What will you open up to celebrate the new year?

[GA Russell]

I have had a tradition for about ten years of opening up a Charlie Parker CD and a Julie London CD each year on January 1.

This year it will be Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast and probably Disc 3 of the Parker Live Savoy box.

Anybody else have something they will open up January 1, 2005?

[GregK]

hopefully my eyes in the morning

[GregK]

seriously, though, I like this tradition and may have to start one myself. Maybe a trip to Borders tomorrow to start exploring Anthony Braxton's discography

[brownie]

Champagne!

More champagne!

[JSngry]

Not the blinds, that's for sure.

[A Lark Ascending]

Old wounds?

[gdogus]

First music of the new year, for no particular reason:

Medeski, Martin and Wood - Last Chance to Dance Trance (perhaps): Best Of (1991-1996)

[Chuck Nessa]

The traditional can of worms.

[Ron S]

The traditional can of worms.

Is that on the shelf next to Pandora's Box?

[GA Russell]

You guys slay me!

Another New Year's Day tradition is starting a new column for the new year on my database, to denote those albums heard during the year. I do this so that I can see what I haven't heard for a year or two (or more) and pull it out. I oftentimes find that I hear new things when I listen to an album for the first time in a long time.

[Enterprise Server]

I opened up 2005 with "Miles Live at the Plaza". You can never go wrong by starting anything off by Miles.

[marcello]

Re: Miles at the Plaza

Isn't the version here of "Valentine" the most haunting and emotional of any of the many Miles versions? I read that Evans didn't like this record because he is underrecorded, but this song is fascinating! High Art.

By the way, it can also be found on Bill Evans "Piano Player".

This from www.billevanswepages.com :

That being said, there is still interesting playing here to satisfy even non-hardcore Evans fans. A highlight is the Miles Davis "My Funny Valentine" (with just Miles and the rhythm section, sans Coltrane and Cannonball), taken from the "Jazz at the Plaza" performance in 1958, and hithertofore unreleased. Although a less than satisfactory recording quality gets in the way -- almost a "fake" sounding stereo spread is evident -- we get to hear 'live' Bill Evans with Miles in a intriguing intro to this well-worn standard; a staple in the Davis repertoire for years to come.