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What are your favourite live jazz albums?


Phil Meloy

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Charlie Parker The Massey Hall Concert

Tony Fruscella/Brew Moore at the Open Door

Art Blakey A Night at Birdland

The Jazz Messengers at Cafe Bohemia

Sonny Rollins at the Village Vanguard

John Coltrane at the Village Vanguard

Miles Davis at the Plugged Nickel

Wes Montgomery 'Full House'

Lee Morgan at the Lighthouse

Art Pepper at the Village Vanguard

Albert Ayler 'Bells'

and others....

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Too many.

Brad Mehldau Trio: Vol. 5 Progression at the Village Vangaurd,

Konitz/Mehldau/Haden 'Alone Together'

Sonny at the VV

Dolphy at the Five Spot: Vol. 1

Ornette at the Golden Circle; especially Vol 2 B-)

Everything I've ever heard of Bill Evans live, but particularly the 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' disc.

This Miles 'Plugged Nickel' set sounds pretty damn good too.

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There are many of my favorites which have already been listed .... Now, if you were of my vintage, developing your jazz tastes in the mid-fifties, then there is one live concert that would have made this list easily .... For sheer, unadulterated jazz as fun, try Charlie Ventura's 1949 "Bop For The People" Concert in Pasadena, CA. With Conte Candoli, Boots Mussulli, Benny Green, Ed Shaughnessy, Jackie and Roy, etc. Boy! We LOVED this baby, and now that it is available in its complete form for the first time, it is even more exciting. Highly recommended. Get the full concert on the Ventura Proper Box, which is worth owning in its own right.

WARNING! This concert is highly contagious!

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Aside from many that have been mentioned - Lee @ Lighthouse, Blakey/Ugetsu, Wes "Full House", Trane @ Vanguard and Birdland, Miles @ Blackhawk, "Four & More", etc...

Donald Byrd - "Half Note"

Don Ellis - "Fillmore"

Maynard - "Live at Jimmy's"

Great Jazz Trio - "At the VV"

Dexter - "Homecoming", "Bouncing w/Dex"

Ella - "Mack the Knife", "In Hollywood"

Cannonball - "What is This Thing Called Soul"

Clifford Jordan - "Night of the Mark VII"

McCoy - "Atlantis", "Enlightenment"

Bartz - "I've Known Rivers"

I'm sure I left out a bunch.

There's nuthin' like LIVE jazz

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Some of my favorites ("official" releases on CD and LP) in no particular order:

Mingus at Antibes

Eric Dolphy - at the Five Spot (Vols. 1 & 2, Memorial Album, Here and There), "Last Date"

Clifford Jordan - "Epistrophy/Now's The Time" (Muse)

Abdullah Ibrahim - "Matsidiso", "African Piano", "Autobiography", duet with Carlos Ward recorded in Poland (Poljazz)

Don Pullen - "Live...Again" (Blue Note)

Charlie Parker - The Quintet at Massey Hall

John Coltrane - Village Vanguard 1961, "Live at Birdland"

Elvin Jones - "Live at the Lighthouse, Vols. 1 & 2"

Randy Weston - "Carnival: Live At Montreux Festival 1974", "Live In St. Lucia" (great on DVD too!)

Don Cherry - "Nu" (BBC Jazz Legends)

Steve Lacy - "School Days"

Ed Blackwell - "What It Is" (Enja)

Thelonious Monk - at the Five Spot ("In Action", "Misterioso")

Horace Tapscott - "Live at IUCC"

Faruq Z. Bey and the Northwoods Improvisers - "Auzar"

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Seems like we've done this before, but I'm up for another round:

Mingus at Monterey

Monk in Japan

Bird at the Open Door

Trane in Seattle

Lee Konitz at the Half Note

Warne Marsh at Dana Point

Albert Ayler: Copengagen Tapes

Steve Lacy/Mal Waldron - Dreher, Paris, 1981

Archie Shepp at the Donaueschinger Music Festival

Ornette - Paris Concert, 1971

Ornette - Hillcrest Club 1958

Bud Powell/Johnny Griffin - Paris, 1960 - 'Idaho'

Jimmy Lyons/John Lindberg/Sunny Murray: Jump Up/What To Do About It

Max Roach/Cecil Taylor: Historic Concerts

Don Byas/Slam Stewart at Town Hall, 1945

D. Cherry, S. Lacy, Rouse, Rudd, Muhal, B. Harris, A. Davis, Waldron, R. Davis, Blackwell, B. Riley, N. Hentoff, V. Gillis, and the ever popular S. Crouch: Interpretations of Monk - Columbia University

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Miles Davis, LIVE-EVIL

Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters, Flood

Ray Brown Trio with Geoffrey Keezer, Live at Starbucks

Eddie Harris & Les McCann, Swiss Movement

Ahmad Jamal, Live at the Pershing or any other with Israel Crosby & Vernel Fournier

Thelonious Monk, Big Band & Quartet in Concert

the live portions of Mongo Santamaria, Afro-American Latin

any live Cal Tjader

Wes Montgomery, Impressions (i.e. the Half Note recordings on Verve), or the Paris 1965 concert

Keith Jarrett, Fort Yawuh

Edited by mikeweil
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Seems like we've done this before, but I'm up for another round:

Mingus at Monterey

Monk in Japan

Bird at the Open Door

Trane in Seattle

Lee Konitz at the Half Note

Warne Marsh at Dana Point

Albert Ayler: Copengagen Tapes

Steve Lacy/Mal Waldron - Dreher, Paris, 1981

Archie Shepp at the Donaueschinger Music Festival

Ornette - Paris Concert, 1971

Ornette - Hillcrest Club 1958

Bud Powell/Johnny Griffin - Paris, 1960 - 'Idaho'

Jimmy Lyons/John Lindberg/Sunny Murray: Jump Up/What To Do About It

Max Roach/Cecil Taylor: Historic Concerts

Don Byas/Slam Stewart at Town Hall, 1945

D. Cherry, S. Lacy, Rouse, Rudd, Muhal, B. Harris, A. Davis, Waldron, R. Davis, Blackwell, B. Riley, N. Hentoff, V. Gillis, and the ever popular S. Crouch: Interpretations of Monk - Columbia University

The last one - "Interpretations of Monk" - how could I forget to put that on my list? I was there. I came for the evening concert, Anthony Davis on piano the first set, Mal Waldron the 2nd. The music was so great, I was sorry that I hadn't attended the afternoon concert (Muhal Richard Abrams on piano the 1st set, Barry Harris the 2nd). A front line of Steve Lacy, Charlie Rouse, Don Cherry & Roswell Rudd, and Ben Riley alternating with Ed Blackwell. It was terrific!

For many years, I listened to cassettes that I dubbed off WKCR when they broadcast tapes of the event a couple of days later. Finally about 10 years ago, DIW issued a four disc set of the event which I purchased at top dollar - well worth it. Thanks for reminding me - it is indeed a top notch live recording!

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