SIMON LASKY
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As the Simon Lasky Group are about to release their second album, About The Moment, on 33 Records, the pianist tells us about his all time favourite albums, and why he has chosen them.
Click on the album cover to read our review. |
JONI MITCHELL - Both Sides Now (2000)
If words could describe how beautiful this album is, we wouldn’t need the album! It does everything great music should do: Immaculate compositions; Vince Mendoza’s stunning orchestral arrangements expertly performed by London’s most skilled instrumentalists; world class improvisers (Herbie, Wayne, Peter Erskine et al!) and, sitting on top of all that, one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century – the late, world-weary vocals of Joni Mitchell. Put that all together and you’ve got an album of searing emotional intensity that literally changes my physiology every time I hear it! Vince Mendoza’s string writing is genius.
PAT METHENY GROUP – Still Life Talking (1987)
Life changing, for me. Relatively late to jazz, I didn’t discover Pat Metheny’s music in any meaningful way until I was in my late twenties. His album artwork was different to most straight-ahead jazz albums so, ever curious and on that basis alone, I bought ‘Still Life Talking’ on CD in HMV 2003. Up until that point I hadn’t realized that the stunning immediacy of jazz improvisation could exist within the context of sweeping long-form symphonic structures. I’ve been obsessed with Pat’s music ever since.
If words could describe how beautiful this album is, we wouldn’t need the album! It does everything great music should do: Immaculate compositions; Vince Mendoza’s stunning orchestral arrangements expertly performed by London’s most skilled instrumentalists; world class improvisers (Herbie, Wayne, Peter Erskine et al!) and, sitting on top of all that, one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century – the late, world-weary vocals of Joni Mitchell. Put that all together and you’ve got an album of searing emotional intensity that literally changes my physiology every time I hear it! Vince Mendoza’s string writing is genius.
PAT METHENY GROUP – Still Life Talking (1987)
Life changing, for me. Relatively late to jazz, I didn’t discover Pat Metheny’s music in any meaningful way until I was in my late twenties. His album artwork was different to most straight-ahead jazz albums so, ever curious and on that basis alone, I bought ‘Still Life Talking’ on CD in HMV 2003. Up until that point I hadn’t realized that the stunning immediacy of jazz improvisation could exist within the context of sweeping long-form symphonic structures. I’ve been obsessed with Pat’s music ever since.
ABBEY LINCOLN – A Turtle’s Dream (1995)
I like music where emotions are to the fore, but only when they are combined with instrumental skill and vocal prowess. I’ve always been able to relate to the big symphonies of Gustav Mahler, or that one final modulation at the end of a Stevie Wonder song. Despite having star sidemen (Roy Hargrove, Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden) egos are firmly checked at the door on this album and music is made. Abbey Lincoln’s career enjoyed a remarkable renaissance relatively late in her life, on the Verve record label, when her voice had a particular depth and richness. Her song writing is beautiful and there’s an intensity and emotional honesty to her performances which can be traced back to her black rights activism with her (then time) husband Max Roach. This is music making with a purpose: she has something to say, and I believe her!
PAUL SIMON – Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
Paul Simon’s skills combining music, melody, lyrics and harmony are up their with those of Schubert, Schumann and Cole Porter. The title track is 3mins 27 seconds long. In that time Paul Simon explores almost every chromatic device you can think of, a melodic line that takes your breath away, a bridge containing a string quartet and a Mike Brecker tenor sax solo, and as much narrative as a two hour film! It’s not jazz, but I adore Paul Simon’s music – it contains new discoveries every time I listen to it.
I like music where emotions are to the fore, but only when they are combined with instrumental skill and vocal prowess. I’ve always been able to relate to the big symphonies of Gustav Mahler, or that one final modulation at the end of a Stevie Wonder song. Despite having star sidemen (Roy Hargrove, Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden) egos are firmly checked at the door on this album and music is made. Abbey Lincoln’s career enjoyed a remarkable renaissance relatively late in her life, on the Verve record label, when her voice had a particular depth and richness. Her song writing is beautiful and there’s an intensity and emotional honesty to her performances which can be traced back to her black rights activism with her (then time) husband Max Roach. This is music making with a purpose: she has something to say, and I believe her!
PAUL SIMON – Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
Paul Simon’s skills combining music, melody, lyrics and harmony are up their with those of Schubert, Schumann and Cole Porter. The title track is 3mins 27 seconds long. In that time Paul Simon explores almost every chromatic device you can think of, a melodic line that takes your breath away, a bridge containing a string quartet and a Mike Brecker tenor sax solo, and as much narrative as a two hour film! It’s not jazz, but I adore Paul Simon’s music – it contains new discoveries every time I listen to it.
QUINCY JONES – The Quintessence (1961)
‘Q’ has been my all time musical hero ever since I read his autobiography during my first job playing piano on a cruise ship in my mid-twenties. What a career, what a life. The great thing I’ve learned from his writing and arranging is that his musical intentions are always so clear: whatever he’s trying to express, it comes across with such clarity and transparency of texture. There is great harmonic and instrumental sophistication – no dumbing down – but there’s always a popular appeal. For me that comes from his arranging and composing skills, and his skill at knowing who to call/who to ask to execute his ideas and the immaculate way his albums are conceived.
MILES DAVIS & GIL EVANS – Miles Ahead (1957)
My final thesis at university was on the recordings Miles made in collaboration with Gil Evans. I was pouring over every bar, every phrase and every chord then, and ever since. And the remarkable thing is that I discover new details in the recordings every time I listen to them. For all composers and arrangers, these albums are the Bible: the benchmark as to what can be achieved by a large jazz ensemble. I also love Miles’ open horn playing. After these albums he used the Harmon mute more and more, but I miss the warmth and fragility of his open trumpet and flugelhorn.
‘Q’ has been my all time musical hero ever since I read his autobiography during my first job playing piano on a cruise ship in my mid-twenties. What a career, what a life. The great thing I’ve learned from his writing and arranging is that his musical intentions are always so clear: whatever he’s trying to express, it comes across with such clarity and transparency of texture. There is great harmonic and instrumental sophistication – no dumbing down – but there’s always a popular appeal. For me that comes from his arranging and composing skills, and his skill at knowing who to call/who to ask to execute his ideas and the immaculate way his albums are conceived.
MILES DAVIS & GIL EVANS – Miles Ahead (1957)
My final thesis at university was on the recordings Miles made in collaboration with Gil Evans. I was pouring over every bar, every phrase and every chord then, and ever since. And the remarkable thing is that I discover new details in the recordings every time I listen to them. For all composers and arrangers, these albums are the Bible: the benchmark as to what can be achieved by a large jazz ensemble. I also love Miles’ open horn playing. After these albums he used the Harmon mute more and more, but I miss the warmth and fragility of his open trumpet and flugelhorn.
WEATHER REPORT – 8:30 (1979)
The greatest band in history? They are certainly up there for me. I knew this was brilliant the first time I heard it, but it’s taken me around 15 years to figure out how and why! I think Joe Zawinul was one of the most important composers of the 20th Century. While I don’t like everything that he did, the creativity and imagination in every bar of his music is astonishing: musical imagination and originality is seeping out of every corner of his music. Some of their sound world can sound dated now but, whenever I listen to Weather Report, I smile thinking “Really? That melodic line with that harmonic progression over that groove with thatorchestration?!” This live album is probably the best Weather Report line-up with Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine and Jaco Pastorius at the peak of their powers. The other astonishing thing about Weather Report is that they sound so big – it’s a huge sound, but there’s only four of them on this album.
HERBIE HANCOCK – Speak Like A Child (1968)
How to pick just one album from the man who straddled so many innovations in jazz? I’ve always equated Herbie Hancock with Igor Stravinsky; they both had a number of different stylistic phases or their careers – each one as innovative as the one before. Recorded in between acknowledged masterpieces, 1968’s ‘Speak Like A Child’ has a quiet and elegant brilliance. The sound world is warm and enticing, generated by the unusual and seductive combination of alto flute, flugelhorn and bass trombone. And I had to choose something with that Rudy Van Gelder/Blue Note sound; the albums from around that time sound so natural, unforced and seductive. This is an underrated album and a real gem.
The greatest band in history? They are certainly up there for me. I knew this was brilliant the first time I heard it, but it’s taken me around 15 years to figure out how and why! I think Joe Zawinul was one of the most important composers of the 20th Century. While I don’t like everything that he did, the creativity and imagination in every bar of his music is astonishing: musical imagination and originality is seeping out of every corner of his music. Some of their sound world can sound dated now but, whenever I listen to Weather Report, I smile thinking “Really? That melodic line with that harmonic progression over that groove with thatorchestration?!” This live album is probably the best Weather Report line-up with Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine and Jaco Pastorius at the peak of their powers. The other astonishing thing about Weather Report is that they sound so big – it’s a huge sound, but there’s only four of them on this album.
HERBIE HANCOCK – Speak Like A Child (1968)
How to pick just one album from the man who straddled so many innovations in jazz? I’ve always equated Herbie Hancock with Igor Stravinsky; they both had a number of different stylistic phases or their careers – each one as innovative as the one before. Recorded in between acknowledged masterpieces, 1968’s ‘Speak Like A Child’ has a quiet and elegant brilliance. The sound world is warm and enticing, generated by the unusual and seductive combination of alto flute, flugelhorn and bass trombone. And I had to choose something with that Rudy Van Gelder/Blue Note sound; the albums from around that time sound so natural, unforced and seductive. This is an underrated album and a real gem.
STEPS AHEAD – Steps Ahead (1983)
There is an unapologetic pop sensibility and mid-eighties production values at the heart of this music. But it’s combined with the rich chromatic jazz harmonies, which I love, catchy melodies, infectious grooves and the spontaneity and excitement of jazz improvisation. Mike Manieri and Don Grolnick had that gift for writing immediately appealing – yet sophisticated – music and this album contains another dream line-up with Mike Brecker, Eliane Elias, Eddie Gomez and Peter Erskine (who seems to be on almost every album I’ve chosen!).
CHUCK OWEN & THE JAZZ SURGE - Whispers On The Wind (2017)
I wanted to include some brand new music, a current recording, and a new discovery for me. There is so much music on this album; so much detail to sink your teeth into - excellent speakers are required (no listening on your phone!!).
I love music of time and place and people. Music that can transport you somewhere and that gives flight to your imagination. The sonic world occupied by Chuck Owen on this record is staggeringly programmatic as his augmented Big Band conjures up the sounds and spirit of the American heartland. It’s nominated for a Grammy – check it out.
There is an unapologetic pop sensibility and mid-eighties production values at the heart of this music. But it’s combined with the rich chromatic jazz harmonies, which I love, catchy melodies, infectious grooves and the spontaneity and excitement of jazz improvisation. Mike Manieri and Don Grolnick had that gift for writing immediately appealing – yet sophisticated – music and this album contains another dream line-up with Mike Brecker, Eliane Elias, Eddie Gomez and Peter Erskine (who seems to be on almost every album I’ve chosen!).
CHUCK OWEN & THE JAZZ SURGE - Whispers On The Wind (2017)
I wanted to include some brand new music, a current recording, and a new discovery for me. There is so much music on this album; so much detail to sink your teeth into - excellent speakers are required (no listening on your phone!!).
I love music of time and place and people. Music that can transport you somewhere and that gives flight to your imagination. The sonic world occupied by Chuck Owen on this record is staggeringly programmatic as his augmented Big Band conjures up the sounds and spirit of the American heartland. It’s nominated for a Grammy – check it out.
