#jazznerd

[1001penguinjazz]

986: Jaco Pastorius

A perfect album. I don't make these declarations lightly, (IYKYK). Jaco was a genius that didn't get to live out the full potential of his genius-osity but at least we have this beautiful album to remember him by (as well as Weather Report and all the wonderful collab he did with Joni Mitchell).

Listen to this from start to finish, don't bother with noteworthy tracks or skipping around. This is an album meant to be absorbed in it's entirety and then meant to collectively blow your damn mind. What an absolute mesmerizing player Jaco was - what an incredible master of the bass. We're all better off as a human civilization when we incorporate listening to more Jaco in our lives. Just sayin.

Thanks for reading.

[1001penguinjazz]

985: Live at the Philharmonie

I'm warming up in here for an essay I am about to create for a segment we do on our website called "Records We Love". I chose this 32 minute masterpiece for all the obvious reasons so let's talk about it for a minute.

Dave Pike decides in the late 60's that the US is fucked and is like oh hey you know where people are cool and open-minded about things? Europe. So he takes action and crosses the pond and brings with him the influences of the jazz-fusion and psychedelia-rock that was on constant air-play at the time. He moves to Germany and finds three incredible jazz musicians, including Volker Kriegel on guitar, and releases three albums on MPS in 1969 alone - including this tasty live one recorded in November at Berlin Philharmonie.

What is it about the vibes that are so seriously hypnotizing? I feel like a young child at storytime completely engrossed in the captivating tale once mallet hits bar commanded of one, Dave Pike. Joy. This album is live joy at it's finest. Listen to it from cover to cover and good luck finding a better way of spending 32 minutes.

[1001penguinjazz]

987: Tones For Joan's Bones

Part of this project is consciously and actively diving deeper in to the catalogs of players I already really love, but don't know all the breadth of their material. Enter Chick Corea ...

This is a solid first solo album that pretty much takes flight and soars.

Personnel includes:

Chick Corea – piano Woody Shaw – trumpet Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone, flute Steve Swallow – double bass Joe Chambers – drums

noteworthy tracks: Litha, This Is New, Straight Up and Down

[1001penguinjazz]

988: Very Saxy

Very saxy indeed. Been waiting to listen to an album highlighting this perfect wordplay. This is the kinda jazz record that makes me wish I was sitting in the far back corner table of a dark, late-night jazz club drinking a martini (extra dirty) and wearing sunglasses (at night) bobbing my head back and forth to the groove and when a saxy stranger catches my eye, I catch it back, lower my shades and mouth "jazz, baby" and wink. The rest is jazz-soundtracked history.

This is most def a sax forward show, but shoutout to Shirley Scott on the organ. I think we can all agree that 1959 was an outstanding year for jazz. This record is one of many that illustrates why.

noteworthy tracks: Very Saxy, Lester Leaps In, Fourmost, Foot Pettin', Light And Lovely

[1001penguinjazz]

989: Complete Live At Pershing Lounge 1958

This is, oh man, one of the best. I've already listened to this one 1,001 times and looking forward to another 1,001. How does he play like that? How is it possible to press piano keys with such fervor and astute perfect technicality? Ahmad Jamal is a jazz treasure and this album illustrates why on so many levels. Lucky concert-goers don't even know! They know now, but ugh when will they invent the time machines so I can go back in time and sit in on this magical performance? I'd really like to see that happen in my lifetime. Until then though, we've got recorded music. Which will suffice for now ... I guess. Stop reading this dribble though and put this album on - all the senses will seriously thank you.

Special shoutout to this version of Poinciana which is a beautiful groove in which you will get pleasantly lost in.

noteworthy tracks: But Not For Me, Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Moonlight in Vermont, Music Music Music, No Greater Love, Poinciana

[1001penguinjazz]

990: A Day in New York

Clarinet jazz? .... not my fav. Bill Evans jazz? MY FAV! However this is not a Bill Evans album, this is a Tony Scott album. I can barely hear Bill Evans on this one and that makes me feel indifferent. I see how this is part of the 1001 repertoire and I appreciate it's place on this list but I won't be listening to this album again. If you're in to that ho-hum, basic bitch, boring AF but still jazzy sound than you'll loooove this one. But if you're more in to mining for those spectacular goosebump-induced music feels - SKIP IT.

noteworthy tracks: Body and Soul

[1001penguinjazz]

991: Nonet & Octet

I have a particular affinity for bass players as band leaders. Just feels natural in the jazz world and I guess I just love how they decide to arrange things when they're such a lowkey (but clearly backbone) instrument. Oscar Pettiford swings and this is an excellent album for the jazz lovers. I've only recently started listening to more of Oscar Pettiford thanks to a colleague who likes to play a lot of his music on his show.

unrelated to this post, but related to this project - I've come to terms with the fact that this whole thing is most definitely going to take me AT LEAST a decade to complete. But here we are - 10 down, 991 to go!

noteworthy tracks: Another One, Minor 7th Heaven, Stardust, Bohemia After Dark, Titoro, Kamman's A' Comin'

[1001penguinjazz]

992: Monterey Concerts

Good one. Not really too much else to say. A tasty discovery that will now find itself on rotation on SFC9. Cal Tjader is everything and live vibraphone jazz sounds like magic.

noteworthy tracks: all of them all the way through - don't mess with a good thing