Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
What are the essential Jazz albums?
I dont know much about jazz beyond a few albums by Sun Ra, Jaco Pastorius, and Victor Wooten. Could someone tell me the albums i should start with?
6 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
repeating an answer that I provided for another question earlier today...
here's a baker's dozen of stand-alone goodies that immediately come to mind for me (no "best of"-type compilations or "complete" recordings or sessions-sort box sets included), with the albums picked largely (although not entirely) corresponding with my favorite artists:
1. Albert Ayler's "Live In Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings" (not a "best of" or a box set, so it's o.k. here).
2. Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come."
3. Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew."
4. Charlie Haden's "Liberation Music Orchestra."
5. Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, and Egberto Gismonti's "Magico."
6. Joe Henderson's "Joe Henderson in Japan."
7. Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds."
8. Keith Jarrett's "Expectations."
9. John McLaughlin's "Extrapolation."
10. Pat Metheny's "80/81."
11. Charles Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music."
12. Archie Shepp's "Attica Blues."
13. Weather Report's "Weather Report" (their self-titled debut, not the self-titled release of a decade or so later).
Source(s): my record collection; visit allmusic.com for more info about any or all of these titles ... also, you should be able to sample all or most of the above on either Amazon, iTunes, or, Last.fm. - 1 decade ago
It's good that you provided some stuff you currently have heard and enjoyed. People blindly asking for recommendations often don't get what they want or expect because it's very important to start at the right place specific to your taste in music.
So, with that in mind and given that you seem to have dabbled in funk/fusion I've thrown in some fusion albums to this list of what I think are the very important albums to be starting out your jazz discography with. And of course there are plenty more great albums that you will get to enjoy all in good time too.
Because I am assuming you don't crap money, I'll put asterisks (*****) beside the albums you should be looking at purchasing at the very very beginning.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots *****
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Dexter Gordon - Clubhouse
Duke Ellington - Money Jungle
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Grant Green - Idle Moments
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters *****
Horace Silver - Song For My Father
Jan Johansson - Jazz pa Svenska
John Coltrane - Giant Steps *****
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Krzysztof Komeda - Astigmatic
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue ******
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Oliver Nelson - The Blues & The Abstract Truth
Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear
Ron Carter - Where?
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk Quartet & John Coltrane
Wayne Shorter - JuJu
Weather Report - Black Market *****
Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds
Good luck.
Source(s): my record collection - 5 years ago
Duke Ellington - At Newport (big band) The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall (bebop) Max Roach - Jazz in ¾ Time (bebop) Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (cool jazz) Dave Brubeck - Time Out (cool jazz) Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (hardbop) John Coltrane - Blue Train (hardbop) Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (hardbop) Sun Ra - Space Is The Place (avant-garde) Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch (avant-garde) Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (fusion) Billy Cobham - Spectrum (fusion) Tito Puente - Dance Mania (latin) Machito - Kenya (latin) Cachao Lopez - Master Sessions Volume I (latin) or any collection you can get by Louis Armstrong Cab Calloway or Django Reinhardt oh yea and Ella Fitzgerald if you want some good vocal jazz. (or if you wanna hear some awesome scat singing)
- tummybulgeLv 61 decade ago
Duke Ellington / Count Basie " First time Count Meets the Duke "
Stan Kenton "New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm"
Dave Brubeck "Time Out "
Count Basie " April in Paris" The high note trumpet player is Thad Jones Quincy's older brother.
Stan Kenton " Cuban Fire "
Duke Ellington " A drum is a Woman "
- How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- pianojazz manLv 61 decade ago
instead of listening to only certain recordings-its better to listen to ANY record done by the following:
piano=Bill Evans & Oscar Peterson
trumpet= Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie
ten sax= John Coltrane & sonny Rollins
Drums= Buddy Rich, art Blakey,max Roach
alto sax= Charlie parker & phil woods
Bari sax= Gerry Mulligan
trombone=JJ Johnson
bass= Ray brown& Ron Carter
guitar=Wes Montgomery & Joe Pass
this is a good list to start with !!!!!!!!