Monday, August 15, 2011

John Coltrane - Interstellar Space

Interstellar Space

Recorded in 1967, Interstellar Space is a highly energetic album of free jazz. The album has some really amazing playing with saxophonist John Coltrane and drummer Rashied Ali. This duet suite is "Mars", "Venus", "Jupiter", "Saturn", "Leo", and "Jupiter variation". This is one of my favorite jazz albums. I also like his A Love Supreme and Ascension albums.

John Coltrane - Ascension

Ascension

John Coltrane's 1966 album Ascension is unlike any other. It is mostly avant-garde jazz. The album starts with an ensemble, then a musician has a solo which last a few minutes each, then an ensemble again, then another solo from another musician... . Edition I and II are about 40 minutes each. The album has to be listened to several times to fully hear all that is going on. John Coltrane – tenor saxophone, Freddie Hubbard, Dewey Johnson – trumpet, Marion Brown, John Tchicai - alto saxophone, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp - tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner - piano, Art Davis, Jimmy Garrison - bass, and Elvin Jones - drums. I also like his A Love Supreme and Interstellar Space albums.

Ella Fitzgerald - The Best of the Song Books

The Best of the Song Books

Ella Fitzgerald was one of the best jazz vocalists ever. This great collection of her songs is from the 50s and 60s. Some of my favorites are "Something's Gotta Give", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Love for Sale", "Midnight Sun", and "Hooray for Love".