What jazz music are you listening to?

[bart]

Thelonious Monk - Riverside Profiles
via Qobuz




Kind of 'Best of' album, with mediocre sound.
Of course, the Monk tunes are classics.
But there are better albums that show the composer's and musician's brilliance.

[bart]

Bird: The Original Recordings Of Charlie Parker
via Qobuz




They picked the best sounding pieces... unfortunately also a couple with strings (Aargh!).

This compilation of original Verve sessions (spanning 1947-1953) comes highly recommended, not only for its earful of superb musicianship from the creators of modern jazz, but for the sound quality of the recordings. Many Parker releases, culled from poorly engineered live recordings or audience bootlegs, require tolerating so much sonic hiss and extraneous noise that it distances and distracts from the enjoyment. Not so with these Verve tracks, which are astonishingly clear and well-balanced throughout, highlighting Parker's dazzling technique and full, incisive tone to good measure.
Joined by the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, and Max Roach, among others, Bird and ensemble blaze through versions of "Mohawk," "Now's the Time," and "Laird Baird" (which Parker dedicated to his son). Those allergic to orchestral arrangements should be forewarned that several tracks, including "Laura," "April in Paris," and "Just Friends" (which includes the solo Parker reputedly claimed was his own favorite), are string-laden. Parker's playing transcends all, however, and Bird: The Original Recordings is an outstanding collection for fans and newcomers alike.

© Rovi Staff /TiVo

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by PierreB

Steve Kuhn : Promises Kept

Some easier listening tonight, following Pierre's posting

As it is often said jazz and strings is risky, but this one goes smoothly, a bit like a cinematic orchestration...

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by ehoove

The New Cool
Bob James and Nathan East
Excellent offering!
Yamaha Entertainment Group B012CZ4ZK6
Regards,
Jim

More of relaxing listening, following Jim's posting

I'm somehow preferring the duo combination than the traditional Fourplay set up

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by bart

Ella Fitzgerald - Like someone in love
Qobuz 24/192




Again, a bit unfortunate that they added strings (Frank DeVol's orchestra), but you get Ella in top form and also Stan Getz on 4 tracks.

And finishing the evening with Ella's soothing voice

[Antonmb]

Miles Davis - Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet
Prestige (1958), Original Jazz Classics reissue (2011), vinyl

[bart]

John Coltrane - Giant Steps
60th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition, 2020 remaster
Qobuz 24/96




Splendid remaster.
Very natural sound.

In the 60 years since John Coltrane's Giant Steps was released, the album has (justifiably) taken its place in the pantheon of classic albums. However, upon its release in early 1960, it was just the Atlantic Records debut of a hotshot saxophonist who had made a name for himself with Miles and Monk and recorded a few albums as a leader (and countless albums as a sideman) on Prestige. He was widely recognized as a technical talent, capable of dazzling and dizzying solos, but his compositional skills had only been showcased properly on one album: the (less justifiably) classic Blue Train, which was released in 1958 and was more clearly related to the hard bop of the day. Now, with a multi-year contract with Atlantic in hand, Coltrane was able to focus his label debut on his own material, positioning himself as a mature, confident, and singular artist, rather than as a gunslinger-for-hire. Everything on Giant Steps is a Coltrane composition, with a deep focus on harmony, phrasing, and melody. The album is intensely inventive from a structural standpoint—it's here that the "Giant Steps" chord progression (a.k.a. "the Coltrane Changes") makes its debut, as does the soon-to-be Coltrane standard "Naima," the themes of which would make their way into some of his most experimental and free-flowing future concerts. There's also plenty of blues ("Cousin Mary"), bouncing blasts of joyful lightness ("Syeeda's Song Flute"), and improvisational pyrotechnics ("Mr. P.C."), and the album swings so hard and is so emotionally evocative, it's easy for a listener to overlook just how epochal it was. This is the album that—along with Kind of Blue a year earlier—effectively closed the door on bebop. Coltrane's compositional approach here opened the door to his probing, analytical take on spiritual improvisation over the next few years. Of course, thanks to the luxury of having two days in the studio—far longer than a typical blowing session—he was able to get it right, resulting in a perfect album ... as well as several reels of outtakes. A raft of those appear on this 60th anniversary "Super Deluxe” edition—eight alternate takes and 20 additional outtakes (many of which are previously unreleased) flesh out this collection. Few of them provide much insight or improvement on the album versions and the inclusion of an alternate take of the Coltrane Jazz track "Like Sonny" (recorded contemporaneously with "Naima" on a different date than the rest of Giant Steps) is a bit of a stretch. This latest remastering, while spacious and alive, doesn't improve substantially upon Bill Inglot's 1998 remaster; in fact, one could argue that the 2014 mono remaster is an even more rewarding listening experience. But having a few "definitive" versions of a classic album—one that has been continuously in print and remastered/reissued/updated several times since its original release—is not a bad problem to have. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

[ehoove]

On The Line
Lee Ritenour
Excellent LP!
Elektra Musician Series 9 60310-1
Regards,
Jim

[bart]

John Coltrane Quartet - Ballads
Qobuz 24/96




Absolutely delicious!

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

John Coltrane - Olé
Japanese pressing




One of my favourite albums.
Now with a little bit better sound (SHM-CD).

Listening to the 24/96 stream at the moment.
This is another one of my desert island albums...