New to Jazz... recommendations please

SEANoftheDEAD

Hi folks,

After recently watching the TV show Tremé, I found that I really enjoyed the music from it.
I've been in rock, metal, indie kinda of music... but after been in town over the weekend I stumbled across a Jazz band and really digged there tunes!

So I'm looking to get a few jazz albums to listen too.
Where is the best place to start with this genre?

Echoes675

Good choice and welcome to the club

The first Jazz recording I always recommend is Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. This is the most successful jazz album of all time. It's got some of the biggest names in the biz on that cut!

Other albums of note would be (trying to keep to one per artist to give you a good basis to work with):
Dave Brubeck - In Time
Cannonball Adderley - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at 'The Club'
Dexter Gordon - Go!
John Coltrane - Blue Trane
Charles Mingus - Ah Um
Thelonius Monk - Thelonius Monk with John coltrane
Charlie Parker - Parker with Strings
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rtunda
Duke Ellington - Ellington Indigos
Count Basie - Atomic Basie
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
Ben Webster - Ben Webster meets Oscar Peterson
Coleman Hawkins - Coleman Hawkins encounters ben Webster

There are LOADS of albums I've left off this list. Jazz is a real world of discovery.

Rigsby

Browse through this :

http://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?forum=415&subforums=1&sort=best&date_to=&date_from=&query=jazz&page=3

Page 3 and page 5 have similar type threads to yours.

guitarzero

On the same boat, I've heard some jazz, very loungey and loved it but have no idea about jazz musicians.

Nozebleed

Some Personal fav's

Bill Evans - Since we met.
Oscar Peterson - Trio + 1.
Wes Montgomery - Full House.
Kenny Burrell - Round Midnight.
Stanley Turrentine - Hustlin
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Rigsby

utopianruins wrote: »

So I'm looking to get a few jazz albums to listen too.
Where is the best place to start with this genre?

guitarzero wrote: »

On the same boat, I've heard some jazz, very loungey and loved it but have no idea about jazz musicians.

Hi lads,

I am glad you have discovered the world of jazz. Just be aware that "jazz" is merely an umbrella name for a vast and varied output of music. Generally the range is from early dixieland, through what came to be known as "modern" jazz (60's era), onto jazz/rock fusion (around 70's), and it is still evolving today, albeit not as fast as the 60's and 70's.

Some jazz takes a bit of time to grow on you, so make sure not to jump to judgement too quickly.

You cant go far wrong with the suggestions given so far. My own personal favourite is a "must have" in any jazz collection, i.e. "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. Another favourite has been mentioned already...."Fat Albert Rotunda" by Herbie Hancock.


Another more obscure, but nonetheless great artist to check out IMO is Rick Margitza.

Happy listening !!

Feckless Rogue

Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train
Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
Eddie Harris & Less McCann - Swiss Movement
Bobby Timmons - This Here is Bobby Timmons
Cannonball Adderley - In Sanfrancisco
Lester Young & Oscar Peterson Trio
Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple

Would also +1 Headhunters!

Super Extra Bonus Tip:
Check out sky.fm and jazzradio.com channels - I've started listening to these recently and together with the Shazam app am discovering tonnes of new stuff.

Shakti

'Ornithology' by 'Charlie 'bird' Parker' single three minutes long
You should listen to 'blues' music if your not already,
lots of greats mentioned already but this IMO is accesible...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma5D2JqhZek

Rothko

Some albums that haven't been mentioned yet, that I would recommend:
The Inner Mounting Flame - Mahavishnu Orchestra
Extrapolation - John McLaughlin
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Black Saint And The Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus
'Round About Midnight - Miles Davis
Sketches Of Spain - Miles Davis
Empryean Isles - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone Collusus - Sonny Rollins
Jazz Impressions Of Japan - Dave Brubeck Quartet

bullpost

Its also worth mentioning that you can get the soundtracks from Treme as well - eg. this one

beechpark

There is some great value to be had on Amazon.co.uk in the form of "Original Album Classics" which are box sets of some of the artists mentioned above. I got the Charles Mingus and I intend to get more.

There is also the "Original Album Series" with is the same idea except from a different record label. Also some great music to be had.

bullpost

7Digital do a series of compilations for €1.99 - some jazz and blues there incl. Miles Davis.

ragtimeblues

Here are a few of my favourite youtube videos. If you follow the career of any of the individual performers you won't go wrong:
Count Basie Orchestra with the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xFBylVG5WQ
Billie Holiday with an ensemble of greats in 1957; includes Lester Young giving a magnificent solo (2nd soloist after Ben Webster):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXRYdcQ6bbM
From the same session, The Sound of Jazz, here's Basie again with his best ever male vocalist, Mr five by five himself, Jimmy Rushing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_g78VXusH4
Here's Duke Ellington with Juan Tizol who composed this famous tune, Caravan, from 1952. My favourite moment is the violin solo by Ray Nance, who was of course a famous trumpet player!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r95flkZciJE
That should be enough for now. No sense in overwhelming you. Happy explorations!

excalaber

Sonny rollins-Saxaphone colossis

CDM001

This thread has helped me really get into jazz

beechpark

CDM001 wrote: »

This thread has helped me really get into jazz

Some folks might find the constant intrumental albums a bit much at times so I'll recommend a couple of vocal albums.

Rosemary Clooney - The Girl Singer. Listening to it now off SACD and it's wonderful!
Yesterday I heard Peggy Lee - Bewitched which is amazing too.

teddy_irish

I would recommend this:

don't want to be kicked by the moderators by posting many links at once

Freedom2

I'm very new to Jazz also, but loving it. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Diana Krall...she's has an amazing voice.

Naraka

I recently picked up a Dave Brubek boxset, having never listened to jazz before, and I'm loving his music.

ConnorHunter

Jazz dance is typically originated from African American vernacular dance. To learn jazz you can also take help from you tube.

RainMaker

Recent convert to Jazz, really loving some of the recommendations here!

Just wanted to say thanks guys!