And there was a dance. There always will be a dance when music never stops. I walk into a clouded jazz bar in New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, and many more locations. Music rhymes dance. Dance rhymes dance. And there will be a feast. 
Friday Night in San Francisco - This amazing live recording of (quite possibly) the three greatest known acoustic guitarists of our time is a dazzling display of three unique artists at thier peak of performance together. Recorded 16 years prior the thier "guitar trio" album (also a goodie!) "Friday Night in San Francisco" is a fast-paced, dynamic exploration of live music. 
Studio Chronicle 1940-1948 - This set is a MUST have for ANY Parker fan. The first half of disc one is a bit "muddy" as it was a record from 1940 and shows it. I feel that this set showcases some of the most important stuff parker did. Why buy this you say? well it has FIVE cds packed full of material that is WELL worth the price here! This is a good set for any NEW listeners getting into Parker and PURE gold for the Parker Fan! I can't get over how much stuff you get for such a LOW price! There are liner notes in each individual cd that spans 1940-1941 on disc one, 1941-1945 disc two, 1945-1947 disc three, 1947 disc four to finally 1947-1948 for disc five. The ONLY complaint I have is the box that holds the cds, it is VERY flimsy and won't last long it doesn't protect the cds well and my first and last disc cases were severly cracked. The box doesnt really do much for you anyway right? After all you don't listen to the box do you? A MUST have for Charlie Parker fans! 
Birth of the Cool - Even more than John Coltrane, Miles Davis' cultural icon status has overshadowed his music. So it's worth mentioning that he was a masterful trumpet player who explored the instrument's lower register and tended to play slower, more lyrical lines, often deeply melancholy, rather than the showers of high notes of Dizzy Gillespie and his imitators. If you're new to Miles it's easy to get confused, as he released a multitude of records during a 45-year career, in a bewildering array of different styles. Davis was at the center of almost every movement in modern jazz (except he skipped "free jazz"): early be-bop (he played with Charlie Parker in 1945); the "cool" sound; hard bop; orchestral experimentation; the "modal revolution"; fusion. He also played with most of the key jazz artists of the post-war period, and is probably the single artist who best represents the winding course jazz has taken. | |
