Let the good times roll (Muddy Waters) (LP 694 - 697)

Muddy Waters The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (CD, Chess Records, 1975) ****
Muddy Waters Live '76 (CD, Echoes, ?) *** 

Muddy Waters Hard Again (CD, CBS Records, 1977) ****

Muddy Waters I'm Ready (CD, CBS Records, 1978) ****

Genre: Blues

Places I remember: HMV (East Croydon); The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Going Down To Mainstreet (TMWWA)

Gear costume: The Blues Had A Baby And They Called It Rock And Roll (Hard Again), 33 Years (I'm Ready)

Active compensatory factors: The Woodstock Album is Muddy's final album for Chess and he ends things on a high thanks to Levon Helm and cronies, including Garth Hudson and Paul Butterfield on some blistering harmonica.

In between that and the late career albums with Johnny Winter, comes Live in '76 - a raw set of songs broadcast on the radio from Pall's Mall in Boston.

Of the trio of Johnny Winter curated albums I have the first two essential albums (must get King Bee sometime). The band is HOT and Muddy has full command of his extraordinary powers.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Muddy on CD. Your best bet if new to Muddy remains a Chess compilation.

That's your business (Joe Cocker) (LP 693)

Joe Cocker  Joe Cocker! (CD, A&M Records, 1969) ***** 

Genre: Mixed genre artists 

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hitchcock Railway

Gear costume: Delta Lady

Active compensatory factors: Difficult second album syndrome for John Robert Cocker?? Gerroffff!!

Joe plays a blinder on his second album with The Grease Band. The hits kept flowing with more amazing Beatles' covers (this time - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Something and Let It Be), Leon's Delta Lady and Dylan's Dear Landlord among others.

His interpretations are so good it's easy to forget the source!

Where do they all belong? I have him in the mixed genre section because he can do pop, rock, blues and soul with the best of them!

The sun whose rays (Keith Jarrett) (LP 691 - 692)

Keith Jarrett  The Köln Concert (CD, ECM Records, 1975) ***** 

Keith Jarrett  La Fernice (CD, ECM Records, 2018) ***

Genre: ECM Jazz 

Places I remember: Music shop in Paris - by the lower entrance to the Louvre (Köln Concert); HMV - Oxford St. (La Fernice)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: All of Köln Concert. 

Active compensatory factors: I have mentioned Jarrett's legendary live concert in Cologne on Goo Goo before but not this live in Italy album from 2018 - La Fernice.

Although both concerts rank high on the amazing-o-meter, live in Cologne is particularly breathtaking.

It's really odd how a double album of solo piano playing can be so mesmerising, but it manages it. I never get tired of hearing it and it's never less than thrilling to chuck it on.

The comparative variety of approaches on La Fernice doesn't have that immediate impact for me, and I sense that I will need to come back to it quite a few times for it to seep into my consciousness.

Where do they all belong? It's in the ECM jazz section. These albums are sort of jazz and sort of not so grouping them together makes sense to me.

You're my thrill (Diana Krall) (LP 688 - 690)

Diana Krall  The Girl In the Other Room (CD, Verve Records, 2004) *** 

Diana Krall  Quiet Nights (CD, Verve Records, 2009) **

Diana Krall  Wallflower (CD, Verve Records, 2011) *** 

Genre: Jazz vocal 

Places I remember: My dad's music collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Love Me Like A Man (TGITOR)

Gear costume: Narrow Daylight (TGITOR); Alone Again, Naturally (Wallflower) with Michael Bublé.

Active compensatory factors: I'm hanging on to these CDs for my dad's sake. She was certainly his thrill, but she's not mine.

I like a few of her songs, usually in a small jazz combo setting, but generally the strings and hushed intimate vocals (at their peak on Quiet Nights) does little for me. 

The Girl In The Other Room hangs together pretty well as a collection of songs and Wallflower is notable for her covering of some singer/songwriters like Jim Croce, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Elton, Leon Russell and bands like The Eagles, The Beatles, and The Mamas And The Papas. Patchy is probably the verdict from me.

When it works it works (I Can't Tell You Why, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word) but when it doesn't, it doesn't (I'm Not In Love, California Dreamin', In My Life).

Where do they all belong? This brings to a close Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall's collection that I inherited from my dad. Some live Frank Sinatra is next up in this sub-genre.

Bebop (Stan Getz) (LP 680 - 687)

Stan Getz  Stan Getz At Storyville 1 (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1951) **** 

Stan Getz  Stan Getz At Storyville 2 (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1951) **** 

Stan Getz  Chamber Music (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1953) *** 

Stan Getz  For Musicians Only (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1956) **

Stan Getz  Stan Getz And The Oscar Peterson Trio (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1957) ***** 

Stan Getz  Getz Meets Mulligan In Hi-Fi (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1957) **** 

Stan Getz  Stan Getz And Cal Tjader Sextet (CD, Real Gone Jazz, 1958) ****  

Genre: Cool Jazz 

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Want To Be Happy (with Oscar Peterson Trio)

Gear costume: Tour's End (with Oscar Peterson Trio)

Active compensatory factors: These 7 albums are collected (along with Cool Velvet which has already appeared on Goo Goo) on Eight Classic Albums. 

These multi album collections are a great way to catch up on long forgotten gems.

The Storyville and Oscar Peterson hook up albums are the cream of this crop. 

For Musicians Only features Dizzy Gillespie on trademark piercing trumpet which kind of ruins the laid back vibe for me. Plus there is another alto saxophonist (Sonny Stitt) on the set which seems redundant when Stan is around.

Those Storyville sets and the Peterson album feature Stan in primo form. He lays it down like no one else in the cool jazz sub-genre.

Where do they all belong? More to come from Stan the man!

Baubles, bangles and beads (Deodato) (LP 679)

Deodato  Prelude (CD, CTI, 1973) **** 

Genre: Jazz Fusion

Places I remember: HMV Oxford St.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Gear costume: September 13

Active compensatory factors: I particularly love the Deodato of the CTI label. 

Driven by the link to the 2001 A Space Odyssey film and some brilliant musicians - this was a huge album for him.

The album features some great jazz musicians - John Tropea (guitar), Ron Carter and Stanley Clarke on bass and the one and only Billy Cobham on drums. 

Combine all that with Deodato's wonderfully lyrical piano playing and it's a great recipe for success.

It doesn't necessarily follow though that the album is going to be brilliant and commercially successful just because of the players involved. You need the chops yes, but you also need the leadership and vision of someone to make it work. Creed Taylor is the producer and he could obviously see the possibilities in Deodato.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Deodato. Check him out!

Gravy train (Lou Donaldson) (LP 678)

Lou Donaldson  Gravy Train (CD, Blue Note, 1961) **** 

Genre: Jazz

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Gravy Train

Gear costume: South Of The Border 

Active compensatory factors: I managed to pick this up at my favourite CD store in Abu Dhabi. 

Kings Recording had a great selection generally, but in particular they had a lot of CDs on the Blue Note label.

I got this one on a hunch based on the label - Blue Note has great quality control, and the fact that Lou plays alto saxophone with a simple piano/bass/drums combo.

It was a good hunch as Lou and the boys play jazz with a soulful touch. The two featured tracks being fine examples.

Where do they all belong? The only Lou Donaldson album I own. It slots into the jazz category nicely.