Jazz

Cannonball Adderly,  Somethin’ Else. With Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey, how could you go wrong?  An exceptional recording.

Louis Armstrong, Great Chicago Concert 1956.  Satchmo simply doesn’t get any better than this.

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions.  Both men already were household names when they put together this recording in 1961.  The Complete Sessions includes a priceless second CD.

Chet Baker, My Funny Valentine.  Exceptional trumpet and a smokey, soft voice.

Dave Brubeck, The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall.  Recorded in 1963, this two-disk set is classic early Brubeck and Desmond.

Eva Cassidy, Live at Blues Alley. Eva did not like this recording, but I love it. Recorded in January 1996, 11 months before her tragic death from cancer at the age of 33.

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme.  A master at his best.

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. A classic and for good reason.

Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport 1956. It does not get a great deal more toe-tapping than this. And the 27-chorus solo by tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves between Diminuendo in Blues and Crescendo in Blue almost caused a riot.

Bill Evans, The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961. Evans is a genius at the keyboard. This recording is one of his very best.

Bill Evans Trio, Portrait in Jazz. It is hard to select a favorite Bill Evans Trio recording. This, however, is one of the best.

Ella Fitzgerald, Mack the Knife: The Complete Ella in Berlin. This classic disk features Ella’s beautifully botched “Mack the Knife,” in which she forgot the lyrics to the song, but sang on. Her rendition of “How High The Moon” is terrific.

Keith Jarrett, The Köln Concert. My goodness, what a beautiful recording.

Keith Jerrett, The Melody At Night, With You. This recording is like a very nice red wine. Romantic, earthy, and simple.

Diana Krall, Live in Paris. I first heard this CD while sitting in a gulf-side restaurant in Florida. I bought it almost immediately.

Chuck Leavell, Forever Blue.  A fabulous bluesy solo piano recording.  His “Ashokan Farewell” is gorgeous.

Wynton Marsalis, Live at the Village Vanguard.  Seven nights, seven disks.  Some nights I like better than others, but the collection is superb.

Wynton Marsalis, Standard Time, Vol.3: The Resolution Of Romance.  A beautiful recording featuring Wynton and his father, Ellis Marsalis.

Joe Pass, Unforgettable.  The late Joe Pass is, indeed, unforgettable.  This collection of classics played on acoustic guitar is terrific.

Joe Williams, Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings. Recorded in 1955, this is classic Williams and Basie.  I sang “Teach Me Tonight” during try-outs for The Colgate Thirteen and sang it again to a law school professor on our final day of classes.

Classical

Chanticleer: A Portrait. If you appreciate chamber choir music, you’ll love these guys.

Faure: Requiem and other choral music.  This is easily one of my favorite pieces of music, and this is a beautiful version.

Mozart: String Quartets.  This 8-disc set contains the very best of Mozart’s string quartets.  An expensive set, but all you’ll need.