Peter Friedman

I keep thinking of more drummerless trios or larger. The number of such groups that recorded must be extremely large. Here are some more that just came to mind a short while ago. Kenny Drew Trio w. Philip Catherine & NHOP - Morning - Steeplechase Horace Parlan Trio w. Doug Raney & Wilbur Little - Hi-Fly - Steeplechase The Modest Jazz Trio w. jim Hall, Red Mitchell & Red Kelly - Pacific Jazz Milt Jackson, Joe Pass & Ray Brown - The Big Three - Pablo Ruby Braff w. Howard Alden & Frank Tate - Candid Ruby Braff w. Gray Sargent, Jon Wheatley & Marshall Wood - Live at the Regattabar - Arbors John Bunch w. Frank Vignola & John Webber - Do Not Disturb - Arbors Kirk Lightsey w. Kevin Eubanks & Rufus Reid - From Kirk To Nat - Criss Cross Lee Konitz w. Jimmy Rowles & Michael Moore - Tenorlee - Candid Eddie Higgins w. John Pizzarelli & Jay Leonhart Eddie Higgins w. Kevin Eubanks & Rufus Reid - Those Quiet Days - Sunnyside

Don't forget the 3 trio CDs on. Steeplechase by the Chet Baker Trio with Doug Raney and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen.

I saw the trio with Rob McConnell, Ed Bickert and Neil Swainson live and they were outstanding. They fortunately have a good album on Concord.

I like Billy Root's playing a lot on both tenor and baritone. That solo on "dishwasher" is a gem. The 2 Birdland sessions, the Red Rodney album, and the Bennie Green session are all very good. However, the Capazolli's date on Woofy was very disappointing. As Billy's son indicated, Root was just not in good shape for that session. I quickly disposed of my copy.

what paul sed. I am also with Paul.

I have Enja CDs of the 8 items on the list that I care to have.

Hank Jones along with Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and a half dozen others has long been one of my favorite jazz pianists. Many of his wonderful recordings have been mentioned. Here are a few more under his leadership that I like, and that I believe were not referred to here. Beyond these are numerous sessions where Hank plays a sideman role. Bluesette - Black & Blue I Remember You - Black & Blue For My Father - Justin Time Hank and Frank (Wess) - Lineage In Japan - All Art

It is really tough to make such a short list. Here are some of my favorites and I could have made it much longer. Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris Barry Harris Trio - Magnificent Teddy Edwards / Howard McGhee - Together Again Miles Davis - Friday & Saturday Night at the Blackhawk Horace Silver - Song For my Father Sonny Rollins - On Impulse Jackie McLean - Jackie's Bag Art Blakey - Mosaic Hank Mobley - Roll Call Stan Getz - Jazz Samba

Interesting how we can define the same things in different ways. I wonder if anyone here has seen Kellaway live in recent years? Sometimes seeing a musician live can give a different impression than just hearing the recordings. What Larry calls clever - cute, I call creative and "thinking outside the box". When I saw Roger play many sets both in a trio, and with a variety of horns, he just seemed to me to be having a great time and swinging as hard as anyone I can recall. Yes, sometimes he does put into a solo something very unexpected, but, at least for me, it usually worked very well and brought a large smile to my face. One thing that I can definitely say about hearing Roger is that it is never dull, boring, or trite. though I respect Ellis Larkins playing and sometimes I enjoy it a lot, at times his understated approach can become a bit dull. For a more understated approach I will take Hank Jones every time. I suppose it boils down, as so often is the case, to personal taste.

My view is to some extent very much the opposite of Jim's final paragraph. If Roger was doing his own program I would be concerned it would include things more on the order of the 4 Cello group, or some compositions using strings or other instrumentation designed to show off his composing chops. That is not what I prefer about Kellaway s music. I would much rather hear him play with a good rhythm section as well as some solo tunes with him playing good Standards and good Jazz tunes by Monk, Golson, Etc. To my mind, it is his hard swinging creative jazz piano that shows the "real" Kellaway. The other stuff is just him trying out things to see what might result. Just as many top level jazz players like to record an album with strings or compose and or play once in while in a "workshop" setting that is very different than what they usually do. Is the "real" Ellington defined by his "church music' or by his many masterpieces, or do we not know who he really was? The other way to look at this is to say the the "real" Ellington is the sum of all his compositions and performing. Might that not be true for other musicians as well?

Funny, but the Mainstream label was not one that released many recordings that I liked. The Sonny Red and the Clark Terry/ Bob Brookmeyer were the most interesting to me. They also reissued on CD some ealy material by Getz, Quinichette and other tenor players that I am glad to have. The things by Blue Mitchell, Hal Galper, Frank Foster, Harold Land and others were not particularly good examples of their playing in my opinion.

My impression is that Roger can impress differently depending upon the context. His recordings with a cello quartet and some of his classical oriented recordings are rather different than the Kellaway in a straight ahead jazz environment. He made a wonderful duo Recording with Ruby Braff, and his things with Red Mitchell on both Concord and Dragon are terrific. There are also his quite recent things on the IPO label that I very much like.

A few weeks back I attended the Paradise Valley Jazz Party here in Arizona. Roger Kellaway's playing was, to my ears, definitely one of the true highlights of the weekend. Not sure why, but Roger seems to get minimal respect here. I have seen Roger live a number of times, and have a large collection of his recordings. He is a highly creative jazz piano player who is very versatile in that he can fit well with musicians from a broad range of styles. He swings like mad and approaches each solo with great energy and enthusiasm. He also has a readily identifiable style of his own which is lacking from many other players.

I saw Dexter live 3 time. Once in Detroit, and two separate times in Toronto. He played wonderfully the first 2 times when he did not seem high. The last time in Toronto he was seriously stoned, and his playing was not good. The rhythm section on that last gig had Kirk Lightsey, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden. They were great and saved the evening from being a disaster.

Yes, interesting to read Billy's choices and commentary. As Paul said, my choice of drummers and specific recordings would be somewhat different. Perhaps what surprised me the most was that Philly Joe Jones was not included.

Michael, Thanks for sharing that great photo.

What may have been the last album by Bill Hardman as leader is this one. Bill Hardman Sextet - What's Up - Steeplechase With Junior Cook, Robin Eubanks, Mickey Tucker, Paul Brown, Leroy Williams Recorded July 7, 1989

During the '50's, '60's, and '70's there were many hard bop trumpet players on the scene. Players such as Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd and Blue Mitchell received most of the attention. But there were quite a few other very fine trumpet players who were also highly deserving. Bill Hardman was one of them. Bill is probably best known for his sideman work with Jackie McLean and with Art Blakey. I personally became strongly attracted to Hardman's playing when he was with McLean and Blakey. His solos appealed to me as logically organized and very swinging. His playing on the Blue Note album titled Hank Mobley that also featured Curtis Porter and Sonny Clark shows how good a soloist Hardman could be. In his later years Bill joined forces with Junior Cook. Once while in New York City I was able to catch the Hardman / Cook Quintet with Walter Bishop,Jr., Paul Brown, and Leroy Williams. It was a marvelous evening of music. Hardman's solo were particularly strong. I am not aware of a previous thread on Bill Hardman, so decided to begin one.

Another one not mentioned that I like is The Booker Little 4 & Max Roach. This one has Tommy Flanagan and George Coleman. I prefer this one to the Max Roach sessions without piano.

Saw Med with a late version of the Terry Gibbs Dream Band and also with one of the later Supersax groups. He not only was a good player, but had a sparkling style in his role as leader of Supersax when speaking to the audience.

Seems to be a bad period for drummers. Ralph Penland and Al Harewood passing within a few days of each other. Saw Penland a few times in the Los Angeles area and enjoyed his playing.

Oh yes, that Parlan, Tucker, Harewood rhythm section was wonderful. I recall seeing Al Harewood play live once. Can't remember the specific date or place, or who else was on the gig. But what I clearly do remember was that Harewood was ultra tasty and swung like mad.

The Lou Donaldson records I like the most are his early things. The Birdland session with Clifford Brown and Art Blakey, his sideman playing with Milt Jackson and Monk, and these 4 Blue Note recordings. L Quartet/ Quintet / Sextet with Horace Silver, Elmo Hope, Blue Mitchell Lou Takes Off with Sonny Clark, Donald Byrd, Curtis Fuller The Time Is Right with Blue Mitchell, Horace Parlan Sunny Side Up with Bill Hardman, Horace Parlan

The key here is that Roy made so many wonderful recordings. Trying to identify one or even two favorites is, for me, an impossible task. I am pleased that we have so many of Roy's recordings available for us to enjoy.

Just read through this entire thread. it is very clear that personal tastes are quite varied within this group of , what I assume are, serious jazz fans. Here are some of my views. I like all the Dexter Gordon albums quite a bit, and all of Sonny Clark' s sessions except his standards album that is a bit weak. Blue Trane is one of my very favorite albums by John Coltrane on any label. Early Lee Morgan is terrific. There is a freshness and enthusiastic quality to those 50's dates, and the arrangements by Golson and Gryce among others were damn good. The Lee Morgan session I do not care for is Live at The Lighthouse. Though some are better than others, I like every one of Hank Mobley's albums. Among the Blue Notes I do not care for are the Braith and Wilkerson albums. Also in that category are the 2 volumes of Night of the Cookers which was a huge disappointment given that I like all the musicians. The first time I listened to Something Else it disappointed me, but I soon grew to really love that album. The Johnny Griffin albums on Blue Note are nice, but I much prefer his Riverside recordings. Didn't care for the Moncur albums and have disposed of them. I like most of Jimmy Smith's albums, but don't like Plays Fats Waller, Rockin' The Boat, Plays Pretty, I'm Movin' On, and Softly As a Summer Breeze. i liked Wayne Shorter's early sessions such as Speak No Evil, Night Dreamer, Juju, Adam's Apple, and Schizophrenia, but NOT Odyssey Of Iska, or The All Seeing Eye. The Andrew Hill recordings are not things I play, though I do have 1 or 2 of them. Not clear about why some don't like Joe Henderson's Mode For Joe or Page One. i like them both a lot. I am not a fan of free jazz so avoided the Cecil Taylor. Have heard, but did not like the Ornette Coleman albums. That is enough for now.