Interested in broadening your jazz horizons?
Here are some classic jazz albums I highly recommend... well, mostly classic.
They're listed chronologically.
| Artist | Album | Year/ Label |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis |  
|
1959 Columbia |
An absolute classic. A history-making album loved by neophytes and aficionados alike. info / listen / purchase |
| Frank Sinatra | 
|
1958 Capitol |
Forget you ever heard "New York, New York".
This landmark ballad album shows why Frank Sinatra deserves to be a household name.
A real heart-wrencher, with orchestral accompaniment, it showcases Sinatra's fluid voice
and impeccable phrasing. info / listen / purchase |
| Betty Carter | 
|
1958-60 Impulse |
Betty Carter is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz vocal stylists. In these recordings one hears not only the unique inflections and rhythmic nuances she is known for, but an overflowing sweetness that may surprise and delight fans of her later, more widely known work. info / listen / purchase |
| Hank Mobley | 
|
1960 Blue Note |
An altogether melodic, grooving album by this underrated hard bop saxophonist and an all-star rhythm section. info / listen / purchase |
| Stanley Turrentine | 
|
1960 Blue Note |
Perfect for after hours. Soulful music that's not in a hurry. info / listen / purchase |
| Gene Ammons | 
|
1960 Prestige |
If you don't like this, you don't like home cookin'. Sax'ist Gene
Ammons may not be an innovator to match your John Coltrane and Charlie Parker,
but the intimate beauty and power of his sound and concept are a rare
combination, second to none. This classic quartet is supplemented by
Ray Barretto on congas. info / listen / purchase |
| Wes Montgomery | 
|
1960 Riverside |
An early album of this highly influencial, soulful guitar player,
introducing several of his famous compositions. info / listen / purchase |
| Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Charles Mingus |
|
1962 Capitol |
No, the lineup of this trio album is not a typo. The album is
every bit as solid as the musicians on it, and amazingly creative. If
you think of Duke Ellington as old-fashioned, this will be an eye
opener! info / listen / purchase |
| Joe Henderson | 
|
1963 Blue Note |
The debut album of Joe Henderson. He plays with a gorgeous sound,
beautiful melodic ideas and phrasing... and without a lot of the
eccentricities of his later playing. This album introduced the
standards-to-be Blue Bossa and Recorda-Me. info / listen / purchase |
| Art Blakey | 
|
1963 Riverside |
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers were not just an historical jazz group but
an institution of jazz education, a springboard that launched the careers of
many of the greatest jazz musicians of the past thirty years.
This album showcases one of the finest of its many incarnations in a burning
live recording. The six musicians are on fire, and their improvisations
are worth memorizing. info / listen / purchase |
| John Coltrane | 
|
1964 Atlantic |
People tend to love Coltrane either for the burning bebop-like
lines of his earlier work or the deep spirituality of his later work.
This album has both--it is richer and further reaching than his early
stuff, more approachable than his late. info / listen / purchase |
| Wayne Shorter | 
|
1964 Blue Note |
Two haunting, moving albums. Richly introspective. info / listen / purchase |
|
|||
| Herbie Hancock | 
|
1965 Blue Note |
A wholly beautiful, peaceful, coherent album. A quintet of
modern-day masters performing exquite compositions. Soothing, melodic
jazz with a newfound freedom of expression. info / listen / purchase |
| Eddie Harris | Mean Greens 
|
1965-66 Rhino |
The masterful rhythm section on these dates lays down rock-solid jazz grooves behind sax playing that is
quirky and obscure, yet poised and FUNKY beyond all belief. Two outrageous albums now bundled on one
inexpensive CD -- a total steal! info / listen / purchase |
| Nancy Wilson | 
|
1969 Capitol |
Beautiful sassy jazz, extremely intimate, by this vocalist and a world-class rhythm section: Hank Jones, Gene Bertoncini, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate. info / listen / purchase |
| John McLaughlin | 
|
1970 Ryko |
Intense, spiritual music, jazz influenced by other styles of the
world. This man is a masterful guitarist. info / listen / purchase |
| Eastern Rebellion | 
|
1975 Timeless |
Can be hard to find but worth it. Straight ahead jazz that's
kickin', featuring my favorite rhythm section players and the sax work
of George Coleman. info / listen / purchase |
| Pete Christlieb / Warne Marsh | 
|
1978 Rhino |
Hard to imagine a more unlikely pairing of saxophonists leading a quintet... or a more successful outcome. Swinging and incredibly interactive, with lots of enjoyable surprises. (Incidentally, this was produced by Donald Fagan and Walter Becker of Steely Dan!) info / listen / purchase |
| Chick Corea | 
|
1981 Stretch |
Crisp modern jazz, dynamic, harmonically intricate. Heavily
composed, performed with great virtuosity. Features Michael Brecker
on tenor sax. info / listen / purchase |
| John Scofield | 
|
1981 Enja |
Raw, churning jazz with a strong rock influence that's highly melodic and...
well, beautiful. The trio setting leads for great interactions. info / listen / purchase |
| Miles Davis | 
|
1989 Warner |
More daring than his silvery-trumpet early work, more structured and refined than his radical work during the seventies, this is a nice synthesis album. Funky and contemporary and very musical, featuring great alto sax work by Kenny Garrett. info / listen / purchase |
| Rickie Lee Jones | 
|
1991 Geffen |
Intimate acoustic jazz featuring some of the heavies (Joe Henderson...)
Better known as a pop figure, this woman is a first class vocal interpreter,
a pleasure to listen to in any genre she chooses. info / listen / purchase |
| Abdullah Ibrahim | 
|
1993 Enja |
South African pianist/composer Abdullah Imbrahim (formerly Dollar Brand) is a
master of stillness, and nowhere does his mastery shine forth more than on the soundtrack
he composed to this 1990 Claire Denis film. info / listen / purchase |
| Chris Potter | 
|
1995 Concord |
It's tough to put a young artist on a list with these others, but here's
an album that shines through. The freshness of this
sax and woodwind player's playing is surpassed only by that of his
compositions. The album features young masters Larry Goldings and
Larry Grenadier, as well as drummer legend Al Foster. info / listen / purchase NOTE: This CD seems to be out of print. If you want, check out Gratitude instead - it's killin'! |
| Me'shell Ndegeocello | 
|
1996 Warner |
Ok, I don't think I would call this one jazz per se, but it's got great grooves,
sophisticated harmony, and outstanding playing, improvised and otherwise.
Boppers and purists: check this out before you start dissing hip hop and
its relatives. A longtime inhabitant of my CD changer. info / listen / purchase |
| Ben Allison | 
|
2004 Palmetto |
The writing on this CD is not only stunningly creative, but FUN. info / listen / purchase |
| Brass Monkey Brass Band | 
|
2004 BMBB |
Another in the priceless inventive-and-fun category, this time leaning a bit more to the fun romp side of things. Brass Monkey is a great SF Bay Area band in the funky New Orleans brass band tradition... and then some. info / listen / purchase |
| Simone | 
|
2004 EMI Brazil |
Thirteen gorgeous originals by Ivan Lins (who plays on the disc), written for the occasion. Most of them are truly memorable. I think this CD is the most potent mood-lifting music I've ever encountered. And there's a LOT of mood-lifting Brazilian music for it to compete with. Oh, yes: Simone's rich vocals are all in Portugese. There are no solos on this CD, but I didn't even notice that until it was pointed out to me. info / listen / purchase |
| Johnny King (author) |
|
1997 Walker & Co. |
A wonderful introduction to jazz music -- not historical so much as an easy-going guide to how a jazz group functions and what to listen for when you listen to the music. By the way, Johnny King is also a wonderful jazz pianist. Paperback, 176 pages. info / purchase |
