BTW, if your favorite alto player isn't here, that's just an oversight on the part of the interviewer -- I was just thinking off the top of my head when calling out names to Jim. If someone is omitted, that is just happenstance.
Agree about that Kenny Garrett album being too restrained, interesting that Snidero picked that one. I would just pick one of the other wonderfully unrestrained recordings of him! like this set, live with Tain, Nat Reeves and Kirkland. Saw this band a bunch at Sweet Basil and it was legendary. Jason Moran has the minidiscs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVrb2uaOXC0&t=2302s
I think we tend to be disenchanted with the current quality and quantity of alto sax players in these late jazz times.
But there are some bright jewels these days. My vote is for Amanda Gardier, wife and musical partner of Charlie Ballantine. Her album Auteur: Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson is a bona fide masterpiece. With Dave King on Drums and Ballantine spinning his magical web of guitar magic. For me, the best jazz album of 2024. What makes this even more impressive is that Gardier is a full-time member of the Commodores's Navy Jazz Band in Washington D.C. Then, as her side-hustle, she creates one-on-a-kind albums like this. Her next one will be covers of Bjork songs! Seriously.
Lots of great listening suggestions, nearly all by players near the top of my list. Two notable exceptions -- Bird, and Desmond, polar opposites who dug each other. Hodges, Cannon, Pepper, Woods, Stitt, Bartz, MacPherson, are all tops. One of the great things about Desmond is that he went his own way, and which I've found incredibly satisfying for more than 60 of my 83 years!
Excellent summaries of these intriguing albums. I especially appreciated the notes on Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago. Somethin 'Else is one of my faves from him.
PS No mention of the one and only Paul Desmond?! The classic quartet albums with Jim Hall?
When Desmond was dying, he received a surprise visit at his apartment from Mingus, who came to tell him how much he loved his music. Desmond told Brubeck after the visit that when he opened the door and saw Mingus standing there dressed in black with a black cape, he thought it was the Grim Reaper who had come to get him!
Let's not forget the sublime Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley on Blue Note in 1958, the last time Miles recorded an album as a sideman. I always play the tunesAutumn Leaves and the irresistible One For Daddy-O for People who say they don't like jazz (along with Kind of Blue of course).
And please look on youtube for the burning version of Impressions live at the Woodstock Jazz Festival by Anthony Braxton with Corea, Vitous, Dejohnette. Braxton kills it!
Let's not forget the sublime Cannonball Adderley album Somethin' Else on Blue Note in 1958, the last time Miles ever recorded an album as a sideman. Autumn Leaves and the irresistible One For Daddy-O are tunes I always play for people who say they don't like jazz (along with Kind Of Blue of course).
He got most of my favorites and a few who aren't; I bow to his greater absorption of the entire discography. Another commenter mentioned Paul Desmond, whose work with Jim Hall is lovely; I especially like BOSSA ANTIGUA which seems to be favored as well by those who aren't generally fond of jazz. Connie Kay's drumming also lifts this recording.
I see that he missed Benny Carter, he of the classical timbre (to these ears) that comes closest in jazz to justifying Debussy's denigration of the saxophone, "That aquatic instrument." I like Carter's ballad work with his big band arrangements, but for the consistency of an entire recording, I especially enjoy 3, 4, 5, THE VERVE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, with a range of fine accompanists including Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, George Duvivier, Jo Jones, Louis Bellson among others.
I have a lot of Lee Konitz records but if I could only keep one it would be one that’s probably not on anybody’s best list: Oleo with Dick Katz on piano and Wilbur Little on bass. Just a nice relaxed session.
I found this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YkR0AycaVk. Tasty! Konitz in the upper register sounds almost soprano-ish. Katz briefly channeling Basie? or Ahmad Jamal? on "I want a little girl" -- altogether a beautiful session. Thanks!
I'm not so sure Quadrangle was an answer to Ornette. In his interview with William Brower for the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History program, Jackie said he'd written it a few years before he recorded it. And, to me, it sounds in line with earlier Jackie tunes (Snakes, Dr. Jackle, Minor March, etc).
Semi-related: when the Adderley brothers were presented with "Quadrangle" in their Blindfold Test, Nat says that "it’s cats like Ornette that need to listen to [Jackie]". Cannonball concurs. Nat then course-corrects and shifts the onus to "the people fostering [Ornette's] thing that should listen" (Nat mentions Nat Hentoff while Cannonball mentions John Lewis).
nice comments, and fair enough. However, let the record show that "Quadrangle" has no piano, which I think might have been a first for Blue Note, and certainly a first for the hard-bop crew. The absence of piano is the most Ornette-y thing about it. Of course Mclean would go on to be an unusually visible supporter of the New Thing.
BTW, if your favorite alto player isn't here, that's just an oversight on the part of the interviewer -- I was just thinking off the top of my head when calling out names to Jim. If someone is omitted, that is just happenstance.
Love this list. Lots to learn about for me.
Agree about that Kenny Garrett album being too restrained, interesting that Snidero picked that one. I would just pick one of the other wonderfully unrestrained recordings of him! like this set, live with Tain, Nat Reeves and Kirkland. Saw this band a bunch at Sweet Basil and it was legendary. Jason Moran has the minidiscs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVrb2uaOXC0&t=2302s
Epic. This is pretty much a list of some of my all-time favourite tracks, plus extras that I need to relisten to asap. Thanks for sharing.
I was a little surprised I owned 80% of these.
I think we tend to be disenchanted with the current quality and quantity of alto sax players in these late jazz times.
But there are some bright jewels these days. My vote is for Amanda Gardier, wife and musical partner of Charlie Ballantine. Her album Auteur: Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson is a bona fide masterpiece. With Dave King on Drums and Ballantine spinning his magical web of guitar magic. For me, the best jazz album of 2024. What makes this even more impressive is that Gardier is a full-time member of the Commodores's Navy Jazz Band in Washington D.C. Then, as her side-hustle, she creates one-on-a-kind albums like this. Her next one will be covers of Bjork songs! Seriously.
My favorite alto player (Bartz, no surprise) is here, but Sonny Fortune should be added to this list, IMO. Thx
Thank you for this nice write up. When it comes to alto trios, I think of great Air albums like "Air Time" and "80° Below '82".
Lots of great listening suggestions, nearly all by players near the top of my list. Two notable exceptions -- Bird, and Desmond, polar opposites who dug each other. Hodges, Cannon, Pepper, Woods, Stitt, Bartz, MacPherson, are all tops. One of the great things about Desmond is that he went his own way, and which I've found incredibly satisfying for more than 60 of my 83 years!
Very nice post. Enjoying exploring these. Of course you like "Tin Tin Deo". Feeds your clave jones.
Excellent summaries of these intriguing albums. I especially appreciated the notes on Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago. Somethin 'Else is one of my faves from him.
Black Arthur Blythe and Julius Hemphill.
PS No mention of the one and only Paul Desmond?! The classic quartet albums with Jim Hall?
When Desmond was dying, he received a surprise visit at his apartment from Mingus, who came to tell him how much he loved his music. Desmond told Brubeck after the visit that when he opened the door and saw Mingus standing there dressed in black with a black cape, he thought it was the Grim Reaper who had come to get him!
Let's not forget the sublime Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley on Blue Note in 1958, the last time Miles recorded an album as a sideman. I always play the tunesAutumn Leaves and the irresistible One For Daddy-O for People who say they don't like jazz (along with Kind of Blue of course).
And please look on youtube for the burning version of Impressions live at the Woodstock Jazz Festival by Anthony Braxton with Corea, Vitous, Dejohnette. Braxton kills it!
Let's not forget the sublime Cannonball Adderley album Somethin' Else on Blue Note in 1958, the last time Miles ever recorded an album as a sideman. Autumn Leaves and the irresistible One For Daddy-O are tunes I always play for people who say they don't like jazz (along with Kind Of Blue of course).
He got most of my favorites and a few who aren't; I bow to his greater absorption of the entire discography. Another commenter mentioned Paul Desmond, whose work with Jim Hall is lovely; I especially like BOSSA ANTIGUA which seems to be favored as well by those who aren't generally fond of jazz. Connie Kay's drumming also lifts this recording.
I see that he missed Benny Carter, he of the classical timbre (to these ears) that comes closest in jazz to justifying Debussy's denigration of the saxophone, "That aquatic instrument." I like Carter's ballad work with his big band arrangements, but for the consistency of an entire recording, I especially enjoy 3, 4, 5, THE VERVE SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, with a range of fine accompanists including Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, George Duvivier, Jo Jones, Louis Bellson among others.
I have a lot of Lee Konitz records but if I could only keep one it would be one that’s probably not on anybody’s best list: Oleo with Dick Katz on piano and Wilbur Little on bass. Just a nice relaxed session.
I’ve heard OLEO. Nice one
I found this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YkR0AycaVk. Tasty! Konitz in the upper register sounds almost soprano-ish. Katz briefly channeling Basie? or Ahmad Jamal? on "I want a little girl" -- altogether a beautiful session. Thanks!
I'm not so sure Quadrangle was an answer to Ornette. In his interview with William Brower for the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History program, Jackie said he'd written it a few years before he recorded it. And, to me, it sounds in line with earlier Jackie tunes (Snakes, Dr. Jackle, Minor March, etc).
Semi-related: when the Adderley brothers were presented with "Quadrangle" in their Blindfold Test, Nat says that "it’s cats like Ornette that need to listen to [Jackie]". Cannonball concurs. Nat then course-corrects and shifts the onus to "the people fostering [Ornette's] thing that should listen" (Nat mentions Nat Hentoff while Cannonball mentions John Lewis).
nice comments, and fair enough. However, let the record show that "Quadrangle" has no piano, which I think might have been a first for Blue Note, and certainly a first for the hard-bop crew. The absence of piano is the most Ornette-y thing about it. Of course Mclean would go on to be an unusually visible supporter of the New Thing.