Favorite jazz musician pairings?

[Kirk Garrett]

Paul Desmond and anybody else.

[princeplanet]

Most people know Jackie Mac but you're not the only one aware of Tina Brooks, I've had his Minor Mode lp for almost 40 yrs. Just picked up a copy of The Waiting Game this week.
In case you haven't seen it this is the only clip of him I'm aware of...

Haha, yeah of course I've seen this. Boy, what a contrast! - most would think Tina gets blown away by Fathead's confident blustering assault, but he quietly steps up to the mic and just does his own unique thing, sinewy and searching, and like he's blowing with just one unhealthy lung...

I have all his records, including the post-humus releases. Don't tell me you don't own this one!

[wintermoon]

Haha, yeah of course I've seen this. Boy, what a contrast! - most would think Tina gets blown away by Fathead's confident blustering assault, but he quietly steps up to the mic and just does his own unique thing, sinewy and searching, and like he's blowing with just one unhealthy lung...

I have all his records, including the post-humus releases. Don't tell me you don't own this one!

Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic.
I seriously pondered the Mosaic box when it came out, I have quite a few other sets but never got around to the TB box. I like having vinyl whenever possible, trying to decide which one to get, it's been reissued several times.

[Irishmuso]

No one will agree, care or even know of this pairing....I often wonder if I'm the only person in the world that is left feeling utterly devastated by this music.

Well how could I not listen after that!

[TAA]

Another + for Wes and Wynton Kelly. #21 above, Smokin @ the Half Note, is one of my favorite albums. They play great together!

Tom

[BreckerFan]

McCoy and Elvin

Obviously there's the Coltrane quartet, but they are also on a selection of the best early to mid 60s hard bop and post bop records together. Ready for Freddie, Juju, In n' Out, The Soothsayer, Inner Urge, The Real McCoy, probably others I'm not thinking of. They energy they have together is unmatched imo.

[Doctor Jeff]

Just off the top of my head…

Joe and Ella
Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
Coltrane and Duke
Chet Baker and Jim Hall
Chet Baker and Stan Getz
Charlie Parker and Dizzy
Pat Metheny and Brad
Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays
Jim Hall and Bill Evans

And in a non-jazz context:

David Byrne and Brian Eno
David Bowie and Brian Eno
Eno and Fripp
David Byrne and St. Vincent
Robert Plant and Alison Kraus
Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle
George and Tammy
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Pat Metheny has done a number of duo albums - with Jim Hall, Scofield, Ornette Coleman - they are all listenable, but IMO not as interesting as each artist’s solo work. Not sure why - maybe it’s just me. Lyle Mays and Brad Mehldau seem to bring out the best in Pat.

[Tom Karol]

Attila Zoller once told me that his favorite guitarist to play with was Jimmy Raney, and his favorite bassist to play with was Oscar Pettiford.

[Doctor Jeff]

Attila Zoller once told me that his favorite guitarist to play with was Jimmy Raney, and his favorite bassist to play with was Oscar Pettiford.

I listened to an album with Jim Hall, Jimmy Raney and Zoot Sims the other day. Fun album. Their guitar styles complement each other well.

[jameslovestal]

I listened to an album with Jim Hall, Jimmy Raney and Zoot Sims the other day. Fun album. Their guitar styles complement each other well.

[MarkRhodes]

Here's a nice ditty from Joe Pass and Herb Ellis. Carol Kaye published a book(let) of 5-6 of duets by Herb and Joe. This is the best known one.
(Carol did not do the transcription featured in this YouTube clip.)

[AndyV]

George Golla and Don Burrows. George is way under recognized for his beautiful playing and together with Burrows, there was an amazing chemistry.

[princeplanet]

Been scratching my head a little over this thread and am realising that in a lot of famous pairings, like Gene Ammons v Sonny Stitt, or Sonny Rollins v Sonny Stitt, you are still hearing the individual stylist, but without either really bending or yielding to find a different common ground when paired with another stylist. Sonny Stitt kinda always sounded like Sonny Stitt, y'know?...

So which pairings are notable for causing each stylist to play differently when compared to what they usually would play? And in a good way? A famous example is how Trane and Cannonball played when in each others company, which many people prefer, over what either of those players did outside of that pairing. Come to think of it, the credit for that must go to Miles who actively encouraged them to really listen to each other and respond.

So then, the pairing of Miles and everyone he played with is worth mentioning (miles with trane, miles with cannon, miles with bill evans, miles with herbie, miles with elvin jones etc etc). In the same way, playing with Art Blakey brought something good out of his players. Same goes for Mingus, and maybe latter day Trane. I guess what I'm trying to say is that some collaborations are just A + B, whereas some can be A enmeshed with B, in other words, symbiosis.

[Doctor Jeff]

Been scratching my head a little over this thread and am realising that in a lot of famous pairings, like Gene Ammons v Sonny Stitt, or Sonny Rollins v Sonny Stitt, you are still hearing the individual stylist, but without either really bending or yielding to find a different common ground when paired with another stylist. Sonny Stitt kinda always sounded like Sonny Stitt, y'know?...

So which pairings are notable for causing each stylist to play differently when compared to what they usually would play? And in a good way? A famous example is how Trane and Cannonball played when in each others company, which many people prefer, over what either of those players did outside of that pairing. Come to think of it, the credit for that must go to Miles who actively encouraged them to really listen to each other and respond.

So then, the pairing of Miles and everyone he played with is worth mentioning (miles with trane, miles with cannon, miles with bill evans, miles with herbie, miles with elvin jones etc etc). In the same way, playing with Art Blakey brought something good out of his players. Same goes for Mingus, and maybe latter day Trane. I guess what I'm trying to say is that some collaborations are just A + B, whereas some can be A enmeshed with B, in other words, symbiosis.

I agree. That's why the Bill Evans/Jim Hall pairing is so effective. Or Jim Hall/Red Mitchell. It's a real conversation going on.

The last album by Pharoah Sanders with Floating Points (Sam Shepherd) is a remarkable album. Really transcendent music. Shepherd brings out the dreamlike qualities of Sanders, while this is certainly the best thing Shepherd has ever done.

[gcb]