Bebo Valdes: Americana

BEBO VALDES, piano, and Javier Colina (on bass)- "Americana", live in Mallorca (03?) - legendary Cuban pianist (father of Chucho) shows why he's considered a master pianist internationally; this improvisation is based on American music, such as Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Willow Weep for Me (Strayhorn?).. incredible REAL music, no namby pamby schlock... for tv, lol.. (this video has the title mislabeled, I saw the concert DVD)

Miles Davis: Water Babies

from the outtakes of the IN A SILENT WAY sessions, this is a great Wayne Shorter composition, which he also recorded on his on first lp release.. this is classic for both, and the Miles Davis Quintet

Martha Davis: Martha's Boogie (instrumental)

holy cow, those ivories are smokin! I'm surprised this didn't start a fire..

Dutch Swing College Band: Swing That Music!

wow- these guys are smokin!

Dutch Swing College Band: My Inspiration

Our 200th POST - been looking for this jazz standard for a long time, and the DSCB has done a terrific arrangement of it!

John McLaughlin: Marbles

audio track of McLaughlin's rockin-est composition.. that's actually Buddy Miles (listenable for once) on drums..

Blossum Dearie: How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn

beautiful, poignant, and melancholy

Worlds Greatest Jazz Band: South Rampart St Parade

This is a good as Dixieland jazz gets! these guys are awesome, find their version of "My Inspiration" if you can, one of the all-time greats..

Michael Danso: Begin the Beguine

Danso lets this song flow naturally, and hits all the notes.. very tasteful and understated version..

Tuxedo Junction: Begin the Beguine

A little pop perhaps, but an interesting big band version of the Cole Porter classic, with a Brazilian beat.. (or is it a rhumba, therefore Cuban?) [hey - are Astaire and Powell making fart sounds with their hands in the film still shown above?? LOL..]

Antonio Carlos Jobim: A Felicidade

live from the Montral Jazz Festival.. if you were this cool, you could have more Brazilian babes singing backup than you had musicians in the group!

Dave Brubeck: Take Five 1961

Joe Morello was never better on drums, which is to say this is probably as good a jazz drum solo as you will ever see and hear! He used to win every poll for best drummer back then, for about a decade.. this is just about the most uptempo version of this jazz classic as I've ever seen them do..

Miles Davis: So What (live/tv, 1959)

Miles Davis, live on CBS tv, 1959, with John Coltrane - this is historical stuff and as good as Miles ever played.. it's hard to believe that this was a television show!