100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#12) Woody Herman Live with Eddie Condon

#12 - Woody Herman with Eddie Condon - Blues 'Round My Head - Live at City Hall in NY - January 27, 1945


These choruses, sung and played on clarinet by Woody Herman, are barely over two minutes worth of music, but enough to show the brilliance of a man better known for his band leadership than his solo playing. A must listen for anyone.

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#11) Django Reinhardt 1939

#11 - Django Reinhardt - J'Attendrai - Live 1939

To be at one with your instrument, where your musical thought is so linked to what you're doing it's as natural as breathing: this is one of the goals of a jazz musician. The great ones exhibit it on such a high level you can actually see it, which is probably why Miles Davis stated he could judge how good a musician was by how he stood, or how he held his horn. Of all the examples of this, none is more obvious than Django, so in a sense this is not just something everyone should hear, but everyone should see.

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#10) Billie Holiday

#10 - Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Buster Bailey, Freddie Green, Walter Page, Jo Jones

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but for me arguably the finest jazz ever recorded was by Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday in the 1930s. The records are an anthology of the absolute finest musicians, playing in the most relaxed, warm, intelligent manner. Every one seems a gem, and this one is typical of the beauty and soul of what they accomplished. As far as I'm concerned, this is what jazz should be.

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#9) Bill Coleman

#9 - Bill Coleman - St James Infirmary - Live in Paris, 1952

There are so many great recordings of 'St James Infirmary', it would be impossible to choose a 'best' version, which is part of the reason this is not a 'best of' or 'greatest' list. Bill Coleman's live version from 1952, however, is one that everyone should know about. Not only is his warm, masterful trumpet on display, but his vocal too, which is among the very finest in interpreting this classic.

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#8) Sidney Bechet in 1946

#8 - Sidney Bechet - 'Bechet's Fantasy' - 1946

One of the finest soprano saxophone recordings ever captured; a perfect representation of Bechet's tonal beauty and melodic mastery. Jazz doesn't get better than this.

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#7) Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall 1938

#7 - Benny Goodman * Live at Carnegie Hall * Sing Sing Sing * January 16, 1938

Considered by many to be the most important jazz concert ever given, "Sing Sing Sing" was the symphonic capstone to a monumental evening. The band's virtuosity is full throttle, from Benny's solo presence (which remarkably runs a range of emotion from commanding to introspective to almost prayerful), to career defining moments by Gene Krupa, Harry James, and Jess Stacy. 

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]

100 Jazz Tunes Everyone Should Hear (#6) Jimmie Noone Live

#6 - Jimmie Noone Live at the Yes Yes Club * July 17, 1941 * Honeysuckle Rose

The master of the Albert System, Jimmie Noone set a new technical standard for the jazz clarinet, influencing nearly all who followed, including the likes of Barney Bigard, Benny Goodman, Edmond Hall, Pete Fountain and countless others.

Here is a late live recording demonstrating his beautiful tone, it's warmth, muscularity, and inventiveness.   

[ This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it representative of the "most important" or "best." Instead, following Duke Ellington's adage that the greatest music and musicians are "beyond category", I'm starting 2020 by sharing 100 jazz tunes I feel everyone should have the chance to hear--really just tunes and performances that I love. ]