This week’s theme: Quintessential Quintets. Highlights from some of the quintessential jazz quintets from the 1950s and 1960s. Think Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Clifford Brown/Max Roach and a few others. Interesting insight during the show related to my father. If you’ve never read it, would recommend the article Song for My Father here at JazzCollector.com. Hard to believe I wrote that nearly 20 years ago. Featured artists on this podcast include Art Blakey, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, George Morrow, Richie Powell, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Johnny Griffin, Lockjaw Davis, Junior Mance, Larry Gales, Ben Riley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Horace Silver, Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Gene Taylor, Roy Brooks, Lee Morgan, Jymie Merrott, Harold Land, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Charlie Parker, Duke Jordan, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw
Tag: Miles Davis
Podcast: ‘Tis Autumn
This week’s theme: Jazz versions of songs that celebrate the autumn season, inspired by the beauty of the leaves changing here in lovely Berkshire County, Ma. Featured artists include Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Hartman, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Anita O’Day, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Phil Woods, Billie Holiday, Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessell, Ray Brown, Isaiah J. Thompson, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Sarah Vaughan, Roy Haynes, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Nancy Lamott, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Karrin Allyson, Tal Farlow and many more.
Podcast: A Side of Sonny
This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins as a sideman, starting with his first recordings as an 18-year-old. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, JJ Johnson, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Philly Joe Jones, Babs Gonzalez, Thelonious Monk, Julius Watkins, Percy Heath, Willie Jones, Bennie Green, John Lewis, Roy Haynes.
Podcast: Jazz Collector Live, Third Anniversary
This week’s theme: Happy Third Anniversary to the Jazz Collector Live radio show and podcast, featuring the best of something. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Stan Getz, Duke Jordan, Jimmy Raney, Zoot Sims, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Rosemary Clooney, Warren Vache, Scott Hamilton, Cal Collins, Charlie Parker, Joao Gilberto, Maxine Sullivan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, John Handy, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Harold Land, Richie Powell, Charlie Parker, LaVern Baker, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton and more.
Podcast: Two Nights With Miles and Trane
This week’s theme: The four albums (plus) recorded for Prestige on May 11 and Oct. 26, 1956. Artists are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. For Jazz Collector Live, part of the centennial celebration of Miles and Trane.
Podcast: Rodgers and Hart Jazz Songbook
This week’s theme: Jazz versions of Rodgers and Hart compositions. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Sheila Jordan, Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Anita O’Day, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Lee Wiley.
Podcast: Miles With Bird, Part Two
This week’s theme: Miles Davis centennial celebration continues with Miles and Bird, 1947 and 1948. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, JJ Johnson, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Max Roach, John Lewis, Curly Russell.
Podcast: Celebrating Sonny Rollins
This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Richie Powell, George Morrow, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, George Cables, Bob Cranshaw, David Lee, Ray Brown, Shelley Manne, Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Leroy Vinnegar, Ben Riley, Jim Hall, Ray Bryant, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Wade Legge, Kenny Dorham, Tommy Flanagan.
In addition to this podcast featuring Sonny Rollins, I’ve also done several Sonny-themed podcasts in the past. Here’s a list:
April 21, 2025, Sonny and Trane, Trane and Sonny
Nov. 11, 2024, Rollins Plays Rollins
May 27, 2024, Sonny Rollins, European Tour, 1959
June 26, 2023, Sonny Rollins, Prestige
The one from June 26, 2023, was the third show I ever did and the first themed show after two introductory shows.
The Records (But Not the Music) Are Over
A couple of months ago, I received an email from longtime reader and sometime contributor to Jazz Collector, Stuart Levine. The email was as follows: “After decades of collecting Jazz vinyl, I made a decision to sell all my LPs with the exception of just a few. And having just moved back to Japan, I must now resist the temptation to buy over here. I’d like to write about the choices I made, which I think will be interesting to your readers. May I do so and send you my writing?”
Of course. The same invitation is open to anyone. Stuart reminded me that it is almost 10 years to the day since we published an earlier article – Adventures in Jazz Collecting, Tokyo Style. Couldn’t help but notice that there were 54 comments on that article. Bravo to Stuart and all of the commenters. Ah, the good old days.
Anyway, the article arrived the other day, along with the title Stuart suggested title, so, without further ado, may we present:
The Records (But Not the Music) Are Over
By Stuart Levine
Well, I did it. I sold my jazz record collection. Now approaching 70, I’m trying to downsize and just not finding the opportunity to listen to my LPs. You see, for years I’ve been living in Japan with my wife and two daughters, while all this time storing my records and audio equipment back on the West Coast. The irony is that I’m in the land (or rather, on the island) whose people love our American art form of Jazz, yet I, myself, can’t listen to my own records. I don’t want to bore anyone with details as to why not, but suffice it to say that living quarters are tight there and sound travels easily. Read more
Podcast: Miles and Trane, Early Days
This week’s theme: The first recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane together. Featured artists are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.








