the best jazz violin recording that I own, period. great compositions and performances throughout...

Cale stripped down and solo, with just his voice, piano, and acoustic guitar to make a statement with. simply brilliant; makes one realize just how worthless Lou Reed is in comparison.

here's one disc of completely enthralling duets by two legendary masters of their (multiple) instruments;

THE title to begin with if you're interested in checking out Coleman's work. while it doesn't explore his orchestral or electric sides, this package still certainly covers a great deal of ground, and what beautiful musical terrain it is...

why? the title cut. need I say more?

you've possibly noted that I've elsewhere skewered Miles's Complete On The Corner Sessions. that's not because I dislike the music contained therein, but because I hate the pricing of the package. at any rate, while not his first electric record, Bitches is still Miles's finest such offering, and, indeed, a truly landmark recording both compositionally and timbrally. love Bennie Maupin on here...

listen to In Dark Trees closely in the dark, dark, dark, sometime in the deepest depths of winter...

Galas solo at the piano doesn't disappoint, to be sure. nice vocal version of Ornette's Lonely Woman on here, and the rendition of My World Is Empty Without You on disc two is simply killer...

just gorgeous.

Holland's debut as a leader is, thirty-plus years later, still his finest recording.

all over the darn place and bloody brilliant. a must have not only for lovers of 70s era Jarrett, but also for Charlie Haden fans, whose playing throughout was and is nothing short of astounding...

the very best single disc of Kirk out there. it could do with some remastering, but still...

why? if only for Two Folk Songs. Brecker was simply smoking during the first part, and the latter portion features one of Haden's greatest solos.

yeah ... and another one of Mingus's greatest works is Three Worlds of Drums, the opening cut on Me, Myself an Eye. take it from someone who owns nearly his entire discography: late-period Mingus should not be devalued or ignored.

the best piano trio jazz ever recorded? perhaps.

the only "with strings" jazz saxophone record that matters, at least in this humble listener's opinion...

I stand corrected (if you've looked at this list before, you'll know what I'm talking about). THIS is the title that features McLaughlin at his blistering best. at any rate, just how can you go wrong with a coupling of both him and Santana in their primes, with Larry Young and Billy Cobham, among other greats, along for the ride?

good, cheap comp. hits the spot and then some.

early John Surman is far, far preferable to ECM, or, latter-day, John Surman. for that matter, early Barre Phillips and Stu Martin aren't all that bad, either.

and lastly, it was all downhill from here (although the two titles in their discography following this one are still indeed both quite good- the presence of Miroslav Vitous, perhaps?) ... much like Television's Marquee Moon, yet another example of a debut that simply couldn't be topped...