Guy Berger

This comes from rateyourmusic.com's highest-rated jazz albums. Probably a bit of a popularity contest, but I was surprised by how reasonable the results came out. Vox populi, vox dei! 1. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme 2. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue 3. Charles Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 4. Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um 5. Miles Davis, In a Silent Way 6. Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch 7. John Coltrane, Giant Steps 8. Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus 9. John Coltrane, My Favorite Things 10. Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come 11. Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas 12. Charles Mingus, Blues and Roots 13. Miles Davis, Bitches Brew 14. Frank Zappa, Hot Rats 15. Frank Sinatra, Songs for Swinging Lovers 16. Art Blakey, Moanin' 17. Miles Davis, Miles Smiles 18. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours 19. Getz/Gilberto 20. Wayne Shorter, Speak no Evil 21. Bill Evans, Sunday at the Village Vanguard 22. Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners 23. Bill Evans, Waltz for Debby 24. Duke Ellington, Far East Suite 25. Dave Brubeck, Time Out 26. Miles Davis, A Tribute to Jack Johnson 27. Herbie Hancock, Headhunters 28. Andrew Hill, Point of Departure 29. Louis Armstrong, Plays W.C. Handy 30. Frank Sinatra, Sings for Only the Lonely 31. Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' Else 32. Pharoah Sanders, Karma 33. Grant Green, Idle Moments 34. Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wave 35. Elis Regina and Tom Jobim, Elis and Tom 36. John Coltrane, Blue Train 37. Horace Silver, Song for My Father 38. Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth 39. Andrew Hill, Black Fire 40. Duke Ellington, Money Jungle 41. Thelonious Monk, Monk's Dream 42. Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin 43. Charles Mingus, Mingus in Antibes 44. Albert Ayler, Spiritual Unity 45. Herbie Hancock, Empyrean Isles 46. Miles Davis, 'Round About Midnight 47. Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Inner Mounting Flame 48. Charles Mingus, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus 49. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong 50. John Coltrane, Ole 51. Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage 52. Art Ensemble of Chicago, Les Stances a Sophie 53. Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane 54. The Quintet, Jazz at Massey Hall 55. Peter Brotzmann, Machine Gun 56. Lee Morgan, the Sidewinder 57. McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy 58. Keith Jarrett, The Koln Concert 59. Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain 60. John Coltrane, Ascension 61. Miles Davis, Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 62. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman 63. Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages 64. Wes Montgomery, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery 65. Charles Mingus, Pithecanthropus Erectus 66. Miles Davis, Nefertiti 67. Ella Fitzgerald, Sings the Cole Porter Songbook 68. Kenny Burrell, Midnight Blue 69. John Coltrane, Live at Birdland 70. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidananda 71. Cecil Taylor, Unit Structures 72. John Coltrane, Live at the Village Vanguard 73. Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall 74. Ornette Coleman, Free Jazz 75. Sam Rivers, Contours 76. Miles Davis, Milestones 77. Miles Davis, Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 78. Miles Davis, ESP 79. Miles Davis, Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 80. Thelonious Monk, Monk's Music 81. Miles Davis, On the Corner 82. Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim 83. Cannonball Adderley, Mercy Mercy Mercy 84. Rahsaan Roland Kirk, The Inflated Tear 85. Sun Ra, Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 1 86. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire 87. Hank Mobley, Soul Station 88. Miles Davis, Filles de Kilimanjaro 89. Wes Montgomery, Full House 90. John Coltrane, Meditations 91. Yusef Lateef, Eastern Sounds 92. Miles Davis, Agharta 93. Alexander von Schlippenbach, Pakistani Pomade 94. Dexter Gordon, Go! 95. Bobby Hutcherson, Dialogue 96. John Zorn, Naked City 97. Charles Mingus, Tijuana Moods 98. Jackie McLean, Destination Out 99. Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport 100. Sun Ra, Jazz in Silhouette

your point is very well taken. thanks for keeping us straight. (one wonders what a duke, born and raised in vienna or paris or milan, would have given the world). I'm glad he was born exactly where he was. Chuck, I couldn't have said it better than you did. Guy

Tomasz Stanko, like Tolliver and Rava, is another active older trumpeter. Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned Dave Douglas. Guy

I like Go a lot, but haven't heard the other album. Guy

I'm involved in an argument about Pat Metheny's influence. In particular I would like to respond to the following statement: I don't listen to guitar players that much so I'm at a loss to answer. Who has Metheny influenced? Guy

Very sad. RIP.

I've never had this problem with any other CD. Guy

Zawinul claimed credit for "It's About That Time". Not sure how convincing that is. Guy

I just started watching them on DVD. It's irritating that (A) there are only 4 episodes per DVD when they could fit 7 or 8 and (B) that they aren't in broadcast order. Last night I watched two of the best ones I've seen yet: "Two" (with Charles Bronson in a post-apocalypse world) and "The Four of Us Are Dying". Guy

I like On the Corner, though it's not my favorite electric Miles. Guy

Yes. This is a problem with the K2 -- I noticed it on my ipod. Guy

kh, thanks mucho for posting that article! Guy

Next up: Gerry Mulligan at the Village Vanguard after that: Bobby Hutcherson, Oblique

Just 2. I find them overrated. Guy

Judging by the limited number of players involved, I'm guessing this "quiz" didn't have a very sophisticated system. It's not surprising that their answers are ridiculous. Well, aside from JSngry being a turtlehead.* It'd be interested if basketball-reference.com did something similar. Guy *Actually I have never seen Jim.

Yes. Brian Priestley's "Chasin' the Bird," page 59: "... the 'Indiana'-based 'Donna Lee' was an original line put together by Miles, whose authorship ws contradicted by the record-label credit 'Parker' but confirmed by Gil Evans and many other observers." Also this, from Priestley's earlier, briefer "Charlie Parker": "Parker also uses a melodic 'macro-syncopation' of the length of phrases (a lack of which easily identifies tunes attributed to but not written by Parker, such as 'Ornithology' and 'Donna Lee')." In Priestley's book good? I really enjoyed his Mingus biography. Guy

Just looked it up there: "Bird prepared three of his finest and most sophisticated compositions - Chasin' the Bird, Donna Lee (named for Curly Russell's daughter) and Cheryl (named for Miles' daughter). His fourth original, Buzzy (named for Lubinsky's son), is a simple, but attractive riff blues." (from James Patrick's article on "The 1947-1948 Sessions" in said 5LP "Complete Savoy Studio Sessions" from 1978) Wasn't "Donna Lee" composed by Miles? Guy

link Maybe Barak, Bentsi or Alon can comment.

I guess they waited until the day you were out of the office. Guy

I don't know, but I assume they are on the trading circuit. I got it at the site-which-must-not-be-named. Guy

I'm also Raja Bell, apparently. I also made lots of "mediocre" choices. Guy

Holy crap! Guy

I listened to this. Good stuff. I really like Cannonball's playing during this period, when it opened up and became more adventurous. I also enjoy Charles Lloyd's playing as a sideman. Too bad the sound quality isn't better, though it isn't terrible. Guy

Has anyone listened to this? I will have my hands on it in a few minutes. Looks very tasty.