Listening suggestions...

A great album dedicated to the memory of Bill Evans, who passed away in 1980. Richie Beirach delivers a heartfelt performance, supported by two outstanding musicians: George Mraz on double bass and Al Foster on drums. The interaction and improvisation are just remarkable, marked by sensitivity, great swing, and strong musical intuition. The introduction to “Spring Is Here”  is simply magnificent. I’ve always felt that Richie Beirach never received the full recognition he dese

Not Bowie's most known album, but a very interesting one. Typical Bowie writing, but with a 90's electro touch. Think D&B, Big Beat, Techno pop... Dense arrangements, and nice surprises ( listen to the last 60 seconds of Dead Man Walking ). The album features the deft playing of guitarist Reeves Gabrels and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey. My favorite tracks: Looking for Satellites, Dead Man Walking & Little Wonder . Pas l’album le plus connu de Bowie, mais un disque très intéressa

I bought this record when I was about 17 years old. This music still overwhelms me every time I listen to it. A magnificent arrangement by Ravel of Mussorgsky’s famous piano work. J'ai acheté ce disque quand j'avais environ 17 ans. Cette musique me renverse encore, à chaque écoute. Arrangement grandiose de Ravel de la célèbre pièce pour piano de Mussorgsky.

The great Keith Jarrett once said : ' Music is not something you can describe with words ...' You have to listen to this one to understand... Beautiful music. (forget about what Pierre Boulez may have said ... ) This score was composed in 1976, and was first performed in 1977. The first mouvement is a really stunning piece of music. Le grand Keith Jarrett a dit un jour : « La musique n’est pas quelque chose que l’on peut décrire avec des mots … » Ici il faut écouter pour

Beautiful album of original tunes by the great alto saxophonist David Binney. He is surrounded here by incredible musicians: Chris Potter, Scott Coley, Brian Blade, Adam Rogers and Craig Taborn. The writing and playing is high level and fresh. Modern jazz with touches of ' almost ' rock, funky and free elements. Great solos throughout the whole album. My favorite tracks: Lisliel, Frez, Enchantress & Ici. Magnifique album de compositions originales du grand saxophoniste alto

The last album from The Man in Black , and a must IMO... A dark album, with songs about death and suffering, with heart wrenching singing that just cuts through you. I remember seeing the video from ' Hurt ' when it came out and being mesmerized. A repertoire of country classics and of more recent 'pop' tunes. The album is produced by Rick Rubin, who did a wonderful job. My favorite tracks: Give my Love to Rose, Hurt, Personal Jesus & I Hung my Head. Le dernier album de l'h

This is a special album - Flamenco pieces arranged with a jazz Big Band. A very surprising and effective marriage. Vince Mendoza's arrangements are just sublime. Great musians: Mike Brecker, Peter Erskine, Al Di Meola, to name just a few. Great sounding album. My favorite tracks: Tangos, Soy Gitano & El Vito Cante . C’est un album vraiment spécial — des pièces flamenco arrangées avec un Big Band de jazz. Une alliance très surprenante et très réussie. Les arrangements de Vinc

A great mix of Rock, R&B/Soul, Blues, Country and even Prog... I remember hearing ' Frankenstein ' for the first time when I was about 12, it just blew me away. I always tell my students, when I play them ' Free Ride ': ' If you don't like that one, you must be dead inside... ' My favorite tracks: Free Ride & Frankenstein . Un excellent mélange de Rock, de R&B/Soul, de Blues, de Country et même de Prog… Je me souviens avoir entendu ' Frankenstein'  pour la première fois qua

My favorite Jim Hall album. My University guitar teacher and friend Gary Schwartz made me listen to this album. You hear Jim with different musicians: Tommy Flanagan, Art Farmer, Ron Carter, Don Thompson, Terry Clarke, and in a duo with his wife Jane… Jim also plays a duo with himself ( overdub …). I learned a lot from listening to this album. A great master at the peak of his art. All my students have to play his solo from ' Indian Summer '. My favorite tracks on the album:

I first heard this album in my jazz improv class at Concordia University, with Joe Sullivan. After that I remember transcribing almost every solo from Larry Schneider and Tom Harrell on the album. Great tunes, with great solos all over. Some of these solos should be placed in a time capsule! Bill plays acoustic ans electric piano, with Marc Johnson on double bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. A ' desert island' pick for sure... My favorite tracks on the album: Comrade Conrad &

A collection of original tunes ( including a few contrafacts ), sometimes with funny titles and melodies. The cd included a booklet with the lead sheets of each tunes ( nice... ). Swallow on bass, with a great band: Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Mulgrew Miller & Jack DeJohnette. I always loved Steve Swallow's writing and playing, and his quirky sense of humor. Another album that I play to all my students. My favorite tracks on the album: Second Handy Motion, Willow & Lets Eat . U

First album made after the ' Miles period '. Scofield is just burning. Great writing, great feel - the sound is a bit ' 80's fusion ', but I still think this is some of Scofield's best work. Plus he is surrounded by great players: Don Grolnick, Darryl Jones & Omar Hakim. I never hear about this album, so I was happy to hear Kurt Rosenwinkel say that this is one of his favorite. My favorite tracks on the album: Still Warm, Picks and Pans & High and Mighty. Premier album enreg

Breathtaking pieces, by the very 'special' composer Carlo Gesualdo. He just broke down the barriers of harmony - I can't imagine how those pieces were recieved by the public of the time. I remember asking one of my university teachers if Gesualdo was in control of what he was doing, or if he was just a ' mad scientist ' - and he told me: 'You know, Gesualdo was a mad man!' The interpretation by the Consort of Musicke (Anthony Rooley) is absolutely flawless. Des pièces à coup

My favorite album from Björk. Electronics with strings, a great mix. Lots of great writing and arrangements, Trip Hop, D&B, plus Björk's voice... My favorite tracks from the album: Joga, Unravel & Bachelorette . Mon album préféré de Björk. De l’électronique avec des cordes, un excellent mélange. Beaucoup d’écriture et d’arrangements superbes, du trip-hop, du D&B, et bien sûr la voix de Björk… Mes morceaux préférés de l’album : Joga, Unravel et Bachelorette .

My favorite from Yes. I really love Fragile , Close to the Edge and Relayer , but The Yes Album has something unique for me. It's more raw, and naive. It still sounds fresh to my ears, even after all these years. It has an 'indie' sound and feel that I just love. Great playing and arrangements, and of course Jon Anderson's voice is just amazing. According to Steve Howe, who had just joined Yes at that point, this is just before the guys in the band got a bit ' too big for t

A game changer... I think there is a before and an after ' Music for Large & Small Ensembles '. Wonderful tunes and arrangements, and solos... There's Kenny, JT, Norma Winstone, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, Stan Sulzmann... A BIG 'must listen'. For me Kenny is the Ennio Morricone of jazz. Goosebumps guaranteed just from the opening of ' The Sweet Time Suite' . My favorite tracks on the album: 1,2,3 & 6, from ' The Sweet Time Suite '. Un véritable point

I remember when I first heard the opening track - 'Three Sheets to the Wind' - I had never heard anybody play like this. It still amazes me. The playing, the writing... The whole musical concept is so singular, and beautiful... Holdsworth was in a world of his own. He didn't like this record very much ( he didn't get along with the producer, Ted Templeman, and he didn't like the final mix ), but I never understood why, it's a wonderful record. Great performances also by Jef

A ' power trio ' playing post punk-prog-rock mixed with jazz and expertimental music... I just love that record. Great rhythm section (Joe Lally & Brendan Canty - ex Fugazi ) that support the guitar explorations of Anthony Pirog. I've been following Anthony since his album Palo Colorado Dream  in 2014. He has a refreshing approach; I find his music and playing very inspiring, and he's also a very skillful user of effects pedals. Check out also their second album, ' Anthropoco

I studied with Jan at Concordia University. He exposed me to the music of Kenny Wheeler ( we played a few of Kenny's tune in the big band ). This record is for sure on my 'desert island' picks... A mix of jazz improvisation, with classical ans meditative passages. Wonderful music. The sound of the piano is just awesome. My favotite tracks on the album: Berceuse, Etre si Amoureux & Polonaise . J’ai étudié avec Jan à l’Université Concordia. Il m’a fait découvrir la musique de

The first album from Wynton. A favorite of mine. Great energy everywhere on that record. Nice tunes, and really great playing. A 'modern' approach to tradition... All-star line up of musicians: Kenny Kirkland, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, just to name a few. My favorite tracks on the album: Father Time, Hesitation & Sister Cheryl . Le premier album de Wynton. L’un de mes préférés. Il y a une superbe énergie partout sur ce disque. De beaux morceaux et un jeu vra