Shadows and Light
Recorded at the Santa Barbara Bowl in 1979 on the Mingus tour with Pat Metheny on guitar, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Michael Brecker on saxophone. It's an amazing group of musicians expertly blending folk and jazz.
Aja
Released in 1977, Aja features some of the best session musicians of the time. As a teenager, I was enamored by the Fagen and Becker's ability to pull from the full repertoire of chords, including the famous mu major voicing, while maintaining pop sensibilities. In addition to expert arranging, the rhythm session vibes on this record are beyond reproach.
Kingston
Atlantic Millionaires Club is the third album from Webster, released in 2019. I love the mix of major-7 chords on the raw electric guitar, with the swelling fills of the pedal steel. The songs are elegantly simple and fresh.
erase me
McAlpine's vocal performance on erase me is chilling - spooky good. This single in particular includes a collaboration with Jacob Collier, who brings an extra element to the song, with layered, synthesized vocals complementing the track.
Let Me Touch You For Awhile
Alison Krauss is one of the best vocalists ever, as well as a tremendous fiddle player. Add in one of the best bluegrass bands you'll ever hear, and you have bluegrass perfection. Along with excellent song-crafting of the group, the dobro playing of Jerry Douglas never fails to strike straight through my soul.