Top 6 - Jazz, selected with Phil Green

The Top 6 feature here is not quite as regular as it used to be but it is always there to be continued on an occasional basis. Readers are invited to submit Top 6's in something like the format of the others. It began as a poetry project but can be extended to any art form or any other area of interest roughly within the range of the website as established over the last three years or so. Last year I shared six hymns with my mother. As any child should know, you really can't show favouritism to one parent over the other, so I've invited my father, Phil, to select six jazz tracks between us. He'd probably prefer to do brass bands but one can only go so far in trying one's best and jazz might not be exactly my area either. Adherents of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker or modern jazz might as well tune into another channel, though. This is likely to be fairly Trad, Dad, would you like to give this a go. To conjure another little feature for the David Green Books website, can we take it in turns to pick favourite jazz tracks until we've got six. You're the guest and so should have the first go.
Obviously the British 1950's scene would be the main ground if only because having seen many of the bands of the time live in teenage impressionable years.
However for starters one of my favourites of all time is Louis Armstrong's version of West End Blues. Have it somewhere on a record but not sure where to find it at the moment but the playing with 'Hot Breaks' is exceptional. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Hbh_-IRs8

I'm glad that Louis is the first pick. It wouldn't seem right to start anywhere else. Much of what I first heard of jazz was from records that you had and it certainly wasn't their fault that jazz never quite made it into the top parts of my favourite music. But one artist I found for myself was Lester Young and the restrained, late night bar room atmosphere of Ghost of a Chance is one of his best pieces. The rules of this game say that we are not allowed to mention anything beyond the six choices and so I can't say that it was his version of These Foolish Things that first stood out on that album. What have you got next?
Careless Love. Ottilie Paterson with the Chris Barber Band.
My recording was 1st March 1958 at Brighton ref LACDD56

It wasn't until quite recently that I'd ever heard anybody say they didn't like Fats Waller. I didn't realize that was possible and it made me wonder for a while. But I had a cassette for my 21st birthday and it got played regularly for a long time. The chaotic The Joint is Jumping is the choice. I knew the police siren came at the end. I hadn't realized until I saw this video that the police joined in the party when they arrived. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKe6yH3ZwGo
My third choice is Trog's Blues played by Wally Fawkes with Humph's band 1954. The recording is on you tube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-Y3Jt3wiY. Great clarinet playing.

I listened to Keith Jarrett's solo piano improvisation on the Koln Concert for the first time in several years the other day. Let's say, Part 1. It has lasted very well and I'm sure it can be included in Jazz because I don't think it will go anywhere else.
And thanks for doing that. According to us, at least, ‘That’s jazz.’