from but Jim Hall Live is superb.

Graeme

Thelonious Monk Septet 'Monk's Music' would probably be my first choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk%27s_Music

I am not sure if the intention of the thread is to determine the best jazz recordings in terms of performance, and, or, in terms of recording quality.

'Monk's Music' would score very highly for me on both, and also for me one of the greatest album cover designs as well.

Lots of other great albums have been mentioned so far too, it is a rich vein to hew.

I must also thank the members of this forum for recommending 'Monk Alone in San Francisco', that is a real gem.

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL_v2:

Thelonious Monk Septet 'Monk's Music' would probably be my first choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk%27s_Music

I am not sure if the intention of the thread is to determine the best jazz recordings in terms of performance, and, or, in terms of recording quality.

'Monk's Music' would score very highly for me on both, and also for me one of the greatest album cover designs as well.

Lots of other great albums have been mentioned so far too, it is a rich vein to hew.

I must also thank the members of this forum for recommending 'Monk Alone in San Francisco', that is a real gem.

The thread is to find the best music, if the recording is good too, that's bonus points. The music is the main goal.

I should have my Monk in SF tomorrow. Can't wait.

quote:

'Monk's Music' would score very highly for me on both, and also for me one of the greatest album cover designs as well.

Agreed - definitely another classic.

PD

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
The thread is to find the best music, if the recording is good too, that's bonus points. The music is the main goal.

I should have my Monk in SF tomorrow. Can't wait.

Thanks Mike.

To slightly expand on my love of 'Monk's Music', Monk on piano and Art Blakey on drums often collaborated, Blakey's solid swing beats fit beautifully behind Monk's syncopated, sometimes sparse, piano playing.

Added to is the sweet flowing sax of Coltrane, and the raunchy buzzy sax Coleman Hawkins, together with Gryce, Ware and Copeland, it is a fantastic mix of individual styles creating a greater whole.

'Monk Alone in San Francisco' was a real revelation for me, as I could not imagine Monk's playing without the drive, or swing, of drums behind him. I thought it might just fall apart. How wrong I was. I really hope you enjoy it, one of the most wonderful musical discoveries for me since joining this forum.


Charles Mingus 'Mingus Ah Um' is another album that is worth mentioning in this thread, a discovery through BBC4 (TV) '1959. The Year That Changed Jazz' documentary, and again greatly recommended on this forum.

Already mentioned in this thread Miles Davis 'A Kind of Blue', and 'Cannonball Adderley 'Somethin' Else' are albums that mark the peak of jazz or me.

Let's not forget Ornette Coleman. "The Shape of Jazz to Come" is a great place to start (again 1959).

Ever tried whistling or playing "Lonely Woman"? I'm convinced only Ornette can play that tune!! And all on a plastic Grafton sax!

Oh, and IMO, anybody wanting to get into jazz more would do well to check out everything recommended here; nice thread. Although my most played Coltrane albums are "Live At The Village Vanguard" box set and "Africa Brass".

Sunday at the Village Vanguard by the Bill Evans Trio does it for me.

quote:

Originally posted by graham halliwell:

Ever tried whistling or playing "Lonely Woman"? I'm convinced only Ornette can play that tune!!

Actually, I recently heard none other than pianist Fred Hersch play Lonely Woman in a trio setting ... never thought I'd hear it played on a chordal instrument, but he nailed it, and beautifully realized all the harmonic implications of the melody. It was part of a mash-up with Miles Davis' Nardis; both tunes share melodic/harmonic similarities.

Hersch has recorded the medley on his album Evanessence, which, as its title suggests, is a tribute to Bill Evans. In the liner notes, Hersch calls it "more of a sandwich than a medley" because Lonely Woman bookends Nardis. Highly recommended.

The four albums featured in the BBC4 documentary '1959. The Year That Changed Jazz' were:

Miles Davis 'A Kind of Blue'
Dave Brubeck Quartet 'Take Five'
Charles Mingus 'Mingus Ah Um'
Ornette Coleman 'The Shape of Jazz to Come'

I have yet to get into Ornette Colman, free jazz is perhaps a bit too much for me right now, and on the other side of the spectrum I find Dave Brubeck a little bit too delicate. They are undoubtably great albums, I suspect that Ornette Coleman. 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' is something I will get into with time, Brubeck I suspect is not for me.

I find Miles Davis cool jazz so easy to enjoy, as I find with a great deal of his music. Mingus lively be-bop is again right at the heart of my taste in jazz, ballsy, fun.

'Monk's Music' was 1958, otherwise it may have made its way into the documentary, as is Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers 'Moanin', the latter perhaps not so distinct in style, but great songs with 'Moanin' and 'Blues March'. I am perhaps biased, as a drummer Art Blakey is one of my real heroes.

Slightly off topic, does anyone else here find Art Blakey and Led Zeppelin's John Bonham really similar to listen to? For me they had such a feel of swing behind everything they played, and although they had a delicate touch and incredible technique, there is a pounding feel there that let you know 'THIS IS THE BEAT'. They have the biggest and most driving sound of any drummers I can think of.

Personal taste maybe, but just interested to see if others feel the same.

I am rather partial to Pat Metheny's Lonely Woman on his Rejoicing album

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
I am rather partial to Pat Metheny's Lonely Woman on his Rejoicing album

Different Lonely Woman. It's by Horace Silver.

quote:

Originally posted by JamieL_v2:

Slightly off topic, does anyone else here find Art Blakey and Led Zeppelin's John Bonham really similar to listen to? For me they had such a feel of swing behind everything they played, and although they had a delicate touch and incredible technique, there is a pounding feel there that let you know 'THIS IS THE BEAT'. They have the biggest and most driving sound of any drummers I can think of.

Personal taste maybe, but just interested to see if others feel the same.

Well, my wife, the drummer, would likely agree with you ... those are two of her most favorite drummers. Definitely both are big beat players with unrelenting swing.

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
I am rather partial to Pat Metheny's Lonely Woman on his Rejoicing album

Different Lonely Woman. It's by Horace Silver.

Whoops!

quote:

Originally posted by irwan shah:

Now I can make an intellectual assessment of the album. I still love 'Dream House' to bits, but in my humble opinion, Miles has the edge here.

Despite my slightly less humble opinion, I agree. Miles has the edge over almost anyone.

quote:

By the way, 'Dream House' still continues to be my most played album of 2010 so far. I have not bothered posting that I do listen to it so often as people may start wondering whether that is the only album that I have in my collection.

It's not that it's the only album in your collection, but you have a hundred copies of it!

Thanks again for your enduring enthusiasm, greatly appreciated.

All the best,
Fred