(14)

Mulligan Meets Monk

I happen to like Gerry Mulligan's gruff and bouncy playing. Maybe Mulligan meets Monk might have seemed like a gimmick at the time--see what happens when you combine the white west coast cool school with Monk's particular brand of bop. But it actually works surprisingly well, with a very nice version of Monk's classic tune "Round Midnight." There's own standard, "Sweet and Lovely," which was a Monk favorite, and one song by Mulligan, "Decidedly." For years I had only heard one track from this, a take of "I Mean You," so it's nice to hear the whole shebang.

(13)

Thelonious Monk. Brilliant Corners. (1957)

This has a great lineup of songs: Brilliant Corners, Ba-Lue-Bolívar Ba-lues, Pannonica, I Surrender Dear, and Bemsha Swing. All but "I Surrender" are original Monk compositions. It features Sonny Rollins and Max Roach. Monk plays some strange instrument on Pannonica, a celeste or something like that.

This is one of the greatest Monk albums, recorded for Orrin Keepnews's Riverside records.

(12)

Sonny Clark. Sonny Clark Trio (1957)

The trio Sonny Clark had with Philly Joe and Paul Chambers was one of the best groups of its time--which is saying a lot because this was when Miles and Blakey had excellent groups too. Clark is a hard-swinging bop pianist right out of Bud Powell, with those marvelous right hand lines. Chambers is my favorite bass player, appearing on all those Miles Davis and John Coltrane albums of the late 1950s.

(11)

Ornette Coleman. Something Else! (1958)

This is kind of an odd album, because it features Ornette and Cherry with a more standard hard bop chord-change format with piano. Actually, I kind of lack the fact that it has these hard bop moorings: it's Ornette as comfort music, but still recognizably Ornette. Purists will object, but uckfay ouyay to them. The tunes are extremely tuneful, catchy: Chippie, Jayne, Angel Voice, Alpha, The Sphinx. "The Blessing" off this album became a standard.

What if Ornette's ultimate contribution is as a composer?

(10)

Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden. Beyond the Missouri Sky. 1997.

Generically, this does not sound like conventional "jazz." It is a case of two jazz musicians playing music that you don't have to define as jazz at all. I don't even know what to call it, really, but this has been one of my favorites for over 10 years.

(9)

Benny Carter. 3,4,5: The Verve Small Group Sessions (1991; recorded at various times much earlier)

These feature Carter with various combinations, trios, quartets, and quintets, mostly involving the great Teddy Wilson and Papa Jo Jones. The repertory choice of standards tends toward the classics like "Tenderly" and "Our Love is Here to Stay." This is "comfort music."

(8)

Dinah Washington. Dinah Jams. (1954; 1990)

Does she ever. This features one of my favorite singers in a jam session format mostly with members of the Max Roach/Clifford Brown group. Maynard Ferguson sits in. She sings mostly standard songs like "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "I've Got You Under My Skin." Dinah had a voice stronger than Billie Holiday, but with similar intonational patterns.

(7)

The Hawk Flies High (1957; 1991)

Orrin Keepnews, realizing that Coleman Hawkins did not have a record contract, let him choose his own sidemen for this album, with J.J. Johnson, Idress Sulieman, Oscar Pettiford, and Jonathan "Papa Jo" Jones on drums. There's also a guitar player, because Bean liked the fat sound it gave the rhythm section. This one is a keeper.

(6)

Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge at the Opera House. (Released '04; recorded much earlier)

I downloaded this about a month ago because I wanted to learn more about Roy Eldridge. It features the members of the Modern Jazz Quartet (minus Milt Jackson) as the rhythm section with Hawk and Roy. It is a great chance to hear two of the best horn players of the swing era in dialogue. Both are exuberant, assertive players. Check out "Stuffy."

(5)

Bobby Hutcherson. Dialogue. (1965; 2002)

This features Sam Rivers, Freddie Hubbard, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers, with Andrew Hill on piano and supplying some compositions. It is the perfect Blue Note album of this period, avant-garde ma non troppo. The album as a whole has a nice unitary feel, like a suite of dances. Check out the up-tempo "Jasper."

(4)

John Coltrane. Coltrane's Sound (1964 [recorded 1960])

This is my favorite Coltrane collection, featuring an early version of the quartet with Elvin and McCoy Tyner before Jimmy Garrison joined. (Steve Davis on bass.) It is more or less of the period of My Favorite Things and Coltrane Plays the Blues. To me it is the perfect balance between the hard bop Coltrane of the Miles Davis collaborations and the Coltrane of the quartet recordings of the 1960s. Check out "26-2" and "Body and Soul."

(3)

Herbie Hancock. Empyrean Isles. (1964)

What if you take Miles Davis's 1960s quintet and take out Miles himself, replacing him with Freddie Hubbard? Tony Williams cymbal sound on this album is unbelievably sweet. Hubbard is probably my favorite trumpet player aside from Miles himself and Clifford. His tone is so warm and inviting. You probably know "Cantaloupe Island," but the whole recording is worth checking out.

(2)

Billy Higgins. Mr. Billy Higgins. (1984; 1993)

This features Higgins on drums and Gary Byas on various wind instruments. Higgins was one of the most recorded drummers of all time, appearing on thousands of albums, but this is one of his only albums as a leader. While the other players don't reach his level of renown the album is very mellow and swinging. I never tire of it. Higgins is the dominant voice, but does not dominate, if that makes sense. He lays back when he needs to. Check out the track "John Coltrane."

Today starts a new feature, 300 jazz albums. These will be a selection of my favorites with no pretentions to be the 300 greatest of all time. The order will be random.

(1) Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland, Like Minds (1998)

An album of Corea and Metheny tunes, with one by Burton and one by Gerswhin ("Soon."). I like it because of the absolute equality among the five players. You could listen to it five times and just focus on a particular player each time. (I can't get enough of Roy Haynes's drumming but on some albums where he is the leader the other players are not wholly convincing.) Also, there are no weak tracks on this one.