What's are your favourite live jazz recordings?

Jim Hall Trio - Live! (in Toronto)

Jim Hall Trio - Live In Tokyo 

With Don Thompson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. Hall is really rocking with this trio recorded in 2 different sessions

There is a lot to recommend, but let's not publish a huge list and just publish one - which is my all time favorite:

Besides that most of Keith Jarrett's Live CD's are good, Brad Mehldau.....

Jazz at the Pawnshop

These are often cited as the best live jazz recordings ever, and by people whose experience qualifies them much more highly than me:

Bill Evans Trio: Sunday at the Village Vanguard

The above recording was so well received that a second disc of recordings from the same series of gigs was released shortly afterwards: Waltz for Debby.

No self-respecting jazz collection should be without either. They're also both available for peanuts on CD!

Mark

The Art Pepper Village Vanguard albums, recorded in 1977, are just wonderful. There must be something about the Vanguard that brought the best out of jazz musicians.

Any live album (and most of them seem to be) by The Standards Trio - Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette. If I had to pick one (a set of 6 CDs actually) it would be At The Blue Note - The Complete Recordings. Recorded over 3 evenings in June 1994. Sublime trio jazz.

PS Can't disagree with Bill Evans Trio At The Village Vanguard.

What a glaring oversight on my part. Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby were the first 2 jazz cd's I bought way back in '92. They have been played to death, replaced by new remasters, and purchased on vinyl which has also been played to death.

All I can say is that I posted here before my brain was turned on.

Cheers,

BBM

For the mesmerising (but not live) 'Alabama'. 

G

I must admit, I was surprised that no-one had beaten me to it! Having discovered him fairly recently myself, I remain amazed that Bill Evans isn't better known outside jazz-head circles. There is a theory that a few famous jazz writers pursue a racist agenda that maintains that jazz is exclusively an achievement of African-Americans, so a gangly skinny white man couldn't possibly play a part in its history and therefore gets overlooked more than his talent deserves. If true, this is a shocking state of affairs.

Mark

Hard to go past this....but there are so many to choose from across the genre.

While I like all the above the one I listen to more than all the other live jazz recordings is probably Blues for The Fisherman by the Milcho Leviev Quartet. Of course the secret ingredient was Art Pepper who for contractual reasons couldn't release it under his name. Originally on the Mole Jazz Label, yep that jazz shop in London, it had a sequel called True Blues. Reissued about a year ago on multi cd by Laurie Pepper and on vinyl by Pure Pleasure it was a concert of great beauty and joy.

The late great   Paul Motion's understated ECM recording '" Lost in a Dream " with Chris Potter Sax and Jason Moran on Piano . Motion's haunting composition " Bird Song" is worth the price of admission alone. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard  NYC 2009. One of his last recordings. Paul motion RIP 

Continuing the Village Vanguard theme. Great fun.

Ahmad Jamal Live at the Pershing Club.

Very important piano trio recording.

The trio is in top form here and shows clearly why Miles was such an avid listener of Jamal's music. 

At the rhythm tandem of Israel Crosby and Vernell Fournier, is one of the best in the history of music.

Oscar Peterson Trio - We get requests, especially the track titled You look good tonight

Agreed on this. But also its recently released counterpart, Sleeper ... no less than equal!

Some great albums listed in this thread,

One of my all time favourites is:

Steps Ahead, Smoking In The Pit

G

My faves are the four Art Pepper at the Village Vanguard albums, and Keith Jarrett's Up For It, recorded during a storm in France. The band had to position their instruments to avoid drips coming through the cover over the stage. An inspired performance.

Not sure that this is a live album, but I'm open to correction. 

Dave Holland - Extended Play

Shelly Manne - live at the Blackhawk. 

(Haven't figured out how to add pics on IPad.)

SJB

I saw them three times live, in small venues close to the stage. Each time they blew me away, mesmerising with the intensity of their playing. They were something truly special. Sadly the fourth encounter was at the memorial service I attended for Esbjorn - that was truly heartbreaking

Recorded at the Paris Olympia Nov/Dec 2001. Great support from Anthony Wilson (guitar), John Clayton (bass), Jeff Hamilton (drums) and Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).