The great thing about vinyl albums is that they make you listen to them the way a record was supposed to be listened to. With about 18 minutes a side, you put on the disc, sit down, star at the liner notes or cover photo, and soak in what is being played. What could be easier?
Here are the two latest vintage albums that make you create a balm for your ears.
Before forming his “classic” quartet, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck was looking for the right rhythm team for his alto saxist Paul Desmond. This 1953 concert at Oberlin College comes pretty close to the perfect fit with drummer Lloyd Davis and bassist Ron Crotty. And for t hose of you out there that think Brubeck was not hip, just get a load of his outside solo on “These Foolish Things”. WHEW! Desmond blows icicle rings on “Stardust” and “The Way You Look Tonight” and the band swings like there’s no tomorrow on “Perdido” and “How High The Moon”. Who needs “Take Five”?!?
One of the most influential pianists in jazz, Bill Evans recorded his most influential album in 1961 with his most influential bassist (Scott La Faro) and drummer (Paul Motian) creating a truly Desert Island Disc. What LaFaro does with the bass is able to free Evans’ left hand up to explore uncharted waters as on “Gloria’s Step” and “Solar” while LaFaro’s own “Jade Visions” is still a mind altering performance. Evans is in total romantic form on “Alice In Wonderland” and bends and flexes “Solar” to the point where it becomes a member of Cirque du Soleil. Why don’t you have this album yet?!?