Can anyone recommend some good jazz?
The only genre of jazz that appeals to me is what I call “moody, French jazz”. You know, the music being played in smokey bars in movies depicting 1920s France. I don’t even know where to begin. Any recommendations?
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Good Lord, yes. First, start with Miles Davis. He is a master. If you like funky, more groovy stuff, try Medeski Martin and Wood, Herbie Hancock (Headhunters is awesome), or Weather Report. For good vocal jazz, I have been a big fan of a newbie Robin McKelle. There is also Madeline Peyroux who I was only briefly introduced to, but I never forgot her. Go to Amazon and listen to one of her song clips, but don’t look at her picture! Then google her and get a glimpse of what she looks like. I swear, I would never guess that that voice goes with that girl. She is amazing.
And there are many, many more, but these are my favorites.
Lovelocke: Do you prefer Bebop in Japanese or English?
I watched Bebop in Japanese long before it came to the USA… but the English language version isn’t too bad. You get the same idea, anyway.
Start with the essentials:
Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”
John Coltrane “My Favorite Things”
Dave Brubeck “Time Out”
Kenny Burrell “Midnight Blue”
Grab a Billie Holiday compilation
and a couple personal faves:
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Ella and Louis”
Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden “Beyond the Missouri Sky”
Look up the classics from the late ‘50s/early ‘60s on Blue Note, Verve, Riverside, and Columbia.
And avoid anything labeled “smooth.”
@Lovelocke. I hate the English voices. Blech. But great music. Good suggestion. I walked into a Subway late one night before closing and the kid behind the counter was obviously playing one of his own CDs. The Bebop theme came on and I pointed it out and he proceeded to drool all over himself. Apparently, a girl who can recognize the Bebop theme song within the first 2 notes is a poor New-Jersey-Nerd’s dream.
I actually met my first girlfriend in this way. I wore a Tenchi Muyo! shirt to an independent wrestling show, and she was dressed like one of the “Dudley Boys” (Tie dye, thick-frame glasses, etc). So, this cute little brown-haired girl comes up to me and says “Cool shirt dude”.
It wasn’t long before I got to pull the stiff one-eye on her.
Anime’s magical!
One of my favorites is Charlie Parker. Here is his instrumental version of Summertime, which is a jazz standard.
One of my favorite pieces is from South American composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, a national hero. It is called The Waters of March. What I love is the poetry of the piece and the onomotopaeic nature of the music, which sounds so much like water rushing over a streambed.
My husband has loved Thelonius Monk since he was a child. Much of Monk is pretty dense. This piece, In Walked Bud is one that I really enjoyed as an intro to Monk.
I completely second the nomination of Miles Davis. Here is some lovely introspective early Miles.
I can think of so many others. Thanks for bringing this question up. I have had a delightful time listening to jazz this last little while.
My final comment is that there is so much to the genre to discover. If you don’t like something, keep going. Oh, and one more thing. Kenny G is not really jazz.
@Marina: Really? I thought he was jazz.
Kenny G would probably be more “Adult Contemporary”, hmm? I heard Aerosmith put out an all-blues album, but I never heard a single track of it.
@poof I’m a bit of a purist. He is categorized that way. I just don’t call that jazz, more like elevator music.
so many different types: dixieland is SO different from acid…
here’s a good starting point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz
then go to your local library, who is most likely to provide a great sampling of all the different types
Amen to Miles Davis – THE master!
I’m not a jazz afficionado but Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” is incredible. I think it might be on the “Time Out” album previously mentioned.
Is Django Reinhardt considered jazz? He and the Hot Club of Paris are great.
Also, I agree, anything labelled smooth is usually very moody and evocative and accessible.
Cool thing about Brubeck’s “Time Out” is, as the name hints, that all the songs feature time signatures OTHER than 4/4. Take Five, for example, is in 5/4.
That is cool – I didn’t know that.
Coltrane: A Love Supreme…great Sunday music
How about Pink Martini? Contemporary but with a vintage sound…
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