Jazz

Robert

Robert

Robert

Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
16,071
Location
North West
I'd really like to get into Jazz, but I have no real idea of what to look for (artist wise). I know some of the obvious ones but am looking for some pointers.

Any recommendations?
 
Have a look at who's playing or going to be playing at Ronnie Scott's Club in Soho, then go from there.
 
I don't know whether it's a good place to start because it's viewed by many as the best Jazz album of all time (there for making everything else not quite as good) but Kind of Blue by Miles Davis is a truly great album. Ground breaking and crafted by some of the greatest Jazz artists of all time (Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Kelly, John Coltrane and Bill Evans), It served as the catalyst for the Cool Jazz genre. It's influence is immense. It reaches beyond Jazz into genres as diverse as Rock'n'Roll to Hip Hop.

Here's a brief list of some of my other favourite artists and links to there best known/my favourite songs by them on youtube.

Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Bill Evans Trio - My Foolish Heart

Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus, this is a concept album. It traces the birth of man to modern day and then to his downfall. I think the entire album has a wonderful energy.


I'm not a great fan of Jazz singers but this short list wouldn't be worth the pixels it's displayed with if I didn't include-


Billy Holliday - Strange Fruit. A voice unlike any other combined with some startling lyrics. I think Strange Fruit is another of Jazz's high water marks.



If you have Spotify, I could create a playlist of my favourite Jazz for you.
 
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I would say, listen to some bebop to wet your appetite.

Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian, that kind of stuff (it's sort of what I expected jazz to sound like, before I started listening to it).

Some great post-bop albums are:

Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (his band on this album is out of this world)
Joshua Redman - Elastic or Moodswing
Freddie Hubbard - Backlash
George Benson - Cookbook or Breezin'

The best thing about 'jazz' is that it encompasses SO much music, I would more so than perhaps any other genre (I know people say that about lots of different genres). But if you want to get into jazz big time, you're going to have to lose yourself in it, as there's so much to lap up, to process, to enjoy and to love.
 
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