Rabshakeh

I'd be interested to know what you consider to be the most impressive (or maybe just historic) examples of jazz musicians playing as lead on records of classical music repertoire in a classical setting (i.e. not the AEC throwing in a Monteverdi piece or Ornette Coleman quoting Stravinsky; and not Jacques Loussier type classical jazzed up). Some obvious examples would be: Keith Jarrett on ECM (various examples here); and Wynton Marsalis' Haydn, Hummel, L. Mozart: Trumpet Concertos from 1983.

I saw Peter Bernstein at Ronnie's last night, in a quartet that included Sullivan Fortner and Doug Weds. Really a great gig. Nice to see jazz played so well, and with such purpose and rhythm.

I think it is his compositions and arrangements. Although a few of them sound pretty familiar. He really would have done better to release 1/10 of the material and to have spent more time on it.

Naked City – Live Volume 1: Knitting Factory 1989 This one is pretty great. I had avoided it because I assumed it was the band with Yamatsuka Eye but actually it is a live performance from before the initial record came out: the same songs from the 1990 album and no stupid fake grindcore vocalising. Nice to hear these tunes executed in a live setting.

John Zorn – The Goddess - Music For The Ancient Of Days A really quite interesting one in Zorn's catalogue because it seems to be completely without irony. Very lush exotica arrangements of tunes that sound like they're by Steve Reich, or something. Not something I'll listen to again, but interesting.

Babkas – Babkas Early Brad Schoeppach.

Burning Spear – Garvey's Ghost

Mystic Fugu Orchestra - Zohar John Zorn and that bloke from the Boredoms. Ghedalia Tazartes should sue.

Pissuk Rachav - Eretz Hakodesh This is a surprisingly good one from Tzadik. It sounds like the Italian art rock band Area.

ILoveMakonnen - ILoveMakonnen Not sure that this one has lasted the 12 years since it was released.

Brian Marsella Trio – Buer (Book Of Angels Volume 31) This is one of the better Book of Angels releases. Basically a strong acoustic bop piano trio album.

The Bothy Band – Afterhours

Ikue Mori – One Hundred Aspects Of The Moon I do like Mori's dreamy sound concepts, although I'm not 100% how memorable each piece is.

Aaron Novik - Secrets Of Secrets First listen. Not great.

Hasidic New Wave – Jews And The Abstract Truth