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Worth the Wait!

By Troy Hoffman
October 2, 2024
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Some of the genre's most historically significant performances did not surface on record until the new millennium.

Many historical, live jazz performances have graced the past and thankfully were caught on recording; being released shortly after. For example,

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey Quintet's A Night at Birdland, which is regarded as one of the best live jazz shows ever recorded. The performance is from the winter of 1954, and it was soon released on record that coming fall. That seemed to be the average turnaround time for a live jazz record in those transformative years. Certain live recordings, however, were left to linger on the vine for some other time. Was this intentional? Were they just forgotten about? Was it divine intervention? Did certain recordings need excessive time to cool off, because they were just so hot? These are all important questions to ask.

Some of the genre's most historically significant performances did not surface on record until the new millennium. The first release of

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' Bootleg Series, from a run of shows in Europe in the fall of 1967, did not see the light of day until September 20, 2011. The second in that series was from a 1969 European tour, released in 2013, and the next pulled from 1970 performances, released in 2014. In addition, Davis's 1951 performance on Birdland (Blue Note), didn't have an official master release until 2004.

Also on Blue Note is

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk and

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's live performance, At Carnegie Hall, recorded on November 29, 1957. It didn't hit record store shelves until September 27, 2005, after the tapes were discovered at the Library of Congress.

Billie Holiday

vocals
1915 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Billie Holiday and

Ray Charles

piano and vocals
1930 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Charles were just a couple of the other names on the bill for this historical benefit concert. This particular release seems to be endlessly hailed by critics and fans alike.

Despite years of some of the greatest live recordings being neglected, who can complain? A great mastered release is always worth the wait! It is as if some of these recordings made their own decision when to be released to the world, when the fruit was just ripe for picking. Thelonious Monk fans lucked out and only had to wait 17 years for Live at the It Club, recorded in 1964, with Columbia records deciding to release it in 1982. Billie Holiday's epic live recording at Carnegie Hall in 1956. only took 6 years to be released by Verve in 1962, just three years after the singer's passing.

Whether the wait is short or long, it seems like it's always meant to be. It seemed necessary to let some of these live cuts marinade on the shelf for a while. It is more probable that most of these types of long-awaited releases are more of a marketing strategy than anything else, but it is still nice to fantasize. One can only wonder what performances of today (if any) will be cherished in the far future in the same way, or if at all?

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