We all have a mental list of historic performances we would give a right arm to be able to experience. My top three in no particular order:
Miles Davis - Plugged Nickel December 1965
John Coltrane - Village Vanguard November 1961
Art Pepper - Maiden Voyage August 1981
Any others?
After seeing " Jazz on a Summer’s Day " many times ( about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival) I would have loved to have been there and to have seen it live.
The Quintent at Massey Hall - Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Charles MIngus, Bud Powell
Duke Ellington at Newport, 1956
Miles Davis and the “Birth of the Cool” band- Royal Roost, 1949
Any Jimmie Lunceford performance, just to see what the fuss was about.
One of Art Tatum’s “garden party” performances
Any of the early 1900’s performances, especially by someone who never recorded (Buddy Bolden) or whose recordings weren’t as good as they could be (Freddie Keppard).