Jazz for someone who doesn't like jazz.

pjr801

Agreed!

And then, there is the great P.T. Gazell ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5zGvLJwkqM

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWZXPh89dk

Woody Allens movies have great soundtracks and if you like Woodys movies its a great way to discover some great music otherwise his soundtracks are available seperately

An excellent entry point to jazz is to listen to West Coast jazz. It is more melodic and easier to listen to for the beginner. Here’s some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsz3mrnIBd0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcFRDj0z784

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ncRUjL-1xk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoUFb5KP4m4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8eP6WG0aDY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlBWqSXXKU

Wow, amazing number of responses on this thread! I could suggest two paths. Slow transition, say something like Santana to Chick Corea to Weather Report to Miles Davis or straight to JAZZ with Miles Davis Kind of Blue. I think Sonny Rollins is readily accessible also. Ben Webster...many paths to follow.

nicotico ...

Thanks.

By your comment, it is clear to me that you not only know how to listen, but you also know what to listen for. That, in my opinion, is what leads to the enjoyment and understanding of jazz. 

In trying to explain jazz to the uninitiated, I've made the comment several times on these threads that so much of the music exists between the notes. Bill Evans certainly was a master of that. So was Miles. The key is to recognize that and to learn to listen for it. 

Frank

Noticed something interesting when I went to the dynamic range database and looked up Kind of Blue. There was not a single recording listed that suffered from any significant dynamic range reduction. Even recent production CDs have excellent DR.

If this is true across the genre it might be THE motivating factor that keeps me plugging away at this.

It’s kind of amazing since virtually all rock releases since the mid 90s or so are plagued with horrible DR recordings including new bands releasing music right now! Even bands that pride themselves on production quality.

Another extremely easy album to listen to is by the Massimo FaraòTrio called How My Heart Sings. Beautiful Piano playing by Massimo and very easy going. The song that hooked me on the album is called Easy Living. I would also seek out the Jazz Shepard’s YouTube channel. He gives some fun historical context on all things Jazz and plays samples of the music while he’s talking. Very interesting. He talks about different artists, Jazz forms, labels and all sorts of stuff. That’s where I heard the Philly Joe Jones album Philly Joe’s Beat I’m listening to right now.

Hey @oregonpapa,

l really like your observations about Cannonball’s influence on the whole album. Thanks for sharing. I had to respond to your post, because I have always felt for a long time that someone besides Cannonball (and other than Miles) had that exact same pervasive influence on the outcome of the whole album that you refer to. For me that person is Bill Evans. I like to think of Bill as Miles’ “silent partner” on that album who could deserve equal credit with Miles. I’d have a hard time explaining why I feel that way; I just do. But your view about Cannonball is just as valid, and interesting to me.

These are the best easy listening jazz compilations I've ever heard!

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Blue-Note-Vols/dp/B000005HGV/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=best+of+the+blue+note&qid=1587508736&sr=8-4
Disc: 1 
  1. Blue Train - John Coltrane
  2. Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
  3. Cristo Redentor - Donald Byrd
  4. Moanin' - Are Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
  5. Blues Walk - Lou Donaldson
  6. Song For My Father - Horace Silver
  7. Back At The Chicken Shack - Jimmy Smith
  8. Chitlins Con Carne - Kenny Burrell
  9. The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Blue-Note-Vol/dp/B0002548BA/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=best+of+the+blue+note&qid=1587508792&sr=8-12


1. Senor Blues - Horace Silver
2. Decision - Sonny Rollins
3. Three O'Clock In The Morning - Dexter Gordon
4. Blues March - Art Blakey
5. Wadin' - Horace Parlan
6. The Rumproller - Lee Morgan
7. Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderley
8. Blue Bossa - Joe Henderson
9. Watermelon - Herbie Hancock

Kind of Blue is an interesting recording. I have multiple copies, including an original "six-eye" stereo version that is the best of the lot among the ones I have, including Japanese reissues. I found it in a thrift store back in the ’80s for fifty cents. Those were the days.

Listen to it and see if you agree with me on this ...

When the first cut starts out, the album sounds like a good studio recording. Good, but not that inspired. Sort of like the musicians were there to collect a paycheck.

Miles takes the lead, then Coltrane comes on second. THEN, Cannonball Adderley takes his turn and plays with an inspiration that is totally infectious to everyone else on the album. He played like Bird reincarnated. From that point on, it becomes one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

My take has always been that if it weren’t for Cannonball Adderley touching the souls of the other players, and subsequently the end listener, Kind of Blue would have been just another good jazz album.

Your thoughts?

Frank

PS: If you like Kind of Blue, you’ll want this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37RF5xKNq8

If the first (or earliest) bottle of wine I ever drink is a $500 vintage bottle, it is not the same as if I drink that same bottle after having experienced many other bottles over a long period of time (responsibly, of course). Enjoy the wine (or music).

@pryso Thanks. I'm not sure that I like Kind of Blue for the right reasons. I'm sure there is depth there that I have not explored or even recognized is there. But, when you are initially drawn to something it is a lot easier to dig deep than when there isn't that initial appeal.
I also like classical music. Not an aficionado by any stretch, but do understand that there is depth and complexity and can sometimes recognize and appreciate it. So that might help some.

n80, as I suggested earlier there are a multitude of styles/types of jazz.  That is what makes suggestions to a "newbie" so difficult, and the subject so baffling to the newbie themselves.  Many, many great suggestions have been made here and sampling those can be as good an introduction as any.

After my post I considered suggesting the Ken Burns series, but with so much music to listen to I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to watch that much video?  If you watch more you'll certainly find more to explore.

Contrary to many others here I don't consider KOB a good "introduction" album for someone starting out in jazz.  It is one of the best ever recorded but is subtle and complex enough it will not be appreciated by many newbies.  To your credit you've stated you like it.  That suggests you can skip past many of the more "lightweight" suggestions.

So all I'll offer at this point is based on what you've sampled that you do like, continue exploring other recordings by those artists.  You are bound to run into some dead ends but that's OK, just try more recordings.  With that you'll find side men/women with your preferred artists who are interesting and that will lead you to their recordings.  And so on and so on.

@oregonpapa said: "Like a lot of jazz musicians, Kenny G.went over to the dark side to make money"
I think this is true in a lot of genres. Lots of serious rock bands abandoned their core stuff to make ballads. They all made tons of money on cheesy, monotonous ballads and virtually none of them ever recover artistically. Others, like ZZ Top make a killer album like Eliminator and every album after it sounds exactly the same.


It would be hard to turn your back on the kind of money that vapid vacuous pop-ified music can offer.

I do remember a funny quote from Huey Lewis that after being a cult band on the local scene that they were accused of "selling out" when they got popular. He said they had been trying to sell out for years.


Listening to Harry Connick, Jr.'s Lofty's Roach Souflle' and it is not bad.


@nicotico We have watched two episodes of Jazz and I'm enjoying it. It really is more about the people than the music, and that's fine. I don't mind that. Its good to know some of the back story.

^^^ Like a lot of jazz musicians, Kenny G.went over to the dark side to make money. You'd think he would have broke loose once in a while to appease us jazz guys. I agree ... he could really play when he turned off all of the electronics and the drenched in digital reverb recordings. 

Frank 

Re: Kenny G. I’ve never been a fan of his BUT....before he became Kenny G his name was Kenny Gorelick and was a charter member of the original Jeff Lorber Fusion Band. On the 1st few Lorber records, Kenny Gorelick played his butt off!

I mentioned the Harry Connick Jr. Trio album Lofty’s Roach Soufflé. It is an awesome Jazz instrumental album. It’s a fine listen and maybe can even get your wife on board as well.

^^^ Connick Jr's. CDs are well recorded. I have several of them. He's a good jazz pianist and ballad singer. Try the one disc (I forget which one it is) where it is just his trio. Nice jazz.

Frank

I don't remember if anyone has mentioned Harry Connick, Jr. Is that jazz? I have a couple of his albums but not sure if they're jazz or not. I have them because I got them for my wife. I almost never listen to them. The ones I have seem more pop oriented.

• Damn. That’s brutal. Kenny still made bank, though.

In my estimation, Kenny G. at best played elevator music. He had a real niche, but it wasn’t in jazz. He sold tons of recordings and made tons of money but it wasn’t from jazz fans. I have thousands of jazz recordings, and there’s not one Kenny G. among them.

There was that one night on the old Arsenio Hall show though ...

By the way, are any of you fans of this guy? I am ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMD3TE61PBA&list=RDBMD3TE61PBA&start_radio=1

And then, if you like Coltrane with an international flavor, there’s this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d9cD_Es9k4

Let’s not forget Mingus ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxz9eZ1Aons

And then for the harmonica fans, there's Toots ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLz4jwLN610

Frank

A few more you may like. Walton is definitely straight jazz, but non-jazzers seem to like him.

Cedar Walton
Holly Cole
Rene Marie- Sound of Red
Massimo Biolcati- Incontre
Chris Lightcap- Superbigmouth

The Bad Plus.
Blicher, Hemmer, Gadd
Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte- You don't know the life

Some good advice here, but N80 I’ll go contrary to some of it. If you’re new to Jazz skip the Ken Burns series, at least for a while. The only thing you need to know from that whole series is the Wynton Marsalis quip about Jazz “it doesn’t come to you; you have to go to it.” A good radio station that plays a variety of Jazz is indispensable.  And lastly, seek out those who pushed the boundaries of their instruments and music. 

Unless I missed seeing the recommendation, nobody mentioned:

Pat Metheny,

particularly the old Pat Metheny Group.   

This surprises me.  Very approachable music on most albums.  I believe that some of his compositions will become jazz standards and it is very interesting to hear his songs covered by other artists. 

n80,
You have to remember that Miles was a big time Herion and Cocaine addict. I think that shows on Big Fun , Bitches Brew and  Live Evil. Actually , I would say that  it influenced a lot of his albums.
I think that was a lot of the reason for his abstract stuff, let alone that there is only so much you can do with a Trumpet as the Lead.
I recently watched a special on Miles Davis "Birth Of The Cool"
It is a Stunning film or Documentary IMO. I actually teared a little at the end ... so sad .Highly Recommended !

@tvad 

Kenny still made bank, though.

And to your point, Metheny went on to say:

Of course, I am aware of what he has played since, the success it has had, and the controversy that has surrounded him among musicians and serious listeners. This controversy seems to be largely fueled by the fact that he sells an enormous amount of records while not being anywhere near a really great player in relation to the standards that have been set on his instrument over the past sixty or seventy years.

And honestly, there is no small amount of envy involved from musicians who see one of their fellow players doing so well financially, especially when so many of them who are far superior as improvisors and musicians in general have trouble just making a living. there must be hundreds, if not thousands of sax players around the world who are simply better improvising musicians than kenny g on his chosen instruments. it would really surprise me if even he disagreed with that statement.

@oregonpapa   I thought Pat Metheny's assessment of Kenny G was classic:

He had major rhythmic problems and his harmonic and melodic vocabulary was extremely limited, mostly to pentatonic based and blues- lick derived patterns, and he basically exhibited only a rudimentary understanding of how to function as a professional soloist in an ensemble.

Can't miss. Stan Getz "The Best of Two Worlds" with Joao Gilberto

So, Miles Davis. I like Kind of Blue and like Porgy and Bess. Most definitely do not like Big Fun or Bitches Brew. Those two seem very abstract to me, discordant, uncomfortable. I know that’s heresy but that is not the direction for me. Not yet anyway.

Watched the first episode of Burn’s Jazz. I liked it. My wife was not all that interested but episode two is about Louis Armstrong and that generation which is what she likes so she is looking forward to it.

Liked David Sanborn’s Another Hand.

Listening to Coltrane’s Beautiful Star In Town and liking it so far.

Shirley Horn with Friends - great singing/piano and plays with many jazz greats, mostly mellow stuff
Paul Desmond - his solo recordings - very approachable
John Coletrane - Ballads album
Art Pepper - Meets the Rhythm Section

Harry Connick Jr. Trio - Lofty’s Roach Soufflé is a good, easily palatable album too

Dr. John

Thank You bigkidz
I would also recommend some
Antonio Forcione .... recommended Albums listed below
Ghetto Paradise
Dedicato
Live
Tears Of Joy
Touch Wood

find your local FM Jazz station...best education out there for finding stuff

@grey9hound  that is because you have exquisite taste!  I learned to play the blues listening to RE.  Saw him live at a Danny Gatton tribute in NYC way back when.

Happy Listening.

I got into jazz not long ago when I turned some on doing chores around the house. Now I’m head over heels for it, and am learning about new and great artists everyday. I love a good ballad/slower tempo jazz and created a nice sized Spotify playlist of selections. Here are a few excellent albums I have listened to lately. 
Paul Chambers - Bass On Top - the first song Yesterdays is incredible 

Ike Quebec - Blue And Sentimental and also Heavy Soul - very beautiful and accessible Jazz 

Duke Pearson - Tender Feelin’s - beautiful jazz pianist 

Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds - Interesting album and I play the song Love Theme From Spartacus almost everyday. Something about his playing... 

Joe Pass and Oscar Peterson - Porgy and Bess - if you love guitar you will love Joe 

Bill Evans and Jim Hall - Undercurrent - beautiful album from start to finish. Excellent piano via Evans and guitar via Hall. 
Dexter Gordon - Biting The Apple - Dexter has a magical way with Ballads. His rendition of Georgia On My Mind is stunning 

Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor - Gene’s plating is beautiful and touching. He can give me chills and My Romance is a great song off this album. 
Ben Webster & Associates - this album, specifically the song Time After Time really got me into Jazz. The subtlety and beauty of his playing made me feel jazz, and his playing was like beautiful lyrics. 
Coleman Hawkins Quartet - Today and Now - A great song is Love Song From “Apache”. 
I could go on but there’s a few ideas.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/70s6FreBdsDocjdjJWcxgf?si=6eCfCkXtT_-DHSQmmOMoEQ

Coltrane “Lush Life” seems easily palatable. I was in the same boat as far as not sure what to really look for, and this Coltrane album is what got me to explore jazz more deeply.

Good luck!

For timeless classic jazz: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue & Sketches of Spain
For chill saxophone: John Klemmer, Touch
For jazz-inflected pop: Michael Franks
For piano: Ellis Marsalis, Thelonius Monk, Marcus Roberts
Brazilian Jazz: Bebel Gilberto, Nando Lauria, Gabriela Anders
Classic vocal jazz: Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington

Absolutely guarantee you will love this album if you favor Steely Dan type music--Michael Franks     Time Together     

It is a double winner--great music and great sound in your style.

Fourplay    Elixir      great music, OK sound.

After you hear the MF album, I have many more in that style I could tell you about.  

Bob

Hey @diffin,

The first time I heard Chick Webb on the drums, I lost it.
Check him out.

Santana Caravanserai, yep.

Ah yes, Rippingtons, great band.  My favorite is the album "Curves Ahead"....

@onhwy61  said: "If you don't like what you've heard, then why bother?"

Well, a couple of things come to mind:


At first I didn't like beer, bourbon, Scotch, asparagus, caviar, oysters, foie gras, etc etc. Over a lifetime I've come to value and appreciate those things.

Second, it would be distinctly possible for someone who had never listened to the blues or never listened to rock to be presented with any number of songs that they didn't like that were not representative of the entire genre and then assume, possibly wrongly, that they didn't like rock or the blues.

So the answer is, that my experience with jazz might be insufficient to know whether there are types and songs I would like more than others and that keeping an open mind I might find that jazz is an acquired taste that is worth acquiring. Like single malt Scotch.

@onhwy61  said: "Life is short, you should listen to music you like."


Agreed. But I also think life is too short to limit one's enjoyment. That can get repetitive.

@onhwy61 said: "By your own admission your question is insane. That said, there's easy access to any number of streaming services or even FM that will give you a taste."

Well, as insane as the question was I've got two pages of excellent recommendations for which I am thankful.
George

If you don't like what you've heard, then why bother?  Life is short, you should listen to music you like.  By your own admission your question is insane.  That said, there's easy access to any number of streaming services or even FM that will give you a taste.

Keith Jarrett: The Koln concert. This is a must listen as you explore 
a myriad of suggestions. Keith Jarrett is a jazz/classical pianist.

Dave Brubeck Jazz at Oberlin.

Santana Caravanserai 

Oh, and Kenny Burrell.

Midnight Blue.

+1 Weather Report
+1 Swiss Movement

McCann/Harris sound great! The Speakers Corner pressing is lovely.

Very Fun.

And Heavy Weather is another very enjoyable piece to put on.

Ben Webster has a great tone and soulful style of playing. Lou Donaldson is another that has a super cool tone. "Blues Walk" would be a good one to start with.