I asked friends who I know have listened to jazz for a long time to come up with their own Desert Island lists, five albums they’d like to take to a desert island if they knew it would be the only music they’d hear for a long time forward.
Here are responses from Mark R. in upstate New York and Jim L. in Cleveland. I met Mark in the summer of 1977. My last year in Ithaca, NY, we talked about jazz often and we still talk about it by email forty years later –we’ve traded recordings from time to time. I met Jim two and a half years ago when we began looking for a place in Cleveland near our son Jeremy. Jim had been Jeremy’s realtor and he became ours. He always has jazz records stacked up to play in his car as he drives around. He and I went to hear clarinetist Anat Cohen last summer, in a double bill with guitarist Diego Figueiredo, and he joined Jeremy and me at Nighttown for Joe Lovano and later on, Charlie Hunter. Nephew Matt Smith was there for Hunter as well.
John Coltrane, “Wise One,” from Crescent (1967)
Mark’s list:
Dave: Here are my five desert isle picks:
- John Coltrane: Crescent -largely for the great song said to be a tribute to Eric Dolphy: “Wise One.” The entire disc has a tranquil vibe, which almost makes me want to take instead Live at Birdlandwhich alternates the live controlled chaos of “Afro-Blue” with “Alabama” and the elegant song and dance man styling of “Your Lady.
- No problem with the decision for Miles: Live-Evil. I have loved this since I owned the vinyl back before I met you. [Mark and I met in the summer of dk]Highlights include the great Gary Bartz on sax, John McLaughlin onguitar, and the recitation at the end of one tune. Just stunning stuff.
- Cecil Taylor: Spring of Two Blue-Jays, which has the solo piece by Cecil and the great other tune with his traditional mates Jimmy Lyons and Andrew Cyrille, augmented by Sirone on bass (and one can actually hear him at times.) Lots to ponder and delight in here.
- Keith Jarrett: Bremen-Lausanne Concerts,largely for the opening of the Bremen piece which at times rivals the complex beauty of Debussy. I could do without Jarrett’s comments in the liner notes. It was a self-conscious period for him. I recall that he apologized for his work on Kenny Wheeler’s Gnu High. Maybe Keith thought he didn’t have enough rehearsal time; Wheeler seemed to think his work on the disc was first-rate.
- Milton Nascimento: A Barca dos Amantes. From the title tune to the live in Brazil work on “Nos Dois” with Wayne Shorter to “Amor Indio,” Milton’s voice is spell-binding, his band is totally committed and of course, Shorter gives the songs a perfect edge.
Milton Nacimiento, “A Barca dos Amantes”
And Jim’s:
Very difficult exercise. Getting down to five is near impossible. Music has truly been in the background throughout my life. Consequently, I cannot divorce the music from what was going on in my life at the time I first heard it. I am 65 now and making the “Desert List” brings a flood of emotions and memories. I could not separate the music from where my life was. Consequently, this became a reflection on my life using the music.
- Beatles, Abbey Road. In one of the first gutsy decisions in my life, and probably one of the right ones, I chose to leave public school and went to a boys’ Catholic high school. It challenged me academically and spiritually. But make no mistake, I sacrificed socially. I was a frustrated, moody teenager but it was a great experience. One of the guys I ate lunch with that first year had a relative in the record distribution business. He ordered us advance copies of Abbey Road. Great album, and I truly loved the entire second side from “Here Comes The Sun” to “Her Majesty.” And let us remember, “and in the end, the Love you take, is equal to the Love you make.” Good memories.
- Bill Evans, Live at the Village Vanguard. Evans was bound to make this list. I hate knowing he was such a conflicted soul because his music did (and does) so much to sooth my soul during difficult periods. Explorations could have made the list on “Nardis” alone. Great song. Or one of Bill’s last albums, You Must Believe in Spring, could have made the list. I have played the hell out of the album ever since I got it. It is always in the background. But I chose the Village Vanguard sessions. Bill was younger and not nearly as pained as he was later. The trio included Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. The interplay among the three of them is amazing. To me the music is both thoughtful and passionate. I got the album in a bad time and spent a few nights alone, letting Bill ground me and prepare me to love.
- Antonio Carlos Jobim, Getz/Gilberto. Jobim was also a lock for this list. I remember hearing “Girl from Ipanema” as a 10-year-old. I liked it. It was different. It was cool. My drum teacher tried to teach me the bossa nova rhythm; but my desire to play rock-n-roll kept getting in the way. One day after college I picked up Jobim’s Stone Floweralbum on CTI, partly because Carlos Santana played a version of “Stone Flower” on his album Caravanserai. I loved the album and started diving into Jobim’s music. I finally bought Getz/Gilbertoand was really surprised to hear “The Girl from Ipanema.“ Surprisingly, that was hardly my favorite song on the album. Jobim has been on the front end of my playlist ever since. I also can’t help but think Jobim helped the nerdy that I was to eventually seduce my future wife. Those were good times.
- Pat Metheny, Question and Answer. I have been listening to Metheny ever since his Watercolorsand New Chautauquaalbums in the 70’s and early 80’s. I have always liked his playing. I feel he brings a bigger concept to each song or album he makes. Sometimes it is in his compositions, sometimes it is in the people who he brings in to play with him. This particular album was a trio including Dave Holland and Roy Haynes. Most of the compositions are Pat’s, the playing is amazing, and it has always been easy for me to connect to it. But I, also, got this album at an important time in my life. I wasn’t a particularly mature man when I was younger. Cath and I spent the early years of our marriage really having a good time. Suddenly I found myself with a mortgage, two kids, and a not very secure job. I got serious, made some hard choices about life, and pushed forward. I got an MBA, got serious about my career, and even my spirituality. I struggled for the next 15 years; but things finally came together. That album reminds me about those choices and eventually getting it right.
- Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. This choice may be trite for some. But seriously, this could well be the greatest jazz album ever. I got my first copy as a senior in college. Since then I have gone through four additional copies. It conjures up tons of memories. About fifteen years ago, I read a book about the making of the album. It addressed how the players got to the session and how Miles led the session. Shortly after the session, the group split up with everyone reaching out on their own. There is virtually no additional tape from the session because most of the tunes were done in one take. To this day, I turn to “All Blues” on the second side to relax and escape from the stress of the day.
Bill Evans, “My Foolish Heart”
That’s my five. Maybe I made too much of the exercise, but that’s how it hit me. Every day I thank God for the gift of good music.
Here’s my back up list:
- Chick Corea, Return To Forever(on ECM)
- Horace Silver, Song for My Father
- John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
- Thelonius Monk, Straight No Chaser(on Columbia)
- Weather Report, Heavy Weather
- Tony Petrucciani, Darn that Dream(with sons Michel and Louis)
- Jazz Crusaders, Free as the Wind
- Steely Dan, Aja
- Bobby Watson, Love Remains
- Dave Brubeck, Time Out
MUSIC & ME 