Customer Reviews

These Rooms

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Thankfully, this superb recording appears to be available again, after several years of being scarce. Any fans of Hall or Harrell, or of intimate, conversational modern jazz, will enjoy this immensely. Recorded in a very spontaneous manner, capturing subtle sounds such as the acoustic/electric blend of Hall's guitar tone and Harrell's sometimes breathy attack--and Joey Baron dropping his drumsticks all over his set as a comical ending on one tune. Delightful in every way.

Let first of all say that this album is NOT live, so Amazon please correct your error.

"These Rooms" was released in 1988 and has become a very sought after recording. I have been looking for this album for years. I finally got it at a decent price (paid $15) and what a bargain compared to the other prices I've found it for online!

Jim Hall is joined by trumpeter Tom Harrell on trumpet, Steve La Spina on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. What a remarkable lineup it is! It has turned out to be one my favorite Hall recordings right next to "All Across THe City" and "Concierto." All of the playing is as expected very melodic and the interplay is fantastic.

The music itself falls somewhere between the bebop tradition and post-bop. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's great, great music.

If you see this album for a decent price don't hesitate to pick it up, because it doesn't look like this one will come back in print anytime soon. If you can find "Circles" on Concord Records I recommend that one as well. Happy hunting!

I had no idea that this cd even existed when it caught my eye while browsing on Amazon. I consider myself a major Jim Hall appreciator and would have to say that on balance, he is probably my favorite jazz guitarist. No one I know of plays as beautifully. Having said that, while he has made some great records, I don't feel that any are quite up to the level of the very best guitar classics such as "Midnight Blue", "Idle Moments", "Smokin at the Half Note", "Four House", "A", etc....until now! Everything he does on this album is interesting, inventive and charming. This album seems almost like a fusion of "Live at Village West" and "Dialogues". No gimmicks, no electronic keyboards just wonderful musical conversations going on. As a result, a marvelous ambience is created, subtle but absorbing. Love the album cover too!

Jim Hall and Tom Harrell doing fabulous work together! Without a Song and Cross Court are exceptional ammong the list of tunes. If you like any one person on the album, it's worth it.

"Easy listening" is such a cliche, but the sense of balance and camaraderie these four musicians sketch out in these pieces is most enjoyable. Jim Hall's guitar work resembles Coryell, but his style is simpler and quieter. Tom Harrell is a terrific horn player who is also a leader in his own right, but ego seems to be a very small part of "These Rooms". Drums and bass are also first rate.