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1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (951-960)

Here is another 10 to add to the list.

Remember that there is no ranking system here, and if you don’t see your favorite jazz album yet, it doesn’t mean it won’t show up.

Hopefully these lists will inspire you to seek some of these albums out that perhaps you haven’t heard before, or revisit an old favorite. And as always, we want your thoughts on any or all of these albums. Here, in no particular order, are albums 951 through 960.

951. Satch Plays Fats: The Music of Fats Waller – Louis Armstrong (Columbia, 1955) CLICK HERE TO BUY

952. Lee-Way – Lee Morgan (APO (Analogue Production Originals), 1960) CLICK HERE TO BUY

953. Piano in the Background – Duke Ellington (Sony Music Distribution, 1960) CLICK HERE TO BUY

954. The Complete Gramercy Five Sessions – Artie Shaw (Bluebird RCA, 1940-1945 recording dates, 1989 compilation date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

955. Walkin’ – Miles Davis (Original Jazz Classics, 1954) CLICK HERE TO BUY

956. The Inner Mounting Flame – John McLaughlin/Mahavishnu Orchestra (Columbia/Legacy, 1971) CLICK HERE TO BUY

957. Bird and Diz – Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie (Verve/Polygram, 1950 recording dates, 1956 release date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

958. Trombone by Three – Bennie Green/J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding (Original Jazz Classics, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

959. Cattin’ With Coltrane and Quinichette – John Coltrane/Paul Quinichette (Original Jazz Classics, 1957) CLICK HERE TO BUY

960. Boss Guitar – Wes Montgomery (Concord/Concord Music Group/Fantasy/Universal Music, 1963) CLICK HERE TO BUY

Related Posts:

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (941-950)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (931-940)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (921-930)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (911-920)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (901-910)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 750

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 500

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(End of) Summertime Poll

The final days of summer are upon us, and depending on where you live, summer seemed far too short, just right, or far too long this year.

Regardless, the end of this summer inspired me to post our first poll in quite some time, asking you what your favorite version of Summertime is. Your comments are encouraged!

[poll id=”3″]

 

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Building a Dream Big Band Part III: The Sax Section

As I mentioned in the previous “Building a Dream Big Band” posts, I am piecing together, section by section, my ideal big band. The band will be 21 pieces, with 5 trumpets, 4 trombones, 5 saxes, guitar, bass, drums, piano, a male and female singer, and a bandleader. So far, I’ve listed my trumpet section, while I employed former KPLU Grooveyard host Troy Oppie to construct the trombone section. Both blogs are complete with videos of each musician performing live. So far, here is how the band looks:

Trumpets:

Lead: Arturo Sandoval

2nd Chair: Wynton Marsalis

Third Chair: Freddie Hubbard

Fourth Chair: Miles Davis

Fifth Chair: Thad Jones

Trombones:

Lead: Bob Burgess

Second Chair: Frank Rosilino

Third Chair: Al Grey

Bass Trombone: Bill Hughes

Now its time to turn to the saxophones. You might find a few surprises in this section, and probably some horn players you would expect to see. I encourage your thoughts on how you might see your dream sax section differently, and let me know what you think of the video on each musician!

The Sax Section:

First Alto: Charlie Parker

Is an explanation necessary? There has yet to be an alto player in my mind that has even come close to touching Bird on any level. His solos and sound would be and are entertaining in any era. His death might be the greatest tragedy in jazz.

Watch Charlie Parker play Hot House:

Second Alto: Cannonball Adderley

I was this close to picking Coleman Hawkins for this chair, but Cannonball just edged him out. Besides being incredibly diverse, Cannonball’s specialty in this band is bringing what he might best be known for: a happy sound.

Watch Cannonball Adderley play Brother John:

First Tenor: Michael Brecker

How dare I seat Brecker above Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Branford Marsalis? Because this is my band, and because I cannot remember a time where I heard Brecker solo and didn’t have my mind completely blown. You might find that James Brown, James Taylor, John Lennon, Aerosmith, Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elton John and about 200 other musicians from all genres who contracted Brecker will agree with me.

Watch Michael Brecker play Some Skunk Funk:

Second Tenor: John Coltrane

Brecker has Coltrane to thank for so much. Most importantly, his imagination, and his ability to make improvisation exciting. The two tenors in this band provide an ultimate wall of sound.

Watch John Coltrane play Impressions:

Baritone Sax: Cecil Payne

Maybe the least famous musician of the group, but that’s the life of a baritone sax player. Cecil was always entertaining, and maybe the best baritone player of the late 40’s to the early 60’s.

Watch Cecil Payne play at Dizzy Gillespie’s 70th Birthday:

Again, let me know what you think of the band so far. All of the horns are in place, with the rhythm section, singers, and bandleader to go. The rhythm section is next!