Jazz records without bass or drums. Or piano.

[Chuck Nessa]

Since Roscoe has been mentioned, I submit L-R-G for woodwinds, high brass and low brass as well as the saxophone quartet version of Nonaah.

[Quincy]

You'll want to skip 2 tracks, but the other 6 of Lee Konitz Duets fit your criteria.

[A Lark Ascending]

Don't think you'll find any pesky bass, drums or piano here.

[colinmce]

Since Roscoe has been mentioned, I submit L-R-G for woodwinds, high brass and low brass as well as the saxophone quartet version of Nonaah.

I listened to this one door-to-door on the way home from work last week. It was late, I was tired, and it was raining very hard, but the music was very centering.

[brownie]

Marion Brown with Gunter Hampel 'Reeds 'n Vibes'

[David Ayers]

The line has to be drawn somewhere and I am going to rule that Phil Minton is not jazz. Sorry Phil.

These are all great examples, I know maybe <half of them. Even where a chording instrument is present (guitar, vibes) the textures and principles change a lot. Where there is no chording instrument they change even more.

A couple more that were favorites before I played them to death (!):

Zorn/Frisell/Lewis, News for Lulu (Hat)

Braxton/Lewis, Elements of Surprise (Moers), Donaueschingen (Duo) 1976 (Hat)

There's quite a lot of Braxton outside the normal instrumentation zone. These duos with Lewis stand out for me not because of any particular formal innovation but just because they are fun.

[A Lark Ascending]

The line has to be drawn somewhere and I am going to rule that Phil Minton is not jazz. Sorry Phil.

Oh dear! Only a matter of time before you start buying all those Wynton records! (one of those smileys denoting that this is not a serious point but a bit of gentle ribbing)

[mjazzg]

The line has to be drawn somewhere and I am going to rule that Phil Minton is not jazz. Sorry Phil.

Oh dear! Only a matter of time before you start buying all those Wynton records! (one of those smileys denoting that this is not a serious point but a bit of gentle ribbing)

But all the Wynton albums have bass, drums or piano, no?

[ATR]

WSQ.

That's the stuff, along with a lot of the Evan Parker and Roscoe Mitchell discographies. How about Braxton's For Alto? And even though guitar is kind of a piano I suggest Zorn's Yankees trio with George Lewis and Derek Bailey and his Lulu trios with Frisell and Lewis.

[A Lark Ascending]

The line has to be drawn somewhere and I am going to rule that Phil Minton is not jazz. Sorry Phil.

Oh dear! Only a matter of time before you start buying all those Wynton records! (one of those smileys denoting that this is not a serious point but a bit of gentle ribbing)

But all the Wynton albums have bass, drums or piano, no?

I'm sure he must have a Jazz String Quartet or Jazz Requiem somewhere without.

[colinmce]

The line has to be drawn somewhere and I am going to rule that Phil Minton is not jazz. Sorry Phil.

These are all great examples, I know maybe <half of them. Even where a chording instrument is present (guitar, vibes) the textures and principles change a lot. Where there is no chording instrument they change even more.

A couple more that were favorites before I played them to death (!):

Zorn/Frisell/Lewis, News for Lulu (Hat)

Braxton/Lewis, Elements of Surprise (Moers), Donaueschingen (Duo) 1976 (Hat)

There's quite a lot of Braxton outside the normal instrumentation zone. These duos with Lewis stand out for me not because of any particular formal innovation but just because they are fun.

Still digging for those Lewis duos. Very, very tough to find.

Find at a reasonable price, that is.

[jazztrain]

The following are all clarinet/guitar duos. No pianos, bass, or drums in sight.

Buddy De Franco/Jim GIllis. Ten Jazz Etudes for Clarinet and Guitar.

Phil Woods & Irio de Paula. The Clarinet Album.

Ron Eschete and Mort Weiss. No Place to Hide.

Paulo Moura & Raphael Rabello. Dois Irmaos.

Paulo Moura & Yomandu Costa. El Negro del Blanco.

Here are some with clarinet or tenor sax + guitar:

Howard Alden & Ken Peplowski. Pow-Wow.

Ken Peplowski & Howard Alden. Concord Duo Series, Vol. 3

Ken Peplowski & Howard Alden. Live At Concord Centre (about half of album; remainder of album adds some of the banned instruments in this thread.

Here's another: M 'N' M Trio (Jimmy Mazzy/Eli Newberger/Joe Muranyi). This one is banjo, tuba, and clarinet.

Edited March 4, 2013 by jazztrain

[paul secor]

Braxton/McDonough: 6 Duos (Nessa)

Jimmy Raney/Doug Raney: Duets (Steeplechase)

Marion Brown/Elliott Schwartz: Soundways (Bowdoin College Music Press)

Don Cherry/Jon Appleton: Human Music (Flying Dutchman)

[king ubu]

So "bass instruments or drums had much to say that I cared about" but you want albums with no bass? Did you forget a "not" in that sentence? I'm a bit puzzled, but seem only me, the others seem to get what you say, so ignore at will...

In the two basses thread there have been some mention of bass duo albums, in case you "do care about". Marks Brothers, Holland/Phillips - fine stuff.

Should I thrown in Dino Saluzzi albums on ECM? I guess not ...

The Bechet/Spanier Big Four? No drums, but bass.

There's then the Max Nagl Big Four with Steven Bernstein, Brad Jones and Noel Akchoté (t/as/g/b).

The Gene Krupa Trio. Drums, piano, sax - a line-up still heard this day in several bands that have been mentioned (Tim Berne, I'll add Ingrid Laubrock).

Obviously, there's the various Jimmy Giuffre projects ... and the Brötzmann Trio with Schlippenbach/Bennink and no bass player.

But I'm not sure any of this is on topic.

Something got lost in translation! There must be NO bass, NO drums, and probably NO piano....

Okay, I get it now

At least the Giuffre Three with Brookmeyer and Hall do fit!

Another one:

[colinmce]

Paul (or someone): was that Marion Brown material reissued on the Arista Duets album, or Soundways a whole other album?

[Joe]

http://www.emanemdisc.com/E4043.html

http://www.emanemdisc.com/E4106.html

[paul secor]

Paul (or someone): was that Marion Brown material reissued on the Arista Duets album, or Soundways a whole other album?

I believe it was reissued on Arista along with a duel album with Leo Smith.

[Peter Friedman]

Joe Pass / JJ Johnson - We'll Be Together Again - Pablo

Zoot Sims / Joe Pass - Blues For Two - Pablo

Scott Hamilton / Bucky Pizzarelli - The Red Door - Concord Jazz

[clifford_thornton]

I suppose those Charles Austin/Joe Gallivan records would work, though Gallivan plays a variety of non-"kit" percussion and synths.

[king ubu]

not very jazzy though, but the limits - even if drawn - seem to be drawn rather liberal, so

[jazztrain]

Zoot Sims / Bucky Pizzarelli. Zoot Sims and Friend. Classic Jazz

Zoot Sims / Bucky Pizzarelli. Elegiac. Storyville.

[fasstrack]

Lucky Thompson trio recordings with Oscar Pettiford and guitarist Skeeter Best. Glorious.

Indeed! Tricotism, yeah!

[robertoart]

A gazillion Guitar duet albums.

One not mentioned is Emily Remler/Larry Coryell - Together.

But in terms laid out by the OP, these are really the equivalent of Piano/Guitar or Piano Duet albums, such as perhaps the Larry Young/Joe Chambers Keyboard duets.

What would be interesting guitar wise, would be duets where one guitar didn't fall into the default piano/harmony role. There are possibly examples of such a more fluid encounter. Joe Morris and someone maybe? Plenty of Derek Bailey collaborations must meet the criteria. Sonny Sharrock dueting with himself on Guitar. String Trio Of New York, Oh that's got Bass. Did Billy Bang do any duets or trio's that count?

Also James Blood Ulmer's - Harmolodic Guitar With Strings, Ornette's - Skies Of America?

Did Abdul Wadud, Arthur Blythe and Bob Stewart have a trio at one time?

Edited March 5, 2013 by freelancer

[mracz]

Hemphill plus Abdul Wadud live in NY

Many Derek Bailey projects,including duos with Braxton and Lacy

[PHILLYQ]

Didn't Frisell do the Richter 858 with guitar, cello, violin, viola?