Jazz Recommendations


I am just starting to get into Jazz. I recently bought Thelonious Monk Quartet "Live at Monterey" and was blown away. Could you recommend other mainstream Jazz recordings that I should have in a basic collection to help me get started.
kadlec
Ray Brown Trio. 2 fer cd live "The Red Hot", and "Bam, Bam, Bam." Just excellent piano, bass, & drums. A swinging good time and excellent sound. There is some crowd noise, but to me it doesn't detract from the performances at all.
One more. Fritzel's Jazz Band. You probably have to go to New Orleans to get this one, at Fritzel's Europeon Jazz Club on Bourbon St. They have live jazz there most nights, really good New Orleans style jazz. Some of the best musicians in town jam there. The cd is a recording of basically the house band. Very nice.
Return to Forever, "Romantic Warrior." "No Mystery" is also very good. This is "good" jazz fusion. The players are Chick Corea - Keyboards etc., Stanley Clarke - Bass extraordinaire, Al Dimeola - Guitar, Lenny White - Drums, percussion. Man, these guys are talented and tight. This is music from the mid 70's. It's out in re-mastered versions so the sound is superb, highly recommended.