with: Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Henry Drew
(piano); Paul Chambers (bass); "Philly" Joe Jones (drums)
"The album cover successfully attempts to capture the essence of the
man... this record comes even closer to doing the same."
GIANT STEPS (LP: 1959) Atlantic 1311-2
with (primarily): Tommy Flanagan (piano); Paul Chambers
(bass); Art Taylor (drums)
AFRICA/BRASS (LP: 1961) [combined with the later out-take
LP THE AFRICA BRASS SESSIONS, VOL. 2 on Impulse MCAD-42001]
an Orchestra arranged for and conducted by Eric Dolphy
with a rhythm section of: McCoy Tyner (piano); Reggie Workman, Jimmy
Garrison or Paul Chambers (bass); Elvin Jones (drums)
"AFRICA/BRASS is my all-time favorite Coltrane album... my regularly
playing Coltrane's version of the traditional tune Greensleeves
has become something of a holiday tradition in my own home."
IMPRESSIONS (LP: 1961-1963) Impulse MCAD-5887
with: Eric Dolphy (bass clarinet); McCoy Tyner (piano);
Jimmy Garrison or Reggie Workman (bass); Elvin Jones or Roy Haynes (drums)
A LOVE SUPREME (LP: 1964) Impulse MCAD-5660 JVC-467
with: McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass);
Elvin Jones (drums)
"A LOVE SUPREME is my second favorite Coltrane album after AFRICA/BRASS.
To all you rockers out there: there IS a reason this album is referred
to in U2's song Bullet the Blue Sky !... anyone who remains
totally unmoved by Acknowledgement should check to see whether
they really do have a pulse!! "ALL PRAISE BE TO GOD TO WHOM ALL PRAISE
IS DUE", indeed!!!...'nuf ced."
SUN SHIP (LP: 1965) Impulse IMPD-167
with: McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass);
Elvin Jones (drums)
THE BEST OF MILES DAVIS: The Capitol and Blue Note Years(Anthology:1949-1954/1959) Blue Note CDP 0777 7 98287 2 2
including:, Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson (trombone); Jimmy Heath
(tenor sax); Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto sax);
Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Al Haig, Gil Coggins, Horace Silver, Hank Jones (piano); Joel Shulman, Oscar Pettiford, Percy Heath, Sam Jones (bass); Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey (drums)
JAZZ SHOWCASE (Anthology: 1951-1956) Prestige OJCCD-6017-2
including: Bennie Green (trombone); Davey Schildkraut (alto sax); John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker (tenor sax); Milt Jackson (vibes); Red Garland, Walter Bishop, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, John Lewis (piano); Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Tommy Potter, Percy Heath (bass); "Philly" Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Roy Haynes (drums)
"The most haunting track on Miles Davis' JAZZ SHOWCASE is the early 1953
recording of 'Round Midnight with legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker, already an old man at the age of 32 1/2, making a rare recording playing Tenor!"
The Best of MILES DAVIS & GIL EVANS(Anthology: 1957-1962)
Columbia/Legacy CK 67425
with an orchestra arranged for and conducted by Gil Evans with a
rhythm section including: Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass);
Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb (drums); Elvin Jones, Jose Mangual, Willie Bobo (percussion)
"The very first Miles record I ever purchased was the LP BASIC MILES:
Classic Performances from 1955-1958; I had bought it because Ed Beach,
the morning DJ on NYC Jazz radio station WRVR, had played a Miles' number with
Gil Evans, Miles Ahead, from that record. It was toward the end of my
junior year in high school (May going into June of 1973) and I was only just
starting to get into Jazz at the time... this compilation successfully captures
the mood and spirit of the Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaboration that first
so moved this 17-year-old suburban kid a good decade and a half after most of this material was first recorded!"
KIND OF BLUE(LP:1959) Columbia CK 40579
with:Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto sax); John
Coltrane (tenor sax); Bill Evans or Wyn Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers
(bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums)
"If it were not for the later album IN A SILENT WAY, this would clearly
be my favorite Miles record."
The Best of MILES DAVIS QUINTET (1965-1968)(Anthology)
Columbia/Legacy CK 65945
with: Wayne Shorter (tenor sax); Herbie Hancock (piano);
Ron Carter (bass); Tony Williams (drums)
IN A SILENT WAY(LP:1969) Columbia CK 40580
with: Wayne Shorter (tenor sax); Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock
and/or Chick Corea (keyboards); John McLaughlin (guitar); Dave Holland
(bass); Tony Williams (drums)
"My all-time favorite Miles record, it remains the only record I have
owned in all four formats available in my lifetime so far: long-
playing vinyl, 8-Track tape, cassette tape and now Compact Disc... during
the 1970's, this record would always seem to be playing on the local Jazz
radio stations during times of great stress and/or major disappointment in
my life; it never failed to soothe me and get me calmed down... SHHH/IT'S
PEACEFUL!"
BITCHES BREW(2-LP:1969) Columbia G2K40577
with: Wayne Shorter (soprano sax); Bennie Maupin (bass
clarinet); Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul and/or Larry Young (keyboards);
John McLaughlin (guitar); Dave Holland (bass); Harvey Brooks (electric bass);
Jack DeJohnette (drums)
"Although BITCHES BREW has gotten- for three decades now- a buzz re: Jazz
Fusion that I find IN A SILENT WAY better deserved, how could I completely
ignore a record which includes a tune like Miles Runs the Voodoo Down ?"
BIG FUN (2-LP:1974) Sony SRCS 5713-4 [Japanese import CD]
with: Steve Grossman (sax); Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and/or Harold Williams (keyboards); John McLaughlin (guitar); Michael Henderson (bass);
Billy Hart or Jack DeJohnette (drums); Badal Ray (tabla); Colin Walcott (sitar);
Don Alias (percussion)
"The above lineup is that of the 1972 sessions for the Miles album ON THE CORNER, from which most of this record took out-takes; the remainder of the out-takes on this record are from the 1969 IN A SILENT WAY/BITCHES BREW period... I personally like this record much better than the more or less contemporaneous ON THE CORNER: the tune Go Ahead John is alone worth the price of this record."
AGHARTA(2-LP:1976) Columbia/Legacy C2K 46799
with: Sonny Fortune (soprano sax, alto sax, flute);
Reggie Lucas (guitar); Pete Cosey (guitar, synthi, percussion); Michael Henderson (bass); Al Foster (drums); Mtume (percussion)
"Recorded live in Japan in February 1975, AGHARTA also includes Miles playing some organ... the tune Prelude is classic late [funky] Jazz Fusion."
with: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Jackie Byard (piano);
George Tucker (bass); Roy Haynes (drums)
"My favorite Dolphy album recorded under his own name, although I think
his best work is found on his dates on the records of others: in particular,
albums such as bassist Charles Mingus' MINGUS, MINGUS, MINGUS (particularly
his alto sax solo on the tune Hora Decubitus ); tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson's BLUES AND THE ABSTRACT TRUTH (with Dolphy's flute on Stolen Moments and his alto sax on Teenie's Blues ); and his bass clarinet work on the tune India from tenor player John Coltrane's IMPRESSIONS."
OUT TO LUNCH! (LP:1964) Blue Note CDP 7 46524 2
with: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bobby Hutcherson (vibes);
Tony Williams (drums)
"The album cover of OUT TO LUNCH is now a classic... the album is very much
like the clock face on that cover."
LAST DATE (LP: 1964) Fontana 822 226-2
with: a group of Dutch Jazz musicians
"A particularly poignant record... one recorded in Hilversum, Holland (home
of Radio Nederland ) while on tour in Europe just four weeks before
Dolphy's untimely death in West Berlin."
THE BEST OF HERBIE HANCOCK: The Blue Note Years (Anthology:
1962-1968) Blue Note CDP 7 91142 2
with:Dexter Gordon, George Coleman, Hank Mobley(tenor sax);
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, fluegelhorn); Donald Byrd (trumpet);
Thad Jones (fluegelhorn); Grachan Moncur III (trombone);
Peter Phillips (bass trombone); Jerry Dodgion (alto flute);
Butch Warren, Ron Carter, Chuck Israels (bass); Billy Higgins,
Tony Williams, Mickey Roker (drums)
"Highlights of this anthology include the tunes Maiden Voyage,
Cantaloupe Island [for all of you out there who dug Us3's late
'93/early '94 hit Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) ;-)], Speak Like A Child and the original version of Watermelon Man."
MWANDISHI HERBIE HANCOCK: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings
(Collection: 1969-1972) Warner Archives 9 45732-2
with:Joe Newman, Johnny Coles, Ernie Royal (trumpet);
Eddie Henderson (trumpet, fluegelhorn); Garnett Brown, Benny Powell (trombone);
Julian Priester (bass trombone, alto trombone, tenor trombone);
Ray Alonge (french horn); Joe Farrell (alto sax, tenor sax);
Joe Henderson(tenor sax, alto flute); Arthur "Babe" Clarke (bari sax);
Benny Maupin (bass clarinet, alto flute, soprano sax, piccolo);
Patrick Gleeson (moog synthesizers);
Eric Gale, Billy Butler (guitar); Jerry Jermott (electric bass);
Buster Williams (electric bass, acoustic bass);
Bernard Purdie, Billy Hart (drums);
Ndugu Leon Chancler (drums, percussion);
George Devens, Jose "Cepito" Areas, Victor Pontoja (percussion)
"This collection contains the entirety of Herbie's Warner Bros. albums
FAT ALBERT ROTUNDA, MWANDISHI and CROSSINGS."
SEXTANT(LP:1972) Columbia/Legacy CK 64983
with:Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet, soprano sax, piccolo, afuche, hum-a-zoo); Eddie Henderson (trumpet, fluegelhorn), Julian Priester
(bass trombone, alto trombone, tenor trombone); Buster Williams (electric
bass, acoustic bass); Billy Hart (drums); Patrick Gleeson (ARP synthesizers);
Buck Clarke (percussion)
"This, Herbie's first album for Columbia Records, takes off... boy!- does it
take off!!... from where his last Warner Bros. LP CROSSINGS left this band. If you only know Herbie Hancock from his subsequent Jazz/Funk, give this
one a good, hard listen!"
HEAD HUNTERS(LP:1973) Columbia CK 32731
with:Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax,
saxello, alto flute); Paul Jackson (electric bass, marimbula);
Harvey Mason (drums); Bill Summers (percussion)
"Perhaps Herbie's most famous record and certainly one of his most
successful... the seminal [in more ways than one! ;-)] mixture of
Jazz and Funk... yes, indeed; God DID make them funky!!"
THRUST (LP:1974) Columbia/Legacy 64984
with: Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax,
saxello, alto flute); Paul Jackson (electric bass); Mike Clark (drums); Bill Summers (percussion)
"Just as I would take Miles Davis' album IN A SILENT WAY over
his much more vaunted BITCHES BREW in the genre of late 1960's Jazz
Fusion [see Miles Davis above], I would take THRUST over HEAD HUNTERS in the genre of early-to-mid 1970's Jazz/Funk... this is my all-time favorite Herbie Hancock record and I was SO happy when it- finally!- was available on Compact Disc."
MAN-CHILD (LP:1975) Columbia CK 33812
with: Wayne Shorter (soprano sax); Bennie Maupin (bass
clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax, saxello, alto flute, bass flute);
Ernie Watts, Jim Horn (extra saxes abd flutes); Bud Brisbois, Jay DaVersa
(trumpets); Garnett Brown (trombone); Dick Hyde (tuba, bass trombone);
Stevie Wonder (harmonica); Blackbird McKnight, David T. Walker,
Wah Wah Watson (guitars); Paul Jackson, Louis Johnson, Henry Davis (bass);
Mike Clark, Harvey Mason, James Gadson (drums); Bill Summers (percussion)
THE LEGENDARY DIAL MASTERS (2 CD Collection: 1946-1947)
Stash ST-CD-23 & 25
including: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee (trumpet);
J.J. Johnson (trombone);
Wardell Gray, Lucky Thompson (tenor sax);
Barney Kessel (guitar);
Erroll Garner, George Handy, Duke Jordan, Dodo Mamarosa (piano);
Ray Brown, Red Callender, Tommy Potter (bass);
Max Roach, Doc West (drums)
"A collection of classic Charlie Parker in typical BeBop era QUARTET,
QUINTET, SEXTET and SEPTET settings"
DIZ 'N' BIRD AT CARNEGIE HALL (1947) Roost CDP 7243 8 57061 2 7
with (primarily): Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet);
John Lewis (piano); Al McKibbon (bass); Joe Harris (drums);
joined later by an orchestra including:
Dave Burns, Matthew McKay, Ray Orr, Elmon Wright (trumpets);
Taswell Baird, William Shepherd (trombones);
John Brown, Howard Johnson (alto saxes);
Joe Gayles, James Moody (tenor saxes);
Cecil Payne (baritone sax);
Milt Jackson (vibes);
Chano Pozo (conga); Lorenzo Salan (bongos);
Kenny "Pancho" Hagood (vocal)
BIRD AT THE ROOST: THE SAVOY YEARS (4 CD Collection: 1948-1949)
Savoy Jazz ZDS 4411, 4412, 4413 & 4414
including: Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham (trumpet);
Lucky Thompson (tenor sax); Milt Jackson (vibes);
Tadd Dameron, Al Haig (piano);
Tommy Potter, Curley Russell (bass);
Joe Harris, Max Roach (drums)
"A collection of Charlie Parker live dates for radio broadcast from
the Royal Roost in New York City"
with: Sam Rivers (tenor sax); Herbie Hancock (piano);
Richard Davis, Gary Peacock, Ron Carter (bass); Bobby Hutcherson
(vibes, marimba)
"Tony's first album under his own name, recorded while he was still
a precocious teenager from Boston who had- only months before- played
drums on Eric Dolphy's most famous album, OUT TO LUNCH! [see
Eric Dolphy above]... by the time this album was
recorded, Dolphy had just passed- a lifetime over much too soon, while Tony
Williams' was really only just beginning"
SPECTRUM: THE Tony Williams Lifetime ANTHOLOGY (Anthology: 1969-1973)
Verve 314 537 075-2
with: John McLaughlin (guitars, vocals); Jack Bruce (bass, vocals); Ron Carter (bass, 'cello); Larry Young [=Khalid Yasin] (organ);
Ted Dunbar (guitar); Don Alias, Warren Smith (percussion); Tequila (guitar,
vocals, percussion); Webster Lewis (organ, clavinet); David Horowitz (piano,
vibes, ARP synthesizer); Herb Bushler (bass); Tillmon Williams (tenor sax)
"This is a 2-CD anthology of the so-called 'Original' Tony Williams Lifetime, which took Jazz Fusion past where even Miles Davis was taking it: the Jazz/Funk of Herbie Hancock was one possible path, the 'Original' Tony Williams Lifetime was another... This anthology contains healthy chunks from the Tony Williams Lifetime albums EMERGENCY!, TURN IT OVER, EGO and THE OLD BUM'S RUSH"
TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME: THE COLLECTION (Collection: 1975-1976)
Columbia CK 47484
with: Allan Holdsworth (guitar); Alan Pasqua (keyboards);
Tony Newton (bass, vocals)
"This is actually the two albums put out by the so-called 'New' Tony
Williams Lifetime, BELIEVE IT and MILLION DOLLAR LEGS,
combined into one Compact Disc... here one can hear what Tony Williams
did with the Jazz/Funk trail first blazed by fellow Miles Davis Quintet
alumnus Herbie Hancock"