It is easy to gather a list of "essential jazz recordings" from books and jazz websites. That is a great way to build a solid jazz library, and I have been using it. But such a list inevitably includes disks that are famous just because they are famous, and leaves out some splendid recordings that are not famous because they never became famous.
One such recording is Triple Scoop, a two disk set that includes three previously released Concord lps. Monty Alexander plays piano. I first heard him on a wonderful PBS special, with Red Mitchell playing bass. The words that come to mind when I think of his playing all involve light: bright, luminous, sparkling.
Herb Ellis plays guitar. I am not so fond of jazz guitar as I used to be, but I still have a special affection for Ellis. I heard him play once somewhere in Southern California in 1984. Another jazz guitar player, Lenny Breau, was murdered, and a small army of jazzmen put on a concert on behalf of his widow. Ellis never achieved the fame I think he deserved. He played with more feeling, more molecular awareness of each guitar string, than anyone else I ever had the pleasure of listening to. My brother, who actually plays guitar, was visiting me, and the two of us will never forget the low light reflecting off of Ellis's guitar.
Ray Brown plays bass. I got to see him play with guitarist Joe Pass in a back street Los Angeles jazz club. Brown radiated good humor, which was a good thing since Joe Pass didn't like the sound system and basically refused to play during the second set. But the first set was magnificent. I remember being amazed that Brown's large fingers could translate his genius so effectively to the bass strings. When we left the LA streets were wet and a fog had set in. I was in a jazz movie.
Triple Scoop is a treasure. You won't find more poetic interpretations of But Not For Me, Straighten Up and Fly Right, or It Might As Well Be Spring. But what makes it all the more extraordinary is the quality of the recording. Brown's bass slithers and bumps along, with Ellis laying soft cords down behind it, and Alexander shining along until he can break into song. And every little whisper of the three players is audible, along with the audience chatter and applause. It's a jazz club in a box.
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