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Jazz 101 |
I've been asked recently where to start with jazz music. I have so many different recommendations that I decided to create this page for anyone who is looking to get into jazz. For me jazz has been a very long and rewarding journey and I'd love to share what I've found with others.
One recommendation for starting with jazz is to listen to Miles Davis, find the period that you like best, and begin to investigate his sidemen. While I had never heard this advice when I started listening, if you tracked my introduction to jazz I absolutely followed Miles' sidemen given the vast number of jazz giants Miles played with over the years.
To investigate Miles' records and sidemen check out this wonderful, interactive site, Scaled In Miles.
Here is a list of some of my favorite jazz albums. I love vocal jazz, fusion, modern jazz, and a fair amount of swing, but for Jazz 101 I am sticking with instrumental jazz music released in the 1950s and 60s. This is considered the Blue Note era of jazz where bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, hard-bop, soul jazz, and avant garde ruled. I will eventually follow up with some of my favorite vocal jazz albums and fusion albums.
This list is in no particular order, except for Kind of Blue. That album has long been considered the best jazz album of all time. And it is the album to start with if you are new to jazz. If you don't enjoy that album then jazz music is probably not for you.
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
- Miles Davis - The Birth of the Cool
- Miles Davis - Round About Midnight
- Miles Davis - Milestones
- Miles Davis - Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
- Miles Davis - Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
- Miles Davis - Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
- Miles Davis - Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
- Miles Davis - E.S.P.
- Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
- Grant Green - Idle Moments
- Grant Green - The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark
- Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles
- Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
- Herbie Hancock - Speak Like a Child
- Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
- Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz
- Bill Evans - Explorations
- Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
- Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
- Wayne Shorter - JuJu
- Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream
- Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
- Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
- Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
- Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music Volume 1
- Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music Volume 2
- Chet Baker - Chet
- Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings: It Could Happen to You
- Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
- John Coltrane - Giant Steps
- John Coltrane - Blue Train
- John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
- John Coltrane - Ballads
- Hank Mobley - Soul Station
- Hank Mobley - Workout
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
- Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section
- Bobby Hutcherson - Happenings
- Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
- Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2
- Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
- Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now he Sobs
- Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
- Dexter Gordon - Go!
- Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris
- Freddie Hubbard - Ready For Freddie
- Harold Land - The Fox
- Horace Silver - Song for my Father
- Horace Silver - Blowin' the Blues Away
- Joe Henderson - Page One
- Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
- Larry Young - Unity
- Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
- Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land
- McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
- Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
- Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'
- Sonny Clark - Leapin' and Lopin'
- Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
- Vince Guaraldi - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
- Wes Montgomery & The Wynton Kelly Trio - Smokin' at the Half Note
- Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montogmery
- Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um