Belated Sunday Music Muse Day. - Django Reinhardt, Gerry Mulligan

For a belated Sunday Music Day for this Memorial Day weekend I'll be finding time to enjoy two classic jazz players.  First up, Django Reinhardt - Djangology , "...and the Quintet of the Hot Club of  France with Stephane Grappelly". Actually, Grappelli's name is misspelled on the cover.  This album was the first post-World War II recording with the fame violinist. Their first recordings that made them famous were done the 1934.  The breakout of WWII forced the group band, but Django and Grappelli reunited after the war. Django's life story and career is worth reading about. His music and impact on jazz guitar is unrivaled.

Next, is The Gerry Mulligan Quartets in Concert.  Gerry Mulligan is known as legend in the West Coast Jazz scene of the 1950s and '60s.  I admit coming late to enjoying his playing.  I've actually come to enjoy the sound of the baritone sax more than alto and soprano sax, and Mulligan is a master. This is a live dated produced my legendary producer Norman Granz, who also does the introduction on  the date. 

All in all, a pleasant weekend. Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Django Reinhardt, The Modern Jazz Quartet, and Kenny Burrell

Time again for another Sunday Music Muse Day.  I originally started these to help me keep up my interest in playing music, but they seem to have become an excuse to buy more CD's.  Actually, that's not a bad thing, as I was missing the pleasure of adding new music to me collection.  Especially, as I find myself fulling more holes in my jazz collection as this week's selections do. First up is Django Reinhardt: Nuages with Coleman Hawkins, a nice collection of the legendary Gypsy guitar's playing with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, from the 1930's and 40's.  The Quintet also featured legendary violinist, Stephane Grappelli.  I have some Django tunes on several guitar anthology LPs, but it's nice to have solid collection on one CD.  The bonus is the the two cuts alto saxophonist, Coleman Hawkins, joins him on.  The picture of Django is an iconic image of a "Jazzman", it just draws you it.

Continuing with the concept of filling gaps in the my collection, is The Modern Jazz Quartet Blues on Bach.  By the title you can tell the music is themed around the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.  I always loved the sound of the Modern Jazz Quartet, but surprisingly never pickup a LP.  I always enjoyed hearing them on the radio.  So this gives me a chance to spend more time with their music.

Here's another Rudy Van Gelder Edition CD which he transferred and remastered a classic Blue Note album with 24-bit technology, Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue.  I can't get enough of this classic jazz guitar playing.

A nice thing was I have a copy of the first tune on the CD, Chitlin Con Carne on the Best of Blue Note CD, I featured before.  In case you missed it, here it is again.  There a lot of great classic tunes on it.

I spied more of these Rudy Van Gelder Edition CDs at the record shop. I may have to pick them up.   Until then, enjoy.