Introduction to Jazz

[Bes]

Hi there,

Me and the lady frequent a few live music clubs here in Madrid, but particularly Jazz. I'm really starting to enjoy it now, but don't know where to start in terms of appreciation/ buying the music and so forth.

Can someone reccommend me a couple of CDs to get me started? Should I be looking at something by the more well known artists such as Charles Mingus/ Miles Davis? or something else?

I have a pretty good hi fi at home, so whatever I buy, it needs to have top notch recording quality.

Thanks

 

[Carzy]

Miles David - Kind of Blue obviously.

John Coltrane is another must...get either A Love Supreme or Blue Train (the latter is probably easier to get into)

Other people worth checking out are:

Charlie Parker
Dizzy Gillespie
(Bird and Diz joint albums are great...Charlie Parker was known as Bird)
Duke Ellington
Thelonious Monk
Oscar Peterson
Cannonball Adderley

All good starter choices.

One of my favourites though is Art Blakey (jazz drummer), A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 is probably my favourite live jazz record, if not my favourite jazz record. So much character and kick to it. Also led me to discover Clifford Brown who is a fantastic trumpeter, and Horace Silver who is a great pianist.

I'd stay away from any "free jazz" stuff like Ornette Coleman until you've heard the stuff that came before it...it came be pretty weird at times.

That should get you started

 

[Irish_Tom]

I'm really into Tommy Smith at the minute, stunning saxamaphonist and very good live!

Panzer

 

[Bear]

Miles David - Kind of Blue obviously.

John Coltrane is another must...get either A Love Supreme or Blue Train (the latter is probably easier to get into)

One of my favourites though is Art Blakey (jazz drummer), A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 is probably my favourite live jazz record, if not my favourite jazz record. So much character and kick to it. Also led me to discover Clifford Brown who is a fantastic trumpeter, and Horace Silver who is a great pianist.

I love Art Blakey and Horace Silver but I like Grant Green (guitar) , Rueben Wilson (Hammond Organ), Jimmy McGriff (piano and Hammond), Donald Byrd (Trumpet), old stuff by Herbie Hancock.

Have a look out for some of the old compilations on Blue Note records as there are loads of really good stuff to be found.

 

[Carzy]

Ye, everything is Blue Note =