Introductary J*** recommendations needed.

But for recordings... step 1 is Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, because it's an established classic, bestseller and popular with critics and public alike, so there's a good chance you'll like it.

Other accessible claasic sets would be Ella & Loius (Fitzgerald and Armstrong), Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" and Getz/Gilberto's eponymous bossa-nova classic, and Keith Jarret's Koln Concert.

Also maybe try the Union CDs on naim and the Antonio Forcione live disc, or Claire Martin's Off-Beat and Martin Taylor's Spirit of Django on Linn.

Pete.

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What I need is a list of half a dozen (or so),jazz recording which will not have me reaching for something else ! A Kind of gentle introduction.
The one stipulation is that they must be "easily accesssable"(easy listening ?). Nothing "hard-core"....

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Here are a few quite chilled and accessible jazz classics:

Stan Getz / Charlie Bird 'Jazz Samba' - Laid back 60s Brazilian influenced grooves. As mellow as it comes, and a truly atmospheric album. The next album by Getz was the Getz / Gilberto collaboration that launched Astrid Gilberto's career - again a classic album. I have a nice Verve mono original of this.

Jimmy Smith 'Bashin - The unpredictable Jimmy Smith' - Jimmy Smith is unquestionably the king of the Hammond B3, and this album from 1963 catches him at his peak. The album is split pretty much half and half between work with a small combo, and larger scale stuff arranged by the legendary Oliver Nelson. This is why I am recommending this particular album, it gives both sides of what the man does. Got this as a nice Verve mono first pressing too, plus the current CD remaster which sounds excellent.

Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue' - This is the one that everyone raves about, it is certainly a stunning album, but the best jazz album of all time… not for me. I rate it as pretty accessible on first listen, though has much to give with further listens and a deeper understanding of what Davis was looking to achieve.

Bill Evans 'Everybody digs Bill Evans' - Excellent chilled piano led small combo stuff. Evans is pretty much at the top of the heap regarding jazz piano, his work with Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderly is stunning. He plays on 'Kind of Blue' above, though this album showcases his own direction far more clearly.

Gary Burton 'New vibe man in town' - Burton's debut from 1961 is a stunning showcase for his mastery of the vibraphone. This is a small combo album with Burton being supported with just drums and double bass - I love this album, and consider it by far his best.

Charles Mingus 'Black saint and the sinner lady' - This is absolutely not easy listening, though it was one of the first jazz albums I bought and I loved it instantly. It is a large scale work with massed brass, and has a sense of power and emotional connection that I have not hard to this level of intensity anywhere else. It is hard to define the style as it is in my experience totally unique, established jazz boundaries are just pushed away, though with out any pretence of overindulgence - there are no solos here. This is a complete work coming from a unhinged genius, Mingus got his shrink to write the liner notes! A truly astonishing record, and in my opinion one of the finest albums ever made - that is why I have included it here. If anyone has a mint US 60s pressing of this lying around I will pay very well.

Enjoy the journey, there are some stunning jazz albums out there.

Tony.

1. Louis Armstrong.Essential, Columbia had a cdseries called This is jazz a few years ago. The Armstrong greatest hits Cd while only scratching the surface is good. Youll want the Complete Hot Fives and Hot sevens in a week.

2. Vocalist.. As Above but also try Anita ODay greatest Hits on Verve is a good introduction. Swing swing start to swing.

3. Lee Morgan The Sidewinder, Hard bop classic with intense groove. Very accessible introduction to that 60s Bluenote sound.

4. Stan Getz Greatest hits on Verve. Beautiful lyrical sax. I wont demean it by calling it west coast style.

5.Duke Ellington. Where to start with the master? The Newport disc is very good but I love the Blanton Webster Recordings.

Imerse yourself in this music youll never regret it.

John

Tony. Spot on with the Mingus. Have you ever heard Live at Antibes. No t perfect but the most emotion packed record I have. Mingus shouting Yeah yeah urging the band on, absolutely fantastic.

r

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Have you ever heard Live at Antibes. Not perfect but the most emotion packed record I have.

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Just checked it out on www.allmusic.com - looks very interesting indeed. I will buy it ASAP.

Tony.

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Andy Summers
(Yes I do mean the Police bass man)

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I think you mean the Police guitar man

Andy.

P.S. As an easy intro to Jazz, with stunning live acoustic you could try 'Jazz at the Pawnshop' - I'll dig out details when I get home.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Thanks for all the suggetions,the historical background,and general information,Very educational for an absolute Jazz novice.

I must confess,the only Jazz in the house is as follows ;

-Billie Holiday - The Gold collection (40 classic performances)
-Billie Holiday - The Essential recordings
-The Best Jazz...Ever ( a triple cd collection of various jazz artists)

...erm,all the above belong to Karen.I have never actually listened to more than 5 minutes of each...except the Various artist one which has "Moondance" on it . I DO like Moondance.(Granted,not classical jazz,but...)

Mmmm..Where to start ?!

...I feel a very long "short list" is about to be written.

Many thanks all.
Regards
Chris

It's on the Proprius label, and the vinyl is PROP 7778-79.

I've just had a quick search on Audiostreet and vol.2 & 3 are available on CD, but I've no idea what they're like.

Vol.1 though will transport you into a smoky bar, glasses clinking around you, whilst some excellent Jazz will fill the room, close your eyes and you'll be there.

Music and atmosphere together, now that's what I call music!

Andy.

P.S. See the 'Satchmo and Duke' thread for some more ideas.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

[This message was edited by Andrew L. Weekes on FRIDAY 19 January 2001 at 22:32.]

I just finished reading the excellent book by Ashley Kahn, Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece. One very important point it makes is that until the 1997 Columbia Legacy CD Remaster, previous reissues had a speed/pitch problem on some tracks due to having been mastered from a safety tape recorded on a defective machine. This somehow slipped by the notice of just about everyone for many years, including the musicians, but now is finally corrected.

This 1997 Remaster also has an alternate take of Flamenco Sketches, which is the only complete outtake of the entire sessions; all other outtakes were aborted midstream.

This indispensable album changed music forever.

The difference is clear and significant even on my nait/cd3/intros, so those of you with more serious setups (probably most readers here) will have even more to play with. If you have AKOB but not the '97 remaster, time to change your recording, and if you don't have AKOB yet, this is the only one to get.

Pete.

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If you have AKOB but not the '97 remaster, time to change your recording, and if you don't have AKOB yet, this is the only one to get.

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The Classic Records gatefold sleeve double 180 gram vinyl is my favourite release of this album to date. The first record contains the album at original speed, the second record contains the speed corrected side, plus on the other side the alternate take of 'Flamenco Sketches' cut at 45 rpm. A very high quality bit of vinyl indeed... even has authentic Columbia 'six eyes' labels!

Tony.

If you'd like something pleasing and relaxing, easy to swing into, there's a great compilation called 'Dinner Jazz' on the french Gitanes label. It's around 72 minutes long and has many great artists from the 30's onwards doing easy listening/soft jazz numbers. I use this a lot when chilling out or as background during dinner.

Don't get me wrong - all the recommendations above are classic fabulous jazz artists, but a compilation disc will give you an idea of the variation in style and nuance available in jazz.

Another compilation - if you like the tenor sax - would be the Stan Getz compilation on the Sony Walkman series. It has a great cross compilation of recordings. As for Stan, my view is that his greatest albums were 'Apasionado' and 'The Dolphin', though Jazz Samba is lovely too.

If you prefer the piano as the lead instrument, have a listen to Oscar Peterson. If you want mellow stuff, try Mellow Mood in the Exclusively For My Friends series (of 6 on vinyl - not sure of CD). Also try 'We Get Requests' and 'Night Train', generally recognised as amongst his finest moments.

Personally I find Miles Davis' Kind of Blue to be very melancholy so I reserve it for special occasions. If you know and like the Guitar Concerto d'Aranjuez by Rodrigo, you'll like Miles' interpretation in Sketches of Spain. Very cool, meandering but beautifully structured variation on the classical theme.

I find Billie Holiday to be quite hard work. There's so much pain and her phrasing is so unique that it could be difficult for you to tune in to what she's doing. If this is not the case, and you like what you've got, get a copy of "Songs for Distingue' Lovers", which is generally considered to be one of her finest moments.

A lady who's easier to get on with is Ella Fitzgerald. If you want firecracking pace, try "Clap Hands, here comes Charlie" but if you want something really mellow (her and a piano) try 'Let no man write my epitaph'. This is a set of the songs sung in the actual '50s film, but done later.

For more modern stuff, try Fred Simon's Dreamhouse on the Naim label. Classic trio set with mostly original tracks by Fred himself. Very melodic, really easy to listen to with a gentle swing. Alternatively, if you like smoky atmosphere female vocals, try Cafe Blue by Patricia Barber.

In my view, you should steer clear of most live recordings in the beginning. Live sets tend to be used by jazz musicians to really show off their technique, and often lose the melody in the process. I'm not saying I don't like live sets, just that most live jazz is improvised way more than the restrictions of a recording environment, which may be a bit much for somebody new to the genre.

Regards,
Frank.

John

KOB was also released by Classic on 4 one-sided 45rpm LPs. These are better still by quite a significant margin over the 33rpm. Unfortunately, if you haven't seen a copy you probably won't as all of the 45rpm series are pretty well sold out. Only about 500 were pressed.

Paul

Sonny Rollins - hard attacking sax colossus in the John Coltrane mould. Yes, very beautiful when you're tuned into Jazzzz, but hard work for a newbie!

You might as well ask the poor guy to try Art Pepper, Joshua Redman, early Courtney Pine, Bud Powell, Art Tatum, Bill Evans' later stuff, Miles Davis (Funny valentine?), etc - all artists in my collection but not what I'd recommend, on the basis that the tone can be too hard for ears new to the genre.

I believe we should start with predominantly melodic jazz as this isn't too big a stretch from more accepted music forms, which normally remain tonal, as opposed to atonal. As the jazz collection grows, the acceptance of experimentation should stretch with it.

Of course, listening to a jazz radio station of a morning on the way to work could be the best way to get into it.

Fred - you're welcome. I find your album delightful.

Hockman - KOB hits me in a trule melancholic way. I find its undercurrents quite troubling. As for Oscar Peterson, your loss. I wonder have you tried his live stuff such as his Big 6 or Big 4 albums from Montreux, or the Trio Live? Those are 'harder core jazz and might be more in tune with what you're looking for.
Regards,
Frank.

[This message was edited by Frank Abela on WEDNESDAY 24 January 2001 at 14:51.]

John

But what I have done is print the entire thread on to "old technoligy" paper to act as a guide (or more accurately,a reference ),As I intend to start aquiring as many of the suggestions as practical over a period of time.

What Ive got so far;

1. Miles Davies...Kind of Blue
Had to be one of the first purchases due to the sheer number of recommendations and being classed as possibly the "all time classic Jazz album" p.s. Thanks Fred to pointing out the remastered version......(...must buy YOUR album sometime....)

2.John Coltrain...Blue Train (would have been "Giant Steps",but not available at the time...but it's only a matter of time..)

3.Julian "Cannonball" Adderley...Somethin' Else...(on the Blue Note label)

I suspect that the next batch will include some Stan Getz,Coltrains Gaint Steps,possibly some Duke Ellington,some Nina,some Dinner Jazz.....and so on...told you it was going to be a long short list !

I have been listening to a little Jazz FM,but at times,reception makes this a no-no.

I have now got some Jazz in the house!!! - Time to start listening........

Best regards
Chris

It's been criticized for barely mentioning anything after 1960, and some important European contributions (such as Django Reinhart and Stephane Grapelli) have yet to be mentioned. But it's compelling watching.

I have no idea if it will show up in the UK. It's already available on VHS and DVD (probably Region 1 only) for those that care.

Cheers

Keith.

Yes, you must.

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If you know and like the Guitar Concerto d'Aranjuez by Rodrigo, you'll like Miles' interpretation in Sketches of Spain

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Ummm, not necessarily. I find Miles' version hits a different set of bases to the original work, and most of the time when I hear the SoS version on the radio I just turn it off and fire up the guitar concerto on CD, which is much more to my taste despite generally listening to more jazz than classical. I used to own SoS, but post-burglary never bothered to replace it, and haven't really missed it. I wouldn't be without a copy of the guitar concerto OTOH. Most people probably don't even realise there's a 3rd movement, which is a sad loss to them.

Pete.

Beats the football scores if like me you support anyone other than the Red Devils.

Johnƒ

Fred :
"Yes, you must."

Me :
Just been out and bought it !

Regards
Chris

Fred :
"Yes, you must."

Chris :
"Just been out and bought it !"

Fred:
And ... ?

Sorry about the delay in replying - Ive been more than a little busy.

But,in answer to your question,it is a good album indeed .

My favourit being Dreamhouse. (You make a BIG sound for only three of you !)

Best wishes

Chris