Making a Jazz MixTape
Recently I sat down to do something I haven’t done in a long time. Make a MixTape for a friend. After hearing No Room For Squares by Hank Mobley, my friend admitted that she was much more knowledgeable on the subject of vocal jazz as opposed to instrumental jazz. So, I offered to make her a MixTape of some songs that she might like.
These are the tracks that I decided on. By no means is this a list of tracks I feel to be the most important or most influential in the jazz genre, but rather a compilation of tracks that I enjoy or find unique for a particular reason. Please feel free to leave comments on any of the tracks that I mention, or ones that you feel should have been included.
The Real McBop Live at the Blue Note by Arturo Sandoval
- Recorded June 10-11, 2004 at the Blue Note, NY
Arturo Sandoval (Trumpet)
Dennis Marks (Bass)
Felipe Lamoglia (Saxophone)
Rene Toledo (Guitar)
Tomas Cruz (Percussion)
Alexis Arce (Drums)
Phil Magallanes (Piano)
This album includes a DVD of the performance as well as the CD version. Well worth the money, especially since halfway through the performance Arturo plays an imaginary Acoustic Bass and does some extended vocal solos that are better appreciated seen than just heard. The DVD also includes some interviews with Arturo Sandoval as an added bonus. The opening track, The Real McBop, is a fast Bebop tune pushed along by Afro-Cuban rhythms. I love this sound, and clearly nobody is doing it better these days than Arturo Sandoval.
