Record Shrine

What would I be without:

Skip James: Complete 1931 Recordings (Yazoo)

Bukka White: 1937-40 (Travelin’ Man)

Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (Columbia)

Blind Lemon Jefferson: Complete Recordings in Chronological Order, Vol. I (Document)

(or the Yazoo anthology).

Son House, et al.: Son House and the Great Delta Blues Singers (Document)

Blind Willie Johnson: Praise God I’m Satisfied (Yazoo) or complete on Sony/Columbia.

Charlie Patton: Founder of the Delta Blues and King of the Delta Blues (both Yazoo)

Muddy Waters: any good Chess anthology (of which at present there are none.)

Howling Wolf: ditto

B.B. King any decent early anthology that includes “Sweet Sixteen”, “Woke Up This Morning”, etc.

B.B. King: Live At The Regal (MCA)

Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland: I Pity The Fool: Duke Recordings Vol. I (MCA)

Otis Rush: Original Cobra Recordings (I would add his handful of Chess recordings, which share a record with Albert King’s very mediocre Chess recordings).

Elmore James: The Very Best Of Elmore James (Rhino)

And:

Louis Armstrong – I keep meaning to spend more time in the 1940-1970 era, but a higher power keeps ordering me to listen to the 40+ discs worth of works from 1923-1943.

Charlie Parker: all.

Miles Davis: who else even comes close? 30+ essential, restless masterpieces on Columbia.

Boulez 2nd Piano Sonata, Webern Variations – Pollini, DG.  Kick out the jams!

Various: Mysteries of the Sabbath – Classic Cantorial Recordings 1907-47 (Yazoo).

Derek Bailey: Aida (reissued on Dexter’s Cigar)

Bob Dylan: World Gone Wrong (Columbia)

Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series (Columbia 3-CD box)

Chopin: Nocturnes – Artur Rubinstein, EMI recording, London, 1930’s.

Lucinda Williams (orig. Rough Trade, now Koch)

James Brown: Star Time (Polydor 4-CD box)

Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions (most recently issued as ‘Sunrise’, RCA)

Gil Evans: The Individualism of Gil Evans (Verve)

Roscoe Holcomb: The High Lonesome Sound.

Doc Boggs: Country Blues (Revenant)

Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite (RCA)

John Zorn: The Classic Guide to Strategy (Tzadik)

Peter Apfelbaum: Luminous Charms (Grammophone)

Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swinging Lovers (Capitol)

– Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely (Capitol)

Led Zeppelin: all.

Miles Davis: who else even comes close? 30+ essential, restless masterpieces on Columbia.

Rolling Stones: Exiles On Main Street

Clarence Carter: Snatchin’ It Back: the best of (Rhino)

Carter: Symphony of Three Orchestras – Boulez, NYP with/Varese, (Sony)

Carter: Triple Duo – The Fires of London, Nonesuch LP, CD reissue on Wergo.

Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (Motown).

Shakti, with John McLaughlin – the first record, live (Columbia)

Jukebox Jury:

Geeshie Wiley: Last Kind Word Blues (on Mississippi Blues, Vol. 1, Document)

Cecil Taylor: Port of Call (on The World of Cecil Taylor, Candid).

Gangstarr: Words I Manifest (12″ remix)

Dizzy Gillespie: Things To Come (big band, 1946; orig. on Musicraft, various re-issues)

Jelly Roll Morton: Tricks Ain’t Walking No More (a cappella!) (on Wining’ Boy Blues, Rounder)

Jimmy Bertrand’s Washboard Wizards (w/ Armstrong and Dodds): Easy Come Easy Go Blues

Bobby Blue Bland: I Pity The Fool (orig. Duke, now MCA)

Billie Holiday (w/ Lester Young): Fine and Mellow (from “The Sound of Jazz”, NBC TV) (not the recording on the official Columbia record, recorded two days before the TV taping).

Bob Dylan: Visions of Johanna (solo, live 1966)

Hot Lips Page: Old Yazoo (private acetate recording at Minton’s, 1941, released on Onyx LP)

Otis Rush: Double Trouble (Cobra)

Webern: Symphony, op. 21 – Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic, DG.

Frank Sinatra: I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Capitol)

The Stanley Brothers: Man of Constant Sorrow and Rank Strangers To Me (King)

Shirley Horn: You Won’t Forget Me (w/ Miles Davis) and Here’s To Life (both Verve)

Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: Weather Bird (Okeh/Columbia)

Nina Simone: Wild Is The Wind (Colpix)

Barbara Lewis: Hello Stranger

Elmore James: Rolling and Tumblin’ – Belton Evan on drums! – NYC, c. 1960.

Five Favorite Charlie Parker sessions (in no order) :

1.        Private recording at Joe Maini and Don Lanphere’s home, June 1950

2.        “Bird and Diz” session w/ Monk, 1950 (Clef/Verve)

3.        First Savoy session: Koko, etc.

4.        With Fats Navarro and Bud Powell, Birdland, 1950

5.        October 1947, Dial session: The Hymn, Embraceable You, etc.

6.        On tenor, sideman with Miles Davis for Prestige; ‘Round Midnight, etc.

Somebody Please Issue/Reissue:

Paul Bley: Virtuosi and Japan Suite (IAR) (trios with Peacock and Altschul).

Braxton’s 1970’s work on Arista.

Julian Priester: Love, Love (and re-mix it too! ECM)

Alice Coltrane: Transfiguration (War. Bros.)

Boulez’s early recordings – Stravinsky, Webern, contemporary works.

Edward Stuermann – Schoenberg solo piano music.

50’s-60’s Robert Craft recordings for Columbia.

Wolpe: Enactments for Three Pianos, and Babbitt: A Solo Requiem ( both performed by Contiuum on Nonesuch)

(for that matter, there are numerous valuable recordings of post-war American music made during the Theresa Sterne era of Nonesuch that someone should license.)

Schoenberg: The Complete String Quartets – Julliard Quartet (Columbia)

Tony Fruscella (Atlantic).

Ornette on Impulse.

Dick Twardzik trio on Pacific Jazz

Miles Davis Quintet with Gil Evans Orchestra, Greek Theatre, 1967.

An Anthology of Ross Russell’s Dial records: Charlie Parker, Arnold Schoenberg, and John Cage.

Schoenberg The Conductor: recordings from the Schoenberg family Archives.

The early recordings of the Delmore Brothers.

Keith Richards box set: rarities, singles, sideman appearances, hotel recordings…