See a previous post for an explanation of my favorite things.
A note on music: I know that we are now living in the post-album age. Single-song downloads are now the way of the industry, but I have a record player, and I reserve the right to present my favorites in my favorite (long) form. There are plenty of artists and songs that I would consider favorites, but I left them off of this list in favor of favorite albums. My music preferences change regularly, so even as I finish this list, I feel like there are artists and albums to whom I am giving short shrift. Maybe I'll write more about them later.
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane (jazz)
Coltrane's gift to God. This 45-minute-long jazz suite is one of the most moving pieces of music I've ever listened to. I try to only listen to it when I have the time to play it start to finish, with no interruptions. It is truly a religious experience. One of the highlights is, near the end of the first track, where Coltrane chants "A Love Supreme" over and over and over again.
Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan (folk/rock)
So many people have written so much about this album. Dylan himself seemed perplexed that so many people liked it. I myself am not sure why I like it so much. But I know I do.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - The Cannonball Adderley Quintet (jazz)
If you're going to start listen to jazz, this is a great album to start with. Adderley and his band infuse their bop-era album with the intuitive rhythms and structures of gospel music, making the album both instantly accessible, and deep enough to listen to over and over again. The title track is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I was fortunate enough to get to perform it with a jazz combo and with the Balkan Brass Band. An interesting anecdote: The album is subtitled "Live at 'The Club.'" The story goes that Cannonball wanted to give a friend's club a boost in business, but couldn't record an album there, so they brought a bar, tables, chairs, and a crowd into the recording studio, and wrote up liner notes making it seem as though it had been recorded in a club. The crowd's reactions are, in part, what makes this album so memorable.
Night Train - Oscar Peterson (jazz)
This album sits at an interesting intersection of two of my favorite things: Jazz performance and swing dancing. This is one the first albums I listened to as I was learning to play jazz at Swarthmore (thanks to Dan Perelstein for recommending it and for burning me a copy). Greg Avakian and Laurie Zimmerman, swing dance teachers at Swat have also recommended this album as a great album to dance to. It provides a great introduction to jazz standards and the piano-trio form. I recommend "Hymn to Freedom" as a standout track.
We Shall Overcome (The Seeger Sessions) - Bruce Springsteen (folk)
Springsteen, in an unexpected career move, went and covered songs that had been written or popularized by folk music icon Pete Seeger. The instrumentation and arrangements (often on-the-fly -- in one track, you can here Springsteen calling out key changes as he plays) are tons of fun, and the songs are some great old-timey tunes. Nicole & I perform "Pay Me My Money Down" because we heard it on this album. If you're into swing dancing, some of these tracks are fun to dance to, particularly "Oh Mary Don't You Weep."
RUNNERS UP - I couldn't list my favorite music without listing two more artists: Bill Frisell and William Elliott Whitmore. They were left off because I couldn't pick a standout album for either one. Frisell does ambient-ish jazz guitar work, strongly influenced by folk and americana (but going far afield of that). Check out "History, Mystery," "The Willies," and "Gone, Just Like A Train." Whitmore does (mostly) solo singing and banjo playing. He's been known to tour with punk bands, convincing the audiences that they, too, enjoy roots music. His voice is reminiscent of Tom Waits and his songs are reminiscent of the old Delta bluesmen. Check out "Latitudes" and "Animals in the Dark."
No comments:
Post a Comment