Jazz Recommendations

Kiwi made a good point earlier about how lots of these good suggestions may not be that accessible to those just starting out (but also that if you like Monk, you're not starting at the start line). I agree Erroll Garner's Concert by the Sea suggested by Scott is terrific, and very accessible. To me, Ellington is a must. The Great Paris Concert is a very good display of the Duke's compositional gifts (esp. the couple of extended pieces) and has a lot of his great players still in the orchestra. Since it was recorded in '63, it has decent sound so may be more impressive place to start than with his older stuff. ..... Now, might I add that sure, Kind of Blue is a great desert island choice. But I can only read so many mentions of KoB before I think Birth of the Cool (Miles' first collaboration with Gil Evans, recorded about a decade? earlier than KoB) must get its rightful mention as a seminal work. I only have the original LP; how's the remaster sound?

Check out the new c. lloyd 'water is wide'

diana krall

Thanks to Audiogon's redefinition of the threadbank, I stumbled upon this treasure trove! While vacationing last summer in Bordeaux I wandered into a book/music store and heard Didier Lockwood's"Tribute to Stephane Grappelli" playing. WOW! This guy swings!...AND is superbly backed by N. H. Orsted Pedersen (bass) and B. Lagrene (gtr). Well-recorded by SONY-FRANCE, just released in the US on Dreyfus. It won 5 jazz awards in Europe last year......... (As much as I like Grappelli's work, I've always been disappointed by the recorded quality of his efforts: I attended a concert of his (with the Pizzarellis) at the fine-sounding Sanders Theatre at Harvard a few years ago, and asked the sound guy (who had EQ's the room very carefully) why Grappelli's violin sounded so bright and hard. He said it was due to Grappelli's insistence upon using his old favorite mike, with a decidedly bright lower treble, allowing Grappelli to monitor himself despite his hearing loss! So this tribute by Lockwood et al is doubly rewarding in that the upper partials and harmonics of the violin are so well-recorded. It'll REALLY test your upper crossover and tweeter, as well as keep your toe tapping.) Hope you enjoy it. Ernie. (PS Yeah, Charles Lloyd's Water is Wide is great, and getting a lot of airplay in Boston.) Cheers.

Some incredible trombone jazz artists are J.J.Johnson, Kai Winding, Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, Curtis Fuller, Bill Watrous, Jiggs Wigham. Keith Jarrett has been mentioned but check out his six sessions at the Blue Note in 1994. Have fun.