I believe prs made that for him for this tour, and he is auctioning it off now that the tour is over, with proceeds to go to charity... that guitar could be yours!
Lord knows my old Les Paul Deluxe should have, or at least discount cards for chiropractic visits...I blame that axe for my chronically poor posture.
Listening to this particular reissue primarily for the four valuable bonus tracks. Three of the four were un-issued on CD before this disc, ie not included in the "COMPLETE" RIVERSIDE box - "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Take 4), "Blue in Green" (monaural version from the old mono LP - this turns out to be a completely different take than the one issued on the stereo album for technical reasons that Keepnews explains in the liners), and "Blue In Green" (Take 1). The fourth bonus track, "Blue In Green" (Take 2) WAS included in the box and prior OJC CD re-issue. I'm reminded in listening today what a marvelous album this is - the first by the classic Evans/LaFaro/Motian trio - and that Joe Tarantino did an awfully nice job with the remastering, though not quite up to the same standards as Steve and Kevin's AP 45 rpm vinyl pressing (but then again that pressing lacks the bonus tracks). If you're an Evans nut, good to have both. BTW I'm really enjoying listening on my main rig today after having just acquired and rolled a NOS matched pair of Mullard mC1 square getter 12AX7s into the line stage of my McIntosh C2300 preamp. As good as the Tele smooth plates I had in there previously were, I feel like these tubes up the ante - even more holographic midrange, and they seem to favor the lower mids rather than the upper mids (Teles tend to push out the latter on my system which can grate on certain recordings) - just suits my tastes a little better. Both are very, very fine 12ax7s, but so far I'd say the Mullards are "the ones" for me.
I'm in a piano trio kinda mode right now, so on to this one - sans drums this time: Originally recorded in 1957 and released on the Fantasy label, this is the OJC CD edition from 1994, mastered by Phil DeLancie. Guaraldi on piano, Eddie Duran guitar, and Dean Reilly bass. This may be my favorite by Guaraldi - quiet and sometimes a bit contemplative, yes, but as on all of his best work there's a hard-swinging, unsentimental, bluesy core that keeps the music from veering into preciousness. It just plain hits the spot - the magic of Guaraldi, in a nutshell. Great programming too, from the Strayhorn title track on down, mixing up several well-known jazz standards with some unusual choices ("Looking For a Boy" and "Lonely Girl") and a gorgeous original, "Like a Mighty Rose."
Yep, and I suppose that would have been a very positive benefit back when I owned the guitar (had I been a rich and famous rock star rather than a skinny, pimply teenager!), smack dab in the middle of the "yacht rock" era.
Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts- Wake Up! (To What's Happening) Everyone plays exceptionally well on this but- Larry Goldings owns this recording!
A fine recording (A Flower is a Lovesome thing...). Not that you asked me but, if your looking for more piano trio, may I suggest Enrico Pieranunzi/Marc Johnson/Joey Barron Live In Japan which I just happened to listen to earlier today. Beautiful stuff.
OK palate cleansed with piano trio goodness, I was ready again for some HORNS, and so: Originally recorded in 1962 by RVG at Englewood Cliffs, this is the 1992 OJC Limited Edition (though not all that hard to find) CD remastered by Phil DeLancie. Trumpeter Reece is joined by Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Joe Farrell on tenor sax and flute, Hank Jones piano, Ron Carter bass and Charlie (not yet "Charli") Persip on drums. I'm a big fan of Reece, and because he recorded so little as a leader (and, for that matter, as a side man), each and every entry in his catalog is precious. Although his Blue Notes seem to get the most attention - and they are certainly outstanding - to my ears ASIA MINOR is easily his crowning achievement as a leader, nigh on perfect from start to finish. There are three exceptional Reece originals - "The Shadow of Khan," "Yamask," and "Ackmet" - plus one piece by Payne (a forward-thinking homage to Charlie Parker), Gershwin's "Summertime," and a sparkling take on the wonderful but little-covered (at least in jazz circles) piece "The Story of Love," published as "Historia de un Amor" and written by Panamanian songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán. Reece clearly had a "thing" for minor-key pieces - all 3 of his originals are in minor keys as is "Story" - and while the tracks are very identifiable as modern jazz of the day, there is a strong early global or "world" music undercurrent, with the 3 Reece pieces all having a clear Eastern flavor and the piece from Panama adding yet another dimension. Five star stuff.
I agree, LIVE IN JAPAN is a superb recording - I have it and really enjoy it, will have to revisit soon.
I know the term is over-used, but Larry Goldings really is underrated (or, at least, under-appreciated). The man is a giant and one of the few musicians I can think of who is equally amazing on two different (though obviously closely related) instruments, piano and Hammond B3. I don't have that Wilson recording, looks tasty. But, several other times Goldings has, to my ears, blatantly stolen the show on someone else's gig (not through grandstanding etc but just through sheer force of his brilliance) - such as on this recording (A MOMENT'S PEACE), easily one of John Scofield's finest, and yet it is Golding's contributions that linger most in the memory:
One last title, in the middle of disc 1 of this 2 CD set, after the welcome nudge from BluTom: On the CamJazz label, beautifully captured at a variety of performances during a Spring 2004. Some have noted how this group in many ways feels like a logical extension of the Bill Evans trio, and I would agree to an extent, though ultimately despite the deep empathy these men have the music still generally tends to project more of a "piano with bass and drums" vibe than what Evans was able to achieve on some of his recordings, where all 3 elements functioned as true equals. I don't view this as a fault, per se, just a key difference - one that probably stems from Pieranunzi's innate exuberance, contrasting with Evans' more introverted nature. Comparisons aside, this is a remarkable and thoroughly enjoyable document from what I think has to go down as one of the all-time great piano trios.
Larry Goldings is very underrated IMO. He is a very fine soloist but is equally adept at accompaniment. Really like the textures he adds on Wake Up! Will have to check out the Scofield. Thanks.
The Enrico Pieranunzi Trio- Plays The Music of Wayne Shorter Different trio than above, still brilliant. One of the very finest Shorter tribute albums.
Michael Petrucciani — Music, It’s hard to believe he died at 36 considering the depth and beauty of the musical legacy he left behind. He’s one of my favorite players from that group of musicians who came into the jazz scene in the late 80’s early 90’s. He was playing in the Bill Evans vein, although he did have his own touch. I wish he had lived longer and had more time to develop his voice.
This one was new to me until this week and a fine session it is! An broad range of musicians and styles blended for a tasty treat! Let's see, we have Mr. Jones, Pepper Adams, Wilbur Little, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Thad Jones, David Liebman, Candido, Steve Grossman, George Coleman, Joe Farrell and (t0 my surprise) Jan Hammer contributing their craft. Highly recommended! Elvin Jones – Mr. Jones Blue Note – TOCJ-50551 1972
Joe Henderson's Mode For Joe With Bobby Hutcherson, Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter & Joe Chambers. Slow grower for me, but I now love it. Walton composed the smoking title track.
Count Basie – Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (Impulse / MCA) — Count Basie – piano, organ; Thad Jones – trumpet; Frank Wess – flute, alto flute (tracks 2, 6 & 8); Frank Foster – tenor saxophone, clarinet (tracks 1, 3-5 & 7); Eric Dixon – tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet; Freddie Green – guitar; Eddie Jones – bass; Sonny Payne – drums; bonus track.
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra- All My Yesterdays (The Debut 1966 Recordings At The Village Vanguard) Despite the fact that this CD set doesn't fit in my CD rack I really appreciate the oversized packaging (approx. 1" taller). Makes the almost 90 page booklet a joy, rather than a chore to read. I think Resonance is on to something here. Wish other companies would package their historical box sets with extensive liner notes etc. in such a manner.
Changing things up in order to get my weekly Swedish jazz fix. Torbjörn Zetterberg Hot Five – Förtjänar Mer Uppmärksamhet Nice post-bop. Very much worth seeking out IMHO. Apropos of nothing in particular other than the fact that I like these pictures of TZ. "Jazz In Strange Places"
