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This was the first Jim Hall album I bought many years ago - I still think it's one of his best - and I've waited many years for it to be released on cd. Jim Hall is now in his early 70's. Hall is frequently listed as a major influence on the large number of jazz guitarists a generation younger than him, including Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Mick Goodrick and Mike Stern.

This recording catches Hall in his prime with many lengthy solos; something you don't often hear from him. It's from a 1975 club date with Don Thompson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. The record starts with a lengthy version of the minor key standard Angel Eyes. Halls improvising is exploratory and inventive - you never feel that he's falling back on cliches or familiar patterns. His solos are frequently chord and rhythm based rather than just single note phrases for verse after verse. He keeps flashiness to a minimum but his playing is complex. Scrapple From the Apple, the Charlie Parker bebop tune, is also of note. Hall veers away from a typical bebop solo and works with dynamics; contrasting single note versus chord phrases and moving from a duet section with Clarke to the full trio again.

This should be "required" listening for any student of jazz guitar but will also be rewarding for all lovers of jazz.

This is in my opinion his greatest recording (I have every other one as well). First, it's a live recording and it has a freshness and spontaneity that is sometimes missing in studio recordings. Hall's playing is relaxed but incredibly sophisticated. He works these standards in subtle and clever ways. His lines/solos are melodic and story-like, but gently push the outer edge. Rhythmically there's pushing forward and holding back in ways that excite and engage the listener. This is subtle stuff, and it can be listened to for years while still discovering new elements and nuances. Much of the album's success is due to interplay between the three musicians (Don Thompson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums). They are all equal players, not just a rhythm section with a soloist. Don Thompson, in particular, is almost like a guitar player playing duets with Hall. The feel of the trio reminds me of Bill Evans w/ Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. I very much wish Mr. Hall would play more often in this sort of context.

This is Jim Hall's forte. A trio with bass and drums allows him to really shine. A word of warning however, this is hard-core jazz, not likely to receive airplay on the local smooth jazz station. Dark and woody sounding, this CD is perfect if you like Jim Hall and want to hear him in a most uninhibited setting.

With the possible exception of his work with Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans, this is the best work you will find of Jim Hall on cd. It sounds better than ever remastered - you really feel like you are in a jazz club witnessing an intimate collaboration. How can you not like the gentle sophisticated tone Jim Hall gets from his d'aquisto archtop? There are several witty passages quoting different tunes as well as some excellent chordal work. The bassist has a few stellar moments and the drummer is also quite good. A nice gentle yet probing approach to standards.

Wow. I sat in with a jazz trio the other night and the piano player said he really liked this albumn. I knew it had to be good because he liked it and there was no piano on the recording. Plus I read the glowing reviews! Still, I couldn't believe how good this was, and this is my 10th or so Jim Hall albumn! You can hear where Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pat Metheny got some ideas from this one. I can't believe how modern this sounds for 1975. Every tune has something going on to make it special, and Jim's shows some serious technique also. I'd like to mention that if you don't own Concierto yet you definitely should get that Now. Some of my other fav's are "By Arrangement", "Alone Together", and this hard to find rare albumn called "Something Special" which is an awesome cd I found used for $2.

Amazing that no one's reviewed this cd yet. People waited for years for this cd to come out--it's considered by many to be Jim Hall's best work.

Splendid live recording of this really mellow jazz guitarists. His playing is perfect and understated.

If you asked 100 accomplished Jazz guitarist what there all time favorite Jazz guitar album was a majority would pick this CD. I think that is because Mr. Hall is a musician first and the guitar to him is just an ends to a means. There are no weak points on this disc, all the performances from all the players are excellent.

This is an album I owned in college (late 70s), seem to have lost it along the way, then suddenly saw it on them shelves again. "Angel Eyes" might possibly be the best track, but it all is excellent. This album mostly features the loose interplay that Hall, Bill Evans, and others were famous for in the 60s, so do not expect much straight-ahead treatments. This is great, obviously, for guitar players, but bassist Don Thompson is amazing! Recorded in Toronto in 1975. A must.

I am a jazz guitarist that loves all the greats....Django, Charlie Christian, Wes, Joe Pass, Scofield, Metheny, etc. For most of my jazz guitar friends, Jim Hall was a bit of an acquired taste. Actually, he was for me, too. For many guitarists, the reaction seems to be, where are all the slick beboppin' notes careening off the walls? Jazz guitar is supposed to shred, like George Benson (I do love George),isn't it? As a guitarist, buying Jim's albums was initially frustrating, because, seemingly, there were no licks to steal from him. I knew I should "get it", but I didn't. As my ears matured I grew to understand that Jim is NOT about licks, and that that is a good thing. Jim is purely a jazz artist that channels his artistry through the guitar. He plays ideas, much in the way that Sonny Rollins does, respecting and exploring the theme, and, well, improvising......I mean, REALLY improvising (not plugging in licks through the changes). As with Rollins, when the magic is there, he reflects the essence of what a great jazz musician should be: saying something with a very individual voice. As I talk to horn players, they almost universally express great appreciation for Jim as a "jazz musician". They hear the music. Guitarists, too often, are so into the GUITAR, and all it's technical nuances, to "get it" when it comes to Jim.

So, I chose to go on my Jim Hall bandwagon with this album, because I feel it's one of his greatest (if not his greatest). In particular, this album features him playing extended solos and the listener gets to really hear him "get inside" a tune. It's free-wheeling and very spontaneous; perhaps more so than any of his other recordings. As with Rollins, you get the feeling that Jim is taking you on a splendid musical journey, as he is fearlessly flirting with danger. If there is a guitarist in jazz that is more able to spin out lyrical, musical lines than Jim Hall, I haven't heard him (or her). Whereas Wes Montgomery may arguably be the greatest jazz guitarist ever, Jim Hall may be the greatest jazz artist that just happened to play a guitar.