Longjumping-Tip7031 on Reddit asked an interesting question on r/Jazz:
hello! what’s your current Rushmore of favorite albums?
My response was:
- Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
- Jackie McLean – Capuchin Swing
- Miles Davis – In A Silent Way
- Bill Evans – Symbiosis
Perhaps that list would change over time but those are the 4 I always come back to and hold in the highest regard. Capuchin Swing is probably the “odd one out” but I fell in love with it years ago while walking in the autumn. I was all wrapped up and, despite the cold, McLean’s bebop sax felt like a warm and fuzzy blanket.
As for the others: Kind of Blue is Kind of Blue, when you listen, you’ll know. In A Silent Way pissed people off at the time but they were uncultured swines; that album plays smooth like butter. And Symbiosis is by no means Bill Evans’ best or most well-known album but the symphonic motifs are gorgeous and exposed his fragility as he neared the end of his life.
What would your Rushmore of favourite jazz albums be? Leave a response on the Reddit post if you’re a member and/or leave a comment.