Thanks to everyone for continuing to contribute to this thread. I've continued to keep my eye on it and am enjoying discovering new sounds.
Jazz Fans-- Name some of your favorite, less well known recordings
I'm inviting you to share the sort of recordings you won't typically encounter on a "100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time" sort of list. they need not be obscure-- but please, no "Kind of Blue", "Sunday at the Village Vanguard", "Blue Train", etc.
The dates are for CD release, which are, in some cases, was quite later than the release dates for titles that first came out on vinyl.
OK-- I'll start with a handful of mine...
Art Farmer Quintet
"Blame it On My Youth" 1988. Contemporary
Art Farmer; trumpet/Clifford Jordan: Tenor Sax/Victor Lewis: Drums/Rufus Reid: Bass/James Williams: Piano
A. F. in his late prime in skilled company exploring a nice mix of tunes. The first and best of three releases by this group.
Gary Bartz and Sonny Fortune
"Alto Memories" 1994 Verve Japan
G. Bartz: Alto Sax/Sonny Fortune: Alto Sax/Jack Dejohnette: drums/Buster Williams: Bass/Kenny Barron: Piano
Not easy to find but worthwhile if you enjoy the two altoists, who work very well together. Note the stellar band.
Nick Brignola
"On A Different Level" 1990 Reservoir
Nick Brignola: Baritone Sax/Kenny Barron: PIano/Jack Dejohnette: Drums/Dave Holland: Bass
Most of Brignola's recordings feature him on a variety of horns but here, it's all Baritone.
Another good one is "Flight of the Eagle", also on Reservoir.
Joanne Brackeen:
"Where Legends Dwell" 1992 Ken
Joanne Brackeen: piano/Eddie Gomez: Bass/Jack deJohnette: Drums
A very "muscular" player with a delightfully idiosyncratic approach to composition.
Jerry Bergonzi:
"Tenor of the TImes" 2006 Savant
Jerry Bergonzi: Tenor/Renato Chicco: PIano/Dave Santoro:bass/Andrea Michelutti: Drums
Contemporary Boston master.
Hal Galper Quintet:
"Reach Out" 1995 Steeplechase
Hal Galper: Piano/.Michael Brecker: Tenor Sax/Randy Brecker: Trumpet/Billy Hart: Drums/Wayne Dockery: Bass
Terrific live showcase for this group.
Stan Getz:
"Dynasty" Re-release 2009 Verve
Stan Getz: Tenor Sax/Eddy Louise: organ/Rene Thomas: Guitar/Bernard Lubat: Drums
Live. Stan sitting in with Louise's trio. They don't let him coast.
Don Grolnick:
"The Complete Blue Note Recordings" 1977 Blue Note
Don Grolnick: Composer, Piano/Randy Brecker: Trumpet/Barry Rodgers, Steve Turre: Trombone/
Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer: Tenor Sax/Marty Ehrlich: Bass Clarinet/Dave Holland: Bass/
Peter Erkine, Bill Stewart; Drums
Focuses on Grolnick the composer. Lots of vivid instrumental colors and unpredictable intervals, here.
Check out the players!
To pay bills, Grolnick MD'd Linda Ronstadt's touring band but I promise you these Blue Note recordings
won't remotely bring to mind "Blue Bayou"!
Slide Hampton:
"Roots" 1985 Criss Cross Jazz
Slide Hampton: Trombone/Clifford Jordan: Tenor Sax/Cedar Walton: Piano/David Wiliams: Bass/Billy Higgins: Drums
Simply a great mainstream Jazz record as you might expect, given the personnel.
Booker Ervin
"Booker 'N Brass" 1998 Pacific Jazz
Booker Ervin: Tenor Sax with a "small big band" including, to name a few:
Freddie Hubbard: Trumpet/Kenny Barron: Piano/Bennie Green: Trombone/Lenny McBrowne: Drums/Reggie
Johnson: Bass
Punchy, swinging and soulful.
The dates are for CD release, which are, in some cases, was quite later than the release dates for titles that first came out on vinyl.
OK-- I'll start with a handful of mine...
Art Farmer Quintet
"Blame it On My Youth" 1988. Contemporary
Art Farmer; trumpet/Clifford Jordan: Tenor Sax/Victor Lewis: Drums/Rufus Reid: Bass/James Williams: Piano
A. F. in his late prime in skilled company exploring a nice mix of tunes. The first and best of three releases by this group.
Gary Bartz and Sonny Fortune
"Alto Memories" 1994 Verve Japan
G. Bartz: Alto Sax/Sonny Fortune: Alto Sax/Jack Dejohnette: drums/Buster Williams: Bass/Kenny Barron: Piano
Not easy to find but worthwhile if you enjoy the two altoists, who work very well together. Note the stellar band.
Nick Brignola
"On A Different Level" 1990 Reservoir
Nick Brignola: Baritone Sax/Kenny Barron: PIano/Jack Dejohnette: Drums/Dave Holland: Bass
Most of Brignola's recordings feature him on a variety of horns but here, it's all Baritone.
Another good one is "Flight of the Eagle", also on Reservoir.
Joanne Brackeen:
"Where Legends Dwell" 1992 Ken
Joanne Brackeen: piano/Eddie Gomez: Bass/Jack deJohnette: Drums
A very "muscular" player with a delightfully idiosyncratic approach to composition.
Jerry Bergonzi:
"Tenor of the TImes" 2006 Savant
Jerry Bergonzi: Tenor/Renato Chicco: PIano/Dave Santoro:bass/Andrea Michelutti: Drums
Contemporary Boston master.
Hal Galper Quintet:
"Reach Out" 1995 Steeplechase
Hal Galper: Piano/.Michael Brecker: Tenor Sax/Randy Brecker: Trumpet/Billy Hart: Drums/Wayne Dockery: Bass
Terrific live showcase for this group.
Stan Getz:
"Dynasty" Re-release 2009 Verve
Stan Getz: Tenor Sax/Eddy Louise: organ/Rene Thomas: Guitar/Bernard Lubat: Drums
Live. Stan sitting in with Louise's trio. They don't let him coast.
Don Grolnick:
"The Complete Blue Note Recordings" 1977 Blue Note
Don Grolnick: Composer, Piano/Randy Brecker: Trumpet/Barry Rodgers, Steve Turre: Trombone/
Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer: Tenor Sax/Marty Ehrlich: Bass Clarinet/Dave Holland: Bass/
Peter Erkine, Bill Stewart; Drums
Focuses on Grolnick the composer. Lots of vivid instrumental colors and unpredictable intervals, here.
Check out the players!
To pay bills, Grolnick MD'd Linda Ronstadt's touring band but I promise you these Blue Note recordings
won't remotely bring to mind "Blue Bayou"!
Slide Hampton:
"Roots" 1985 Criss Cross Jazz
Slide Hampton: Trombone/Clifford Jordan: Tenor Sax/Cedar Walton: Piano/David Wiliams: Bass/Billy Higgins: Drums
Simply a great mainstream Jazz record as you might expect, given the personnel.
Booker Ervin
"Booker 'N Brass" 1998 Pacific Jazz
Booker Ervin: Tenor Sax with a "small big band" including, to name a few:
Freddie Hubbard: Trumpet/Kenny Barron: Piano/Bennie Green: Trombone/Lenny McBrowne: Drums/Reggie
Johnson: Bass
Punchy, swinging and soulful.
87 responses Add your response
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra-The Capital Studios Sessions Honestly don’t listen to much current stuff, but the sq and fun quotient on this is off the charts. Roland Kirk-A Meeting of the Times features Kirk, Carter, Hibbler, Lonnie…. I don’t think Ramsey Lewis gets enough mention. The In Crowd from 1965 is easily and cheaply acquired and one of many really enjoyable RLTrio records. |
Lou Rawls Les McCann, They Call it Stormy Monday. (Be careful with some of the Capitol label releases--some sound amazing some are flat; the Blue Note (under Capital) sound sublime. Super Bass (most any of them), Ray Brown and others Sackville Records (look for stuff from the '70s--very high quality) John Lamb, Conversations North of the Border. (Sounds right there with the best recordings ever--must try!) Allen Tousaint, American Tunes (marriage of jazz and folk, stunning sound quality) Buddy Tate, The Ballad Artistry of Buddy Tate King Curtis, Soul Meeting Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (Haven't heard a bad one by this guy) Dizzy's Big 4 (self titled) Curtis Fuller Quintent, Blues-ette Kermit Ruffins, A Beautiful World Tom Harrell, The Art of Rhythm |
Great thread, thanks for the many interesting suggestions. For Brazilian jazz, Quarteto Novo (s/t) on emi/odeon is indispensable (late 60's seminal group with Hermeto and Airto), as are the first two Airto albums on buddah: 'Natural Feelings' and 'Seeds on the Ground'. Again with Hermeto, Sivuca, Flora and Ron Carter. Fairly obscure but marvellous is Walt Dickerson's 'Impressions on a Patch of Blue' on verve (with Sun Ra at the keyboards no less!). Also somewhat under the radar is Paul Bley's 'Blood' on Fontana, with one Mark Levinson on bass! Fantastic trio record. Equally good, but perhaps more familiar is Chick Corea's 'Now He Sings, Now he Sobs' on solid state, with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes. Because no jazz list can be complete without blue note, a lesser known title not to be missed is Andrew Hill's 'Andrew' (with John Gilmore). More to follow..... |
Here's a couple of older ones. Arti e Mestieri - Italian band, that is one of the best at straddling the line between jazz-fusion, and prog. Their first album from '73, Tilt!, is their best. So many great melodies, and world class playing, especially by monster drummer, Furio Chirico. But keys, violin and guitar are incredible too. Might be a little too prog for many jazz fans, so, YMMV. Their 2nd release, was actually more on the jazz side. Passport - probably the best known German fusion band, lead by sax great, Klaus Doldinger. Their albums are a little hit or miss, but the best tracks are worth the price of admission. Much better live, when they added guitarist, Volker Kreigal. |
Here’s a few more. Jonathan Finlayson - one of the best contemporary trumpet players. Whether a sideman or leader, his playing is never boring, and his technique is as good as it gets. His latest release as a leader, 3 Times Round, was placed near the top best releases of 2016 by the NY Times. Tim Berne - excellent contemporary sax player. Interesting thing about Berne, is, he never had interest in playing an instrument, until he got to college at the age of 19, when he heard a Julius Hemphill playing on a dorm stereo system in 1973. Pretty late to pick up an instrument, and to get as good as he is, is really difficult. His group, Snakeoil is really good. But his entire discography is worth checking out. |
I like the mention of Joanne Brackeen. She is pretty unknown and underappreciated. Those recordings of original material she did in the 80's were great. Ancient Dynasty, Special Identity Fi-Fi Goes to Heaven are pretty special. Unfortunately for my tastes, she has gotten into recording after recording of "standards". Boring... Darcy James Argue and Secret Society - very creative 18 piece big band. Three recording released so far, of very creative stuff. Even uses 12 tone classical methods from time to time. Octafish - very progressive German fusion band influenced by Frank Zappa. They call their style, "Fake Industrial Jazz". World class musicianship, complex arrangements and time signatures, but they don't take themselves too seriously. Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Cuban pianist with otherworldly chops. If there is a current player with better chops, and understanding of advanced jazz language, I'd like to know about it. "Rapsodia" and "Antiqua" are great recordings of original material. He also has plenty of recordings of standards too. |
Since gosta mentioned Karin Krog, I will list some vocal cds I enjoy... Karin Krog: "Where You At" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR4swScUD_Q Sarah Vaugah: "Live in Tokyo Complete Edition" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meoiTxJofOs Sheila Jordan: "Lost and Found" Can't find any sound samples Sheila Jordan: "Portrait of Sheila" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VFT2zc1lbI&list=PL0q2VleZJVEmZ4zvGNH1l74rupONXEokX Tina May: "More Than You Know" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNnINzQqfbQ Anita O'day:"Sings for Oscar" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Iru1VZR5gc&list=OLAK5uy_mnGDY4a8xtjZmoEovWLzWjiFE4_TLK2aM&i... Betty Carter: The Audience With Betty Carter" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HaMhJF3i88&list=OLAK5uy_nUljP8wcIAGTTGA2m4Yo1W1LkzbfZWVYU Jackie Ryan: "Doozy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5-eje2RMCM Jackie Ryan: "You and the Night and the Music" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8NnVxgmdJ4 Helen Merrill: "A Shade of Difference" and "The Feeling Is Mutual' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B697MtyPgOM And for those with more esoteric tastes... not really jazz but improvisational music on ECM that's uncategorizable: "Sumiglia" and "Songs of An Other". Based in folk music from Greece, Spain, Turkey, eastern Europe that gets very spacy and atonal at times, wandering off into explorations of pure sound I couldn't find any tracks on youtube from these releases but here's a couple live videos. The second one shows at her absolute wildest (some of you may say 'her weirdest" and I won't disagree but it's a type of weird I enjoy). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpwW0wt6V30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpwW0wt6V30 |
@gosta: Of course, as long as you do not mention D. Krall or P. Barber. All references to those two will be cheerfully ignored. Call me elitist but audiophiles really need to over their tunnel vison-fixation on those two. Karin Krog is great. The only one by her I have is "where You At" I'll check out your suggestion. |
@stuartk - Hi Stuart, thanks for the nice words. I have a blog if you look up my name-bill hart- and "vinyl" you should be able to find it. There is easily 5 years worth of writing there, not necessarily all jazz. In the meantime, I'll give some thought to the question of "more." I like stuff between the cracks, got bored with straight ahead stuff and some of the soul jazz and spiritual jazz has really caught fire in the last few years. Some of the Lloyd McNeill records are wonderful but now stratospherically priced. Nathan Davis was wonderful- not just his Paris years, but when he came back to the States and set up the jazz studies program at the University of Pittsburgh. I had spent time collecting Vertigo Swirls, partly because some of them were really good musically and sonically (mostly psych and prog rock, but some jazz rock, including Ian Carr) but not on the radar of most people except for collectors; did manage to get some of the Strata-East and Nimbus catalogs before the prices went crazy. My learning process has hardly been linear--but I'm listening to more different music than ever and enjoying it. This is a good thread in looking for more offbeat stuff, which is what I find appealing, personally. |
The Cookers- Look Out. Bunch of old school guys (museum pieces?)*still playing hot, 3 sides, well made, cheap and not too out there. Released in the last week of Sept, 21. Cochemea- All My Relations- been out for a few years- Dap Kings horn player, mixes Native American with drums, sax on wah-wah. Strangely interesting and should hook you out of the gate. Among my "rare groove" stuff is a really nice copy of Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum. Not easy to find. Soon to be reissued inexpensively. Oddball makes me laugh every time I put it on: Ronnie Boykins, The Will Come, Is Now. Sounds totally out of tune, but they pull it together. On ESP Records. Have fun. _________ *Billy Harper, Donald Harrison Jr., David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, George Cables, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart. |
@jjss49: worth listening to in its entirety imho... there is good variability among the tracks |
@psion: Thanks-- these might be too "outside" for some listeners but both are indeed classics of their respective genres. @simonmoon: "I view jazz as an evolving living art form, and not a museum piece, so, I will try to focus my recommendations on recent artists and music". This thread can only benefit from your open-eared/open-minded approach. I expect many here are unfamiliar with many of the artists you mention. I hope you will indeed check back in with more recommendations! @jjss49: Thanks for the suggestion-- I was only able to sample one track but in light of a review I found on the All About Jazz site, the track I heard is very representative of the release, overall-- pretty mellow/"late night" (or is that "late nite"?) I suspect it would appeal to many, here. |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbourhood_(album) ^^ my contribution to this thread today ^^ brilliant... 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 |
I view jazz as an evolving living art form, and not a museum piece, so, I will try to focus my recommendations on recent artists and music. But i will still recommend some older stuff too, that I feel may be more obscure. It's not that I don't love all the 50's and 60's post-bop giants (Coltrane, Miles, Mingus, Dolphy, Evans, Shorter, Hill, etc. But there is so much incredible jazz being made now to discover. ECM: I include this sort of a subgenre since so much of ECM's releases have a similar aesthetic. Michael Formanek - great bass player lead quartet. 3 releases on ECM, with Craig Taborn on piano, Gerald Cleaver on drums, Tim Berne on sax. Complex time signatures abound, with great playing by all. Pretty progressive stuff, without being too out there. He also has a big band called Ensemble Colossus that is very good. All the other players listed above, have their own discography, which are very good, and progressive. Dominque Pifarely - lesser known French violinist, with excellent chops and creativity. Haven't heard all his releases, but what I have heard has been very good. Eberhard Weber - might be better known here, but he can't get enough press, AFAIC. Colors of Chloe is brilliant, but all his releases are worth checking out. Tomasz Stanko - Polish trumpet player, known as a free jazz innovator, but for ECM, he tends to be less out there. Still very creative. M-Base collective: this is a school of jazz started by Steve Coleman in the 90's. It tends to quite rhythmically complex, but still retains a groove. Steve Coleman (2014 MacArthur winner) - records in small ensembles, and larger ones. His sax playing is as good as it gets, but his composing is truly innovative. His more recent releases; Functional Arrhythmias, Synovial Joints, Morphogenesis are incredible. Other artists to check out: Ravi Coltrane (John's son), Greg Osby, Jonathan Finlayson, David Gilmore (a guitarist but not the Pink Floyd guy), Andrew Milne, and others. Fusion: Iceberg - Spanish band from the 70's, lead by the great, Max Sune on guitar. Fiery, RtF influenced stuff, with great guitar and key interplay. Alex Machacek - one of the most innovative of the modern crop of fusion guitarists. Writes and plays a quite complex version of fusion. His FAT trio recordings, and his work with Terry Bozio, and his CD [sic] are all great. McGill/Manring/Stevens - released a few recordings in the 00's. Very intense fusion, that at times can seem a bit dissonant. But loaded with jaw dropping musicianship. Forgas Band Phenomena - French fusion band, with keys, guitar, violin, trumpet, sax, drums. Great melodies all over their their releases. Hiromi - Japanese fusion phenom. She's got Chops from hell, with great sense of melody. Spaced Out - Canadian band, with one of the best current bass players, Antoine Farfad. Started as a pretty straight forward fusion band, but has added more metal influences into their heavy brand of fusion. I like this thread. I will continue to add to it, in other subgenres in the near future. |
Dave Holland Quartet: Conference of the Birds A 1973 ECM release featuring Holland with Barry Altschul, Anthony Braxton and Sam Rivers, One of 2 records I bought when I was in high school that opened my ears to different flavors of harmony. The other being Alice Coltrane: Universal Consciousness, from 1971. With Jimmy Garrison, Jack DeJohnette, Rashied Ali, Clifford Jarvis, Leroy Jenkins. Otherworldly string arrangements by Alice, transcribed by Ornette Coleman. Her harp arpeggios at the end of the last track on side 2 are like she is flying off into the sky as the record ends. |
I've added links to my initial list: Some4 links are to entire albums , others to just a cut or two. I've stuck with Amazon. Spotify probably has more to offer. Next batch will be somewhat quirkier... Art Farmer Quintet "Blame it On My Youth" 1988. Contemporary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcDVeGWiE1k Gary Bartz and Sonny Fortune "Alto Memories" 1994 Verve Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzfGuKuBFU8 Nick Brignola "On A Different Level" 1990 Reservoir https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=niock+brignola+on+a+different+level Joanne Brackeen: "Where Legends Dwell" 1992 Ken Joanne Brackeen: piano/Eddie Gomez: Bass/Jack deJohnette: Drums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJFAo2PZ5kU Jerry Bergonzi: "Tenor of the TImes" 2006 Savant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsO7ES2WPYY&list=PLccpwGk_xup_DPl8TUwU48GKjQWWII6Sq Hal Galper Quintet: "Reach Out" 1995 Steeplechase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc2x_WEUUKo&list=OLAK5uy_mioYOHYuIKwHuQjQ6vJro6a0tvCAjC5Ps Stan Getz: "Dynasty" Re-release 2009 Verve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tms3V-275A&list=OLAK5uy_lb5W9kVw6YFwETtuiG8o1-4gikHrAkG34 Don Grolnick: "The Complete Blue Note Recordings" 1977 Blue Note https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSgV3F8WyI The anthology brings together two albums: "Weaver of Dreams" and "Nightown" Slide Hampton: "Roots" 1985 Criss Cross Jazz https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Slide+Hampton+Roots Booker Ervin "Booker 'N Brass" 1998 Pacific Jazz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ttj2SN5bOw And just for fun, since I mentioned it, here is Don Grolnick with Linda Rondstadt, performing "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me". Check out Grolnick's extended piano intro... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ttj2SN5bOw |
Just ordered an early British fusion record I hadn't heard before... Ian Carr's "Belladona". . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgDgM2sJe24&list=OLAK5uy_murbl2kM2bAN9P1nijRkSmj0daUqzQZ2U Now, I'm going to have to explore more British Jazz from this era! |
@ho249: I'll look into the Mingus and Bley (if they're available on CD). I have the Kenny Wheeler, along with three others. I bought the Pepper Adams years ago but the CD sound was terrible so I didn't keep it. The CTI Joe Farrell albums are not my favorites but no doubt many would like them. I prefer his work with Jacki Byard, Chick Corea and Andrew Hill. For one reason or another, I don't tend to like anything on CTI. "Extrapolation" has long been my favorite McLaughlin release. Wish it sounded better on CD. I haven't gotten around to picking up the Gil Evans but will soon. @acman3: Thanks for your well-wishes. Haven't yet been able to locate an online listening opportunity for Rob Blakeslee.I like the Marcel Ivery, though. @gsm18439: re: Yonnet: Very adventurous in terms of range of material. I find his tone kind of thin-sounding but most of the harmonica playing I typically listen to is Blues playing with a very fat tone through tube amps (aside from S. Wonder). |
@wsrrsw: I'm a Miles and Pepper fan but haven't listened to those. Thanks for the suggestions. @gsm18439: I suspect I'm just too old to recognize this as Jazz. Not saying it isn't -- it just doesn't fit within the parameters of what I've heard in the Jazz genre. @brillianize: Oh-- the movie was about this guy? I'll check it out. |
These are all on vinyl: Charles Mingus - "Reincarnation of a Lovebird". It’s a "twofer" on Prestige. Carla Bley - "Life Goes On" - released in 2020. Three geezers playing jazz. Kenny Wheeler - "Gnu High" - on ECM with Keith Jarrett Pepper Adams - "Encounter" - on Prestige with Zoot Sims Joe Farrell - 3 albums on the CTI label - "Joe Farrell Quartet", Moongerms", and "Outback" John McLaughlin - "Extrapolation" - with John Surman on baritone and soprano sax - Polydor label Gil Evans - "Out of the Cool" - a new Impulse Records vinyl pressing just came out. Highly recommended! |
