What is your favorite jazz album? I don`t know! What criterion do you use to make that determination? Being Saxophonist Keith Gamble I would say "Meaning, Truth, and Understanding", because it`s my recording, and I play and compose all the music on that CD. But, that would be rather self-serving, and in poor taste.
My favorite albums are those recordings I listen too over and over again. With these recordings I hear something that grabs my attention at (or almost) every listen.
On Herbie Hancock`s "The Prisoner" album I am just always in awe over Joe Henderson`s tenor saxophone solo on "I Have A Dream". "Speak Like A Child" is another Herbie Hancock album I just love because of the harmonic work, especially on the title piece. Before Herbie Hancock, and before I started playing saxophone, I heard "Offering" by John Coltrane, which is a live recording at Philadelphia`s Temple University. That started my love for this music called jazz. Other jazz albums include: Herbie Hancock`s VSOP album, especially with the Mwandishi 6tet, Joe Henderson`s Inner Urge, Bobby Hutcherson`s Montara and Waiting albums, Woody Shaw`s Rosewood and Katrina Ballerina recordings, Flora Purim`s Butterfly Dreams and Encounter, and Miles Davis` ESP and Nefertiti albums.
Of course many albums are not on this list, and I don`t thing you could include all of my favorites. We are all blessed to have such great albums in the jazz discography.
I find the “best” albums are the ones that stay with me - I feel their presence even if I haven’t listened to them for a while. Some that come to mind include….
ReplyDeleteLester Young with Billie Holiday
Richard Tabnik: In The Moment
Connie Crothers: a few albums including Perception, Conversations, Ontology
Hayden Chisholm: Circe, Root 70
Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz to Come
Lennie Tristano: the recordings on Capitol
Lee Konitz: his early work in particular such as the Prestige/New Jazz session but there are others that stand out across the decades… Motion, Alone Together.