Contemplazione

47 did not ask which jazz albums are historically the most important (Armstrong, Morton, Ellington, Beiderbecke, Basie, Tatum etc. etc.), but just for some albums to approach this music! My previous list still stands, but let’s put it this way: if I could save only 3 (let’s make it 4) items from my jazz collection from the flames, I would choose these wonderful box sets that represent true work in progress live recordings by the most evolved groups in my opinion: 1) Miles Davis - The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 (8cd, with the QUINTET); 2) John Coltrane - The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (4cd, with the QUARTET + Eric Dolphy); 3) Bill Evans - The Complete Live At The Village Vanguard 1961 (3cd, with the TRIO. It includes "Waltz For Debby" and "Sunday At The Village Vanguard," plus an unreleased track, and restores the concert order); 4) Keith Jarrett - At The Blue Note The Complete Recordings 1994 (6cd, with the TRIO. The peak of Jarrett's "jazzism"). But if I had thirty (actually 40) euros to spend, I would go buy: 1) Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue; 2) John Coltrane - Crescent; 3) Michel Petrucciani - Trio In Tokyo

As for the Koln Concert, it's true that it doesn't have strictly jazz sounds, but I believe it can still be recommended in jazz contexts for several reasons: 1) it is improvised from beginning to end; 2) at many points, there is the pattern: theme exposition-variations, like in any jazz standard (from this perspective, even Bach and Beethoven in the Goldberg Variations and Diabelli Variations can be considered "proto-jazzists"); 3) Jarrett is a complex artist, and I believe it's worth starting with his solo piano works to better understand his true nature. Why the Koln Concert and not Vienna, La Scala, Bremen, and Lausanne, etc..? Simply put: it's more immediate! And that was a "list" to get started, so I thought it was right to recommend that one. Perhaps one can also start with the Paris Concert, you know...(but it’s even less jazzy).

Dear happy Pippo, buying a CD is always an expensive practice, and going randomly is not likely to be helpful most of the time! Given that it’s an endless universe, one risks spending money without receiving the corresponding auditory and cultural reward. And perhaps after getting "screwed," instead of getting closer to jazz, the disappointed novice might drift away. In doing so, they miss the opportunity to enrich themselves, and jazz loses an admirer, which harms its future presence in the market. Art must be supported, but our wallet must also be supported; therefore, it’s better to buy the “basic” records first, or records that are not too demanding. For example, if someone has primarily listened to rock up until the day before, and then randomly purchases Coltrane’s "Ascension," what impression will they have of John? Will they recommend him to their friends? Will they buy more of John’s records? Perhaps yes, but most likely no. Let’s be clear, the album is a masterpiece, but for certain things, I believe some preparation is needed beforehand. Even trusting the album covers seems like a superficial piece of advice! Many beautiful albums have covers that are not appealing at all; take for example the Prestige albums from the '50s. What should we do, trust you and disregard them? Conversely, attractive covers do not always correspond to quality, ESPECIALLY in the case of Blue Note. Blue Note often produced very evocative covers, thanks largely to Francis Wolff, Alfred Lion's partner and a great photographer, who captured the musicians beautifully. But the truth is, the authentic masterpieces from Blue Note are not that many...

Thank you 47! If you're a novice to jazz, I would recommend starting with something else by Miles, such as "Milestones," "Kind Of Blue"; something by John Coltrane: "Giant Steps," "My Favorite Things"; by Charles Mingus: "Pithecanthropus Erectus," "The Clown"; Sonny Rollins: "Saxophone Colossus," "A Night At Village Vanguard"; Bill Evans: "Explorations"; Keith Jarrett: "The Koln Concert"; Lee Morgan: "The Sidewinder"; Horace Silver: "Song For My Father." These are titles you simply cannot be unfamiliar with, perfect for getting started. They'll also be useful for learning the "rules of the game," the syntax of modern jazz. After that, the rule-breaking by the QUINTETTO will be more understandable and enjoyable. (In fact, the albums I recommended are all pretty mainstream, but then again, if someone asks you about Beethoven, are you really going to recommend the Ninth just to seem snobby?)

Holy shit, how angry you all are... sorry, but I don’t understand anything about the internet and I didn’t know there was a profile for introductions! It seemed rude to not say something about myself and just start writing, like an "intruder"... Alright, I won’t do that again! Anyway, when I say I’m a TRUE lover of Music, it’s not to show off, but because it really is the greatest passion of my life. Plus, I find that there are many FALSE lovers of music out there, who, while bragging about being experts, lack the sensitivity to truly immerse themselves in the Contemplation of Beauty, and abuse Kind Of Blue just to get attention and voice their nonsense (a certain NouQuito, for example, but there are many inaccurate, superficial, and moreover presumptuous "reviews" I’ve come across that reveal ignorance on the subject and a lack of love for music). I thank Odradek and OleEinar for understanding my intentions! Thanks also to PiccoloJedi, Uxo, and Bartleboom for appreciating and/or at least partially sharing my point of view and emotions about the album. Regarding Peterwanz, who says: "I give it a 3 because it didn’t transmit anything to me except what he thinks of the album." I feel like asking you: if it’s MY review, shouldn’t it convey what the fruit vendor thinks about it? A review is, by definition, an object seen from a subject (therefore, what they think). Cheers!

I recommend to everyone the version by the great Pierre Fournier. This gentleman has the ability to create silence.