Might want to try some Ronnie Earl "Blues and Ballads" Bela Fleck, Charles Loyd, Little Charlie and the night cats,David "Fathead" Newman! Good stuff!
Jazz for someone who doesn't like jazz.
I've toyed with the idea of looking into jazz. Not sure why. Not sure what I'm looking for. Maybe just something to sound good on my system. I realize jazz is a broad category but much of what I hear I have not been attracted to. Don't ask me what I've heard.
What I'd like is a recommendation of two or three albums to start with. (I know that's insane)
And since I've given next to nothing to go on I'll point out a few things that I do like that might help narrow it down some maybe.
Jazz-like stuff I do like: Steely Dan. Almost all of their stuff. Van Morrison's jazz influenced stuff like Astral Weeks.
I like blues. Delta and hill country hard core blues.
I like a wide variety of rock from heavy metal, to prog rock to classic R&B.
Does any of that help? I know this is a crazy request but if I could get some recommendations I'll at least have somewhere to start. Not looking for specific recordings yet. Just content. When I find what I like I'll research the best recordings.
Thanks for any possible advice.
George
What I'd like is a recommendation of two or three albums to start with. (I know that's insane)
And since I've given next to nothing to go on I'll point out a few things that I do like that might help narrow it down some maybe.
Jazz-like stuff I do like: Steely Dan. Almost all of their stuff. Van Morrison's jazz influenced stuff like Astral Weeks.
I like blues. Delta and hill country hard core blues.
I like a wide variety of rock from heavy metal, to prog rock to classic R&B.
Does any of that help? I know this is a crazy request but if I could get some recommendations I'll at least have somewhere to start. Not looking for specific recordings yet. Just content. When I find what I like I'll research the best recordings.
Thanks for any possible advice.
George
228 responses Add your response
@n80 "Listening to Ronnie Earl right now. I dig it but if no one had told me I would have just called it straight up blues" There are many categories of Blues just like Jazz or any genre. I absolutely love Ronnie Earls music, and I would place him in the Jazz/Blues, or Blues/Jazz, or straight up Blues if you wish. Ronnie is one of the most under-rated Blues guitarists in the world! Kudos to him! |
Thanks again guys. This is why I always come back to Audiogon, even when I've been gone for a while. You guys have given me days of listening "assignments". Random thoughts so far: I like Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. Easy to listen to. Heard some of it before. But it isn't pulling me in deep. I will keep listening. Often my favorite music takes a while to hook me. Listening to Ronnie Earl right now. I dig it but if no one had told me I would have just called it straight up blues. Great idea about the Ken Burns documentary. I've watched quite a few episodes of the country music documentary and enjoyed them all even though I don't like country music. So the one on jazz should be perfect for someone who is trying to develop a taste for it. I wish he would do a full series on the blues! Still exploring Marcus Miller. Some of it is too funky for me. Listened to some of Brubeck's Time Out. Recognized a lot of those songs. Will definitely go back to that. For some reason I find I'm not into female vocals much. Its never been a conscious thing. But, even looking back at my current music collection there just aren't a lot of female vocalists. I do like Nina Simone but for whatever reason some of the other female vocalists recommended here just don't do it for me. Anyway, looking forward to moving down through these recommendations and again, I sincerely appreciate them. George |
2nd Herbie Hancock Headhunter and Donald Byrd Blackbird as easy to listen to, if you like female vocalists check out Cold blood, Lydia Pense singing "I’m a good woman" Always thought John Mayall’s Turning point was more jazz than the blues he is known for, lots of great stuff on offer but none of those 3 mentioned above are way out there good listening ,be safe. frothy tune on John Mayall LP to check out is "California" |
Oh , how could I forget Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, They have So many good albums and many are very different Studio albums[edit]
You'll find them categorized as Jazz/Country/Folk/Bluegrass |
If you only listen to one jazz tune, and you wish to be converted, make it "Mister Magic," by Grover Washington Jr. It’s about 9 minutes long. It is possibly my overall favorite track, definitely favorite instrumental. Listen to the studio album version, not live versions (though those are good as well). The way it builds, and then eases off, and builds again, the crescendos, the dynamics -- I just love it. Kick back with your favorite beverage - sooo soothing. |
Well, covid 19 precautions are in place, and older, they have to be careful. Perhaps you can call/talk to them now, hook up later. Eventually, I think you should have that mighty fine couple over for dinner, ask for some recommendations, let them see/hear your system, let him see you handle/play, lift tonearm, .. IOW, they know you know how to carefully handle LP's, because, eventually he might offer to bring some of his lp's over to play on your system, or eventually borrow/lend with you. I always want to know not only handling skills, but the cartridge/stylus shape/alignment skills before I loan my lp's to my audiophile friends. Not bore with technical discussion, just assure awareness/skills of the methods to get the best out of lps. |
I have to agree with what I’ve read here. Watch the Ken Burns Series!!!! Some many great stories are told in this series. The first episode is about the historical roots of jazz and may seem a bit removed, but hang in there. I don’t know your age and who you’ve grown up with, but I have a huge appreciation for Louis Armstrong because of this series, as well as more enjoyment of many artists because of his perspective. Also, Clint Eastwood’s movie “Bird” helped get me into Charlie Bird. I was in HS 2971-74, an era where “jazz” was associated with the stuff mothers did not approve - thus entered the era of the “stage band” in high school. We barely played any jazz, and the only ones keeping jazz alive were big band stars like Woody Herman, Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson, who were wise enough to add some rock tunes to keep us youngsters listening. My advice: Find a “way in” that you like and continue to expand your horizons. Mine was through Buddy and Maynard and their high power big bands, learning what I liked, and slowly branching out. Find some standard 40’s big band tunes you like. This is an easy “pop” way in toward appreciating swing time. Like Latin? Head that direction - lots and lots to choose from in that venue. About all that soloing...it will grow on you. Really. Not all of it, but some. I still can’t stand - i.e. understand - “A Love Supreme” by Coltrane, but I’ll listen to most of Miles all day long. (This next section is pure jazz sacrilege, but too bad...) A few more thoughts about that soloing stuff. I like to divide soloing (improv) into two camps (and of course this is way too simplistic, but bear with me). There are solos/soloists that “play around with the tune” and those who just “play the changes”. If you’re having difficulty with the likes of Bird and Coltrane et al, it might be because they tend to leave the tune behind and focus entirely on the chord changes. Other soloists like Miles, Stan Getz and Wynton Marcellis for example solo “around the tune” while they improv over the changes. Many find this much more accessible. It is NOT better or worse, but if your having trouble with one, try the other camp. A final note (shhh...this one is really, really sacrilegious)... you ARE allowed to fast forward through the solo (I’m checking over my shoulder for the jazz police as I write this). Other approaches: Find a tune you like, and listen to several versions of it. Nutville (Nuttville), Autumn Leaves, I Can’t Get Started are a few that come to mind. Try WATCHING some jazz - that approach can make it more appealing. In this day and age of streaming music “learning to like jazz” is a lot easier and infinitely cheaper than 50 years ago. Skip through some “Essentials” of some artists Here are some tunes/artists I find to be “more approachable”: Enjoy the journey... Miles Davis - So What, Freddie Freeloader, Walkin’, Cannonball Adderley - Autumn Leaves (weird intro) Stan Getz - Girl from Ipanema, Four Brothers Sonny Rollins - St. Thomas, The Eternal Triangle, Chet Baker - Autumn Leaves Dave Brubeck - Gone With the Wind, Bill Evans - Waltz for Debbie, Autumn Leaves, Horace Silver - Nutville, Cape Verdean Blues, Song for My Father Big Band Sounds: pick a few and see what gets your foot tapping. 40’s Benny Goodman - Stompin’ At the Savoy, Artie Shaw - Begin the Beguine 50’s - 60’s Stan Kenton - The Peanut Vender, Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca, Night In Tunisia Count Basie - April in Paris, One O’clock Jump, Shiny Stockings 70’s Woody Herman - My Favorite Things, Somewhere, Maynard Ferguson - MF Horn 1 @ 2 Buddy Rich - Big Swing Face album, West Side Story Suite |
The first two songs will get you going. I use these two songs to demo my system. What is nice about these two songs is the artists develops the them of the song gradually to make things interesting. The waiting for the song to develop is what makes it exciting. "Nasty" by Vincent Ingala Coast to Coast albumn Watermellon Man by Herbie Hancock "Like Someone in Love" by Diana krall |
Well I love me some Danny Gatton but he is not a classical Jazz geetar player but is influenced by Jazz. Best guitar player I have ever met. Crusin' Dueces is the first to listen to if you are a geetar player for sure. If you are looking for something that is blues/jazz/rock/soul influenced then it is Ronnie Earl time. This is not even close to Miles sounding. Ronnie is a fantastic blues geetar player with jazz influences. One of the best to see live also. First the Colour of Love you should listen to first. Then you can wiki his CDs and for from there. Let us know what you think after you listen to all of the recommendation to see what you prefer and then we can all offer better suggestions for you. Happy Listening. |
Greetings! I’m also new to Jazz and have been doing a lot of research and listening on YouTube in order to help me decide which albums to buy. Like many others, I started with Miles Davis- Kind of Blue, my mom turned me onto Ramsey Lewis- Wade in the Water as a young boy which I love along with his “The In Crowd” album. Here are some that I’ve picked up that I really dig: Stanley Turrentine- Hustlin’ Charles Mingus- Blues and Roots Cannonball Adderly- Somethin’ Else Kenny Burrell- Midnight Blue Herbie Hancock- Headhunter i highly recommend all of these as great starters! Here’s a good video listing other great starter albums for someone’s Jazz Collection. Happy Listening! https://youtu.be/NEBnEKdMO9w |
@n80. Excellent suggestions above. I see you are near Charlotte. I live in Columbia and have lots of the above recommendations on vinyl. You are more than welcome to come listen. Also, go to the jazz event you mentioned. You can’t go wrong with that. Those type of events are special. My journey to jazz started with being raised on the Beatles and Motown, then digging British and 70s rock, prog, blues, fusion, singer/songwriters, then discovering real jazz and the masters. Still listen to it all. Music is a great lifestyle! |
There are some great Jazz selections already listed, so no need to repeat them here. If you want to take a step from Rock towards Jazz, you might consider Fusion or Progressive Rock genres. I find Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, even Carlos Santana and Craig Chaquico as excellent blends of rock and jazz influences. Pay attention to some of the groups and musicians they play with and branch from there. What a wonderful journey of discovery as you open to new genres of music. Enjoy! |
So many relevant comments and good suggestions. From blurry beginning through so many styles and influences to the fuzzy ill defined jazz fusion(s). Samplers are good in many ways but I appreciate the approach of a child. I listened to what my father played liked what grabbed me, a good hook if you will and went from there. Try as you did not to give hints, your tastes in rock and popular music give some clues maybe. Albums as “a work” in any genre are conceptual. So many so different. I’ll take a shot and give you just one album with three masters. Duke Ellington’s MONEY JUNGLE with Charlie Mingus and Max Roach. Pretty deep/complex but accessible. Find one album, live or studio, you love and then explore from there. |
I was asking a similar question as you about 3 years ago. I started with Miles Davis - Kind of Blue, like many have recommended, it is very easy to listen to and has broad appeal. I dug in and tried to learn about the artists and the history of jazz, which has made the exploration even more interesting. There are many good documentaries out there to help with that. At least for now my favorite jazz is stuff from the mid 50’s to mid 60’s. I love the sound stage and imaging that was captured in many of the recordings. Dave Brubeck’s Time Out is very good for that. Other favorites that have not been mentioned by others are: Art Blakey - A Night at The Birdland Vol 1 Hank Mobley - No Room for Squares Lee Morgan - Sidewinder Cannonball Aderly - Something Else Enjoy the exploration! |
Please take a chance and listen to one or more of these (past the first few seconds of ads of course) with a GOOD pair of headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCopcNpzc60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Tf6gac0TQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmNJNnGLnDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWsfCqt3PF0&list=PLB7D80041E3790B43&index=15&t=0s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-W5BY_dq8 If you like any of them, that means you like smooth jazz (COMPLETELY different from "normal jazz") then try joining jazzradio.com, smooth uptempo. |
Once upon a time, I read that everybody has one jazz album. Miles Davis' Kind of blue. I have it, too. Start there, it is palatable for people who have only two jazz albums. There is enough different versions/pressings/etc. of Kind of blue to have you hunting for years. Some are really good.You also have to decide do you prefer messed-up speed, or the original speed. No kidding. Other suggestions above may be more to your liking in the end, but the way you describe your goal it is hard to start with anything but Kind of blue. |
Thanks guys. Not checking out of the discussion but I'm down at my cabin with no internet access other than spotty cell data. Lots to process here. Will be checking out a lot of the recommendations. Some stuff is just immediately not for me. Other stuff catches my ear. Amazon Music is actually working right now and we're listening to Marcus Miller's M2 album. The good news is that my wife actually likes this stuff. System at the cabin is a huge step down from home system but still sounds pretty good and she's digging it which is unusual. A little more background: Without thinking about what is and isn't jazz, I've been familiar with Louis Armstrong for decades and have several albums mostly because my wife likes it. Also have a number of Nina Simone songs. Have a few Basie albums I never listen to but might now. As I was talking to my wife about this (jazz) she reminded me of an older couple we have known for years who live downtown near us (small southern city near Charlotte) who is really into jazz. They often have musicians in their home to play for small groups and every year they have an intimate jazz event at a local venue with known (how well known I don't know) bands and musicians. My wife has wanted to go for years and we get invited every year but it is not cheap and I have always declined. Last year they had Noel Friedline, Maria Howell, and some others. Don't know who they are but Maria Howell seems marginally famous. Not sure who they will have next year. Cost is about $130 per person but includes dinner and drinks so maybe not that expensive.....considering what pop and rock tickets cost these days. The event is in December each year so maybe we'll go. It will make the wife happy anyway. Thanks again for the intro and recommendations. Not sure I'm all in at this point but will continue to explore. George |