Peter Friedman

About 10 years ago my wife and I were vacationing on the French island of Guadaloupe im the Caribbean. I stopped in a record store there one day and much to my surprise found the following CD. Barney Wilen - Essential Ballads - Alfa Naturally I grabbed it. I haven't seen a list of Wilen CD's on this thread so will list the ones in my collection. These are just the ones where Barney Wilen is the leader. I have some other CDs where Barney is a sideman. Essential Ballads - Alfa Tilt - BMG Dream Time - Deux Z Jazz Sur Seine/Un Temoin dans La Ville - Fontana Quintet - Fresh Sound Talisman - Ida Sanctuary - Ida Wild Dogs Of The Ruwenzori - Ida La Note Bleue - Ida French Ballads - Ida At The Club Saint Germain - RCA (2 CD set) The Osaka Concert - RTE Trema Movie Themems From france - Timeless Passione - Venus Le Ca:New York Romance - Venus International Jazz Meeting - Unreleased Private Recording

Funny how many years ago I thought Condon's music was corny as I was a "modern jazz fan". Over time I began to appreciate his music and now have a very large collection of Condon's recordings. His various groups were filled with many many fine jazz players such as Pee Wee Russell, Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, and numerous others. I eventually purchased the entire series of Condon's broadcasts released on the Jazzology label and love his Mosaic set.

I have the new Gerald Wilson CD. In my opinion, it is his best recording in many years. The writing is terrific, and the soloists dig in to the music with great enthusiasm. This may be my favorite big band recording of 2005.

I am not a Rock fan, but-but-but I do like some things by The Rolling Stones.

I recall going to see Kirk Lightsey playing in a trio context a number of times back when I was living in Detroit. It would have been about 1966. Lightsey impressed me a great deal back then and I continue to consider him a very underrated jazz piano player. I also saw Kirk play solo piano one evening at The Cafe Des Copains in Toronto. That must have been in the late '70's or early '80's, but I am not sure about the dates. I agree that his playing on the Chet Baker - Prestige - sessions is first rate, as are his Criss Cross dates as both leader and sideman. Kirk also plays on a 1965 Sonny Stitt recording that also features Benny Green on trombone. Lightsey also plays on a number of recordings on the Timeless, Sunnyside, and Limetree labels.

Ellington recorded it hundreds of times. Here are a few non-Ellington versions that I very much enjoy. Ray Bryant - Montreux '77 - Pablo Jimmy Rowles - Plays Duke Ellington And Billy Strayhorn - Columbia Stuff Smith - Live At The Montmartre - Storyville

The track Larry mentioned "Queer Street" is available on the following CD: Count Basie and His Orchestra- 1945-1946 - Classics 934 Just listened to it. The main impression is how much it swings. Shadow Wilson seems to provide the ideal rhythmic feeling to make the tune glide forward effortlessly. Shadow gets one very short drum break that fits in perfectly with the overall sense of the piece being played.

Third Installment Modern Jazz Quartet - The Complete Last Concert - Atlantic David Hazeltine - Close To You - Criss Cross Jimmy Raney - But Beautiful - Criss Cross Kirk Lightsey - Isotope - Criss Cross Ralph LaLama - Feelin" And Dealin' - Criss Cross Oscar Peterson - Night Train - Verve Jim Hall - Live - Horizon Zoot Sims - Suddenly It's Spring - Pablo Rob Schneiderman - Keepin' In The Groove - Reservoir Frank Rosolino - Thinking About You - Sackville Buddy Tate - The Ballad Artistry - Sackville Bud Powell - Plays - Roulette Steve Grossman - Do It - Dreyfus Lars Gullin - Vol. 4, Stockholm Street - Dragon Jimmy Heath - Picture Of Heath - Prevue Mike LeDonne - To Each His Own - Double-time Lionel Hampton - Air Mail Special - Verve Dave McKenna - A Handful Of Stars - Concord Jazz Hank Jones - Master Class - 32 Jazz Yusef Lateef - The Last Savoy Sessions - Savoy Alan Broadbent - You And The Night And The Music - Paddlewheel Charlie Parker - One Night At Birdland - Sony Warne Marsh - All Music - Nessa Andy Martin - It's Fine...It's Andy - Fresh Sound Jan Lundgren - Cookin' At The Jazz Bakery - Fresh Sound Scott Hamilton - Live In London - Concord Jazz Harry Allen - day dream - Rca Keith Jarrett - Standards Live - ECM Sonny Stitt Constellation - Muse Michel Petrucciani - Solo Live - Dreyfus Stanley Turrentine - Jubilee Shout - Blue Note Grant Green - Idle Moments - Blue Note Joe Henderson - Page One - Blue Note Lou Levy - Lunarcy - EmArcy Jackie Mclean - Bluesnik - Blue Note Hank Mobley - Roll Call - Blue Note Lee Morgan - Volume Two - Blue Note Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame - Blue Note Clifford Jordan - Cliff Craft - Blue Note J.R. Monterose - Blue Note Charlie Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - Columbia Horace Silver - Blowin' The Blues Away - Blue Note Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus - Prestige Coleman Hawkins - The High And mighty Hawk - London Barry Harris - The Magnificent - Prestige Cedar Walton - Cedar - Timeless Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners - Riverside Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin' - Blue Note Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil - Blue Note Donald Byrd - Off To The Races - Blue Note Art Pepper - Gettin' Together - Contemporary Johnny Hodges - Blues-A-Plenty - Verve Thad Jones - Detroit/New York Junction - Blue Note JJ Johnson - JJ Inc. - Columbia Jimmy Rowles - We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together - Xanadu Bill Charlap - All Through The Night - Criss Cross Blue Mitchell - The Thing To Do - Blue Note Wes Montgomery - Full House - Riverside Johnny Griffin -Sextet - Riverside Milt Jackson - Bag's Opus - Blue Note Illinois Jacquet - Bottoms Up - Prestig Dexter Gordon - A Swingin' Affair - Blue Note Carmell Jones - jay hawk Talk - Prestige Herb Ellis - Nothing But The Blues - Verve Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius - Verve Duke Jordan - Live In Japan - Steeplechase Clark Terry - EmArcy Junior Cook - On A Misty Night - Steeplechase

I will always remember the couple of times I saw Roland Kirk live. The combination of seeing him play all those instruments and hearing the musical results was a very special experience. He was truly one of a kind.

There are two Budd Johnson recordings I highly recommend. Budd Johnson and The Four Brass Giants - Riverside The Budd Johnson Quintet - Let's Swing - Prestige/Swingville

I agree that "Cliff Craft', "The Adventurer", "Repetition" and "Live At Ethell's" are among the best recordings under Clifford Jordan's name. Here are some other good ones that I don't recall seeing mentioned. Cliff Jordan - Blue Note (with good Ray Bryant,John Jenkins and Lee Morgan) Royal Ballads - Criss Cross Two Tenor Winner - Criss Cross (with Junior Cook & Kirk Lightsey) Four Play - D.I.W (with James Williams)

I also have had this one on CD for a long time. Haven't listened to it in quite some time so I just pulled it off the shelf. Plan to play it in my car tomorrow morning.

A recording I like very much is TEDDY EDWARDS-HOWARD MCGHEE - TOGETHER AGAIN - CONTEMPORARY. This one has a fine rhythm section of Phineas Newborn,Jr, Ray Brown, and Ed Thigpen.

I in in the camp that prefers the alternate takes at the end of the CD. However, if it's a box set where there are a large number of alternate takes, my preference would be for a separate CD or two for all the alternates.

Second Installment Lester Young - The Complete Lester Young On Keynote - Mercury Elmo Hope - Hope Meets Foster - Prestige Lee Konitz - Konitz - Black Lion Phil Woods - Here's To My Lady - Chesky Charles McPherson - Live At The Cellar - Cellar Live Frank Morgan - Lament - Contemporary Hampton Hawes - For Real - Contemporary Ben Webster - Soulville - Verve Benny Golson - The Modern Touch - Riverside Pee Wee Russell - Jazz Original - Commodore Teddy Wilson - Fine & Dandy - Hep Phineas Newborn,Jr. - A world Of Piano - Contemporary Gerry mulligan - Midas Touch - Concord Jazz Harold Land - In The Land Of Jazz - Contemporary John Lewis - Grand Encounter - Pacific Jazz Jo Jones - Special - Vanguard Shorty Rogers and His Giants - RCA Barney Kessel - Let's Cook - Contemporary Steve Kuhn - Waltz:Red Side - Venus Curtis Counce Group - Landslide - Contemporary Shelly Manne & His Men - At The Black Hawk, Vol.2 - Contemporary George Cables - Skylark - Steeplechase Benny Goodman - Complete RCA Small Group Recordings - RCA Bill Perkins - On Stage - Pacific Jazz Horace Parlan - Hi Fly - Steeplechase Tommy Flanagan - Beyond The Bluebird - Timeless Charlie Rouse - Soul mates - Uptown Donald Brown - Piano Short Stories - Space Time Herb Geller - You're Looking At me - Fresh Sound Tardo Hammer - Hammer Time - Sharp Nine Jimmy Knepper - Cunningbird - Steeplechase Ted Brown - Free Wheeling - Vanguard Bud Shank - After You, Jeru - Fresh Sound Frank Strazzeri - I Remember You - Fresh Sound Ray Brown - Live At Starbucks - Telarc Charlie Mariano Quartet - Fresh Sound (Bethlehem) Carl Perkins - Introducing - Fresh Sound Carl Fontana - The Great - Uptown

I have a lot of picks so will post them in installments. First Installment Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor - Prestige Abdullah Ibrahim - Water From An Ancient Well - Blackhawk Ray Bryant Trio - Prestige Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin" - Blue Note Al Cohn - Nonpareil - Concord Jazz John Coltrane - Blue Trane - Blue Note Sonny Criss - Saturday Morning - Xanadu Nick Brignola - The Flight Of The Eagle - Reservoir Kenny Burrell - Blue Lights - Blue Note Benny Carter - Further Definitions - Impulse Ruby Braff - You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me - Arbors Chet Baker & Crew - Pacific Jazz Kenny Barron - Live At Bradley's - Emarcy Gitanes Cannonball Adderley - In New York - Riverside Pepper Adams - The Master - Muse Louis Armstrong - The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens - JSP Ed Bickert & Don Thompson - At The Garden Party - Sackville Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - At The Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 - Blue Note Tina Brooks - True Blue - Blue Note Paul Desmond - Live - Verve Kenny Dorham - Quiet Kenny - Prestige Roy Eldridge - Heckler's Hop - Hep Duke Ellington - Live At The Blue Note - Roulette Kenny Drew - If You Could See me Now - Steeplechase Teddy Edwards & Howard McGhee - Together Again - Contemporary Bill Evans - Moonbeams - Riverside Art Farmer - Art - Argo Stan Getz- At the Shrine - Verve Dizzy Gillespie - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings - RCA Victor

Ray Bryant's fine piano playing on this recording has not been mentioned. He fits perfectly with the three horns. Rollin's tenor work on the tune "Wheatleigh Hall" from the DUETS release features him playing marvelously.

Arne Domnerus Not sure if he actually played with Bird, but was with him in Sweden.

Apart from the Arvanitas recordings already mentioned, the following are some other CDs in my collection under his leadership. My Favorite Piano Solos - Black & Blue Bird Of Paradise - Carrere Recontre - Columbia In Concert - Futura

I had the Strozier Steeplechase recordings at one time but disposed of them. Never considered them very good. Strozier's playing as a sideman on a variety of recordings is much better, in my opinion.

I have a copy of : Larry Fuller Trio - Easy Walker - Pony Boy 50133-2 with Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton. This is clearly the same as the one listed above by Mike except it is NOT an SACD recording.

Don't miss Kenny Dorham's wonderful playing on the Prestige/New Jazz recording titled: "Meet Oliver Nelson".

I haven't heard - YET - the recent Mike LeDonne CD "Smokin" Out Loud" on Savant where he plays the B-3. I do have a large collection of his piano CDs. LeDonne is a very good hard bop style piano player. Mike has 5 CDs on Criss Cross and 3 more on Double-Time. One of his most recent CDs is a very nice tribute to Milt Jackson titled "Bag's Groove".

I also have the two limited edition box sets. One is titled HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, and the second one is called BLOWING THE COBWEBS OUT. Each one is a 2 CD set. They are both on the Emanon label.

Mike, This looks like one I will want to get. Now that Bags is no longer with us, undiscovered recordings like this take on a special interest.