Jazz CD page

Recommended Recordings

Jazz

Gulf Coast Blues
Billie and Dede Pierce
Arhoolie CD 488

Recent thoughts of New Orleans caused me to think about those sounds and after listening a bit to the Louis Armstrong Hot 5 and 7, I felt I wanted to hear the more recent sound of New Orleans, at least a little more recent and remember Billie and Dede Pierce. I think the recordings were made in the 50s. I think I heard them after that but it could not have been much later. This is the rough and happy sound of what became of New Orleans music after the days of Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. Some of the songs are in Creole and the mood of the entire CD is being back at Dukey Chase's and the great Creole Cuisine du Coleur there.

The Complete Capitol & Atlantic
Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre

The various Jimmy Giuffre Three's and other small combinations were the source of much of the most interesting music of the late 50s, 60s and 70s. This five CD box set includes everything done on Capitol and Atlantic and thus the bulk of the early stuff, the first "Train and The River" group and including the trio with Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer. There was also much of value in the later Verve recordings including my favorites, "In the Mornings Out There" and "The Story". I hope these are also released by someone soon. This set has many gems, such as "The Train and The River" which rather epitomizes Giuffre funky folk Jazz of the time. This was a wonderful trio with Jim Hall on guitar and Ralph Peña on bass.

It came as a shock to learn that my old friend, Ralph Peña, died in an auto accident in 1967. He had left Giuffre's group when they were at a peak of popularity, he told me, because he had just gotten married and didn't want to go on the road. Giuffre then formed the trio with trombonist, Bob Brookmeyer, and in spite of the unusual combination this group went on to create a number of memorable recordings. Sadly Ralph and I lost touch and it was for many years. It was a jolt to realize just how many years when I read here in the notes to this Mosaic set that he had died in 67. Where does the time go?

Wayne Shorter
High Life
Uni/Verve

After about 15 years, Wayne Shorter came out with a new CD. This one is another treasure Every cut is marvelous and satisfying. It is a powerful album with a quiet voice running through it, but rhythmically and melodically much alive. He has said somewhere that his wife Ana Maria was a great inspiration and support to him. Her tragic death in the recent NY TWA crash just months after the release of this CD also adds another layer of meaning to this album.

Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings
Mosaic MD5-193

Here is some of the really great Duke Ellington stuff made available once again at last. The marvelous Afro-Bossa Suite is included here as well as the Violin Summit recordings, which are very exciting. Duke's period at Reprise, Frank Sinatra's own label, was a rather less than ideal. Although Sinatra promised a label in which musicians would be free to decide their own directions, it very soon proved not to be so. The Afro Bossa, in my opinion, the best of the various Duke Suites, although I could perhaps be argued out of this, was recorded one Reprise recording that lived up to the promise. This Mosaic set contains five CDs with many gems. There is one CD on which Duke Ellington plays the theme songs of various big bands of the time. Although this largely does not work to Duke's advantage, there are a couple of gems like Stan Kenton's Artistry in Rhythm, the most interesting version I have heard of this piece yet. There is also a wonderful Ellington version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Mosaic says their contract to reissue these masters is very limited and this, I am not free to include a sound sample from the set. There are numerous treasures available at Mosaic. It's going to take me a long while to get all those I want. They have a nice web site, one worth checking out.

Mosaic Records

Dave Holland
Prime Directive
ECM1698 314547950-2

A new ECM release from veteran Dave Holland and a quintet that includes some of his regulars, like Kevin Eubanks and Steve Nelson. This entire CD is riveting. Not only does every cut on the CD burn the wires, but they manage to do so while executing three and four part polyphony constantly. Maybe this has been done before, although I can't think of where, but I have never heard it done so well and so engagingly. Very, powerful and very exciting, good solid Jazz and intellectually stimulating!

An MP3 clip from the title tune, Prime Directive

Jerry Mulligan
Dragonfly
Telarc

This beautiful CD came out last year, I think. When it came out I bought it and thought it was just perfect and I reflected on how mellow and cohesive Mulligan's playing and arranging had become. Within a month or so of having heard it, I learned that Jerry had died due to complications of a knee operation. It made the CD seem like something of a testament and even more meaningful. For me, every cut on this CD is a gem. There are also a few solos by Grover Washington Jr. whom Jerry asked to join him on this recording. This one will remain a favorite for a long time to come. For some odd reason this, his last CD is not mentioned on a number of the Mulligan Web Discographies.

Jerry Mulligan
The Rebirth of the Cool
UNI/GRP

This is a bit older, 1992, than the Dragonfly CD. It is a remake of the Miles Davis Nonet recordings of the 40s. Every solo as well as the pops and nicks of my original are etched in memory, however, this one is so good, that in listening to it I almost forget that it is not a remastering of the original, at least until the solos which are great but not imitations of the originals. Its a nice clean restatement of the old classic many of which were Jerry's arrangements

Bob Brookmeyer
Paris Suite.
Challenge Records
Bob Brookmeyer has been consistent in producing a string of fluid, engaging and spaciously proportioned jazz performances. His "Oslo" Lp of a few years back was, in my view, a real high point. On this Dutch Challenge CD, Paris Suite, Brookmeyer plays with a small group, all excellent cohorts. The set is a number of diverse styles and settings that I found very absorbing.
Challenge Records

RealAudio Example: Erik Satie by Bob Brookmeyer from Paris Suite
RealAudio Example: Amanda by Kris Goessens from Paris Suite

The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition
24 CDs in Box
RCA Victor

This is a monumental compilation of everything that Duke Ellington recorded for RCA Victor from mid 1927 until shortly before his death in 1974. It is not something to be taken lightly while on a buying spree. But for those who, like myself, are devoted fans of the Duke, it is a must. The recordings have never been given this kind of careful treatment. Even those from the late 20s are clear and crisp to a degree quite surprising. I have been listening to these for a few months now and they are wonderful. There are number of never before released recordings included in the set. For the sake of completeness all three Sacred Concerts are included here, which includes the one originally recorded on Fantasy. There is a lot of wonderful music here. One of the surprises was the disc called " The Popular Duke Ellington" recorded in 1966. It is a late period compilation of The Duke Ellington band's most popular songs, "Take The "A" Train", "Perdido", " Sophisticated Lady", tunes that we have all heard hundreds of times. This 1966 release makes them sound such that you understand why they they became such lasting hits. RCA Victor says it is only pressing 10,000 copies. Expensive, but if you can't live without a big box of Duke, treasures all, then you have to have it.

Tchavolo Schmitt: Alors?...Voila!
Iris Music

During the late Summer last year, while I was in Japan, I was informed by a friend that there was to be a concert of Roma or Gypsy music in the far outskirts of Osaka in a town called Kawachi-Nagano. This is a very special area of Osaka noted in fact because they speak a special dialect of the usual Osaka-ben. Way out here over an hour by train from Central Osaka there was a concert of Gypsy music. The concert was divided into two parts. During the first part, a group of French Roma musicians led by the guitarist, Tchavolo Schmitt played and in the second half the already well known, Taraf de Haiducks from Romania performed.

What was most impressive about the Tchavolo Schmitt group was that they played in the style that was defined in the 1930s by Django Rheinhardt. The style is alive and kicking and if you like Django and would like to hear this style of music in clean new recordings it is here. THere are a number of recordings of this group available. I picked up a number of them at the concert. There are old Jazz and pop standards and French pop songs all done with exuberance and fire. The guitar playing is wonderful.

Cedar Walton
Composer
Astor Place Records TCD 4001

This is a great contemporary Jazz CD. I think it's one of the best Cedar Walton has ever done. The pieces are all his compositions with a small group including Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Vincent Herring on alto sax, Ralph Moore on tenor and soprano sax, Christian McBride on bass,and Victor Lewis on drums along with Walton on piano. This is new stuff but played and written as the the old pre fusion and pre world beat jazz had continued. Every track is an absolute delight. Couldn't get a response from Astor Place for permission to use a RealAudio sample, but recently they have a web site that includes sound samples from this CD among others

	Gulf Coast Blues Billie and Dede Pierce Arhoolie CD 488 Recent thoughts of New Orleans caused me to think about those sounds and after listening a bit to the Louis Armstrong Hot 5 and 7, I felt I wanted to hear the more recent sound of New Orleans, at least a little more recent and remember Billie and Dede Pierce. I think the recordings were made in the 50s. I think I heard them after that but it could not have been much later. This is the rough and happy sound of what became of New Orleans music after the days of Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. Some of the songs are in Creole and the mood of the entire CD is being back at Dukey Chase's and the great Creole Cuisine du Coleur there.
	The Complete Capitol & Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre The various Jimmy Giuffre Three's and other small combinations were the source of much of the most interesting music of the late 50s, 60s and 70s. This five CD box set includes everything done on Capitol and Atlantic and thus the bulk of the early stuff, the first "Train and The River" group and including the trio with Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer. There was also much of value in the later Verve recordings including my favorites, "In the Mornings Out There" and "The Story". I hope these are also released by someone soon. This set has many gems, such as "The Train and The River" which rather epitomizes Giuffre funky folk Jazz of the time. This was a wonderful trio with Jim Hall on guitar and Ralph Peña on bass. It came as a shock to learn that my old friend, Ralph Peña, died in an auto accident in 1967. He had left Giuffre's group when they were at a peak of popularity, he told me, because he had just gotten married and didn't want to go on the road. Giuffre then formed the trio with trombonist, Bob Brookmeyer, and in spite of the unusual combination this group went on to create a number of memorable recordings. Sadly Ralph and I lost touch and it was for many years. It was a jolt to realize just how many years when I read here in the notes to this Mosaic set that he had died in 67. Where does the time go?
	Wayne Shorter High Life Uni/Verve After about 15 years, Wayne Shorter came out with a new CD. This one is another treasure Every cut is marvelous and satisfying. It is a powerful album with a quiet voice running through it, but rhythmically and melodically much alive. He has said somewhere that his wife Ana Maria was a great inspiration and support to him. Her tragic death in the recent NY TWA crash just months after the release of this CD also adds another layer of meaning to this album.
	Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings Mosaic MD5-193 Here is some of the really great Duke Ellington stuff made available once again at last. The marvelous Afro-Bossa Suite is included here as well as the Violin Summit recordings, which are very exciting. Duke's period at Reprise, Frank Sinatra's own label, was a rather less than ideal. Although Sinatra promised a label in which musicians would be free to decide their own directions, it very soon proved not to be so. The Afro Bossa, in my opinion, the best of the various Duke Suites, although I could perhaps be argued out of this, was recorded one Reprise recording that lived up to the promise. This Mosaic set contains five CDs with many gems. There is one CD on which Duke Ellington plays the theme songs of various big bands of the time. Although this largely does not work to Duke's advantage, there are a couple of gems like Stan Kenton's Artistry in Rhythm, the most interesting version I have heard of this piece yet. There is also a wonderful Ellington version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Mosaic says their contract to reissue these masters is very limited and this, I am not free to include a sound sample from the set. There are numerous treasures available at Mosaic. It's going to take me a long while to get all those I want. They have a nice web site, one worth checking out. Mosaic Records

	Dave Holland Prime Directive ECM1698 314547950-2 A new ECM release from veteran Dave Holland and a quintet that includes some of his regulars, like Kevin Eubanks and Steve Nelson. This entire CD is riveting. Not only does every cut on the CD burn the wires, but they manage to do so while executing three and four part polyphony constantly. Maybe this has been done before, although I can't think of where, but I have never heard it done so well and so engagingly. Very, powerful and very exciting, good solid Jazz and intellectually stimulating! An MP3 clip from the title tune, Prime Directive
	Jerry Mulligan Dragonfly Telarc This beautiful CD came out last year, I think. When it came out I bought it and thought it was just perfect and I reflected on how mellow and cohesive Mulligan's playing and arranging had become. Within a month or so of having heard it, I learned that Jerry had died due to complications of a knee operation. It made the CD seem like something of a testament and even more meaningful. For me, every cut on this CD is a gem. There are also a few solos by Grover Washington Jr. whom Jerry asked to join him on this recording. This one will remain a favorite for a long time to come. For some odd reason this, his last CD is not mentioned on a number of the Mulligan Web Discographies.
	Jerry Mulligan The Rebirth of the Cool UNI/GRP This is a bit older, 1992, than the Dragonfly CD. It is a remake of the Miles Davis Nonet recordings of the 40s. Every solo as well as the pops and nicks of my original are etched in memory, however, this one is so good, that in listening to it I almost forget that it is not a remastering of the original, at least until the solos which are great but not imitations of the originals. Its a nice clean restatement of the old classic many of which were Jerry's arrangements

	Bob Brookmeyer Paris Suite. Challenge Records Bob Brookmeyer has been consistent in producing a string of fluid, engaging and spaciously proportioned jazz performances. His "Oslo" Lp of a few years back was, in my view, a real high point. On this Dutch Challenge CD, Paris Suite, Brookmeyer plays with a small group, all excellent cohorts. The set is a number of diverse styles and settings that I found very absorbing. Challenge Records RealAudio Example: Erik Satie by Bob Brookmeyer from Paris Suite RealAudio Example: Amanda by Kris Goessens from Paris Suite
	The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition 24 CDs in Box RCA Victor This is a monumental compilation of everything that Duke Ellington recorded for RCA Victor from mid 1927 until shortly before his death in 1974. It is not something to be taken lightly while on a buying spree. But for those who, like myself, are devoted fans of the Duke, it is a must. The recordings have never been given this kind of careful treatment. Even those from the late 20s are clear and crisp to a degree quite surprising. I have been listening to these for a few months now and they are wonderful. There are number of never before released recordings included in the set. For the sake of completeness all three Sacred Concerts are included here, which includes the one originally recorded on Fantasy. There is a lot of wonderful music here. One of the surprises was the disc called " The Popular Duke Ellington" recorded in 1966. It is a late period compilation of The Duke Ellington band's most popular songs, "Take The "A" Train", "Perdido", " Sophisticated Lady", tunes that we have all heard hundreds of times. This 1966 release makes them sound such that you understand why they they became such lasting hits. RCA Victor says it is only pressing 10,000 copies. Expensive, but if you can't live without a big box of Duke, treasures all, then you have to have it.
	Tchavolo Schmitt: Alors?...Voila! Iris Music During the late Summer last year, while I was in Japan, I was informed by a friend that there was to be a concert of Roma or Gypsy music in the far outskirts of Osaka in a town called Kawachi-Nagano. This is a very special area of Osaka noted in fact because they speak a special dialect of the usual Osaka-ben. Way out here over an hour by train from Central Osaka there was a concert of Gypsy music. The concert was divided into two parts. During the first part, a group of French Roma musicians led by the guitarist, Tchavolo Schmitt played and in the second half the already well known, Taraf de Haiducks from Romania performed. What was most impressive about the Tchavolo Schmitt group was that they played in the style that was defined in the 1930s by Django Rheinhardt. The style is alive and kicking and if you like Django and would like to hear this style of music in clean new recordings it is here. THere are a number of recordings of this group available. I picked up a number of them at the concert. There are old Jazz and pop standards and French pop songs all done with exuberance and fire. The guitar playing is wonderful.