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What are your favourite live jazz albums?


Phil Meloy

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The last one - "Interpretations of Monk"  - how could I forget to put that on my list?  I was there.  I came for the evening concert, Anthony Davis on piano the first set, Mal Waldron the 2nd.  The music was so great, I was sorry that I hadn't attended the afternoon concert (Muhal Richard Abrams on piano the 1st set, Barry Harris the 2nd).  A front line of Steve Lacy, Charlie Rouse, Don Cherry & Roswell Rudd, and Ben Riley alternating with Ed Blackwell.  It was terrific!

For many years, I listened to cassettes that I dubbed off WKCR when they broadcast tapes of the event a couple of days later.  Finally about 10 years ago, DIW issued a four disc set of the event which I purchased at top dollar - well worth it.  Thanks for reminding me - it is indeed a top notch live recording!

The music comes across very well on CD, but it must have been dynamite to have been there when it happened. You're a lucky guy!

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D. Cherry, S. Lacy, Rouse, Rudd, Muhal, B. Harris, A. Davis, Waldron, R. Davis,    Blackwell, B. Riley, N. Hentoff, V. Gillis, and the ever popular S. Crouch: Interpretations of Monk - Columbia University

I first got well-chosen selections from that concert, from NPR's "Jazz Alive!" (I think).

When that "INTERPRETATIONS OF MONK" set appeared, it was a no-brainer to purchase it immediately. I simply forgot to include it on my list (again?).

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The last one - "Interpretations of Monk"  - how could I forget to put that on my list?  I was there.  I came for the evening concert, Anthony Davis on piano the first set, Mal Waldron the 2nd.  The music was so great, I was sorry that I hadn't attended the afternoon concert (Muhal Richard Abrams on piano the 1st set, Barry Harris the 2nd).  A front line of Steve Lacy, Charlie Rouse, Don Cherry & Roswell Rudd, and Ben Riley alternating with Ed Blackwell.  It was terrific!

For many years, I listened to cassettes that I dubbed off WKCR when they broadcast tapes of the event a couple of days later.  Finally about 10 years ago, DIW issued a four disc set of the event which I purchased at top dollar - well worth it.  Thanks for reminding me - it is indeed a top notch live recording!

The music comes across very well on CD, but it must have been dynamite to have been there when it happened. You're a lucky guy!

I've been fortunate to have been present at some wonderful live tapings, Joe Henderson at the Village Vanguard in '85 (subsequently released first on 2 Blue Note LPs and then in a CD 2 disc set), Bill Evans in June '80 also at the Vanguard a couple of months before his death in London. Like many visitors to this board however, I can recall so many events that I attended that should have been recorded professionally but unfortunately were not. That's life...

Edited by MartyJazz
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Bill Evans in June '80 also at the Vanguard a couple of months before his death in London. 

Martyjazz:

This was probably a typo, but Evans died in New Jersey.

I was at his last performance at Fat Tuesday. Michele Le Grand was there also, by the way. Evans had to have someone on each side of him to get around; he was so unsteady on his feet.

Joe LaBarbra ( who is from my area ) told me that night that he recorded every set of every night that he played with him!

Edited by marcello
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Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Swiss Movement

I forgot about that one, maybe because I was into that in my teen years, before I really got serious about jazz. I had no idea who Les, Eddie, Benny Bailey, etc were at the time... just thought it was groovy. B-) "Scratch" by The Crusaders was another favorite from that era.

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Bill Evans in June '80 also at the Vanguard a couple of months before his death in London. 

Martyjazz:

This was probably a typo, but Evans died in New Jersey.

I was at his last performance at Fat Tuesday. Michele Le Grand was there also, by the way. Evans had to have someone on each side of him to get around; he was so unsteady on his feet.

Joe LaBarbra ( who is from my area ) told me that night that he recorded every set of every night that he played with him!

Those final Bill Evans concerts seem to have brought out the celebrities. I saw two of the nights of the final Ronnie Scotts engagement and extremely moving it was too. On the first of those nights Art Garfunkel and companion were at the same table I was sat. I think he was filming in London at the time.

It was clear that Evans was extremely unwell (he had to be helped off the stage several times at the end of sets) but it was still a shock that he died so soon after the gig. In retrospect, he was very much a 'man on a mission' during these last gigs, playing with great sense of purpose/adventure. The past-midnight shows I saw only had 15-20 people in the house but we were all enchanted.

I would therefore definitely have to add the Evans 'Village Vanguard' performances (Milestone CD and Mosaic LP :wub: ) to the list. These recordings take me right back to those two incredible evenings at Scotts...

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Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Swiss Movement

I forgot about that one, maybe because I was into that in my teen years, before I really got serious about jazz. I had no idea who Les, Eddie, Benny Bailey, etc were at the time... just thought it was groovy. B-)

Ditto. Maybe the first jazz album I ever bought.

One more, I forgot this one....

e37145lph7b.jpg

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Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Swiss Movement

I forgot about that one, maybe because I was into that in my teen years, before I really got serious about jazz. I had no idea who Les, Eddie, Benny Bailey, etc were at the time... just thought it was groovy. B-)

Ditto. Maybe the first jazz album I ever bought.

Me too. This was the first jazz album I purchased.

Just like to add a couple of live solo piano things

Dollar Brand - "African Piano" (which I think has already been mentioned) and

Keith Jarrett - "Vienna Concert"

also

Chick Corea/Gary Burton "Live in Zurich".

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A few I did not see mentioned yet:

Charles Mingus - Jazz Portraits (UA)

Old And New Dreams - Playing (ECM)

Art Blakey - Meet You At The Jazz Corner Of The World (BN 1960)

Woody Shaw - Berlin Jazztage (Muse)

Bertrand.

Edited by bertrand
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I would generally say that most of the records I return to over and over are live recordings.

This is pretty much the case with me. Here's one I forgot to mention previously.

"McCoy Tyner - Live at the Musicians Exchange Cafe, Fort Lauderdale, USA" (1987) with Avery Sharpe and Louis Hayes.

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Miles: My Funny Valentine, Four and More, Plugged Nickel, Blackhawk

Jimmy Smith: Cool Blues, Groovin at Smalls Paradise, Fourmost, Fourmost Return, The Boss, The Master vols. 1&2

Art Blakey: A Night at Birdland, Cafe Bohemia, At the Jazz Corner of the World (1959, BN) Keystone 3

Joey DeFrancesco: Incredible!

Pat Metheny: Travels, Trio-Live

Pat Martino: Live at Yoshi's

Steps Ahead: Holding Together

Count Basie: On The Road, Montreux '77 Jam

Keith Jarrett: Up For It

Joshua Redman: The Spirit of the Moment

Freddie Hubbard: Friday/Saturday:Keystone Bop, Keystone Bop: Sunday

CTI Summer Jazz At the Hollywood Bowl

Joe Henderson in Japan

Edited by CJ Shearn
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One to add here:

B000001Z8B.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

There are some other great Ibrahim live recordings, of course (I love "South Africa", the Montreux disc is good, too), but this is my favourite of his. Beautiful sound, intimate club atmosphere, and the bassist and drummer a bit more active and supportive than he allows his accompanyists to be, nowadays.

ubu

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If you ask me, the first one is still one of the very best:

Spirituals to Swing!

Looks like one of the recent Storyville releases is supposed to be the "new first live jazz recording" ^_^

From their website:

Louis Armstrong in Scandinavia 1933-1952, Vol. 1

1933:

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT HARLEM BAND

Louis Armstrong (tp,vo), Charles S. Johnson (tp), Lionel Guimaraes (tb), Peter DuCongé, Harry Tyree, Fletcher Allen (reeds), Justo Barrato (p), German Araco (b), Oliver Tines (dr),

1949:

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ALL STARS

Louis Armstrong (tp), Jack Teagarden (tb), Barney Bigard (cl), Earl Hines (p), Arvell Shaw (b),

Cozy Cole (dr), Velma Middleton (vo)

1952:

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ALL STARS

Louis Armstrong (tp), Trummy Young (tb), Bob McCracken (cl), Marty Napoleon (p), Arvell Shaw (b), Cozy Cole (dr), Velma Middleton (vo)

I Cover The Waterfront / Dinah / Tiger Rag / Chinatown My Chinatown / You Rascal You / On The Sunny Side Of The Street / Twelfth Street Rag / Steak Face / When It's Sleepy Time Down South / Indiana / A Kiss To Build A Dream On / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Coquette / Lover Come Back To Me / Can Anyone Explain? / After You've Gone / Russian Lullaby / Bugle Blues/Ole Miss

This wonderful music with Louis Armstrong is being released here for the first time

on CD. It was recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden, in 1933, 1949 & 1952. Especially the three numbers recorded in Stockholm in 1933 are particularly rare,  and represent possibly the first live music concert recordings ever made.

The music on this CD is classic Louis Armstrong, and is a must for all Louis fans and lovers of traditional jazz.

This CD is the first in a series of four CD's that covers many of the live/radio/TV recordings that Armstrong did during his tours in Scandinavia between 1933-52.

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Lennie Tristano

The Sing Song Room

Confucius Restaurant June 11,1955

Good one! :tup

Also:

Ellington--The Great Paris Concert; All-Star Road Band, vols. 1 & 2; and that Fargo record.

Shelly Manne & His Men At the Blackhawk, all 5 volumes.

Brubeck---Jazz At Oberlin

Mingus At Antibes

Wes Montgomery---Full House

Monk---Live At the It Club

Too many others to mention...

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