Rooster_Ties Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) Hey gang. How about telling everyone your 5 favorite jazz CD purchases over the last year (the discs you can't live without now ). Also, please write a sentence or three about each one, a sort of mini-review. And let's limit this to single CD's, or maybe double-CD issues --- NO BOX SETS, please. (I'd like to maintain an "album-centric" focus to this thread.) ALSO, this thread is NOT only limited to discs that were released (or reissued) only in 2004. Just what are the five most important jazz discs you bought in 2004 - even if they're OOP titles, or used stuff you found on eBay, or whatever. They can be stuff released on CD years ago, but they were new to your ears this year. (I'm working on my list, and will post it before the end of the day.) Edited December 12, 2004 by Rooster_Ties Quote
JohnS Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 Warne Marsh; All Music Dennis Gonzalez NY Quartet; NY Midnight Suite World Saxophone Quartet: Experience Buddy DeFranco/Sonny Clark; Complete Sessions It's not been the best of years and I've not bought that much (relatively). Why these, All Music is one of the great jazz albums and here it is in expanded form in super sound. Gonzalez is a favourite, just good to have another first rate album from him. The WSQ is special because a number of tracks the quartet (I don't always find them easy to take) is augmented by rhythm playes and guests, so more to enjoy. I never had the DeFranco/Clarke Verves so I was delighted to see this reissue even if its origins atre dubious. Again it's just fine music, elegant and swinging hard. Can't think of a fifth one just yet. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted December 9, 2004 Author Report Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) OK, here's my first pick (more on the way, probably tonight)... Ted Curson - "Pop Wine" (Futura, 1971). (Got it at Dusty Groove, about the only place I've ever seen it.) Curson plays his ass off - sounding at times like Don Cherry, but with stronger -- or maybe I should say "more forceful" chops. He also reminds of of Miles at his 70's "balls"-iest best, at least in spirit (if not in full electric mode). This is THE best and most exciting Ted Curson I've yet heard -- though I'll admit I haven't heard as much by Curson as I'd like to (at least based on "Pop Wine"). The date is Curson backed by the Georges Arvanitas Trio (with no other horns). I wasn't familiar with Arvanitas until this recording, and from what I've read on-line, he's normally a more "inside"-sounding sort of player. But here, he sounds a bit like Mal Waldron (and occasionally like Mal Waldron on 'speed'). The band never goes quite "over the edge", but they butt right up to it quite nicely -- which is how I like it. 5-stars in my book. $15.99 at Dusty, and worth every damn penny. PS: Spontoonious got this the same time I did, and he told me back then (a couple months ago) that he thought the first tune -- which is the most "free" tune on the entire date -- that it sounded pretty unfocussed to him, and kind of 'off the mark'. (But he loved the rest of the disc, if I remember right.) I've listened to "Pop Wine" about four times in the last three days, and I kind of hear what he's talking about. But not the entire track (which is about 13 minutes long). IMHO, some of it goes off the rails, but some still sounds together -- at least to my ears. (And I think the first track has grown on me a bit too, with repeated spins.) Edited December 9, 2004 by Rooster_Ties Quote
montg Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) I'm going to divide this into new releases and reissues...new releases are more 'hit and miss' and I'm curious to hear what some of the new 'hits' are from others as well. New releases: Bobby Watson --Horizon Reassembled (Palmetto) Ben Allison --Buzz (Palmetto) Buster Williams --Girot Liberte (HighNote) A good year for bassists. Reissues: I've been into mid 60s jazz more than ever--long live Bobby Hutcherson!: Mode for Joe--Joe Henderson Schizophrenia -- Wayne Shorter Stick-Up --Bobby Hutcherson And, in the centennial of Basie, I was fortunate eenough to pick up half of the oop Mosaic Live set (thanks to a board member) Basie (Mosaic) Discs 1-4: "Live Roulette sessions" Sorry, Rooster, I bent the rules just a bit. Edited December 9, 2004 by montg Quote
wesbed Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 One of my Top Five purchases of 2004 is The Wes Montgomery Trio. I purchased this item assuming it wouldn't be much but thinking it would be something good to have to follow the career of Mr. Montgomery. To my surprise, this, to my ears, is Wes at his best. Sort of raw, sort of bare bones, deceptively simple sounding music. At the same time, played with much complexity, style and swing. Some of the tunes put me in a trance-like state. The is my favorite Wes Montgomery title so far. He played well in a trio format of guitar, organ, and drums. Quote
sidewinder Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) Louis Sclavis 'Napoli's Fields' (ECM) Joe Harriott 'Abstract' (Redial) Gilles Peterson 'Impressed II' (Universal) The Rendell/Carr's on BGO ('Shades of Blue/Dusk Fire' and 'Phase III/Live') Andrew Hill 'Passing Ships' (Blue Note) As for vinyl its another story ! Edited December 9, 2004 by sidewinder Quote
Jim R Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 Sorry- couldn't quite stop at 5, and don't have time right now to review... Roland Hanna- Everything I Love Bill Charlap- Somewhere: The Songs Of Leonard Bernstein Hank Jones- The Talented Touch / Porgy And Bess Alan Broadbent- You And The Night And The Music Bobby Jaspar / Rene' Thomas- Thomas/Jaspar Quintet Eddie Higgins- Bewitched Mel Rhyne- Tomorrow Yesterday Today Horace Parlan- Relaxin' With Horace Eddie Davis / Johnny Griffin- Pisces Quote
neveronfriday Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 02 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 2 03 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 3 04 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 4 05 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 5 Cheers! Quote
etherbored Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 Bill Charlap- Somewhere: The Songs Of Leonard Bernstein Alan Broadbent- You And The Night And The Music Eddie Higgins- Bewitched JimR, these 3 are kick-ass records! all 3... the charlap has, IMHO, been very underrated. look for a new new york trio record on venus next month! cheers + a very merry christmas, -e- Quote
neveronfriday Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 Bill Charlap- Somewhere: The Songs Of Leonard Bernstein Alan Broadbent- You And The Night And The Music Eddie Higgins- Bewitched JimR, these 3 are kick-ass records! all 3... the charlap has, IMHO, been very underrated. look for a new new york trio record on venus next month! cheers + a very merry christmas, -e- I don't have the Higgins, but I say "Yeah" to the others. And yes, the Charlap is much better than what some people have been saying about it. Just played it today. Cheers! Quote
Brad Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 I can't think of 5 off the top of my head but one that made me very happy was getting Dizzy's Verve Big Band sessions, a double cd. Very, very nice. Quote
vibes Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 02 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 2 03 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 3 04 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 4 05 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 5 Cheers! Nice to see that someone enjoys this box as much as I do. It seems to be rarely discussed or listed amongst people's favorite boxes. Quote
catesta Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 Tough to pick the just five, but this is it. Teddy Edwards - Sunset Eyes Bobby Hutcherson - Stick Up Warne Marsh - All Music George Coleman - My Horns Of Plenty Art Pepper - Winter Moon Quote
Brownian Motion Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 Trumpeter Bill Coleman was 75 when he recorded this album live at a club in France. His playing on Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and Ram Ramirez's "Lover Man" rank among his finer recorded performances. Steady support from Rolf Buhrer on valve trombone and Doriz's Lionel-like vibes. Quote
John Tapscott Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 Lots has been written about these two and both will certainly be considered classics by generations to come: Andrew Hill - Passing Ships (Blue Note) Maria Schnieder Orchestra - Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare) I discovered this guy this year and really dig his playing. In fact, it's how I would like to play piano if I had the gift: Tardo Hammer - Tardo's Tempo (Sharp Nine) I also got into Eric Alexander in a big way this year and have started not only to appreciate his playing but to really enjoy it. Hence - Eric Alexander - Nightlife in Tokyo (Milestone) One for All - Blueslike (Criss Cross) Quote
Guy Berger Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 Restricting it to five (jazz only): Duke Ellington, Never No Lament Duke Ellington, Far East Suite Jackie McLean, Right Now Charles Lloyd, Dream Weaver Ben Allison, Peace Pipe Quote
Leeway Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 ACTION - Jackie Mclean RIGHT NOW - Jackie McLean SWEET HONEY BEE --Duke Pearson IN 'N OUT - Joe Henderson INNER URGE - Joe Henderson BLACK FIRE -- Andrew Hill THE SIXTH SENSE - Lee Morgan I know, more than 5. But I really was happy to get these Blue Notes. There are others too, but I don't want to go too far over the limit. Quote
wolff Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 Harold Mabern Trio: Don't Know Why (Venus) Has not been very far from the turntable all year. Larry Young: Mothership (Blue Note) Led me to get the Mosaic. Clifford Brown: Study In Brown (EmArcy) Boy Haynes: Love Letters (Eighty-Eights) Billie Holiday: The Billie Holiday Collection Vol. 3 (Columbia) Quote
EKE BBB Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 02 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 2 03 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 3 04 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 4 05 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 5 Cheers! How can someone have a soft spot for the awful OP? Quote
Brownian Motion Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 A couple of others... Jim Hall-Concierto It's hard not to like a disc that features Jim Hall, Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, and Roland Hanna together. Ron Carter is rock-like, and Steve Gadd is unobtrusive, as he should be. After nearly a year still my late-night music of choice. "The Birth of the Third Stream" is a Columbia Legacy release two-fer, combining "Music For Brass" and "Modern Jazz Concert", and utilizing the talents of John Lewis, Gunther Schuller, J.J. Johnson, Miles, Mingus, Giuffre, and even Dimitri Mitropolos--at the time the Director of the New York Philharmonic. 'nuff said. Quote
neveronfriday Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 How can someone have a soft spot for the awful OP? AgustÃn, you're being obnoxious. As usual. Quote
David Ayers Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 02 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 2 03 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 3 04 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 4 05 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 5 Cheers! Would you like to give us a ranking order or is that it? Quote
neveronfriday Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 [...] Nice to see that someone enjoys this box as much as I do. It seems to be rarely discussed or listed amongst people's favorite boxes. This is a Blue Note board, mostly (but not only!). I have absolutely no problem with that, especially because I'm getting good tips here and am learning quite a bit, but it is only a select few ( ) who actually appreciate this kind of stuff as much as we do. The Lionel Hampton/OP set is exactly what I like and together with, for example, something like the Norman Granz Count Basie Jam DVD, which is a blast to watch because everyone involved is just having clean easy fun, it embodies what I personally like about jazz. Swing. Fun. Groove. Yes, there's tons of other places to find that, and because of many recommendations on this board I AM finding it in many other places, but I always return to mostly small group swing sessions to get my motor running ... Cheers! Quote
neveronfriday Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 01 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 1 02 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 2 03 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 3 04 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 4 05 The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets and Quintets With Oscar Peterson on Verve. Verve 1999. Disc 5 Cheers! Would you like to give us a ranking order or is that it? Disc three is a blast. But hell, I ain't gonna rank the set. I just love it. Fun. Fun. Fun. Cheers! Quote
sal Posted December 10, 2004 Report Posted December 10, 2004 (edited) NEW(ER) RELEASES: Danilo Perez - "Live at the Jazz Showcase" - best piano trio album I've heard in years Ben Allison - "Riding the Nuclear Tiger" - I discovered the greatness of the Jazz Composers Collective, possibly the most exciting group of young musicians in jazz right now. Kurt Rosenwinkel - "The Next Step" - had never heard Kurt or Mark Turner before purchasing this date. Proof that jazz is as alive as its ever been. OLDIES Andrew Hill - "Passing Ships" - One of my favorite albums in my 1000+ CD collection. As of this year, Andrew Hill has become one of my top 5 favorite jazz artists, (also picked up the wonderful "Black Fire", "Dusk" and "Dance with Death" discs this year) and this album is what started it all. Fred Anderson - "The Missing Link" - Fred Anderson is a giant of the tenor saxophone and of this music we love. This album was a revelation. Charles Mingus - "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus" - this group is approaching the Classic Coltrane quartet and the 60's Miles quintet in my book of favorites. And finally, the classical music discovery that made me weep with joy: Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 1, Chicago Symphony Orch., c. Solti Edited December 10, 2004 by sal Quote
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