”Hello, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, this is Uncle Don.”
See the ”About” page for more information on The Head In. The basic premise is one essay every Monday, each one dealing with an album from the list (below) of, as the header says, ”the albums that got me started.” That’s right – not a best-of list, not a comprehensive list by any means! There are certainly albums I wouldn’t have chosen today (such as the Oscar Peterson Frank Sinatra record), and I’d definitely have more scope in the whole thing (very few records here are from after 1965, and only two before 1950). But there they are, warts and all, and I’m going to try to make something out of them. Enjoy!
Here’s the list of albums (links will be added as the essays are published):
1. Affinity, Oscar Peterson (1962)
2. At Carnegie Hall, Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane (1957)
3. Black, Brown & Beige, Duke Ellington (compilation)
4. Blossom Dearie, Blossom Dearie (1956)
5. A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Vince Guaraldi (1964)
6. Chet Baker Sings, Chet Baker (1956)
7. The Birth Of The Cool, Miles Davis (1950)
8. Complete Decca Recordings, Count Basie (compilation)
9. Cookin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet, Miles Davis (1956)
10. Feelin’ The Spirit, Grant Green (1962)
11. Figurations, Richard Nelson (2001)
12. Giant Steps, John Coltrane (1959)
13. Go!, Dexter Gordon
14. The Great Concerts, Dave Brubeck (compilation)
15. I Dig The Duke, I Dig The Count, Mel Tormé (1961)
16. I Just Dropped By To Say Hello, Johnny Hartman (1963)
17. The Incredible Jazz Guitar, Wes Montgomery (1960)
18. A Jazz Portrait Of Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson (1959)
19. Jazz Soul Of Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson (1959)
20. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963)
21. Like Someone In Love, Art Blakey (1960)
22. Live At The Village Vanguard, Wynton Marsalis (1999)
23. Love Letters, Roy Haynes (1998)
24. Lush Life, John Coltrane (1957)
25. Miles Smiles, Miles Davis (1966)
26. Milestones, Miles Davis (1958)
27. Mingus Ah Um, Charles Mingus (1959)
28. A Night In Tunisia, Art Blakey (1960)
29. Out Of The Afternoon, Roy Haynes (1962)
30. Out To Lunch, Eric Dolphy (1964)
31. Poll Winners Three, Barney Kessel, Ray Brown & Shelly Manne (1959)
32. Portrait In Jazz, Bill Evans (1959)
33. Quartet, Billy Hart (2006)
34. Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet, Miles Davis (1956)
,35. The Ronnell Bright Trio, Ronnell Bright (1958)
36. Saxophone Colossus, Sonny Rollins (1956)
37. Smokin’ At The Half Note, Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly (1965)
38. Someday My Prince Will Come, Hank Jones, Richard Davis & Elvin Jones (2003)
39. Soul Station, Hank Mobley (1960)
40. Speak No Evil, Wayne Shorter (1964)
41. Standards, Volume 1, Keith Jarrett (1983)
42. Sunday At The Village Vanguard, Bill Evans (1961)
43. A Swingin’ Affair!, Frank Sinatra (1956)
44. Thelonious Monk And Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins (1954)
45. Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk (1955)
46. This Is Jazz 13: Erroll Garner, Erroll Garner (compilation)
47. Time Out, Dave Brubeck (1959)
48. Waltz For Debby, Bill Evans (1961)
49. The Wes Montgomery Trio, Wes Montgomery (1959)
50. Wizard Of The Vibes, Milt Jackson (1948-1952)
51. Zoot Sims And The Gershwin Brothers, Zoot Sims (1975)
Epilogue: Kind Of Blue, Miles Davis (1959)
the head in 