Need some Jazz recommendations..some pop and swing

Maybe try Pandora by typing in any of the artists and it will find music that is similiar .

Flim & The BB's was sometimes called fusion. It's rock-jazz. Not sure if that's what you're looking for. They recorded in the 80's and 90's but most recordings are high quality--first on DMP label and then Warner. They are mostly high energy and have a lot of fun--were very popular on the jazz charts but are little known now, I think. Tricycle is big and representative but they made a lot of good disks. The Yellow Jackets are very palatable, outstanding musicians, have been nominated for Grammies. They are recorded on Heads Up label, a division of Telarc, and are outstanding recordings, better than Telarc IMO. David Grisman uses Bluegrass as a springboard for jazz. Probably his greatest achievement is the self-titled "salmon colored" album as we used to call it. A more recent disk that I like a lot is Dawg's Groove. Some of his disks have vocals which I do not like. I would avoid. Like you, I like jazz but not the esoteric or the heavy jazz. And like you, I'm sure I'm missing out on some good stuff. Holly Cole Trio is good if you like vocals.

Forgot to mention one of my favorites: I love the Hammond B3 in rock and jazz,and Funky Organ by various artists is a good recording which I plan to use to find more Hammond B3 music. Which reminds me that I hear a lot of jazz in the Doors. LA Woman is probably the best. Lee Ritenaur and Dave Grusin are older generation "pop jazz". I like very samll doses. I get bored fast.

Some of the blues artist's cross over to swing and you may enjoy the big band sound:

Clarence Gatemouth brown- Gate Swings
Charles Brown- Lucky so and so
Sugar Ray Norcia and the Bluetones- all of the recent cd's
Duke Robillard- several swing cd's

Try some of the " Fourplay " Cd's...Great group......

I find Brubeck very easy to get into

you might try Weather Report - Heavy Weather, lovely stuff

I'm still new to jazz, but I've been amassing a lot of it this past year.

I like these if I can suggest something other than "Kind of Blue" for intro to jazz.

Oliver Nelson -- Blues and The Abstract Truth
Donald Byrd -- Mustang
Lou Donaldson -- Fried Buzzard
Cannonball Adderly -- Somethin' Else
Sonny Clark -- Sonny's Crib

Jazz with a swing influence, up beat. My favorite for that would be Scott Hamilton. He recorded a lot of stuff for Concord Jazz. Excellent recordings as well.

You might do well to find a copy of AMG's All Music Guide to Jazz. It is an excellent and extensive source of information about performers and recordings.

Pat Metheny comes to mind as someone you'd probably enjoy. Check out his first 2 or 3 albums (on the ECM label) and then get a copy of "Imaginary Day". This is one of the BEST sounding recordings I have ever heard, truly reference quality.

Then, you might want to consider some offerings from Passport, Klaus Doldinger's band from the late 70s, early 80s. "Igaucu", "Looking Thru", and "Infinity Machine" will give you a good taste of what he has to offer. This is saxophone-driven jazz fusion at its finest.

Finally, you might want to consider Chick Corea's awesome band, Return To Forever. This is a group of superstars that were burning up the charts in the late 70s, early 80s. Try "Hymn of the 7th Galaxy" and "Romantic Warrior"; these are incredible efforts displaying absolutely the best musicianship ever seen/heard...

-RW-

Sorry, I misspelled "Iguacu", the Passpor album. This is truly a beautiful effort and one of my favorite albums of all time...

-RW-

Try Charlie Haden's work with the Quartet West.

Cant tell you how much I appreciate the thoughtful suggestions...I will be researching all of them!

Some jazz albums filled with memorable "hooks" or popular elements that come to mind for me are:

Coltrane, Ballads
Adderly Somthin' Else
Chico Freeman, Spirit Sensitive
Oscar Peterson, We Get Requests
Ike Quebec, Blue and Sentimental
Sonny Rollins, Way Out West
Ben Webster, Soulville

All happen to be phenomenal albums too! Happy hunting.

e

Swing revival... Just went to see "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" Monday night in Ann Arbor. Lots of fun. Check out "Cherry Poppin' Daddies" too. Zoot Suit Riot! ... throw back a bottle of beer....