Happy Birthday Jim Hall - So What's Your Favorite JH Album?

[SkipBurz]

Yesterday was Jim Hall's birthday. He would have been 90-years-old. It gave me a good reason to do a bit of Jim Hall-a-thon as I grade end of the semester papers. I keep discovering his own recordings as well as duet/ensemble albums he played on. My newest find that I've had on loop is, It's Nice to be With You: Live in Berlin with Jimmy Woode & Daniel Humair. Somehow, this one escaped my notice until now. The title track is especially beautiful.

So, what's your favorite Jim Hall record - either as the headline artist or part of an ensemble?

[neatomic]

the one that really began the change as far as jim's ensemble playing

the jimmy giuffre 3...debut album...a classic!

cheers

[waltf]

Undercurrent with Bill Evans.

[SkipBurz]

the one that really began the change as far as jim's ensemble playing

the jimmy giuffre 3...debut album...a classic!

cheers

He always spoke with such reverence and appreciation for Giuffre.

[medblues]

[jazzmanstever]

The album that initially got me hooked on Jim Hall was the Paul Desmond album "Easy Living".
I think Jim was a musician/artist first, and a guitarist second.
When I listen to his playing I don't usually think "what a cool guitar line, how did he play that", I usually just love the pure musicality of it.

[guido5]

[SkipBurz]

The album that initially got me hooked on Jim Hall was the Paul Desmond album "Easy Living".
I think Jim was a musician/artist first, and a guitarist second.
When I listen to his playing I don't usually think "what a cool guitar line, how did he play that", I usually just love the pure musicality of it.

I agree 100%!

[David Dvorin]

So hard to choose! The one that really made me sit up and notice was “Power of Three” with Michel Petrucciani and Wayne Shorter. I distinctly remember the moment I heard “Bimini” as a teenager (sitting in a car in a parking lot) and how baffled/impressed by his rhythmic compositional sense especially in the entirely strummed solo! It was in complete contrast with the high-speed single line stuff that I was hearing from other jazz guitarists.

However, I agree with Neatomic, the first Giuffre 3 album marks a really special change in his ensemble playing that to me serves as a distinct reason why I love his playing so much! Chamber music to the highest degree!

[curbucci]

My favorite is "Jazz Impressions of Japan". If you have not heard it put on your seat belts. Jim and his trio are on fire on the first side of the lp:

[SkipBurz]

My favorite is "Jazz Impressions of Japan". If you have not heard it put on your seatbelts. Jim and his trio are on fire on the first side of the lp:

Another one I've never listened to...Thanks much!

[Flat]

I gotta go with the one he signed for me one night at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. "Thank you! Joy & Peace" he said.

Legend.

[rpjazzguitar]

Yesterday was Jim Hall's birthday. He would have been 90-years-old. It gave me a good reason to do a bit of Jim Hall-a-thon as I grade end of the semester papers. I keep discovering his own recordings as well as duet/ensemble albums he played on. My newest find that I've had on loop is, It's Nice to be With You: Live in Berlin with Jimmy Woode & Daniel Humair. Somehow, this one escaped my notice until now. The title track is especially beautiful.

So, what's your favorite Jim Hall record - either as the headline artist or part of an ensemble?

My favorite Jim Hall album is my favorite jazz album.

More accurately, it's a Paul Desmond album, called Glad to Be Unhappy. Subtitle iirc was Torch Songs Sung By Sax.

The guitar work is stunning. It is a masterclass in comping.

I haven't heard a lot of the others that people have mentioned, but I got a bunch of albums that he did with Desmond, Jim Hall live (not my fave) and Concierto De Aranjuez (stunning too).

[wintermoon]

Tough one, any of the Desmond quartet recordings, though I also like his debut as a leader on Pacific Jazz "Jazz Guitar"
Honorable mention his appearance on Bill Perkins/John Lewis "Grand Encounter 2 Degrees East 3 Degrees West" also on Pacific Jazz

[JazzPadd]

Difficult choice! All the albums listed above are lovely. Here's one of my favs, a live NYC outing:

[Lobomov]

"By arrangement" is absolutely LUSH

Always been my favorite

[marcwhy]

You mean besides "These Rooms" with Tom Harrell? I'm not sure ..

[jbromusic]

I gotta go with the one he signed for me one night at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. "Thank you! Joy & Peace" he said.

Legend.

Yep! This one for me too. The entire box set from this week of concerts is equally incredible.

[jameslovestal]

Here is my selection: Concierto

[neatomic]

interesting one from jim...jim hall trio live in tokyo...1976

when hall had some canandian dates, rather than bringing a nyc rhythm section up with him, he got ed bickerts great duo- bassist Don Thompson & drummer Terry Clarke

well, not surprisingly, he liked them so much, he wound up later taking them to japan!

cheers

[DaShigsta]

Yep! This one for me too. The entire box set from this week of concerts is equally incredible.

Yes... everything with Don Thompson & Terry Clarke is outstanding. So are the two Duo recordings with Bill Evans and the live Duo recording with Bob Brookmeyer !


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[curbucci]

interesting one from jim...jim hall trio live in tokyo...1976

when hall had some canandian dates, rather than bringing a nyc rhythm section up with him, he got ed bickerts great duo- bassist Don Thompson & drummer Terry Clarke

well, not surprisingly, he liked them so much, he wound up later taking them to japan!

cheers

Yes this is another great one!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

The first Jim Hall album I bought.

[smallie_stalker]

I gotta go with the one he signed for me one night at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. "Thank you! Joy & Peace" he said.

Legend.

This one is my favorite too although I was never fortunate enough to meet him to sign it.

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[rpjazzguitar]

Difficult choice! All the albums listed above are lovely. Here's one of my favs, a live NYC outing:

Thanks for posting this. I wasn't aware of this album. It sounds great! Recorded in 1959 and sounds incredibly fresh to my ears.

Jim Hall, Paul Desmond and the MJQ bassist and drummer, Percy Heath and Connie Kay.