HQ guitar jazz recordings?
Apr 25, 2007 at 4:44 AM Post #17 of 39
Pat Metheny and Django are very different IMO. Mabey I haven't found the right Metheny CD but what I have heard is full of synthesizer.


I agree that it is tragic that Django's recordings are basically unlistenable by today's standards. I love his work but just don't enjoy listening to it. I have found that well recorded guitar is relatively rare. I like Grant Green and Wes Montgomery but several of their recordings have bad SQ as well. Even modern recordings many times don't have the guitar mic'ed correctly.

OP: Do you like Django's electric or acoustic work ?

Django basically played live in the studio (that's all there was back then.) So look for live recordings for the same level of spontenaity/improv.

For acoustic try this from a 2000 Django festival:

http://www.amazon.com/Django-Reinhar...477030&sr=1-19



For electric Jazz Guitar these are good live recordings where the guitar was mic'd properly:

Smokin' at the Half Note :Wynton kelly Wes Montgomery
Grant Green Alive!
Jim Hall - Live!
 
Apr 25, 2007 at 1:35 PM Post #19 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Pat Metheny and Django are very different IMO. Mabey I haven't found the right Metheny CD but what I have heard is full of synthesizer.


While I like Pat and have just about everything he has made I think he over-used the Guitar-synth too in his 1980's recordings (Unless you are referring to partner Lyle Mays use of synthesizers). In the latest from PMG, "The Way Up" , he is constantly switching guitars at the drop of a hat. Acoustic, baritone, electric, synth. The 67 minute adventure is a masterpiece!
 
Apr 25, 2007 at 4:04 PM Post #20 of 39
Johnny Smith Moonlight in Vermont is a great performance that's worth owning, but sure not HQ audio in the edition I've heard.

RLanger: dude! thanks for the reminder of that Jim Hall album! I totally forgot that album and haven't heard it in 20 years.

To the OP: One of my favorite guitar albums is Undercurrent by Bill Evans and Jim Hall. Not a demo quality album, but plenty good enough sound. May I also suggest audiophile editions (especially hq vinyl) of the Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass sessions.
 
Apr 25, 2007 at 4:12 PM Post #21 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by Nugget /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've run through a few Django Reinhardt albums, and they're at once wonderful and tragic -- wonderful because he was so clearly a genius, tragic because the recordings are uniformly in bad shape. The poor recordings have really killed it for me since joining HF, now that I can't help but seize on the imperfections.



Try listening to them on a classic mono tube hi fi. You'll be on the floor!

Also, make sure you have decent remasterings and not some out-of-copyright basement version.

Btw, some of the Stephane Grapelli groups were in the style of the Quintet of the Hot Club with quality guitarists such as Diz Disley taking Django's role. These aren't ground breaking, but they swing pretty hard and the audio quality is fine. You might want to give one or two a shot.
 
Apr 26, 2007 at 5:30 PM Post #23 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by zowie /img/forum/go_quote.gif
RLanger: dude! thanks for the reminder of that Jim Hall album! I totally forgot that album and haven't heard it in 20 years.


My pleasure, that's what this is all about. I think that album was out of print for quite sometime. I had it on cassette for the longest time, but could just never find it on CD until about 2 years ago.

I actually studied with Don Thompson (the bass player on that session) at York University here in Toronto. I didn't know that he was on the date because all I had was the cassette that someone had made for me. One day Don and I were at a gig together, and over dinner I was talking about how that recording was one of my all time favourites. He said, "thanks". I said "why"? He said, "cause that's me on the bass". I was blown away.
 
Apr 26, 2007 at 9:52 PM Post #24 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by zowie /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Johnny Smith Moonlight in Vermont is a great performance that's worth owning, but sure not HQ audio in the edition I've heard.


This Roost sessions boxset has the best sounding version I have heard, which I was lucky enough pick up last year. Still not head-fi high quality but beautiful music nonetheless
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http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinf...mber=216-MD-CD

As for Jim Hall, he is simply incredible.
I particularly enjoyed his albums with Sonny Rollins (The Bridge) and with Paul Desmond. Noone comps quite like Jim Hall.
 
Apr 27, 2007 at 12:01 AM Post #26 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by zowie /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Very cool story. If you see Don Thompson again you can tell him an anonymous guy on head-fi said An Evening at Charlie's is one of his favorite albums.


LoL, will do. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. He's that kind of guy.

Mel is pretty amazing on that date.

By the way, have you heard the Jim Hall album Circles? Don plays piano on the opening track and lays down an absolutely killer solo.

He is an amazing piano player, superb bass player, killer vibrophonist and can even keep time with the best of them on drums. The man is truly amazing.
 
May 11, 2007 at 4:23 AM Post #27 of 39
I'd recommend some recordings by Martin Taylor. I have 3 SACD's of his (all Hybrids so they will play on normal CDPs as well, they are HDCDs too if you have the equipment to decode them).

Maybe try 'Spirit of Django' first. They are not Django tunes but played in the way Martin believes Django would've tackled them. This one and Artistry are both Linn recordings so the quality is superb. The other one is called 'The Valley'.

Martin himself, is a world class guitarist. I have seen him play live twice, and it was amazing. Both times I saw him Hank Marvin from The Shadows was in the audience, that's how good Martin is. He can play arrangements for 3 guitars by himself, even playing his own bass lines.
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I think he has some dodgy stuff like Metheny with Synths etc which is best avoided, but I highly recommend these 3.

Maybe check out Larry Coryell too.
 
May 11, 2007 at 5:37 AM Post #28 of 39
I second rlanger's Jim Hall recommendations. By all means, don't forget his two duet albums with Bill Evans:
Undercurrent
and Intermodulation

And for something quite different but perhaps complimentary, how about some classic Reprise-era John Fahey. Nat Hentoff wrote the original liner notes for Of Rivers and Religion:
Of Reivers & Religion/After the Ball
 
May 11, 2007 at 1:57 PM Post #29 of 39
Continuing on the Jim Hall theme, Sonny Rollins - The Bridge is an obscenely good album, with some terrific contributions from Jim. One of my top 10 or so favorite jazz albums.
 
May 11, 2007 at 2:28 PM Post #30 of 39
Here are some of my favorite jazz guitar albums:

Wes Montgomery - Incredible Jazz Guitar
Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar
Jimmy Bruno - Like That
Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond (Ed Bickert on guitar)
Tal Farlow - The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow
 
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