JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Let’s admit one thing right away — the finest single CD of solo Monk material is undoubtedly 1964’s Solo Monk, in which Thelonious Monk exhibits miraculous powers of concentration and taste. Every single cut is a gem.
For those who want more, there’s Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings: 1962-1968, […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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There is a tendency to want to overpraise Archie Shepp’s Four For Trane (reissued on the GRP label), his first date as a leader. After all, you’ve got a photograph of John Coltrane on the cover, as if to give his seal of approval. Coltrane was Shepp’s bandleader at the time.
In […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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John Coltrane’s producer, Bob Thiele, persuaded Coltrane to record this release (on the Impulse label) with Duke Ellington in an effort to quiet jazz critics who were horrified at Coltrane’s innovations, labeling them “anti-jazz.” While the reasons for the date might be silly, the music is anything but.
For some of the […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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There’s probably something I should make clear. When I put on a John Coltrane CD, what I’m listening for is a clarity of thought and a willingness to go deeper than you’d think was possible.
Coltrane had incredible stamina as a player and an inexhaustible well of inspiration. He could spin […]

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WORTH A LISTEN
I don’t care if Charlie Rouse played with Monk longer than any other saxophonist. He’s weak. There’s a reason why he disappeared after Monk stopped performing.
Truth be told, the only saxophonist that ever played with Monk and did justice to his compositions was Coltrane, during the legendary date […]

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WORTH A LISTEN
This live 1968 recording of an organ trio holds interest for several reasons. One is the unique instrumentation of drums, organ and violin. Another is organist Eddy Louiss’ obvious admiration for Larry Young, the advanced post bop organist who played such an important role in the seminal Tony […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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If you heard about a live CD of Eric Dolphy recorded in Holland with a Dutch pickup band, you might not expect too much. Pickup bands are often composed of utility players who accompany anyone and everyone who passes through. Last Date seems to be just such a recording, so […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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I’m not generally a big fan of jazz compilations. Nine times out of ten, the people who are compiling the set have their taste in their ass. The problem is compounded when you try to whittle down a major jazz artist’s oevre to one CD. It’s practically impossible.
The Essential Larry Coryell […]

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Gary McFarland’s America the Beautiful is hard to classify. Certainly it’s a big band jazz album. Contained within the orchestra is the quintet of Warren Bernhardt on piano, Eric Gayle on guitar, Chuck Rainey or Jerry Jemmott on bass, Bernard Purdie or Bill Lavorgna on drums, and Warren Smith on […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett is an odd fusion of country, pop, rock, jazz, and a wee bit of the avant guarde.
Really, Gary Burton was one of the pioneers of fusion. As far back as 1966, he was introducing elements of country music into jazz. Here, he’s mostly playing the […]