The record collection
Twenty-five albums for the turntable, from jazz to classical to rock. There's no order to play them in.
On a rainy, windy morning in northern New Hampshire, my English professor walked into class with a single record under his arm. "Today, I just want you to listen," he said. "Pay attention to the silence."
He lowered the needle. The vinyl crackled, rain hit the windows, and then Barber's Adagio for Strings began: Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. Ten minutes later he lifted the needle. "That is it for today. Class is dismissed."
Decades later I asked him what he'd played. He made a point of saying it was the Bernstein recording. That recording uses silence as an instrument, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of vinyl listening I didn't know existed. It's the pauses between the notes that give each note its weight.
Chris
In the album boxes
- Adagio for Strings, Op. 11Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic
The record that started it all. Listen for the silences.
- Masterpieces by EllingtonDuke Ellington and his Orchestra, 1951
An early long-player, with a definitive "Mood Indigo" recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio.
- Ella and LouisElla Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, 1956
Two voices that shouldn't fit and do. Start with "Cheek to Cheek."
- Friday Night in San FranciscoAl Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de LucÃa, 1981
Three acoustic guitars, live at the Warfield, with the crowd losing its mind.
- The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd, 1973
Recorded at Abbey Road with Alan Parsons. Play it straight through.
- ParachutesColdplay, 2000
The debut, warm and unhurried. "Yellow," "Trouble," "Sparks."
- Random Access MemoriesDaft Punk, 2013
Live players instead of samples. "Get Lucky" with Nile Rodgers and Pharrell.
- Bon Iver, Bon IverBon Iver, 2011
From "Perth" to "Beth/Rest," built for headphones or a quiet room.
- TroubleRay LaMontagne, 2004
A New Hampshire voice: raw, soulful, recorded in a few days.
- MonovisionRay LaMontagne, 2020
Made in his home studio, with the White Mountains all over it.
- UnpluggedEric Clapton, 1992
The MTV session. The live room comes through beautifully on vinyl.
- Chapter of the ForestTrevor Hall
Folk with roots in Vermont and New Hampshire woods.
- Kind of BlueMiles Davis, 1959
If you only play one jazz record, play this one.
- Come Away With MeNorah Jones, 2002
Late-evening piano and voice. Good with the fireplace on.
- Moanin'Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, 1958
Hard bop with Lee Morgan and Benny Golson. Turn it up a little.
- Getz/GilbertoStan Getz and João Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim, 1964
The bossa nova record that won Album of the Year. "The Girl from Ipanema."
- LegendBob Marley and the Wailers
Sunday morning, patio door open.
- At Last!Etta James, 1960
Strings, blues and that voice.
- Dire StraitsDire Straits, 1978
The debut, with "Sultans of Swing."
- Just One of Those Things!Stéphane Grappelli
Swing violin from the master of the Hot Club.
- The Rhythm of the SaintsPaul Simon, 1990
Brazilian drums under Simon's storytelling.
- RumoursFleetwood Mac, 1977
No introduction needed.
- The George and Ira Gershwin Song BookElla Fitzgerald
Ella at her most elegant.
- Time OutThe Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1959
The first jazz album to sell a million copies. "Take Five" is on side one.
- Blue TrainJohn Coltrane, 1957
Blue Note, engineered by Rudy Van Gelder. Coltrane at full stride.
Please return each record to its sleeve and the box when you're done.