Haar-20 Favorite Jazz Saxophone Recordings
My Favorite Jazz Recordings By Dr. Peter Bouffard, Lecturer of Guitar
Below are twenty of my favorite recordings in no particular order, with the title of the track from each respective album that had the most significant impact on. In many cases, I transcribed all or a portion of the guitar solo or the tune itself from each track. In other cases, the track inspired me to learn the particular tune using the recorded performance as a framework for my own interpretation or arrangement. In my view, all the performances include musical characteristics that I find most appealing and worthy of detailed study and practice: impeccable and precise application of melodic and harmonic vocabulary, style, inflection, rhythmic feel, time, swing, tone production, technical execution, phrasing, fluency, interpretation, conversational interaction, etc.
Pat Martino Album: Exit Most Influential Track: “The Days of Wine and Roses”
Jimmy Smith w/ George Benson, Ron Carter, Grady Tate and Stanley Turrentine Album: Off the Top Most Influential Track: “The Theme from Mash”
Jim Hall and Bill Evans Album: Undercurrent Most Influential Track: “My Funny Valentine”
Jim Hall Album: Jim Hall & Red Mitchell Most Influential Track: “Waltz New”
Pat Metheny Albums: Rejoicing, Question & Answer, Offramp, Travels Most Influential Tracks: “Blues for Pat,” “Old Folks,” “James,” “Travels,” etc. Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny Album: Beyond the Missouri Sky Most Influential Track: “Two for The Road”
Gary Thomas w/ Pat Metheny Album: Till We Have Faces Most Influential Tracks: “You Don’t Know What Love Is” & “Lament”
John Scofield Album: Meant to Be Most Influential Tracks: “Chariots” & “Eisenhower”
Wes Montgomery Album: Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides Most Influential Track: “Sun Down”
Mike Stern Album: Upside Downside Most Influential Track: “Mood Swings”
Paul Desmond Quartet w/ Ed Bickert Album: Like Someone in Love / Live in Toronto Most Influential Track: “Tangerine”
Keith Jarrett Album: Standards Live Most Influential Track: “The Old Country”
Frank Sinatra w/ The Count Basie Orchestra (Freddie Green) Album: Live at the Sands Most Influential Track: “All of Me”
Ella Fitzgerald w/ Joe Pass Album: Ella in London Most Influential Track: “They Can't Take That Away From Me”
Joe Pass Albums: Virtuoso: Volumes 1 - 4 Most Influential Track: “Misty”
2 Marc Johnson w/ John Scofield, Bill Frisell, & Peter Erskine Album: Bass Desires Most Influential Track: “Resolution”
Edgar Winter w/ Rick Derringer Album: Edgar Winter’s White Trash: Roadwork Most Influential Track: “Tobacco Road”
Miles Davis Album: Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet Most Influential Track: “If I Were A Bell”
Chet Baker Album: The Best of Chet Baker Sings Most Influential Track: “I Fall in Love Too Easily”
Bill Evans Album: We Will Meet Again Most Influential Tracks: “Five” & “Comrade Conrad”
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