A Random Post of Favorite Jazz Vinyl
This is a completely random post. At the WFMU Record Fair last week I was selling a copy of Miles Davis Steamin’ on Prestige and got into a discussion with a buyer and he said, of the Steamin’/Workin’/Cookin’/Relaxin’ group of albums that Steamin’ was his least favorite. I said, hmm, that’s interesting because Steamin’ is my favorite of the group. He eventually purchased Steamin’ from me and I’m hoping he’s pleased. In any case, I’m sitting here in my home office/music room staring at my records and thinking about some of my favorites from among the artists where I have (1) a lot a records and (2) clear favorites. Looking through the records, I realized for some artists – such as Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley even Horace Silver – I don’t have any single record that stands above the others. If pressed, I could name a favorite, which I will not do for those artists, but which I will do for some of the other artists where the choices, for me at least, are more clearcut. Some may be obvious, some more obscure, some may even be ridiculous to others, but these are the ones I like. Staring at my collection, looking at them in alphabetical order, here goes nothing:
- Cannonball Adderley. Well I have to start with two: In San Francisco and Know What I mean with Bill Evans.
- Art Blakey, Buhaina’s Delight
- Clifford Brown and Max Roach on Emarcy
- Dave Brubeck, Time Out
- John Coltrane. Cheating again: Taking one from Prestige, Soultrane; one from Atlantic, Giant Steps; and one from Impulse, which is between Ballads and Live at Birdland and is Ballads because I listen to it more often and it is quite romantic and is adored by the lovely Mrs. JC, who celebrates her birthday today.
- Miles Davis. I’m cheating again because I can’t leave off either Kind of Blue or Porgy and Bess, two of my all-time favorite albums
- Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound
- Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby
- Art Farmer, Art on Argo
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook
- Stan Getz Plays (with Getz/Gilberto quite close behind)
- Billie Holiday, Lover Man
- Roland Kirk, Volunteered Slavery (for the live side)
- Jackie McLean, Swing, Swang, Swingin’
- Thelonious Monk, Criss Cross
- Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth
- Charlie Parker, all of the Dials, collectively
- Oscar Peterson, West Side Story
- Sonny Rollins Plus Four
- Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
- Lester Young, The President Plays
As noted, this is completely random, just browsing through my records on a lazy Sunday morning, and is not meant to be all inclusive or anything other than what it is. There are artists I love, such as Sonny Stitt, Charles Mingus, Art Tatum, and the others mentioned above where I have dozens of records, but none that particularly stood out when I looked at the collection this morning. Try it yourself, it’s actually a fun process.
Whoops, realized I left out Tal Farlow, The Swinging Guitar
Here is my totally random list of favourites:
Freddie Hubbard – Hub Tones
Herbie Hancock – The Prisoner
Miles Davis – Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet
Sonny Rollins quintet with Kenny Dorham and Max Roach – Rollins Plays For Bird
Joe Henderson – Page One
Chet Baker – In New York
Coleman Hawkins – The Hawk Flies High
Ella Fitzgerald – Whisper Not
Thad Jones – The Magnificent Thad Jones, Vol.1 (aka BLP1527)
Chet Baker – Chet
Paul Gonsalves – Gettin’ Together
Don Sleet – All Members
Miles Davis – Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud
Art Farmer/Donald Byrd – Two Trumpets
Thelonious Monk Septet with Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, Gigi Gryce – Monk’s Music
Chet Baker – It Could Happen To You
Bennie Green – Soul Stirrin’
Chet Baker – Picture Of Heath (aka Playboys, its vinyl counterpart)
Hank Mobley – BLP1568 (vinyl re-issue)
Art Pepper – Meets The Rhythm Section
Harold Land – West Coast Blues
Jutta Hipp – With Zoot Sims
I deliberately tried to not focus too much on my cherished Blue Note favourites in this little list; besides all that it’s sheer torture to randomly grab something and call it your favourite, ’cause I honestly love every title that I once bought! And now I noticed I forgot Charlie Parker! 😉
Mattyman
Rolf Kuhn : Streamline
Hal McKusick : Triple exposure
Hank Mobley : Soul Station
A Slice of the Top
Wynton Kelly : Piano
Don Sleet : All Members
Bill Evans : Sunday at the Village vanguard
Chet Baker : In New York
Don Friedman : Circle Waltz
Herbie Hancock : Maiden Voyage
Wayne Shorter : Juju
Speak No Evil
and many others
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVELY MRS JC!
Just pulled out 10 favorites that I keep in the “heavy rotation” section of my collection, and this is what I came up with:
Wilton Gaynair – Blue Bogey
Duke Pearson – Angel Eyes
Blue Mitchell – Blue’s Moods
Paul Gonsalvez – Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick
Sahib Shihab – Sahib’s Jazz Party
Chet Baker & Art Pepper – Playboys
Bobby Timmons – Chun-King
Billy Harper – Capra Black
John Klemmer – Blowin Gold
Hampton Hawes – Northern Windows
I have large sections devoted exclusively to my Miles, Monks, Tranes, Blue Notes, Impulses etc, so I avoided a lot of absolute favorites altogether, but this approach seemed a lot more “random”. I wouldn’t consider any of these “top 20 Jazz records of all time” contenders or anything, but they’re definite favorites of mine.
Once more, without avoiding the aforementioned larger sections from more well-known artists/labels etc:
Sam Rivers – Contours
John Coltrane – Coltrane’s Sound or Lush Life (can’t decide)
Thelonious Monk – Alone In San Francisco
Miles Davis – In Person-Friday Night
Ornette Coleman – This Is Our Music
Dexter Gordon – Our Man In Paris
Lester Young – Jazz Giants ’56
Freddie Hubbard – Straight Life
Hank Mobley – The Turnaround
Sonny Rollins – Tenor Madness (the title track alone secures its place as an all-time favorite)
I like Lester’s approach, just take the records which find their way most often to your turntable.
Here the ten albums I listen to most frequently:
Art Farmer – Modern Art. U.A.
the Arrival of Victor Feldman – CR
Giuffre – Tangents in Jazz – Capitol
Lennie Niehaus Sextet – CR
Chet Baker/Dick Twardzik qrt – Barclay
Herbie Nichols trio BLP
Paul Gonsalves – Boom… Vocalion
Clifford Brown Ensemble PJ 19
Lee Konitz with Gerry Mulligan PJ 406
Lee Konitz/Marsh – Atlantic
Lester Hawkins — thanks for reminding me: I left out Our Man in Paris as well as Tenor Madness. Must have been in a hurry this morning.
I DJ a jazz night on Tuesday with all original lps and I play these these the most.
Kenny Dorham Una Mas
Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus
Horace Silver Song For My Father
Sonny Clark Cool Struttin
Eddie Harris Instant Death
Ray Bryant Slow Freight
Lee Morgan The Cooker
Bennie Green Soul Stirrin
Ben Webster Soulville
John Coltrane Lush Life
in fact this a most hazardous exercice. I forgot two:
OLIO – Prestige and
2 deg. East, 3 deg. West on PJ.
For the greatest ever, my list is:
Rollins – Way out West CR
Rollins – vol.2 BLP (Monk)
Rollins – plus Four PRLP
Art Pepper – rhythm Section CR
Miles – Relaxin’ PRLP
Miles – Kind of Blue Col.
Miles Ahead – Col.
Monk – Brilliant Corners
Coltrane – BLP Blue Trane
O. Coleman – This is our music – Atl.
Great Post! Here are my faves:
John Coltrane – Coltrane
Horace Parlan – Headin’ South
Th. Monk – Brilliant Corners
Miles Davis – Realxin’
Donald Byrd – A new Perspective
Horace Silver Song For My Father
Lee Morgan – Introducing
Sonny Rollins – The freedom Suite
Dexter Gordon – Our Man in Paris
Lee Konitz/Marsh – Atlantic
well Al, I follow the site since juli, learning a lot, just start collecting jazzrecords 2 years ago.
Before my interest was at ’60-’70 rock and pop music.
here my top-10 of the records which find their way most often to my turntable.
horace silver quintet / silver blue
tad dameron / the magic touch
shally manne & his man/ west coast sound vol 1
oliver nelson / the blues and the abstract
clifford brown & max roach / study in brown
Yusef lateef / lost in sound
sonny rollins / way out west
eric dolphy / outward bound
coleman hawkins / hollywood stampede
hampton hawes quartet / all night sessions! vol 2
thought ain’t gonna do it,but with violence against myself here I am:
art ensemble of chicago:people in sorrow pathè
serge chaloff:blue serge capitol
ornette coleman:something else contemporary
john coltrane:live at birdland impulse
john coltrane-archie shepp:new thing at newport impulse
eric dolphy:outward bound new jazz
bill evans:everybody digs riverside
charles mingus:mingus presents mingus candid
phineas newborn:here is phineas atlantic
charlie parker:savoy
art pepper:meets the rhythm session contemporary
bud powell:amazing bud powell blue note
max roach:freedom now suite candid
sonny rollins:the sound of sonny riverside
archie shepp:mama too tight impulse
lennie tristano:atlantic
lester young with count basie
Kenny Dorham – Trompeta Toccata (Blue Note)
Joe Henderson – Page One (Blue Note)
Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside)
Wayne Shorter – Adam’s Apple (Blue Note)
Eric Dolphy – Out To Lunch (Blue Note)
Joe Gordon – Lookin’ Good (Contemporary)
Max Roach – Speak Brother Speak (Fantasy)
Bob Brookmeyer Quartet (Pacific Jazz)
Clifford Jordan – Bearcat (Jazzland)
Duke Ellington – Cosmic Scene (Columbia)
Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain (Columbia)
Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage (Blue Note)
Jimmy Heath – Triple Threat (Riverside)
Mike Westbrook – Love Songs (Deram)
Stan Getz – West Coast Jazz (Verve)
Kenny Dorham-Afro Cuban
Wayne Shorter – JuJu
Dexter Gordon – Go
Sonny Clark – Sonny’s Crib
Andrew Hill – Judgement
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
Paul Chambers- Whim of Chambers
Elmo Hope – Informal Jazz
Roy Hanyes – We Three
Hank Mobley – Hank!
Lawrence Marable – Tenorman
Sahib Shib – With the Danish Orchestra
Jackie McLean – Tenor Madness
This list is subject to change at any given moment.
Bill Evans Explorations
Dexter Gordon his solo on LE COIFFEUR on Gettin Around is sublime I have to say. reminds me of being in love!
Sonny Rollins Way Out West
My 10 Dessert Island discs:
Grant Green – Idle Moments
Joe Henderson – Page One
Pete LaRoca – Basra
Andrew Hill – Black Fire
Donald Byrd – Fuego
Kenny Burrell – Midnight Blue
Jackie McClean – Destination Out!
Lee Morgan – Caramba
Freddie Redd – Shades of Redd
Anthony Williams – Life Time
And the winner is ….
About 180 mentions in total
with around twenty artists with 3 or more mentions
The Jazz Collector poll results
for Most Loved jazz artists are:
Mentions
Rollins 11
Coltrane 10
Davis 9
Baker 7
Gordon 6
Mobley 5
Monk 5
Evans 4
Coleman 3
Dolphy 3
Dorham 3
Green 3
Hancock 3
Henderson 3
Konitz 3
Morgan 3
Pepper 3
Shorter 3
Young 3
I found it helpful as it gave me quite a few titles to audition and look out for.
Cheers
Love your poll result list, London Calling. It was a joy to flip through all the personal hit lists and see that others share my favs. To see, for instance, Joe Henderson’s Page One, Art Pepper’s Meets The Rhythm Section and Chet Baker’s Playboys (or “Picture of Heath”, its CD counterpart) in other lists is simply a nice surprise! 😉
Mattyman
pete laroca-basra
cliffjordan-cliff jordan
joe henderson-page one
tina brooks-true blue
jackie mclean-jackie’s bag
andrew hill-judgement
bobby hutcherson-stick up
grant green-idle moments
freddie hubbard-open sesame, breaking point
louis smith-smithville
donald byrd- byrd in flight
sam rivers-a new conception
dizzy reece-star bright
wayne shorter-nightdreamer
hank mobley-the turnaround
sonny clark-leapin’ and loopin’
lee morgan-procrastinator
horace silver-sfmf
mccoy tyner-the real mccoy
and:
art farmer-to sweden with love
fitsgerald&ellis larkins-pure ella
dorsey&sinatra- the fourties
steps ahead-steps ahead
cannonball aderley- quintet plus
I felt sad noticing the absence of charles mingus. had intended to put mingus ah hum/ dynasty on my favourites list, but in the end, i omitted doing so.
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