neveronfriday

BTW: Do not be afraid to recommend an album which YOU consider to be a must-have for any library. I myself bought tons of stuff that has been recommended on this board, and I have never been disappointed really ... even if the music was not my kind of thing (yet). The recommendations have always been good ones (I always bought when a comment by someone intrigued me, so I think the 'comment' part of the recommendation will probably be where it's at). Cheers!

This is something that has probably been discussed before, but I want to try a thread here which, hopefully, will grow to really help someone who is new to jazz or someone who is just starting out. I have looked all over the Net and dug my way through all the available forums, but the pages I found (and there are some), have never really been very satisfying. So, here's what I propose: We all suggest some albums (and only those which absolutely should be in someone's collection), say why we selected that CD, and say which edition (remastering, reissue, etc.) someone should buy. It would help to have some sort of standard format for these entries. I think this could be of great help to newcomers, but also to others whose jazz collections are not as extensive as some members' collections on this board. I know that some of you will say that this is an impossible feat, that it does get in the way of some other threads (f. ex. AOW), etc., but I still think that one compact thread with a whole bunch of CDs recommended by those who love jazz (members of this board) could help someone who doesn't want to run a million queries here. Let's see if we can get it together. Here's my first recommendation to suggest a common "layout" for the recommendations. Cheers! Artist: The Dave Brubeck Quartet Title: Time Out Recorded: 1959 Company: Columbia Legacy Edition: 20-Bit Remastered from 1997 Comment: This classic album of compound time "[...] shows the blending of three cultures: the formalism of classical Western music, the freedom of jazz improvisation, and the often complex pulse of African folk music [...]." (from liner notes). Excellent remastering. From Amazon.com: "Boasting the first jazz instrumental to sell a million copies, the Paul Desmond-penned 'Take Five,' Time Out captures the celebrated jazz quartet at the height of both its popularity and its powers. Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with 'Take Five,' the album features another one of the group's signature compositions, 'Blue Rondo a la Turk.' Though influenced by the West Coast-cool school, Brubeck's greatest interest and contribution to jazz was the use of irregular meters in composition, which he did with great flair. Much of the band's appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band's already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era."

But the crappy sound has nothing to do with copy protection, just to put that old myth to rest. Cheers!

That's on the above-mentioned "Exclusively for My Friends" box set, Vol. 3 (track 8; Peterson on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Bobby Durham on drums; recorded in 1968). Just start with Vol. 1. I would buy my way through this set chronologically, the way it was released originally. Cheers!

Social Security? Isn't that all of us old guys paying for all the young ones who are lazy, unwilling to work, un- or only part(l)y-motivated, etc.? No thanks! I'd rather waste my money on CDs! Cheers!

Asfar as I can remember off the top of my head, the above mentioned "London House Sessions" have previously been released as (meaning, the releases below contained all or some of that material ... I can't check right now): Oscar Peterson: Put on a Happy Face Oscar Peterson: The Trio - Live from Chicago Oscar Peterson: The Sound of the Trio Oscar Peterson: Something Warm Cheers!

I'm a BIG OP fan, and here are some recommendations: "The London House Sessions", a 5-disc set reissued by Verve (horrible typography) and often available on eBay at around $30-$40 is an absolute must! It collects all the live recordings (July 11 - August 6, 1961) which, incidentally, are floating around as single trio recordings all over the place, and shows the OP trio (with Ed Thigpen instead of Herb Ellis) in best form! Stunning material. I think the sound is excellent although, of course, audience noise etc. are a given at such a date. If you want to get a good overview of what OP has done, you might want to check out Pablo's 3-disc "Oscar Peterson - 75th Birthday Celebration", an excellent collection of discs spanning his career until 1981 (Oscar and Friends, mostly 70s and 80s recordings, OP live in concert, 1955 - 80, and OP at Montreux, 1975-81). It's a comparatively cheap set, so you can't go wrong here. "Exculsively for my Friends" is a 5-dsic set (originally 4 discs with a "Lost Tapes" one released later) collection of house concerts recorded in Germany in someone's living room. Excellent sound, now also available on SACD. Many OP fans consider this set to be his best one. A later highlight are the various Telarc releases of OP's concerts at the Blue Note, March 1990. I love those! It was a reunion concert run of sorts with Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass, before OP's stroke in the spring of '93. I'm more of a fan of the OP trio with drums, especially Ed Thigpen, and just about every release is a winner (meaning, I haven't yet heard one that isn't). There are too many good ones to mention. And, I have to disagree with statements above, that after his stroke, Peterson's "chops have fallen off." In my eyes, that's simply not true: OP bounced back in an unbelievable way and stunned not only his fans (read some of the reviews for, f.ex., "A Summer Night in Munich" (Telarc 1999, recorded July 1998)) with fantastic playing. If at all, OP had to move a bit away from the display of (too many) technical flourishes towards even more melodic playing. The latter CD is one of my favourites! Much has been written about OPs recordings with Herb Ellis, and they are all excellent. It's really only a matter of taste if you choose that trio over the one with Thigpen, or select the best of both worlds with Ellis AND Thigpen. If you have any questions regarding a single CD you find somewhere, PM me. Cheers!

No, it's much simpler. I discovered that I took a burn along. But I like your version of things. I'm off to bed, blind as a fu**ing bat. Later, John ... Cheers!

April 1st is gone? Damn, I'm too tired at the moment. Cheers!

OK. I did a little magic and YES, there's a drop-out right there. I don't have the booklet here, but check that one ... I faintly remember that it has some comment on this. Cheers!

I can't check until Sunday, but if you can wait until then, you will get an audiophile's comment. I love (!) this set. Cheers!

Who the hell is Roland Kirk? Is that the guy with the gape?

And, if a bike, then this one: Cheers!!!! (I just love the WIDE GLIDEs!!!!!)

Wonderful. My body is deteriorating, and you get a kick out of it. maren & couw ... thanks for the cake, although "Bob" is certainly a name I can do without. (Any Bob on here ... I'm sorry, and I love you, but it just doesn't cut it, ok?). Cheers!

ebay sucks and 90% of the people on there have an IQ way below measurable. I'm waiting for an alternative, like many others. Until then, I'm watching auctions for the entertainment value. Hell, who needs TV? Cheers!

Last time he looked in the mirror, he looked like it. Thanks for the cake. Nice to see that I don't have to eat that much anymore. I wonder if the one for my 99th will be invisible? Cheers!

Hi everyone, I'm thinking of getting myself the 1991 (God, even the Centennial didn't get them to reissue this one in a sonically-or-whatever improved version) 13-CD complete (277 studio recordings) Glenn Miller Bluebird/RCA box. I know that Avid in the U.K. has put out a "Definitive" collection. There isn't much regarding this collection on their site other than that the collection consists of a 5-CD (120 songs) and 4 CD (96 songs) set (plus a third one, which collects the 3 most popular of their 9-volume "Missing Chapters" recordings). Questions: Does anyone know how the RCA and the AVID boxes compare (besides that the RCA is more complete and has extensive liner notes)? How's the sound on the old RCA? Everything I've heard is positive, but this was done in '91, so ... What's the "Missing Chapters" (Avid) collection like? Does anyone have any of these? I know the recordings are of historic nature (radio broadcasts), but I'd still like to know how they hold up soundwise. Any input appreciated. Cheers!

Hell, I voted for Basie ... just so he gets a vote. Cheers!

I think it was Supreme Court Judge Potter who once gave this fabulous definition of pornography: "I know it when I see it!" (I think he needed several months to come to that conclusion). "I know it when I hear it," would be my suggestion then. Cheers!

Ommmmmmmmmmmm.

I think I'm normal, but I simply hate the Stones. Always have, always will. Cheers!

Brad, got any recommendations? I'm planning on getting some more Stitt. Cheers!

Dan, the sound is very good (as you might know from other threads, I'm quite the audiophile). The problems I have with the cymbals is a problem I have with many recordings ... it was just a time when, in my opinion, cymbals were not given enough room to breathe, or the technology simply wasn't there yet. I call it the "pingy" sound, which, more often than not, was maybe even intended. But that is another topic altogether. Cheers!