New CDs in the Collection

I don’t buy CDs very often, but when I do, I go a little crazy. Here’s the weekend haul:

• Johnny Smith, Moonlight in Vermont. Several jazz players whose opinion I respect recommended this cat. Features, among others, Stan Getz and Zoot Sims on tenor sax.
• Grant Green, I Want to Hold Your Hand. I’m always interested to hear jazz interpretations of the Beatles, especially from great guitarists (e.g., George Benson’s The Other Side of Abbey Road, Wes Montgomery’s A Day in the Life), so this was a no-brainer.
• Grant Green, Matador. I hadn’t intended to pick up two Green CDs, but this one has “A Few of My Favorite Things” on it. Someone I once read said it’s important to learn not just chords and scales but also melodies. Ocassionally I’ll throw this melody into the solo for The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.” (Other times, I’ll quote Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” — depends on my mood and the crowd.) Also, this CD features the sublime McCoy Tyner on piano. How could I resist?
• John Coltrane, Giant Steps. Somehow this was not in my collection. A seminal work from a master.
• Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. I am a huge Beatles fan. What drew me to this album is that McCartney plays almost all of the instruments himself and that one of his few guest performers is former Jellyfish guitarist Jason Falkner, who is one of my favorite musicians. I’m haven’t listened to this one enough to form an opinion but I like the direction McCartney is headed. It would have been easy for him to crank out more pop tunes in the vein of, say, “My Brave Face,” but he’s really trying to make some musical statements. Also, his bass lines are amazing. Just about every bass player I’ve interviewed/auditioned mentions him and James Jamerson as influences.
• Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die? Guitars, fiddles, and mandolins. Haunting vocal harmonies. This is moodier and more complex than 2002’s breakthrough This Side, which was fantastic in its own right. Anyone who thinks acoustic guitars are “wimpy” should listen to track 10, “Best of Luck,” one of the best tunes I’ve heard all year.

On this day…

No other post on this day.