Customer Reviews

At the Village Vanguard V.2

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

 

 

For one week in February 1977, three giants of jazz gathered at the legendary Village Vanguard and played a series of shows nightly, some of which were recorded and released at various times thereafter. I was priviledged to see them on two nights, one of which was unforgettable, the other not quite as much. Regardless, it was inspiring to me as a young player at that time, and I was lucky enough to sit right next to Tony Williams on both nights, something not even shock treatment would allow you to soon forget. That said, this is the weakest of the 3 Vanguard cd`s, the first being the finest,IMHO. And it`s still a fine cd, just more laid back than the others, and clearly a Hank Jones cd with Tony and Ron playing accompaniment and not blurring the lines of distinction between soloing and comping behind the soloist, as the other cd`s in the series indicate. The tracks are Parker`s 'Confirmation', Miles`'Nardis', Tony`s 'Lawra' and 'Wind Flower' by Sara Cassey. At 38 minutes, it`s all too brief, but it`s a repro of the original LP, both faithful and flawed, but required for fans of any or all of the three legends presented here.

I became interested in this volume 2 after listening to the first one which is simply jazz at its best. All of the players are at their best and there is enough of the piano, bass and drums. The quality of the recording is from the top drawer and this set is highly recommended for anyone who just wants to enjoy this type of music.