Discover Jazz : 5 albums that you won’t find
There are thousands of posts and videos about the five essential jazz albums that you should know or start your collection with and they usually include a combination of:
Kind Of Blue (Miles Davis) Blue Train, Giant Steps, A love supreme (John Coltrane) , Time Out (Dave Brubeck) , Moanin’ (Art Blakey), Somethin’ Else (Cannonball Adderley) and Ah Um (Charles Mingus).
Today we’re gonna discover five albums that you most likely won’t find anywhere else.
George Wallington Quintet At The Bohemia:
George Wallington was a fine pianist who played with some of the most important jazz musicians of the mid 40s-mid 50s, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach, also one of his tunes “Godchild” was recorded by Miles Davis on “Birth Of The Cool”.
This album features who would become the new leading jazz league after the bebop era: Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor.
My favorite musician of this record:
Paul Chambers, his solos and bass line are so mature and well thought that is hard to imagine that he was only 19 years old at the time.
Favorite track: Bohemia After Dark
The Bobby Timmons Trio In Person:
Bobby Timmons was one of the most prolific pianists of the post bebop era with very personal style.
He was part of Cannonball Adderley’s quintet and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In both bands he served not only as a a pianist, but also as a composer and arranger.
His piano style is influenced by Bud Powell but was developed further into a very distinct sound that included the use of octaves and Rhythm and Blues type of chords.
On this particular album all of these qualities are on display in equal measure as he arranges popular tunes for trio setting, plays his originals and also a beautiful piano solo rendition of “Goodbye” (Gordon Jenkins).
This album was recorded at the legendary “Village Vanguard” and it features Ron Carter on bass, and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums.
Ron Carter’s playing on this album is simply on point so if you are a bass player and you don’t know this album I really suggest you to give a listen.
Favorite track: Autumn Leaves
The Magnificent Charlie Parker
It’s very hard to talk in a few lines about Charlie Parker because he’s one of the most prominent figures in jazz.
Bird, as he was called, is the symbol of the music that was developed after WWII and that later was called Bebop.
To me is more than that as I think that his musical ideas are very unique and it would be a mistake to frame his music into a sub-genre of jazz.
The reason why I chose this record is because it contains some of his popular tracks with his small groups as well as some other interesting tracks.
“Old Folks” and “In The Still Of The Night” are arranged by a young Gil Evans and feature vocal arrangements by Dave Lambert ( check out Lambert Hendricks and Ross)
Favorite track: I really like the intro of “In The Still Of The Night” but I might say “She Rote”
Coltrane live at Birdland
You can never go wrong buying a John Coltrane record and this is not a mysterious one but it’s just a great record that capture the power of this quartet.
Three out of the five tracks are recorded live at Birdland whereas “Alabama” and “Your Lady” are recorded in studio.
The tune Alabama was a tribute to the four black children killed in a church bombing by white suprematists terrorists in Birmingham, Alabama.
Favorite track: “I want to talk about you”, a tune by the great singer Billy Eckstine that Coltrane reinvented and explored every time he played it.
His cadenza at the end is the reason why this is my favorite track
Jack Teagarden think well of me
A beautiful album by the great trombonist and vocalist Jack Teagarden.
Few years ago listening the jazz radio show by the great drummer Kenny Washington, he played “ In a Little Waterfront Cafe” from this album and it really stuck with me. The arrangements of this album (Bob Brookmayer and Russ Case) are great and I love the choice of tunes, all by Willard Robison except for “Where Are You”.
I chose this record because it’s relaxing and comforting, and puts me in a mood like few other ones.
Favorite Tracks: In A Little Waterfront Cafe, Cottage for Sale, Old Folks
