two records, different reasons. one is the best live session i've heard and my reference for what recorded jazz can actually sound like. the other is the best thing miles davis put his name on.

jazz at the pawnshop. recorded live over two nights in december 1976 at the stampen, a little club in stockholm, and put out on proprius. it's the record audiophiles reach for, and for once the hype is right. the recording just puts you in the room, you hear the glasses, the crowd, the air of the place, and the band sitting inside all of it. arne domnerus on alto and clarinet, lars erstrand on vibes, bengt hallberg on piano, georg riedel on bass, egil johansen on drums. relaxed, swinging, nothing trying too hard. it's my test disc: if a system can make this sound like a real room with real people in it, the system is good. as a live session i haven't found anything that beats it on feel and fidelity at the same time.

miles ahead, 1957. miles davis plus a 19-piece band arranged by gil evans, and it's the best album with his name on it, not close for me. this comes before kind of blue, it's the first big miles-and- gil orchestral record, and it's where the big band feel lives: flugelhorn out front, evans painting this huge warm cushion behind it, the tracks flowing into each other like one long suite. kind of blue gets all the attention and it earns it, but miles ahead is the one i put on and never skip a track. the writing is on another level.

last updated 07/08/26, e. kruger