Customer Reviews

Jazz Icons: Series 2 (Boxed Set)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this set mainly for John Coltrane, the greatest musician I have ever heard. Naturally, I've listened to the Trane disc a bunch of times. Sometimes I started out watching with the intent to watch only 1 or 2 songs, but in the end I end up watching the whole thing again, I simply could not believe what I was watching and hearing. The 1960 set is actually the Miles Davis band (sans Miles), when John last toured with Miles. Stan Getz makes a one-off appearance with the band. As good as Stan is, this contrast between John & Stan just shows how miles ahead John was. He is the heavyweight champion. Stan looks towards John while he is soloing and can't believe what he's hearing either. The 1961 set features almost the classic quartet (Jimmy Garrision is not on board yet), as well as Eric Dolphy. McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones are the perfect match for John, as they are top-tier musicians in their own right and could easily lead their own bands. John's soloing is mesmerizing. It just doesn't seem that jazz could get any better ... the interplay and the solos are fantastic. But whoa, then there's the 1965 set, 4 years later. A LOT has changed. I can't really even describe it. John's career is like a supernova nearing the end. The intensity level is white-hot, the length of the solos are increasing, and the avant-garde aspects are creeping in. And yet, this is still the classic quartet (for a few more months). McCoy gives an impassioned solo in My Favorite Things. But the show belongs to John Coltrane, who redines virtuosity from year to year. I would NOT recommend newbies listen to the 1965 show first. You need to work your way up to it. The bonus disc features a single cut from a 1962 show.

I've watched a few of the other discs. The Duke Ellington set is IMMENSELY rewarding and I think it is fantastic. I will be watching that one multiple times. The other disc that I'll watch multiple times is the Charles Mingus set. I've also seen the Wes Montgomery, Sara Vaughn, and Dave Brubeck shows. In each of these were some great performances, though I'm less likely to watch these shows again.

All in all, easily worth the money.

I have only viewed 3 of the DVD's in this set so far. First the man I consider the greatest jazz musician of all time, CHARLES MINGUS. The magic of seeing him in his prime again in 1964 with one of his greatest groups, consisting of the great Eric Dolphy just before his tragic passing,Clifford Jordon,Johnny Coles, Jaki Byard and of course the ever present Dannie Richmond is a slice of time and space that would have been seen and heard by so few if it wasn't for this great DVD. What a gift for all of us, young or old, to have the oppurtunity to enjoy these fantastic artist at the peak of their careers. The music, most of it composed by Mingus is inventive and exciting as always. Watch the expressions on the muscians faces. Priceless! Totally absorbed in the moment. My favorite on the disk--- Cut 11-- Meditations On Intergration. Dig the interplay between Dolphy on flute and Mingus on bowed bass. To great to put to words. I'll watch this disk about another 100 times and still catch something new each time. Worth the price of the total package alone.
Next up for me was Wes Montgomery. I never got to see him in person as I did see Mingus many times, so this was a special treat.You appreciate his playing even more when you visually watch him play.Effortlessly, but the ideas and music flow. His thumb (not pick) seem to barely touch the strings as he runs through the octaves like no one before or after him has done.My favorites--- Here's That Rainy Day, beautifull, and the swinging Twisted Blues, that really shows his fantastic style at his best.
WOW! I always regreted not seeing him during his short stay with us and never thought I would get the chance to see him play. Well thanks to the producers of Jazz Icons we all get to see him. This is close as you can get, and it should not be missed. If you know anyone that plays or is studying guitar, you just have to get them this disc. They will flip.
My third listen. It was time for a vocalist, and who better than Sarah Vaughan.Here Jazz Icons discovered performances in Europe from 1958 and 1964. I was amazed by the difference in Sarah in such a short span of time. The 1958 performances displayed a young unsophisticated Sarah. A Sarah I prefered over the more polished and sophisticated Sarah of just six years later. Her voice had become a bit deeper and lost some of that sweetness that was heard in the Sarah of the 1958 performance. Her Lover Man in 1958 is a knockout, so beautifull. Don't get me wrong, Sarah is great at any age, but '58 was a vintage year for me. Got to go out and find some 1958 vinyles or remake CD's of that pure, young, Sarah. What was I missing. She and Ella still go down as the best ever in my book.
Well I have four more Artist to listen to on this great collection.Dave Brubeck,Dexter Gordon,Duke Ellington and the great John Coltrane. I can't wait to get to them. What a line-up in this series. The greatest in Jazz now once again available to be both heard and now seen once again. What a delight. Thanks again Jazz Icons for this timeless gift to all of us.

This 8 DVD collection is outstanding, and given the age of the recordings, very decent - actually very good sound quality. Digital audio isn't necessary for an outstanding and very good sounding set of music ... Q.E.D.

But why is the first set, Jazz Icons (2006), so much more expensive, providing only one more DVD and costing $159.99 vs. $89.99?

I would pick up the first 9 DVD set as well if the cost were more reasonable.

This is a historically significant collection of jazz videos! The visual and sound quality are excellent. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful and enduring delight to have available for regular viewing. If you are even casually interested in Jazz you will be very pleased. Also makes a wonderful gift for jazz buffs of all levels.

These DVDs have received universal acclaim and they deserve it. The quality of the music is outstanding and the photography augments it without getting in the way. My favorite is Dave Brubeck but every one of these is a gem. Young people who like Jazz but who never saw any of these people in person - I guess you can still see Brubeck - will learn how great they were. Highly recommended.

This is a product that is a must have for any Jazz lover. The very fact that the concerts were never released before is reason enough to buy the series, but as an insight into a past that many of us have only read about, the purchase is even more compelling. The quality of both series 1 and 2 is above par in every aspect. There can be only one recommendation, buy it and be thoroughly captivated.

We had no idea that all these peformances were captured on film. With that said, it is almost overwhelming. How many people can dedicate this much time to watching favorite performances? This is a perfect tool if you, like me, teach a jazz music class. It is better than any video (no matter which one you are thinking about) I've previewed or purchased. With that said, I'm not sure it is worth $85 for the average jazz music fan. Ya' gotta be willing to sit and watch film footage for hours on end. We can think of a few reasons that this would be grand, but be sure to think it through.

Absolutely stunning the way this was recreated to preserve America's original jazz. Pure jazz listeners will love this and the other series of
Jazz Icons.

Thank You.
Ray F.

What do you get your friend who already has everything, and who was a professional musician to boot, and who has been a serious jazz student for the last ten years? I saw a TV review raving about this set, sent it to him, and he loves it; apparently, being able to see the techniques of the jazz masters, as well as listening to them, is a major plus.