I've got hundreds of Jazz cds, but only a few records.
They are:
Birth of Cool
Kind of Blue
Something Else
Chet Baker Sings
Help me build up a jazz album collection. Can you suggest a must have album?
Just got back into analog after not having a turntable for 38 years. That was a Thorens TD 320. Now I have a VPI. Building a jazz album collection now since jazz seems to be what I enjoy now. I have barely 12 albums from Miles Davis, Art Blakey, King Curtis, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Ike Quebec and Illinios Jacquet. Can you suggest a must have album? I generally like great sax, and percussion and sometimes a good vocalist, but I am open to anything that sounds GREAT. Also, if there is a particular label, issue or type of album. Thanks in advance.
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Looks like all the old greatest albums of all time are covered. How about some newer greatest albums of all time. Al Jarreau Bob James David Sanborn Gregory Porter Fourplay Four80East Norman Brown Norah Jones Lalah Hathaway Sean Jones any of these artist albums are fantastic. Going back to the old stuff. I'm shocked no one said: Lee Morgan-maybe the greatest trumpet player of all time, and that includes Miles! Oscar Peterson Gene Ammons Oliver Nelson Blue Mitchell Carmell Jones Art Pepper |
To understand jazz you need to go back to 19th century black American culture and the use of "code" words and expressions to obfuscate their meaning to anyone but those that "get" it. Ragtime music and piano rolls opened up new musical awareness and possibilities, and novelty acts and "jass" bands started to appear, often for the amusement of white Americans. Hip young college students were quick to embrace the music; the music had a status of "either you get it or you don’t". The cool kids got it. |
Duke Ellington, The Great Paris Concert. Someone mentioned Modern Jazz Quartet at Carnegie Hall. The ECM label specializes in very cerebral jazz, well recorded.
As mentioned, a lot of great Blue Notes have been re-issued. |
Some albums I've owned for years and revisit from time to time: McCoy Tyner's Focal Point & Fly With The Wind Buena Vista Social Club - eponymous album Afro-Cuban All Stars - A Toda Cuba le Gusta Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz & Sunday At The Village Vanguard Oliver Nelson - Blues and the Abstract Truth Any early recordings by Thelonius Monk and John Coltrain Modern Jazz Quartet Off beat suggestion: Lou Stein (many albums with him playing backup; his solo vinyl is long out of print) Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Dakota Staton, Ruth Brown You can use Tidal (for example) to recommend music related to these suggestions which will undoubtedly help you uncover more gems. |
Hardly a mention here of Count Basie. While best known as leader of his big band, towards the end of his career he made a number of outstanding small combo albums on the Pablo Label. Look for any that say Basie Jam or Kansas City. Great music and super high quality recordings. My favorite album unmentioned so far is Mulligan Meets Monk. I read somewhere that Gerry Mulligan was awed at the idea of playing with Monk. But he would only do it they could play together on Monk's masterpiece "Round Midnight." It is probably the most recorded song written by any jazz artist, and this version is as good as any. |
There are so many. Most that haven’t even been suggested… Eric Dolphy, Mal Waldron, Gary Bartz, Jeff Palmer, John Abercrombie, Ron Carter, Sonny Rollins, Alice Coltrane, Andrew Hill, Max Roach, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Booker Ervin, Sahib Shihab, Woody Shaw, Tony Williams, Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, David Murray… and on and on. I strongly suggest you follow the Jazz Bums on Youtube and join their discord server. You will learn that everything listed above (others and mine) is the just the tip of the iceberg. Know that jazz, like most things worth pursuing in life, can benefit an acquired taste. Have fun! |
@tomxena . Love Jimmy
try Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf …. Weird but WONDERFUL album…NOT for beginners….
The original pressing is extraordinary. I plan to do a featurette on that album some time in future (FWIW 🫢😆) |
Fantastic list most in my collection due to posts like these here Chris Connor should be included - she recorded a lot and has many wonderful worthy recordings I would suggest checking out some Eastern European newer jazz bands- especially Polish. Marcil Wasilewski for example another great but not well known in the US is Trio Stendhal from Hungary the guitarist from trio Ferenc Snetberger has many solo albums and they are wonderful. Gabor Szabo would be another long deceased Hungarian jazz guitarist- his fusion of jazz and some gipsy tunes made him very unique Several Croatian and Macedonian guitarist could be added - while not strictly jazz their guitar mastery is world class - Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadic and Goran Ivanovic just to name a few. Enjoy the journey and the great music! |
Grant Green - Green Blues - https://www.discogs.com/release/6725645-Grant-Green-Green-Blues Joe Henderson -Power to the People- https://www.discogs.com/release/30080530-Joe-Henderson-Power-To-The-People Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder - https://www.discogs.com/release/16312236-Lee-Morgan-The-Sidewinder Duke Ellington - And His Mother Called Him Bill - https://www.discogs.com/release/4299126-Duke-Ellington-And-His-Mother-Called-Him-Bill Ella Fitzgerald - Ella in Rome - https://www.discogs.com/release/8286327-Ella-Fitzgerald-Ella-In-Rome-The-Birthday-Concert |
Agharta - Miles Davis - considered the best live jazz fusion lp ever Devotion - John McLaughlin - his first solo lp We Insist! : Freedom Now Suite - Max Roach (No record label would release this: Max had to create his own record label and release this himself) Eon - Eon Grazing Dreams - Collin Walcott (of Oregon) Forgotten Fantasies - David Liebman . Richard Beirach Focus - Stan Getz Moanin’ - Art Blakey A Trubute to Andy Razaaf - Maxine Sullivan Trumpet Summit - Buck Clayton . Roy Eldridge Left and Right - Roland Kirk Afro American Sketches - Oliver Nelson Orchestra Sea of Faces - Archie Schepp Sweet Emma - Emma Barrett and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band Queen of the Boogie - Hadda Brooks (78 only, I believe) Music for Player Piano, Vol 1-4 - Conlon Nancarrow (not strictly jazz) Live at the Five Spot, Vol 1-2 - Eric Dolphy Zero Hour - Astor Piazzola (jazz tango) Swiss Movement - Les McCann . Eddie Harris Tribute a Noro - Kako’s New York After Hour Orchestra Safari with Sabu - Sabu Martinez
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Iʻve got an ad on US AudioMart, selling out my jazz collection. All of the Miles Davis, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, as well as most of the hard bop is gone. But among the things I have left which are well worthy of your consideration are the albums by the Frankie Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut Big Band, Poncho Sanchez, the Dizzy Gillespie Paris Concert, Andy Narell (steel drums), Frank Rosolino and most of all - a must have "Supersax Plays Bird" (MFSL pressing). |
I've enjoyed this discussion of artists, labels and specific albums and can't quibble with most of it, but unless I missed it, there's scant mention of Duke Ellington's big band work on Columbia (Blues in Orbit, Jazz Party, Indigos and others) or his later small ensemble work on Pablo. The Duke's earlier work is also magnificent too but, as others pointed out, is best enjoyed with a dedicated mono phono cartridge. Also, MPS issued some excellent sounding records in Europe. |
Big Band Basie by the Depaul University Jazz Ensemble with some renowned guests such as Count Basie and Quincy Jones. The performance is above average for a college band, but what made me sit up and take notice was the production. When I checked the liner notes, it was recorded by Keith Johnson of Reference Recordings fame. The music is performed without significant flaws and it is enjoyable, but the recording is superb. |
I’m assuming you will listen a bit on YouTube before buying someone we recommend, because something like Miles Davis, Bitches Brew is important, but not the 1st Miles Davis you should experience, that is after you know more about him and his music. He went thru several stages, his personality, there is no way he could play the same stuff over and over again, ...... i.e. Toot’s Thielemans is a Harmonica Player with a unique sound, this would be a good start
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Elliottnewcombjr - yes I have been listening on YouTube and also various streaming services. To date, for anyone interested, my total purchases have equaled $937 on eBay, discogs and Amazon. I am very happy with everyone sharing their choices. I don’t really want to say what I have chosen because honestly it’s all over the place. I am thinking about starting a blues album thread, but my wallet is getting thin…. |
spenav- Yes I have seen that list and there are many of those kinds of lists on the internet. I have also used those recommendations as well to build a library of albums but I noticed those lists typically have the greats like Miles, Coltrane, Getz, Ellington, Ella, Gillespie, etc. I was also interested in the Agone audiophile choices since often that list is deeper with lesser known but exceptional artists. And additionally the brands,labels, the particular issues of albums that really tend to sound stellar. After all, guys and gals here have exceptional gear and want to hear (often) great recordings. Thanks again……. |
One of the great things about Jazz for audiophiles is that most of it was recorded live. So even on a studio recording, the entire band is in the studio playing at the same time. No overdubs. No solos dropped in by some star who was never in the same city as everyone else. Many of the best albums were recorded before overdub technology even existed. before transistors replaced tubes. The recording equipment was simple and as a result, pure. And except for an electric bass or an organ, almost all the instruments are acoustic and unamplified. Until the mid sixties, that's all there was. So the opportunity to recreate the event in your listening room is much better. Your brain can know what a real trumpet or piano or bass is supposed to sound like. Consequently, it can tell when any new tweak or piece of gear makes those instruments sound more real. By contrast, the sound of an electric guitar or keyboard is a combination of the settings to player choses, the amp, the speaker and the microphone placed in front of that speaker. Not to mention the choices the engineer and producer make to modify that sound. And there is so much great jazz out there. Cheap in used record store bins, and almost free to stream. Right now I'm being blown away by a 24/96 recording of a piano trio I'd never heard of until this thread...Esbjorn Svevsson Trio. They have 7 albums I can stream. Miles Davis has more than 150. I prefer vinyl, but there is no way I could own 2% of what I can get on line from Amazon Music, $9 a month if you already have Amazon Prime. Good jazz on a great stereo is the best bang per entertainment buck you can buy.
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The 50 best jazz albums of all time
Thanks for posting this list. I already have about half of these on vinyl. Now I have the other half in a playlist on Amazon Music. Good news is most of them are hi-rez!
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You already have a wonderful survey of core jazz recordings, but there still are a few contemporary sax players worth calling to your attention: John Zorn - he is incredibly eclectic and prolific. I think he averages nearly 10 releases a year, in various genres including jazz, fusion, modern and orchestral music. He often produces and directs doesn’t play on all his recordings, but he is a fine saxophonist. Tim Berne - composer and saxophonist Ingrid Ladbroke - composer and saxophonist These three names will take you into the current NYC community of avant garde Jazz. In that sub-genre, I’m especially fond of Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Anthony Braxton (sax). One old school saxophonist I don’t think was mentioned, but should be is Yusef Lateef. Finally, several great sax players have been alluded to by way the band leaders they played with. Several are worth pulling out from behind the leader: Charlie Rouse (Monk); John Gilmore and Marshall Allen (Sun Ra). Sounds as though you’re having fun with these lists. I am too. To quote Lou Reed, “it’s the beginning of a great adventure “! |
