Robert Middleton

I recently read that this was recorded at the Gate with a single overhead mic. So, very often, the drums overpower all the other instruments. The flute sounds very far away in the opening Dolphy flute solo of Favorite Things. Boy, I would have loved to hear that mic'd well. But the sax, being louder, is picked up much better. But overall the set is just killer. So much better than the recent Love Supreme set that I really had a hard time listening to. However, I feel they're hitting the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Coltrane discoveries. The last truly great one was with Thelonious Monk at Carnegie Hall in 1957. Released in 2005. That recording was perfect. Maybe something else of that quality will be unearthed one day. But don't hold your breath. You'd think with the advent of AI they could balance and equalize these recordings better. I suspect they will be able to do it soon. Then we'll hear re-releases of all these masterful performances as they were meant to sound. Here's an example of how it was done with Nirvana and Beatles songs.

My very first jazz album, at the tender age of 18 was released in 1970 - Bitches Brew. So my jazz collection started with fusion - more Miles, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Weather Report. Over the years I’ve filled out my collection of 70’s jazz. But Scott is unearthing some real gems I’ve never even heard of. Reading this blog has become a daily ritual. And it's really good, to boot, with some wonderful observations and insights about artists and the music of the time. Check it out, for sure. Cheers, R.

This is a very listenable album. I like it.

Hutch, this is fantastic. I know what it takes to write something regularly. I’ve written an ezine/blog for my business once a week for 22 years. But I can’t quite imagine writing something so comprehensive for a full year. And your writing is terrific. Full of color and love for you topic. I will be a dedicated reader!! And I expect to discover some real gems. Cheers, R

My main thought about Nate’s list is that it’s simply another subjective list. There’s really no such thing as an ‘essential jazz album’ that all jazz fans should own. There is only what someone personally likes. That’s why I hate the title, ‘Best of Year List.’ Yet I’m more than happy to see what people like and check out stuff I haven’t heard. For me, I like about 20% of what’s on this list. Some highly touted artists I simply can’t stand. Some stuff that I think is the juiciest jazz ever recorded was missed by almost everyone. So I guess we shouldn’t get so worked up about this shit. Cheers, Robert

What is your 70’s blog project? 70’s Jazz, the decade jazz changed dramatically? Do you have a link? Cheers R.

Boy, not only do I not have any of these, I haven’t heard of most of the artists! The jazz world is vast. Cheers, R Ok, well, I do have the Steve Lehman! Pretty amazing album. His latest is great, too. I’ll check out the others. Cheers, R

Not everyone likes lists like this, but I do. I'm kinda obsessed with creating playlists of my favorite albums. This is not a "best of the decade list." Who knows what the best really is? But you do know what you liked the most, listened to the most and generally obsessed over. Here's my list of favorites from 2010 through 2019. What are yours? Current albums only, not reissues. Deluxe - Chris Lightcap Dulces - Billy Fox Pathways - Dave Holland Beat Therapy - Dmitri Tymoczko Hearts Wide Open - Gilad Hekselman On the Go - Matthew Halsall The Creep - Ted Nash The Troubles - The Troubles Quartette Humaine - Bob James, David Sanborn Trios - Carla Bley Harmonious Creatures - Sarah Manning Instead - Collocutor Live in Larissa - Nat Birchall New Song - Omer Avital Blue Blue - Bengt Berger Madeleine - Ghost Rhythms Silent Understanding - Double Pulse The Time Inside a Year - Dave McDonnell Beam Me Up - Shauli Einav Early Americans - Jane Ira Bloom Homage - Adam Niewood I Long to See You - Charles Lloyd Oceanic Suite - Atlantis Jazz Ensemble What We Bring - Ben Wendell Hudson - Hudson La Saboteuse - Yass Ahmed Layers of the City - Ben Allison Translator's Note - Oded Tzur Awase - Nik Barsch's Ronin Nubaya's 5ive - Nubya Garcia There is a Place - Maisha Blume - Nerija Fyah - Theon Cross Glitter Wolf - Allison Miller Good Hope - Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Zakir Hussain My album of the decade: Nubaya's 5ive - Nubya Garcia NOTE: I culled this list of 35 down from a list of 100. These really are my desert island disks of the decade. Cheers, Robert

A playlist of the first 20 years of ECM. About 200 albums in all. I think these were the greatest ECM years with a lot of classic, beautiful albums. And, for the most part, a lot more distinctive than the last 30 years. Albums from these artists: Arild Andersen, Bass Desires, Bennie Maupin, Bill Connors, Bill Frisell, Carla Bley, Chick Corea, Collin Walcott, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Eberhard Weber, Egberto Gismonti, Enrico Rava, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, Jan Garbarek, John Abercrombie, John Surman, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Wheeler, Miroslav Vitous, Pat Metheny, Paul Bley, Ralph Towner, Steve Kuhn, Steve Tibbitts, and Terje Rypdal. An amazing body of work.

Yeah, this looks like a good one! Garzone is great but only have a few of his albums. Plus Erskine and Pasquale. And three discs!

Well, they're spitting 'em out as a prodigious rate. Ninety-three for me so far this year. Makin' 'em and bakin' 'em. And some are mighty delicious.

Yeah, pure vinyl. But I haven't bought one in more than 30 years.

Well, we focus on what we like the most. I'm kinda obsessed with collecting new jazz. It's a little overwhelming because there's always something new coming out. When I think of my collection, I think of "old jazz" as everything before 1969 and "new jazz" as everything after. My collection is 20% old and 80% new. Nice to see you here, HF. It's been a long time since the AAJ Forum! Cheers, RM

You DO need it. LOL. I love jazz albums that stand alone, that don't sound quite like anything else. And this fits the bill. Hussain has some amazing solos and Llloyd really soars. It's in the top 50 of all my albums. Cheers, RM By the way, I mentioned the one by Ghost Rhythms. Their previous CD "Madeline" is an alternate soundtrack to Hitchcock's Vertigo. An astounding piece of music. Nothing out there remotely like it. Double album. You can hear it on: Bandcamp: https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/album/madeleine

It's really good. Love anything that Holland and Potter do, but with Hussain, it's a magical combination. One of the best of the year, IMHO. Do you have Sangam by Charles Lloyd with Hussain and Eric Harland? One of my very favorite albums. Never gets old. Thanks, I'll check out some of these!