Peter Friedman

Here are a number of Roland Hanna CDs I have that were not mentioned. I enjoy all of them, At Maybeck (solo) - Concord Tributaries : Reflections on Tommy Flanagan (solo) - IPO Duke Ellington - Piano Solos - Jazz Heritage Plays Gershwin (Quartet) - LRC Play For Monk (duo) - Musical Heritage Society Glove (trio) - Storyville This Time It's Real - (quartet) - Storyville Apres Un Reve (trio) - Venus Porgy & Bess ( duo) - All Art

Johnny Griffin & Wilbur Ware - The Chicago Sound - Riverside

Schubert - String Qurtet D.810 “Death and the Maiden” - Kodaly Quartet - Naxos

Louis Hayes - Serenade For Horace - Blue Note

Just took the test. My results came out Schubert. I am pleased with that result, as He is one of my 8 or 9 favorite classical composers.

The Mozart Clarinet Quintet and also his Clarinet Concerto are strong favorites of mine. The Brahms Clarinet Quintet is another favorite. When it comes to jazz clarinet, I very much like the clarinet in pre-bop music. Johnny Dodds, Edmond Hall, Pee Wee Russell, and Benny Goodman are some I like. Lester Young on clarinet is marvelous. But in Bop, Hard Bop, West Coast, post Bop, I am not all that positive about the clarinet. I appreciate the skill of Buddy DeFranco but find his playing rather cold. Tony Scott sounded better, to me, on baritone sax. A modest number of tunes on clarinet by Jimmy Giuffre, Art Pepper, and Phil Woods are nice, but preder the latter 2 on alto.

My favorite version of Beerhoven’s 6th would also be Montreux / Vienna. I also like Walter / Columbia, and Jochum / London ( not the BBC).

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.6, Op.30/1 - Claudio Array & Joseph Szigeti Beethoven - Symphony No.4 - Rene Leibowitz / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Curtis Fuller - New Trombone - Sonny Red, Hank Jones, Doug Watkins, Louis Hayes - Prestige

Presenting Ernie Henry with Kenny Dorham - Riverside

Brahms - Symphony No.3 - Leonard Slatkin / Detroit Symphony Orchestra

When Dexter used Hawes on Electric piano as well as Cranshaw on electric bass it was a double negative for me.I am a big fan of Hampton Hawes, but on the 2 or 3 or 4 albums when I have heard him play an electric piano I found it unappealing. That is one of my least favorite albums by Dexter. I at least partially attribute my attirude about electric piano and bass to my “advanced” age. I developed my interest in jazz when those instruments did not exist, or if they existed were rarely if ever used by jazz musicians. Though I will admit, that I have heard large improvements over the years in electric or digital keyboard instruments. But still much much prefer to hear acoustic piano and bass. I have been fortunate to hear George Mraz live a number of times. His support for the soloist, as well as his highly interesting solos, along with the sound he gets from his bass have made him one of my 3 or 4 favorite bass players.

Zoot Sims & Al Cohn - Zoot-Case - Gazell This is a must have album if you like Zoot and Al. They are playing at the highest level.

Mozart String Quintet K.516 - Eder Quartet + Janos Fehervari - Naxos

Donald Byd & Pepper Adams - Out Of This World - Warwick

Mingus said many things that were simply bullshit. He was a great player, but beyond that ....?

Sonny Rollins - Newk’s Time - Blue Note

Grieg - Piano Concert - Philippe Entremont - Philadelphia Orchestra - Eugene Ormandy - Sony

Scott Hamilton & Jeff Hamilton Trio - Live in Bern - Capri

Lee Morgan with Clifford Jordan - Expoobident - Vee Jay

Mendelssohn - String Quintet No.1 + Fine Arts Quartet plus Danili Rossi - Naxos

I have never cared much for bass plyers who approach their instrument like it was a guitar. It is that big bottom sound that I love the most about the bass. Many years ago I spent an evening listening to Bill Evans with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morrell. Bill played very well, but Gomez bugged me quite a bit. He took long solos on every tune and demonstrated his technical skill by playing mainly in the high register. After the first or second tune I found his solos simply boring. In later years I have heard some much more interesting playing from Gomez with a greater use of the lower register and less emphasis on pyrotechnical displays. I loved the playing of the late George Tucker, Andy Simpkins, Doug Watkins, and Sam Jones. Other bass players now on the scene that I very much like are George Mraz, Buster Williams and David Williams to name just a few.

I had both King Richard and Horn of Plenty on the original RCA LP’s. Bought them when they were first issued. Years later I sold them when I acquired the two sessions on RCA CD’s. Always liked both of them.