Henry Threadgill has an immense and under-appreciated discography, with a particularly magic run of recordings in the 90s. Digging back into an earlier era, though, reveals gems that may be the best entry point for a jazz fan unaccustomed to his distinct style. As a founding member of the trio Air, originally convening in 1972 and then performing and touring as Reflections (before changing that name), he focused on playing as part of a collective. Still, Threadgill wrote the music for the trio’s first record, Air Song, produced and recorded by the Japanese label Whynot.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to this album, but I still find new things in it. In a way, Threadgill’s music defies categorization (let alone written commentary), circling around post-bop, military march, free jazz, ragtime and other modes without being pigeonholed into a style. Air Song begins in a fairly straightforward manner, but Fred Hopkins’ nearly 3-minute bass solo on opener “Untitled Song” pushes the track toward the sublime. This may be Threadgill’s first great recorded opus. “Great Body of the Riddle” then explores a much looser and more avant-garde rhythm, this time with a Steve McCall drum solo that clears up some space for Threadgill’s sax to rip it apart.

On the B-side are “Dance of the Beast” and “Air Song”. “Dance of the Beast” comes out swinging with the most intense sax playing on the album, but makes for a great boost at work. Threadgill’s flute opens “Air Song”, deftly navigating hollow space. Hopkins’ bowed bass then adds a sweetness to the sonic dimension. Bells are eventually added to the percussive mix before things round out, resulting in the album’s quietest and, for lack of a better word, airy track. Air would continue touring and recording for another decade or so before disbanding. More information can be found in Threadgill’s wonderful memoir “Easily Slip Into Another World”.

Listen to Air Song here.

My latest musical obsession is John Coltrane playing “My Favorite Things”, something he did fairly often from the recording of the My Favorite Things album in 1960 up until his death in 1967. Coltrane breathed new life into the Sound of Music classic every time he touched it. This Public Radio Broadcast from 2010 outlines the history of Coltrane and “My Favorite Things” – in 1960 someone in a Lower East Side club gave Coltrane sheet music for the song (The Sound of Music was a hit Broadway play at the time and the movie version would not appear until 1965), and he brought it to his band. There are at least 18 commercially released versions of Coltrane playing the song, from the roughly 3-minute single to the mammoth 34+ minute recording on The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording.

My *ahem* favorite version so far comes from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1963, one of two Newport sets (the other from ’65) featured on this album. A compilation of sorts, this particular disc features tracks that were largely previously released. Whether that picture of Coltrane ripping soprano sax on the cover is from one of these dates or not, it gives you a pretty good idea of what’s inside. The 1963 set eases in with Eckstine’s “I Want to Talk About You”. Expressive and warm, McCoy Tyner plays the perfect piano accompaniment to Coltrane, who solos with great confidence in the back half of the track. Then “My Favorite Things” clocks in around 17 minutes. Coltrane just punches the shit out of this thing. He’s fluttering, carrying the melody to new heights and pulverizing the theme. Around 16 minutes the exploration resolves into the theme in a turn that’s as brilliant as that of any jam band (I’m thinking of 2 in particular) might play decades later.

In some ways the gem of this disc is the inspired 23-minute “Impressions” following the title track, having only been previously released at a truncated 15 minutes. This track was good enough to warrant its own Coltrane album while he lived, and this take features a riled-up Roy Haynes on drums and cooks hard enough to earn its runtime.

You can tell, at the end of the 1965 take on “My Favorite Things”, that the crowd is loving it and has to be reminded of curfew by the announcer, who notes that “it’s the witching hour and time for all of you to go home” (maybe the band was cutoff?). I don’t think this version is quite as great, though it may at times stretch out a little further. To me it just doesn’t match the strength and aplomb of the 1963 version. Still, it’s one of the Greats doing what he does best, and tracking down Coltrane’s takes on this song is proving to be a rewarding past-time.

Listen to My Favorite Things here.

Ahmad Jamal had a long and lucrative career in jazz piano, and it started off with the smooth Chamber Music of the New Jazz. Recorded in 1955 and originally released as Ahmad Jamal Plays, the album was re-released a year later (with every successive reissue known as Chamber Music). Jamal would score a hit in 1958 with his live trio album At the Pershing, recorded with bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier. Chamber Music is also a trio album but without drums, instead featuring guitarist Ray Crawford (a Pittsburgh native like Jamal).

Crawford’s guitar is notable, as he plays around with little pops on “All of You” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Kissed”. Crawford’s own composition “Jeff” has always been my favorite track here, and it’s opening call-and-response between guitar and piano sticks in my head. The rest of the album is largely standards, with Jamal’s opener “New Rhumba” the exception. That track is mellow, whereas Jamal and company play with a lively flair on “I Get a Kick Out of You” (both modes are great).

The lack of drums makes for a nice late-night listen and really allows Jamal’s piano playing to stand out in all its beauty. Short and sweet, Chamber Music of the New Jazz is an easy record that nevertheless captures a magic exercise in jazz collaboration.

Listen to Chamber Music of the New Jazz here.

Another winner from Les McCann! In March, I covered Invitation to Openness, a standout fusion record. Where Invitation was a showcase of swirling, dreamy fusion with extended jams, Layers is often more upbeat. Recorded a year after Invitation, Layers is nothing short of a percussive triumph. Buck Clarke, Ralph McDonald, and Donald Dean join once again on percussion, this time with the addition of Jimmy Rowser on electric bass, bass violin and percussion. The beat on opener “Sometimes I Cry” is so legendary as to provide the backing track for Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”.

“Sometimes I Cry” is a good indicator of the unique sound you get on Layers: McCann’s ARP synth takes center stage in what is essentially an extended vamp (with glorious results). Along with his Clavinet and electric piano, McCann carries the melodies with his synth sounds, still a new frontier back in the early 70s. Anyone who’s heard Marvin Gaye’s I Want You and knows “After the Dance (Instrumental)” will recognize that ARP sound, bright as the midday sky and free as a bird (“Let’s Play” is especially portentous of “After the Dance”).

Layers really kicks up the groove on “Dunbar High School Marching Band” (in which McCann imitates a marching band’s horn section with synths!) and “Harlem Buck Dance Strut”. But I don’t think Layers can be categorized as straight jazz-funk. Its uniqueness lies in tracks like “Soaring”, again evocative of flight, the multi-layered synth/clav sounds creating an atmosphere that is both freeing and a bit melancholy. Layers is a versatile record that is relaxing enough for a Sunday morning and deep enough to avoid any sort of dated cheese.

Listen to Layers here.