Reminiscing in Tempo

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Memories and Opinion

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     "Reminiscing in Tempo" is part of a continuing effort to provide Jerry Jazz Musician readers with unique forms of "edu-tainment." Every month (or as often as possible), Jerry Jazz Musician poses one question via e mail to a small number of prominent and diverse people. The question is designed to provoke a lively response that will potentially include the memories and/or opinion of those solicited.

     Since it is not possible to know who will answer the question, the diversity of the participants will often depend on factors beyond the control of the publisher. The responses from the people who chose to participate in this edition are published below with only minor stylistic editing. No follow-up questions take place.

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What are the five greatest albums (LP or CD) of all time?

Originally published August, 2006

Five greatest: 01. The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival 02. Birth of the Cool, Miles Davis 03. Bixieland, Eddie Condon 04. Sorta-May, Billy May 05. The Emerald Isle, Robert Farnon But just as important: 06. The entire Columbia Records Stravinsky 07. Miles Ahead, Miles Davis 08. Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments, Bob Brookmeyer Orchestra 09. Sonny Stitt Plays Arrangements of Quincy Jones 10. Turangalila Symphony, Olivier Messiaen 11. Les Bander Log, Charles Koechlin 12. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, John Cage      Singers? Lee Wiley, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, Ella, Cathy Berberian, etc.      Where will it end.....? ____________________ The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Flamingo Birth of the Cool Jeru Sorta-May Thou Swell Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments Sonny Stitt Plays Arrangements of Quincy Jones

photo Kent Lacin Roger Kellaway * Pianist and composer whose commissions have included  a ballet for George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet, orchestral pieces for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The National Symphony, the New American Orchestra and a variety of chamber works for Carnegie Hall performances, ending with the world premiere of his concerto, "Songs of Ascent," commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta, conductor; has played on more than two hundred albums, and has performed with Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Yo Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Michael Tilson Thomas, and many others.

John Szwed * John Musser Professor of Anthropology at Yale University; author of Space is the Place: Sun Ra's Life on Earth and So What: The Life of Miles Davis.

Only five huh? And albums and CDs, not singles? Nor, I assume, complilations? My choices would change every day, maybe every hour, so here's a solution: these are my favorites from the two musicians I've written and thought about the most, Miles Davis and Sun Ra: Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool Kind of Blue Bitches Brew -- Three great turning points in jazz history Sun Ra: Strange Strings Atlantis -- Avant-garde? You bet. ____________________ Birth of the Cool Move Kind of Blue So What Bitches Brew Pharaoh's Dance Strange Strings Atlantis Mu

These artists are among my favorites, but I listed these five albums in particular because they represent some of the greatest material; well chosen songs that are especially well delivered: By Special Request -- Carmen McRae -- 1955 Porgy & Bess -- Miles Davis/Gil Evans -- 1958 Only The Lonely -- Frank Sinatra -- 1958 Mr. Easy -- Jesse Belvin -- 1959 Mercy, Mercy, Mercy -- Cannonball Adderley Quintet -- 1966 ____________________ By Special Request Porgy & Bess Summertime Only The Lonely Angel Eyes Mr. Easy Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Fun

Nancy Wilson * Song stylist; recording artist since 1959; best-selling artist for Capitol Records (often second only to the Beatles); host of the Emmy award-winning The Nancy Wilson Show (1975); two-time Grammy Award winning vocalist (1964 and 2005).

Mike Zwerin * Journalist; author; musician; jazz columnist for the Village Voice (1964-69), the International Herald Tribune in Paris since 1979, and for Bloomberg News since April, 2005; feature articles published in Esquire, Playboy, Downbeat, Rolling Stone, others; author of The Parisian Jazz Chronicles...An Improvisational Memoir, Swing Under the Nazis, Close Enough for Jazz, others; recorded with Miles Davis on the Birth of the Cool album, as well as with Archie Shepp, Earl Hines, Mingus Big Band and others.

Imagine that King Kong has destroyed our city. We must take to the bunkers. No telling how long we'll be down there. We do not want to be stuck with exasperating music in the bunker. The following is a baker's dozen choice of jazz and rock recordings (some of them may be hard to find) that are guaranteed to wear well -- in fact, they will sound better and better. They used to be called desert island records. Lucky Thompson; Lucky Strikes.  To be able to continue being heard day after day, music must be of superior intellect, cliché free, and listener friendly, like Lucky Strikes -- an overlooked jewel. At his best, the smoothly adventurous saxophonist Thompson was as good as absolutely anybody. (Hank Jones, piano, Richard Davis, bass, Connie Kay, drums.) Duke Ellington and John Coltrane.  The inspiration flows back and forth as the rhythm sections of Ellington (Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard) and Coltrane (Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones) alternate, adding up to one good illustration of the infinite variety of a groove. "Take the Coltrane." Zoot Sims, For Lady Day.  Songs associated with Billie Holiday interpreted by the white Lester Young par excellence, with the blatantly eccentric Jimmy Rowles on piano, and George (the "Bad Czech") Mraz on bass. When Sims was once asked how he could play so well when he was drunk, he replied: "I practice when I'm drunk." A good soundtrack for a movie of On The Road. Gil Evans (featuring Cannonball Adderley), New Bottle, Old Wine.  "King Porter Stomp," "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," "St. Louis Blues," and other traditional songs streamlined and reinforced without disturbing the foundations. Evans' playful dissonance and ambitious pecking schemes are well-rehearsed for once, you can't go wrong with Art Blakey, and Adderley is majestic. Sonny Rollins, The Bridge.  Marking the end of a premature retirement punctuated by frequent nighttime practicing on an East River bridge, the "Saxophone Colossous" came back with a roar -- thanks in large part to the collaboration of the thinking man's guitar player, Jim Hall. Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.  The tension generated by Paul Chambers' bass walking right on top of the time in tandem with Philly Joe Jones' fourth-beat rim-shot laid back on it was one of Davis' greatest triumphs as a casting director (with John Coltrane, and Red Garland on piano). "I'll play it and tell you what it is later." Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington.  Childlike versions of sophisticated songs (with Oscar Pettiford, bass, and Kenny Clark, drums) that marry consonance with dissonance, and the humorous with the profound. ____________________ Lucky Strikes Fly with the Wind Duke Ellington and John Coltrane Take The Coltrane For Lady Day The Bridge Without A Song Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet If I Were A Bell

This is what I come up with -- in no particular order: Miles Davis -- Miles Ahead Duke Ellington -- Indigos Frank Sinatra -- Songs For Swingin' Lovers Original Broadway Cast -- My Fair Lady John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman ____________________ Miles Ahead Springsville Indigos Solitude Songs For Swingin' Lovers Old Devil Moon My Fair Lady The Rain in Spain John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman Lush Life

photo by Janet Sommer Will Friedwald * Dubbed "The Poet Laureate of vintage pop music," by Past Times magazine; recognized as a leading authority on jazz singing; author of Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond, Sinatra! the Song Is You: A Singer's Art, and Stardust Melodies.

photo by Frank Capri Ahmad Jamal * Recognized as one of the greatest jazz pianists; composer; recording artist since 1951; a favorite pianist of Miles Davis, who admired Jamal's use of space and dynamics, and was influenced by Jamal for much of his career

There is no such thing as the greatest LP/CD/Musician/Composition etc.        There are great CD's, great recordings, great musicians but no greatest..      The adjective "greatest" does not apply to any person or their works.      These are some of my "Favorite" recordings: 1) "Flying Home" -- Art Tatum, Slam Stewart on bass and Tiny Grimes on guitar. 2)  "Take The "A" Train" -- Duke Ellington 3)  "Body and Soul "-- Nat Cole and Lester Young 4)  " " -- Louis Armstrong 5)  "Laura" -- Errol Garner        These are five out of hundreds of great recordings that come immediately to mind.

FIVE FAVORITE CD's: Glenn Gould, J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations; Columbia ML 5060 Here is a recording I have cherished for some forty years. The youthful vigor and linear clarity which Gould brings to bear on the music are revelatory. For the first time I was able to begin appreciate the compositional genius of these variations and how Bach looks ahead to devices later exploited by musicians from Brahms to the beboppers. Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring (Virgin Classics VCK 7 91511 2) Although I own five recordings of this masterpiece, including two compelling ones conducted by Pierre Boulez, I find that my top choice is the version by Kent Nagano and the London Philharmonic . The rhythmic precision and vigor, particularly on the part of the brass and percussion sections, contribute to an electrifying performance. The Complete Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Sessions  (Roulette CDP 7938442) I love everything about this album; everyone is fired up. The synergy is there throughout, whether between Louis and Duke, and certainly in the exchanges with the clarinet of Barney Bigard or the trombone of Trummy Young. Textures and timbres in numbers like "Mood Indigo" or "Black and Tan Fantasy" really stand out for me. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note Records 0946 3 35173 2 5) Like virtually all other members of the jazz community, I have come to treasure this recently released Voice of America recording from 1957, with Monk and Coltrane at the peak of their powers. Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatisi (Nonesuch 79506-2) As a long-stranding admirer of the music of Philip Glass, I find this score composed around 1981 for Godfrey Reggio's film especially compelling. With its title in the Hopi language and a series of images about "life out of balance," the movie has proven to be prophetic of what has now come to be widely known as global warming, not to mention the release of An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. ____________________ Goldberg Variations Aria Da Capo Rite of Spring The Rite of Spring, Part I - The Adoration of the Earth Complete Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Sessions Duke's Place Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall Monk's Mood Koyaanisqatsi Pruit Igoe

Joshua Berrett * Professor of music at Mercy College; author of Louis Armstrong and Paul Whiteman: Two Kings of Jazz; The Louis Armstrong Companion: Eight Decades of Commentary and co-author of The Musical World of J.J. Johnson. His articles have been published in Journal of Jazz Studies, The Musical Quarterly, American Music and The Black Perspective in Music.

John Pizzarelli * Guitarist; vocalist; songwriter; recording artist, appearing on almost forty albums; since 1982 has fronted The John Pizzarelli Trio; has recorded with George Shearing, Rosemary Clooney, and Buddy DeFranco, as well as the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Piano Starts Here -- Art Tatum Kind of Blue -- Miles Davs Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- The Beatles Amoroso -- Joao Gilberto The Atomic Basie -- Count Basie ____________________ Piano Starts Here Tea For Two Kind of Blue Blue In Green Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Amoroso The Atomic Basie Whirly Bird

A few years ago, I recall that Elvis Costello -- a modern-day Marco Polo in the world of music -- satisfied a request for his top albums by upping the number to 500. And still he seemed to bristle at the idea of leaving anything out.        Five greatest? Give me a break. Music don't work like that, and neither do I. I am fickle. My sense of musical proportion shifts constantly and not smoothly either. I change in fits and starts. What was my #1 just last week is in the discard pile today. My rarely played Best of Spirit is suddenly glued to my turntable. Or Weather Report's Mysterious Traveler. Or a live Maceo Parker CD.        Well -- if I must, let me do this fast. At roughly 7:30pm, June 8, 2006, and in no relative order, I submit: Blind Willie McTell; The Early Years, 1927-1933 . Less stark and lonely than the more celebrated Delta blues of Robert Johnson, McTell's 12-string guitar and richly Southern-accented voice point back to a time when blues was but one shade on a palette of musical styles all vying for primacy in the world of Southern black music: ragtime, spirituals, reels, hollers, and two-steps. McTell's fingers deftly handle the rhythmic and melodic nuances among them all. Every tune on this album is a revelation, including a hopping juke-joint party-starter ("Stomp Down Rider"), a local blues destined to become a Southern rock anthem ("Statesboro Blues"), a lookin'-for-lovin' bit of fun ("Warm It Up to Me"), and one of most achingly beautiful portraits of a heart caught in mid-break ("Love Changin' Blues".) Earl Hines; Once Upon a Time.  Of course, I'd have to pick one from the Impulse Records catalog, Impulse being the subject of my latest book. I spent a lot of time listening to albums that bore the orange-and-black colors. This gem from 1966 has many stories behind its making: Hines's recent rediscovery in San Francisco; liner notes referencing the the crippling NYC strikes of that year. Musically, the disc matches Hines with Duke's flawless band of that time with, surprisingly, Coltrane's fiery drummer Elvin Jones! The rich, flowing arrangements -- especially the title track and Ellington's "Black & Tan Fantasy" -- swing as if the musicians know they're the hippest thing going. The music still sounds crisp and modern. Ray Nance's vocal on "The Blues in My Flat" is itself worthy of a rediscovery. The Codetalkers; Now.  Second album for this trio from the Southern jam band scene, with Atlanta its home. But this band's more about songs than jams: funny, quirky songs that play with the funk like Frank Zappa or Primus would. The singer Bobby Lee Rodgers: had a grandmother who lived across the street from James Brown in Augusta; taught at Berklee for a bit; and plays his lead guitar through a rotating Leslie speaker hoping to combine that old soul-jazz guitar-organ formula into one. The songs are fun and funny -- including "Ike Stubblefield" (about the Atlanta organ phenom and a brother to funk drummer Clyde), "Sagittarius Face" (great use of the snarl in Rodger's voice), and "Million Dollars" (stringing together homegrown wisdom and other asides from a famed Southern rock impresario and scene-maker). Band name comes from Sun Ra by the way -- from his Book of Information. The Beatles; Revolver.  What's the best part of a wave: that initial swell? The crest? The crash? With the Beatles, it's a tough call. The rate at which the band progressed through the mid-'60s was uncanny -- each successive album expanded the expectation of what a pop song should do or say. They rethought song topics, song structures, and what sounds belonged on a song. This is the album that captures the four young maestri reaching full maturity in the recording studio: crisp guitar textures; spot-on harmonies; lyrics that can be dreamy and lugubrious or snarl and snap. Mood and message are filtered through words of poetic grace, at times suggesting hidden meanings: "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Dr. Robert", "I'm Only Sleeping", "Got to Get You Into My Life", "Eleanor Rigby". The songs reveal a rare understanding for a bunch of lads just starting their mid-20s. Nina Simone; Wild is the Wind.  This mid-'60s release captures the still young Nina in her prime, balancing Broadway, blues, and jazz standards, along with songs of social protest and reality -- like "Four Women" and "Break Down and Let it All Out." Her voice is strong and soulful, her piano-playing spry and assured, her recordings feature one of the best bands of her career along with top sessionmen. Of all the hard-swinging and artfully arranged material on this set, the emotional release of the title track, "Either Way I Lose," and sublime rendition of "Lilac Wine" collectively mark this as Simone's most completely rendered album from the period when the Queen was still wearing evening gowns. ____________________ The Early Years, 1927 - 1933 Statesboro Blues Once Upon a Time Black And Tan Fantasy Now Revolver Wild is the Wind Four Women

Ashley Kahn * American music historian, journalist, and producer; NPR Morning Edition commentator; author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album and The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records.

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