What is your favorite small group jazz combo (e.g., quartets/quintets)?

[Cunamara]

My all-time favorite small jazz combo (so far) is the Art Farmer Quartet with Jim Hall. I think they were just sublime. What a combination of musicians proving that "the whole is different from the sum of the parts" (which is the original quote, by the way, not "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts").

I also really liked the Jimmy Cobb Original Mob record that came out in 2014 back with Brad Mehldau, Bernstein and Webber. Part of that was the amazingly spacious groove that Jimmy Cobb was able to create; his quarter note pulses were so roomy that you could get in there and walk around for a while four times every bar. I don't know how he did it.

[rpjazzguitar]

Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Gene Wright and Connie Kay.

My fave album, Glad To Be Unhappy.

In my own playing I prefer quintet by a small margin over quartet. The difference is the kb. gbpd with a singer or horn.

[Rob MacKillop]

Miles Smiles - best jazz album ever, best jazz group ever. What a rhythm section!

[JazzPadd]

Some of the quintets as part of the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers. So many great musicians came through those groups and Blakey had a real knack for recognizing the up and coming young players.

Already mentioned, but I second the piano free quartets with Jim Hall, his minimalist style left lots of room for horn players to roam.

Lots of great guitar trios, too, and that’s my favorite setting to be in!

[wolflen]

Any combination..but must have

Jimmy Smith/Kenny Burrell

[darkwaters]

For me it has to be the first iteration of The Miles Davis Quintet.

Miles, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones….. what more need i say. Pure musical telepathy.

[Peter C]

The sublime Ed Bickert subtly filling the air with his magic Tele tones.

[supersoul]

Ahmad Jamal Trio with Ray Crawford
Jimmy Giuffre 3 with Jim Hall

[pamosmusic]

Miles Smiles - best jazz album ever, best jazz group ever. What a rhythm section!

Hard agree on that band.

Next on the list would be the Coltrane classic quartet … but man there’s something about Herbie and seventeen year old Tony Williams out there with something to prove.

There are some things that sound kind of normal to us now but were evolutionary in their time …

… and then there’s Tony Williams on Footprints. Drop that track in 2029 and the dude will sound like he’s from outer space.

[Cunamara]

There are some things that sound kind of normal to us now but were evolutionary in their time …

Yeah, man! That's right- a (r)evolution happens and then it becomes normal, setting the eventual stage for the next (r)evolution.

I was born in 1959, the year jazz was changed by Miles (Kind of Blue), Coltrane (Giant Steps), Mingus (Mingus Ah Uhm), Ornette (The Shape of Jazz To Come) and the Brubeck Quartet (Take Five). Jazz was never the same and then just a couple years after that the bossa nova craze. To me all that stuff was normal because I had no memory of the world before; I imagine a similar thing happened with bebop. Then in the 60s the Chicago crowd of improvisors brought in something new and jazz-rock fusion came along and, and, and... then Wynton Marsalis came along and tried to re-revolutionize jazz back to the bebop-based tradition.

[j.l]

Some days (most days?) it's one of the various Clifford Brown/Max Roach lineups. Given the events of the week, we'll say this one today:

[Aiq]

The “all-time classical hydrogen bomb and switchblade band” (Amiri Baraka) comes to mind.

The second Davis Quintet.

At least until today’s listening crowns a new (temporary) champion.

[Tom Karol]

Oscar Peterson Trio with Joe Pass.

Not only Kenny Burrell, but I believe Wes Montgomery did an album with Jimmy Smith as well.

[mr. beaumont]

Today's picks (ask me tomorrow for what would likely be completely different answers)

FAVORITE SMALL GROUPS...

Guitar/Bass duo: Ed Bickert and Don Thompson
Guitar/other instrument duo: Jim Hall/Bill Evans or Frisell/Hersch
Duo without guitar: Enrico Pieranunzi and Tony Scott or Trane and Rasheid Ali
Drummerless Trio with guitar: Ahmad Jamal/Ray Crawford/ Israel Crosby
Guitar organ trio: Grant Green/Larry Young/Elvin Jones or anybody with Bernstein
Trio without guitar: Bill Evans Trio or EST
Guitar/bass/drums trio: Jim Hall with anybody

For me, add a fourth or fifth member and there's just way too many to mention.

[frabarmus]