Had a busy week so I didn't get to spend much time here. Here are some highlights of what I was listening to.
First and foremost I celebrated my 35th birthday Wednesday. Got this wonderful box set from my wonderful wife because she's the best around. This is the photo from the booklet and I love the look on Jerry's face.
First listenings, like a lot of other things in life, is about expectations. The Jarrett is a 2014 release where I thought maybe he'd have lost a step or two from his 70s and 80s peak. Couldn't be farther from the truth. The interplay between him and Haden over four sides was nothing less than extraordinary.
My knowledge of post-1969 jazz is limited at best, so I didn't know about Phil Woods and his European Rhythm Machine. I purchased that album because the sleeve was die-cut and I thought it looked cool. His playing, especially on The Executive Suite, blew me out of the water. Great stuff, and now I'm going back to the local record store this week to pick up anything else of his that might be in the bins.
Last thing I'll share from this past week is this George Lewis album I found in the $2 bin today. I picked up the CD maybe 20 years ago and it was my first exposure to Dixieland Jazz. So I was beyond thrilled to pick this up and be reminded of how great it is. I'll let Scott Yanow from Allmusic give the description:
Quote:
This LP is a classic, one of the greatest sessions ever by clarinetist George Lewis. The title is actually quite inaccurate, for "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is the only funeral song included on the date, and there is nothing somber about any of the joyful music. Trumpeter/vocalist Kid Howard, who was often very erratic during the era (particularly on radio broadcasts), sounds in top form; the consistent trombonist Jim Robinson is an asset in the ensembles, as usual; the rhythm section really drives the group, and clarinetist Lewis often seems to be quite exuberant. Their version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" is definitive, and other highlights include "Ice Cream" and "Panama." This set of prime New Orleans jazz music belongs in every serious jazz collection.
Last Dance is a marvelous record. Jarrett and Haden mesh very nicely.
Was reading about that Phish album and came across a list from 2003 by The Vermont Review called The Top 250 Albums of the Millennium. This isn't your normal top 250, as it has a strong jazz slant to it.
Clocking in at #14 is a Grant Green album recorded in 1967 and released in 1971 called Iron City. Is this objectively the #14 album of the 1900s? No. But I appreciate the moxie of a list with Alice's Restaurant (11) slotted in 15 spots in front of Abbey Road (26) and will be mining it for more first listens.
EDIT: After wondering why I was seeing so many 1971 albums in a row it occurred to me that these albums are listed chronologically. But I still like the idea of Alice being ranked ahead of Abbey.
Really more of a Bill Evans record than a Cannonball record, especially considering it features arguably Evans' greatest composition Waltz for Debby, this remains a gem of a record and something all jazz fans should hear if not own. I love the little picture of Bill cleverly hidden in plain sight.
Booker T. and the MGs are a bit of a mystery to me. I like the song Green Onions, much like everyone else, but the album leaves a lot to be desired. It feels rushed in the "holy shit, this song is going to be a hit, let's record a bunch of other stuff that isn't nearly as good to capitalize" way. I've never heard any of their other albums so when this, an Aussie copy of their final effort, showed up in my local earlier this week I jumped all over it. There's no hit single here, but the album feels much coherent because of it. The title track, Kinda Easy Like, and especially Sunny Monday could all end up being 4.5-5.0 songs for me.
Listened to this during the Cubs game today. First side was fairly mediocre, but things open up on side two when a 25 year old unknown named Chick Corea takes over on piano. Tones for Joan's Bones, written by Chick, is worth a listen.
Bought a Sony blu-ray player that plays CDs and SACDs this past week, so I now have a CD player for the first time in almost a decade. That means I had to go out and buy a couple of CDs to test it out, not that I'll be buying both CDs and vinyl from now on (or at least that's what I'm telling myself...)
Little different story here; all of this material had been released at some point, but this brings everything together into one package. Highly recommend both of these if you see them in the wild.
I like the Neil, but I was just thinking that of his big three Harvest is probably the one I listen to the least. There's nothing here like side one of ATGR or the towering twin guitar-laden side-enders on EKTIN.
This is the 20 year anniversary edition that adds a third LP of B-Sides and unreleased tracks. Probably not 100% necessary, but it's an nice bonus if you've worn out an earlier copy.
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