CD-Charts Position 1
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Time Further Out

by: Dave Brubeck Quartet

Release Date November 11, 1996
I first bought this album over 40 years ago! I would thoroughly recommend it for lovers of Paul Desmond, particularly Bluesette, Far More Blues & Blue Shadows...

CD-Charts Position 2
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Kind of Blue

by: Miles Davis

Release Date April 07, 1997
It has already been said here that this album is usually found in non-jazz fans' collections alongside Bob Marley's greatest hits and most probably David Gray's entire ouvre. Perhaps it stands sentry there unplayed, just so its spine can be read, head tilted sideways, begging to impress upon whoever it is browsing through their collection some ill-gotten measure of sophistication? Perhaps they did play it once then decided no, they were right about jazz all along?

Modal, understated, and (aaargh!) cool, or tedious, cicuitous and under-cooked? Amongst aficionados, the most fiercely debated issue with the session is whether you are appreciating it at the correct pitch (an issue with the tape playback speed when it was mastered). That ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Somethin' Else: Remastered

by: Cannonball Adderley

Release Date April 05, 1999
Somethin' Else: Remastered

Quite by chance I caught just three or four bars of the theme of "Autumn Leaves" on the radio. It was so obviously Miles, and at his very best. I immediately decided, on the basis of that brief snatch of melody, to try to get the CD. But it was not easy to run it down as, of course, the band was under the (nominal) leadership of Cannonball Adderley.

This is a wonderful CD with all players on top form and I heartily endorse what other reviewers have said. It is worth its modest price just for that exposition of the beautiful "Autumn Leaves" theme!

CD-Charts Position 4
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Birth of The Cool

by: Miles Davis

Release Date January 08, 2001
I own several of MD's album - my personal favourite being Sketches of Spain. This album, which is rather dull, I made the mistake of buying on the basis of the track Rocker on a compilation. It's dificult to describe, but to me the sound is too undifferenciated to let the melodies and tune speak. It is an ambient album. Pleasant, but doesn't set the blood racing. Instead, buy in A Silent Way, Sketches... or Kind of Blue.....Or better yet by the Best of Blue Note Comp' - not a duff track on it

CD-Charts Position 5
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Maiden Voyage: Remastered

by: Herbie Hancock

Release Date June 14, 1999
Like the sea itself, Maiden Voyage is vast and epic- flirting with adventure and myth. It is Herbie Hancock's tour de force- what the wonderous Speak No Evil was to his Blue Note peer, Wayne Shorter- ie. representing the composer/pianist at his imaginitive peak. We can only imagine what kind of zone Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman, Ron Carter and Tony Williams must have been during the recording of this masterpiece- so wonderfully coherent yet brimming with subtle musical conflict. And Hancock's playing is simply majestic.

The opening track is stunningly simple- you might feel a little uninspired by the low-key opening, but then, all of a sudden, it all opens out beautifully during the trumpet solo. This short flourish embodies the enitre ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Mingus Ah Um

by: Charles Mingus

Release Date February 08, 1999
This is a rarity - a Mingus album with no duff tracks at all - everything is spot-on.The eclecticism of the music and its execution are breathtaking - if you need music to wake you up, try Boogie Stop Shuffle (so that's where they got the Mission Impossible theme from!).The gentler side of Mingus emerges beautifully on the slower tracks such as Pork Pie Hat.As for the recording - how did they manage such stunning sound? OK,it's remastered, but compare it to Monk CDs from the same time and it leaves them behind - vibrant,balanced,clear and dynamic - a must-buy!

CD-Charts Position 7
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Moanin': Remastered

by: Art Blakey

Release Date May 03, 1999
This is the sort of Jazz you'll hear in (coffee) bars. More emphasis on the (drum) beat than, for instance, in Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue'. Excellent playing, original compositions. Title track is one of the all time classic, instantly recognisable jazz tracks.
No freak rythms but big bouncy jazz. Classic album on par with the aforementioned. Better still, less 'cool' and less 'boring'(can one really say this?) than many of Miles late 50's and early 60's stuff. Recommended as an introduction or addition to the uniniated of jazz (like me). Can't be disappointing.

CD-Charts Position 8
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A Love Supreme

by: John Coltrane

Release Date November 07, 2005
OK, it's 1964, and Bebop has come a long way. We are six years after Coltrane recorded Kind of Blue with Miles, and it would be another five years before Miles records the next milestone: In A Silent Way. Tunes seem to be getting longer and longer...and with A Love Supreme John Coltrane finally produces a recording that gives himself free rein to really explore the furthest recesses from seed ideas, and just go with them. This is a very spiritual album, there seem to be no constraints.
Most of the four tunes begin with a basic theme, which is quickly jettisoned as Coltrane's creative juices start to flow.
There are some astounding sections on this CD, the musicians almost seem to be jostling for position at the mic, and yet they meld organically together. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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The Sidewinder: Remastered

by: Lee Morgan

Release Date June 14, 1999
"The Sidewinder," is probably Jazz's,"Smells like Teen Spirit." It's undeniably brilliant but it's been so over-exposed, covered and plagiarised down the years that it's genius is no longer instantly apparent. The extended blues track became something of an anchorism for Blue Note, it's a shame because there is some truly wonderful playing on this track, Morgans's ranging trumpet and another set defining performance by Joe Henderson on sax. I prefer to analyse the title track in conjunction with the other brilliant peices of music on this record. You have the hypnotic "Totem Pole," and it's alternate version which somehow manages to be even better. It merges beautifully into the funky,"Gary's Notebook." Higgin's drumwork constantly helps Morgan and Henderson cut the groove. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall

by: Dave Brubeck

Release Date May 07, 2001
I have listened to quite a few quality Jazz albums of late (including Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, etc.) but this one really is a masterpiece! The cover includes an interview with G.T. Simon, Jazz Commentator of the NY Herald Tribune at the time, and gives great insight into the special nature of that night. "Then suddenly it happened - right after the start of the third number. Don't ask why. Probably nobody can explain it. But it happened all right, and what had begun as quite a good Brubeck concert burst abruptly into a truly great one." The entire story is well worth the read. The musicians are not merely playing, they are preaching, and convincing, and so full of life and energy! It is almost impossible to interrupt a piece to go and do something, answer ... Read More: