Occasional Jazz Conjectures

Many moons ago a demi-semi-hemi-student asked me if I could recommend some things for him to listen to that would help with jazz vocabulary and conception for drums. Not content to say listen to Philly Joe, Elvin, or Ray Bauduc, I jotted down the following highly subjective list of selected masters that should be digested and at-hand to help one be a good student of their instrument. At least I found them helpful.

It’s by no means complete. . .It’s missing scads and scads of players (Lovens, Lytton, Bennink, Smiley Winters, Eddie Moore, Mousey Alexander, Steve McCall, no Chauncey Morehouse, Thurman Barker, and many others near and dear to my heart). Think of it as a rambling mnemonic or list poem.

Baby Dodds
Louis Armstrong—HOT 5s & 7s (Columbia)
SPOOKY DRUMS (Folkways)
BABY DODDS TRIO w/ALBERT NICHOLAS (GHB records)

Zutty Singleton
Omer Simeon—JAZZ A LA CREOLE (Jazztone)
Louis Armstrong ‘30s era (Various, Bluebird, Columbia, Decca)
Victoria Spivey et al—SONGS WE TAUGHT YOUR MOTHER

Chick Webb
THE IMMORTAL CHICK WEBB (Columbia)

Gene Krupa
Benny Goodman—CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT (Columbia)
Krupa Big Band w/Anita O’Day & Roy Eldridge (Various)
Trio on SMALL GROUPS OF THE 1940S (w/Charlie Ventura/Marty Napolean

Shadow Wilson
Count Basie on French Decca (ca. 1944)—QUEER STREET
Thelonious Monk w/John Coltrane (Riverside)

Jo Jones
ESSENTIAL JO JONES (Vanguard)
THE IMPECCABLE TEDDY WILSON (Verve)
ART TATUM-RED CALLENDAR-JO JONES (Pablo)
LESTER YOUNG MEMORIAL ALBUM (Verve)
Any of Keynote recordings of Basie’s KC Six or Prez’s Quartet

Sonny Greer
All early Ellington—1924–1927 (Bluebird, Decca)
Ellington Blanton-Webster Band (RCA)

Sid Catlett
Armstrong—SATCHMO AT SYMPHONY HALL!!!!!!!!!!
Complete Keynote Recordings (w/various)
Charlie Parker-Dizzy’s SHAW NUFF
THE PORT OF HARLEM JAZZMEN (Blue Note)

Davey Tough
COMPLETE TOMMY DORSEY, vol 2–6 (RCA)
COMPLETE ARTIE SHAW, vol 4 & 5 (RCA)
Woody Herman—FIRST HERD (Columbia)

Buddy Rich
COMPLETE ARTIE SHAW, vol 1–3 (RCA)
Any of the JATP—1950–1953 (Verve)
CHARLIE PARKER w/STRINGS (Verve)
Lester Young/Harry Edison—PREZ & SWEETS (Verve)

George Wettling
Eddie Condon—BALLIN’ THE JACK
Eddie Condon—ALL-STARS (Columbia)
Wild Bill Davison—COMMODORE MASTER TAKES (Verve)

Cozy Cole
Any Lionel Hampton (1937–1941-ish on DECCA)

O’Neil Spencer
with John Kirby Orchestra (Decca, Commodore and various)—brush playing!

Kenny Clarke
Any & All!! Includ: MEETS THE DETROIT JAZZMEN (Savoy)
Miles Davis’ BAGS GROOVE
Clarke-Francy Boland GOLDEN EIGHT
PIECES OF TIME (w/Cyrille, Don Moye, Milford Graves)
Dexter Gordon OUR MAN IN PARIS (Blue Note)
All the Clark-Boland BB records
Royal Roost recordings

Denzil Best
DEFINITIVE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET (Verve)
Erroll Garner CONCERT BY THE SEA
Sheila Jordan PORTRAIT OF . . .

Shelley Manne
2-3-4 (Impulse)
THE 2 AND THE 3 (Prestige)
Bill Evans’ SIMPLE MATTER OF CONVICTION

Max Roach
Charlie Parker SAVOY MASTER TAKES
Brown-Roach LIVE AT BASIN STREET; INC.
Sonny Rollins—FREEDOM SUITE
Sonny Rollins—SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS
DEEDS NOT WORDS!

Roy Haynes
Any with Sarah Vaughn, Lester Young, Bird, Dolphy
OUT OF THE AFTERNOON
Chick Corea—NOW HE SINGS, NOW HE SOBS
Oliver Nelson—BLUES AND THE ABSTRACT TRUTH
Andrew Hill—SMOKESTACK & BLACK FIRE
Jackie McLean—DESTINATION OUT!

Art Blakey
BIG BEAT
MOANIN’
UGETSU
FREE FOR ALL
Hank Mobley—SOUL STATION

Philly Joe Jones
Miles Davis—MILESTONES; PORGY & BESS
Sonny Rollins—NEWK’S TIME
Wynton Kelly—KELLY AT MIDNIGHT (VeeJay)
Hank Mobley—NO ROOM FOR SQUARES
Dexter Gordon—DEXTER CALLING

Art Taylor
Jackie McLean—4,5,6
Any Bud Powell (Blue Note)
Gene Ammons—BOSS TENOR
Hampton Hawes—SPANISH STEPS

Vernel Fournier
Ahmad Jamal POINCIANA
LIVE AT THE PERSHING
LIVE AT THE ALHAMBRA

Billy Higgins
Ornette Coleman SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME
CHANGE OF THE CENTURY
Dexter Gordon—GO
Lee Morgan— SEARCH FOR A NEW LAND
SIDEWINDER
CORNBREAD

Ben Riley
Any 1960s Thelonious Monk on Columbia
All Lockjaw Davis-Johnny Griffin Quintet (Riverside)

Paul Motian
Bill Evans PORTRAIT IN JAZZ
HOW MY HEART SINGS
SUNDAY AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD
Paul Bley TURNING POINT
Motian-Lovano-Frisell ON BROADWAY (v 1–4)

Barry Altschul
Paul Bley CLOSER
RAMBLIN’

Pete (Sims) LaRoca
WOMEN AT THE TURKISH BATH
BASRA
Jackie McLean BLUESNIK

Elvin Jones
Sonny Rollins LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD
E BROADWAY RUNDOWN
Barry Harris PREMINADO
All Coltrane on Impulse!
Lee Konitz MOTION (Verve)

Tony Williams
SPRING
LIFETIME (Blue Note)
Eric Dolphy OUT TO LUNCH
Miles Davis NEFERTITI
ESP
SORCERER
MILES SMILES

Idris Muhammad
Reuben Wilson LOVE BUG
BLACK RHYTHM REVOLUTION

James Black
Yusef Lateef LIVE AT PEPS (Impulse)

Rashied Ali
Coltrane INTERSTELLAR SPACE
Jackie McLean ‘BOUT SOUL
Ali & Frank Lowe—DUO EXCHANGE

Sunny Murray
Albert Ayler SPIRITUAL UNITY
GHOSTS
NEW YORK EAR AND EYE CONTROL
Jimmy Lyons-Sunny Murray Trio —JUMP UP (Hat Hut)

Andrew Cyrille
Cecil Taylor UNIT STRUCTURES
CONQUISTADOR
Maono METAMUSICIANS STOMP
MY FRIEND LOUIS
Marion Brown AFTERNOON OF A GEORGIA FAUN
PIECES OF TIME (with Clarke, Moye, Milford)

Ed Blackwell
Ornette Coleman ART OF THE IMPROVISOR
THIS IS OUR MUSIC
TO WHOM WHO KEEPS A RECORD
BROKEN SHADOWS
Don Cherry COMPLETE COMMUNION
SYMPHONY FOR IMPROVISORS
MU (pts 1 & 2)
WHERE IS BROOKLYN
Charles Brakeen RHYTHM X
Any and all OLD & NEW DREAMS

Milford Graves
Albert Ayler LOVE CRY
Giuseppe Logan MORE
Graves-Sunny Morgan—PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
Graves-Cyrille DIALOGUE OF THE DRUMS
GRAND UNIFICATION (Solo on Tzadik)