FORUMS
Over in the Rock Music section of the forum JoeE started a great list, which I hope will continue to grow, called "20 LP's or CD's you may not have but should" and I promised to get a similar list going over here in the Jazz section. I've reworded it slightly so it's now a catchy SHBMN
abbreviation, okay so it's not DID (Desert Island Discs) or R2D4 (Records To Die For) but at least it's ours and I like it, damn it.
The objest is to list some your favorite jazz recordings bsed on high quality music or sound and hopefully both but the real trick is to try and avoid the obvious selections that we've all seen before, e.g. things like "Kind of Blue", "A Love Supreme", "Atomic Basie", "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie" or, god forbid, "Jazz At The Pawn Shop", and rather to dig a little deeper into your collection and memory for those hidden or just plain forgotten treasures.
Here's my first 10 items. Please don't view these as any kind of definitive list - they're far from that, representing as many of my own very personal tastes and biases. So in no particular order.
Jazzfan's Jazz First 10 CDs/LPs You Should Have But May Not:
1) Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Country Cooking (Venture LP) This long out of print LP may not have the best Brotherhood of Breath personal wise but it is by the most well recorded of any BoB record and there are still those wonderful McGregor horn arrangements. Annie Whitehead's trombone solo on the title track is a killer. Oh, did I mention that the sound is demo quality?
2) Romano/Sclavis/Texier - Carnet de Routes (Label Bleu CD) - this outstanding trio of Aldo Romano (drums) Louis Sclavis (reeds) and Henri Texier (bass) is not to be missed. Just about completely unknown here in the US, this trio has three releases, each which comes packaged with a booklet of photos from the groups "fourth" member, photographer Guy LeQuerrec (who is credited with playing "Leica"). The music is at times free, at times highly rhythmic but always beautiful.
3) Jane Ira Bloom - Migthy Lights (Enja LP/CD) - with a backing band of Fred Hersch on piano, Ed Blackwell on drums and Charlie Haden on bass how could you go wrong. Well you can't and Ms Bloom and company do not disappoint. Plus this recording features some of the best recorded (as in at the right volume level) Charlie Haden, who almost always seems to be underrecorded, that I know of (the other one being "Conrad Silvert Presents Jazz at the Opera House" Columbia LP).
4) Emily Remler - Catwalk (Concord Jazz LP/CD) - Why, oh why did the good Lord take this wonderfully talented young lady from us at such a young age.She was only 32 when she died. Remler didn't get to make many recordings in her all too brief life and this is one of her finest. John D'Earth's trumpet perfectly compliments Remler's full bodied guitar sound and the rhythm section of Eddie Gomez and overlooked Bob Moses keep things moving along quite nicely.
5) The Feel Trio - Looking (Berlin Version) (FMP CD) - Cecil Taylor - piano, William Parker - bass and Tony Oxley - drums Did I die and go to avant-garde jazz heaven? A super group that lives up to its name and delivers the goods. Music for the ages. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but for those who can enjoy this kind of creative music this is the real deal.
6) Charles Gayle - Touching On Trane (FMP CD) - By far Gayle's best recorded effort. Another free jazz bliss fest for the ages. Gayle channels Coltrane without sounding anything like him. Amazing.
7) Michael Moore Trio - Jewels and Binoculars (Ramboy CD) - This one another killer and almost criminally unknown here in the US. A jazz trio doing covers of Bob Dylan songs? It works and it's great. Moore plays reeds (mostly clarinet and alto) with Lindsey Horner on bass (outstanding solo on "Visions of Johanna") and Michael Vatcher on drum and percussion. Well worth paying the import price for.
8) Clusone Trio - I Am an Indian (Gramavision CD) - Another trio with Michael Moore (that's 5 trios so far on my list) but now joined by cellist Ernst Reijseger and the great Dutch drummer Han Bennink. If Bennink is involved you know things are going to get a little weird and they do as these three play a nice mix of originals and standards reshaped for your listening pleasure.
9) Mal Waldron - I can't pick just one LP or CD by the late Mal Waldron to put on this list. If you don't already own anything by Mal then do yourself a big favor and pick something up. Anything will do, since Waldron is instantly recognizable and alway enjoyable.
10) Enrico Pieranunzi - Fellini Jazz (Cam Jazz CD) - Just in case someone might dismiss this list for having too much free jazz on it (remember I did say that it was a reflection of my personal tastes) I figured I'd put this very listenable and really enjoyable recording at the end. Enrico Pieranunzi is a very fine Italian pianist who has put together quite a group for this outstanding recording: Charlie Haden - Bass, Paul Motian - Drums, Chris Potter - reeds and
Kenny Wheeler - Trumpet and Flugelhorn. The music is just beautiful.
Okay, now it's your turn.
