Most beautiful jazz ballad ever played......
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Thanks to all who are contributing on this thread. I am not a huge jazz fan—prefering melodic songs I can follow. Really improvisational tracks often leave me scratching my head thinking “play something you know” and “go practice somewhere else.”
But well recorded ballads are a favorite, and jazz ballads can really touch the soul. I look forward to listening to all the cuts mentioned here.
But well recorded ballads are a favorite, and jazz ballads can really touch the soul. I look forward to listening to all the cuts mentioned here.
Hi Bobvin
You might wish to try Oscar Peterson who did numerous jazz albums dedicated to: Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, West Side Story, etc. Listening to these, you get jazz but where he has remained recognizeably faithful to the original tunes. Sometimes you get jazz which is such an abstract of the original tune, that the original tune is unrecognizeable. Not so here. If you like Bernstein, Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter...or at least want to hear jazz where you can easily recognize the underlying original tunes, you might give a few a try.
He actually did one album per composer which also helps in case you happen to like one of these.
You might wish to try Oscar Peterson who did numerous jazz albums dedicated to: Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, West Side Story, etc. Listening to these, you get jazz but where he has remained recognizeably faithful to the original tunes. Sometimes you get jazz which is such an abstract of the original tune, that the original tune is unrecognizeable. Not so here. If you like Bernstein, Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter...or at least want to hear jazz where you can easily recognize the underlying original tunes, you might give a few a try.
He actually did one album per composer which also helps in case you happen to like one of these.
A lot of what's being posted here challenges the definition of a Jazz ballad. Here's an interesting discussion on the topic:
If there's only 1 jazz musician I'm taking to a desert island, it's Oscar (with apologies to John Coltrane). The albums you mentioned are all wonderful indeed. Oscar's playing is reason alone to believe there is a God.
Yes, Oscar deserves better recognition. Maybe cause he wasn't part of the US Jazz scene of the mid 20th century (he spent much of his time in Europe), but I put him in my top three Jazz Pianists EVER. That he wasn't mentioned in the Ken Burn's JAZZ doc is, well, just sad...
Not sure I understand. The only people who don't know about Oscar Peterson are....Martians? or people from another planet? Not too bad for a Canadian pianist!
Wow...super glad to be reading this! I have over 20 CDs of his! Listening to him right now! Complete coincidence by the way! Hi My Fair Lady/Porgy & Bess/Fiorello album...24-bit remastered CD....
I love Oscar Peterson.... but for ballad playing on the piano Bill Evans is still my number one;
To me, Bill Evans is impeccable & irreplaceable.
I own nearly all versions of silver discs of albums of him.
SACD versions are the best sonic performers for sure.
My breakfast today :
CK
I agree the Analog Productions masters are Epic. Can you recommend masterings of the other sets of the Village Vanguard recordings?
All reissues of Analogue Productions are of outstanding quality. They often can get very early masters and the remastering/production is by experts and done meticulously.
Very very safe choices.
However it's fun to persue the rarer Japan domestic market limited editions/versions.
The sacd market is still very active in Japan and the music lovers there have taste!
There are a lot of treasures to discover , such as the single-layer SHM-SACD version (the right-sided one) on #33.
Treasure hunts does give hits & fits. Some brands are to be considered carefully before taking our credit cards out, such as the sacd reissues from Tower Records Japan branch.
They have very good taste in selecting music for sacd reissue but the sonics is very often mediocre.
Please surf the Japanese webshops of Tower Records and HMV.
Great fun!
Very very safe choices.
However it's fun to persue the rarer Japan domestic market limited editions/versions.
The sacd market is still very active in Japan and the music lovers there have taste!
There are a lot of treasures to discover , such as the single-layer SHM-SACD version (the right-sided one) on #33.
Treasure hunts does give hits & fits. Some brands are to be considered carefully before taking our credit cards out, such as the sacd reissues from Tower Records Japan branch.
They have very good taste in selecting music for sacd reissue but the sonics is very often mediocre.
Please surf the Japanese webshops of Tower Records and HMV.
Great fun!
Both Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans have albums available on 15ips 2 track tapes. They were a series of six albums that OP did in Germany for MPS Records in the mid-sixties under the general title "Exclusively for My Friends." The individual albums were titled Action, Girl Talk, Mellow Mood, My Favorite Instrument, The Way I Really Play, and Travellin' On. The tapes I purchased from Horch House were copies of the master tapes that they made under an agreement with MPS. This was back in 2014. I have another OP album on 15ips 2 track tape. That album is entitled Night Train.
Bill Evans famed Waltz for Debby was one of the first 10 releases by the Tape Project, copies made from a one-inch running master taken from the original master tape by Paul Stubblebine. The music is wonderful and the atmospherics of the Village Vanguard, with clinking glasses, etc. makes you feel that you are there. In addition to that tape, I was fortunate to get the companion album, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, which is shown above as a safety master tape. The Waltz for Debby is still available through the Tape Project.
Larry
Bill Evans famed Waltz for Debby was one of the first 10 releases by the Tape Project, copies made from a one-inch running master taken from the original master tape by Paul Stubblebine. The music is wonderful and the atmospherics of the Village Vanguard, with clinking glasses, etc. makes you feel that you are there. In addition to that tape, I was fortunate to get the companion album, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, which is shown above as a safety master tape. The Waltz for Debby is still available through the Tape Project.
Larry
Great stuff...the MPS recordings were among the earlier Oscar Peterson albums we bought...incredibly well recorded/mastered. Night Train was the very first Oscar Peterson album! As Waltz for Debby for Bill Evans. Just picked up Evans in England which was recorded live at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London.
Here is a brand new album that I have been enjoying this weekend it is an intimate and very melodic solo album from Toots Thielemans' pianist Mike Del Ferro.
Superbly well recorded. Highly recommended and on introduction offer at this moment.
Skylark - Mike del Ferro
"In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra."
Superbly well recorded. Highly recommended and on introduction offer at this moment.
Skylark - Mike del Ferro "In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra."
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