As part of a special master class last week, we asked our Tritone at Bjorklunden faculty about their favorite or most influential jazz recordings. While admitting that picking a single favorite was nearly impossible, each was able to choose the one recording (or two in some cases) that they would want if stranded on the proverbial desert island.
Gene Bertoncini (guitar) chose The Poll Winners recordings featuring Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums.
Janet Planet (voice) selected Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley.
Dean Sorenson (trombone) went with Blue Trane.
John Harmon (piano/composer/arranger) and Fred Sturm (Tritone co-owner, trombone/composer/arranger) both selected Miles + 19.
Zach Harmon (drums & percussion) chose Clifford Brown & Max Roach.
Tom Washatka (sax) cites Supersax Plays Bird as the album that made the difference for him.
Mike Hale (trumpet) chose two: Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and Freddie Hubbard’s The Hub of Hubbard.
Rod Blumenau (piano/saxophone) selected one that features his two favorite instruments: Stan Getz and Kenny Barron’s People Time.
Tom Hampson (The Colors of Jazz) also chose two: Woody Herman’s Four Brothers and Carmen McRae at the Great American Music Hall.
Ike Sturm (bass), who missed the master class session, later cited Kenny Wheeler’s Gnu High as a favorite.
Tritone Time 