Link to Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0oaaxGtW9zGCV2rX1Bnapx6vhA1pFRnF
“A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement” by John Coltrane
A Love Supreme is a jazz album composed by John Coltrane and released in 1964. Composed in four parts, the suite of the album A Love Supreme is a mix of avant-garde jazz, modal jazz, and free jazz. Coltrane’s album received rave reviews and many jazz cognoscenti consider A Love Supreme the greatest jazz album of all time.
“Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson
A classic hard-bop jazz standard by Oliver Nelson, Stolen Moments appears on the album The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Musicians Freddie Hubbard and Bill Evans play on the record, marking Bill Evans’ only collaboration with Oliver Nelson.
“Nardis (Joe Henderson Version)” by Miles Davis
A staple of the modal jazz period, Nardis first appeared on Portrait of Cannonball in 1958. “Nardis” is commonly associated with Bill Evans, who is often incorrectly believed to have written the tune. Joe Henderson included his take on the song in his debut album, The Kicker, released in 1967.
“In Your Own Sweet Way (Solo Version)” by Dave Brubeck
Brubeck wrote “In Your Own Sweet Way” in 1952 for his wife Lola Brubeck. The standard became one of Dave Brubeck’s most famous contributions to jazz after its release on Brubeck Plays Brubeck in 1956. Artists including Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett, and Robert Glasper have recorded covers of the tune.
“Ginza Samba” by Vince Guaraldi
“Ginza Samba” is the third tune on the album From All Sides, released in 1964. Vince Guaraldi is known for composing the music for “Peanuts: Christmas Special,” from A Charlie Brown Christmas in the 1960’s, though his music career in jazz dates back to 1953.
“The Blessing” by Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman’s 1958 debut album Something Else!!!! featured “The Blessing” as its second tune. Although the album is considered a classical bebop sound, Coleman would later experiment in free jazz further in his career.
“Soul Eyes (John Coltrane Version)” by Mal Waldron
“Soul Eyes” first appeared on Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors in 1957. Waldron says he wrote the melody to “Soul Eyes” with Coltrane in mind; Coltrane is one of two tenor sax players who performs on the 1957 record. Coltrane brought the ballad into the lexicon of many jazz musicians on his 1962 album Coltrane.
“Speak Like A Child” by Herbie Hancock
The title track of Hancock’s 1968 album Speak Like a Child sought to portray, in Hancock’s words, “a forward look into what could be a bright future”. The album is noted for employing an unusual lineup of flugelhorn, alto flute, and bass trombone. The cover shows Hancock kissing his then girlfriend Gigi Meixner.
“It Could Happen to You (Ryo Fukui Version)” by Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke
Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke wrote the popular standard “It Could Happen to You” in 1943, and the song later appeared in the musical comedy film And All the Angels Sing in 1944. Ryo Fukui recorded his own take on his 1976 album Scenery, which largely went unnoticed in America at the time of its release. Interestingly, Fukui taught himself piano at age 22 and released Scenery five years later.
“Three Flowers (1991 Solo Version)” by McCoy Tyner
“Three Flowers” originally appeared on the album Today and Tomorrow in 1964. The album Soliloquy, released over 25 years later, features the solo version of “Three Flowers.” Tyner recorded Soliloquy in Manhattan’s Merkin Hall without an audience.
“Ask Me Now (Solo Piano Version)” by Thelonious Monk
While Monk recorded his tonally ambiguous “Ask Me Now” in 1951, he reapproached the song again for his solo record titled Solo Monk in 1965. Described as possessing a mordant and angular sound, his style garnered praise from some and ambivalence from others. He is the second most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.
“Moon Dreams” by Chummy MacGregor and John Mercer, arr. Gil Evans
“Moon Dreams” was written by duo MacGregor and Mercer in 1942, and was popularized by the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1940’s. Canadian pianist Gil Evans wrote an arrangement for a variety of horns, including tuba and French horn, which are unusual in jazz, on the West Coast jazz album released by Miles Davis called Birth of the Cool.