Peter Schlamb is a vibraphonist based in Kansas City. He used to live in St. Louis, and whenever he is in town, a percussionist friend and I try to schedule a lesson with him so that he can school us in techniques of jazz improvisation. He is extremely talented as you can hear in this recording of one of his original compositions.
Maurice Andre is to classical trumpet what Babe Ruth is to baseball. It's amazing how relaxed he looks as he navigates one of the most treacherous pieces in the repertoire.
Here is Don Cherry, one of the great innovators of the trumpet. I've always loved his work with Ornette Coleman. I have been listening to him a lot since I began playing a pocket trumpet. He is one of the few people who made the pocket trumpet something more than a novelty item. (Technically, according to this site, his horn was a pocket cornet, a 1930's vintage Besson; mine is a pocket trumpet, made by Kanstul in 2013.) I don't know much about the particular group he is playing with here (except that I like them).
I had the pleasure recently of seeing a performance by Chris Potter, the saxophone player in this quintet. He's not only dynamic, but very creative. You can find this terrific composition also on a more recent recording ("Pathways") by Dave Holland, using an octet. That recording features a blistering solo by alto saxophonist Antonio Hart.
The other name for this tune is "Nostalgia in Times Square," and it is often recorded as an instrumental (and faster). Speaking of nostalgia, this is the version that I first heard, from a vinyl double LP called "Nostalgia in Times Square" that I bought at Django's Records in downtown Portland, Oregon. In high school I took the bus from my school in the West hills of Portland to my home way out on the East side. I had to change buses downtown, and I spent a lot of time and money at Django's.
Louis Armstrong, "Ain't Misbehavin'". This is from the album "Satch Plays Fats" with the All-Stars, Armstrong's band in the 50s and 60s. By then the critics were all focused on more "modern" things (which I also love), and it is true that this does not have the feel of raw invention that you hear in his early recordings with the Hot Fives. But I still consider this to be some great ensemble playing and one of Armstrong's greatest (recorded) solos.
Brownout, "I Won't Lie." It's a lot of people, and a lot of musical influences, all squeezed onto a tiny little stage. (Pity the trombone player.) I like bands with lots of percussion and a really tight horn section. Brownout overachieves in both categories.
