All that jazz. . .please!

Charlie Jefferson

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I have thousands of CDs and vinyls loosely located in the "rock" genre and it's myriad sub-stratas; in recent years I have ventured, with mixed results and some parental guidance, into the classical field. Whilst continuing to investigate, purchase and enjoy much in the aforementioned genres I'm looking for a little help in burrowing into the vast topography of "JAZZ". Notwithstanding already owning and tootling along to the seemingly de rigeur Kind Of Blue and several other Miles Davis discs, plus one of two Gerry Mulligan, Stan Tracey and Dirty Dozen Brass Band albums, I'm looking for someone to shine a little light on a possible path forward. I realise this may be as aimless as walking onto Sainsbury's and asking if they've any food I might like, but all the same. . . anyone give me a head start to happiness jazzwise?
 

Clare Newsome

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Jazz is a VERY broad church, but if it's happy you're after, IMHO you can't go far wrong with any of the Ella Fitzgerald recordings on the Verve label. Her duet album with Louis Armstrong is an especial corker (available on just about every format - including vinyl and SACD!)
 

Charlie Jefferson

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Thanks for that - I'll check out the duets album. Two famous names of whom I know very little of their actual music.

Anybody able to add to this? I'm open to vocal orientated stuff and some, dare I say it, 'experimental' sounds. I once owned a Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman album (Song X, I think) but that flummoxed me. It's twenty odd years since those far off University days and I'm seeking something a bit crazy AND melodic to prepare me for impending fatherhood. Maybe I'll sire a free jazz baby with a weakness for a recognisable tune.
 

Andrew Everard

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Any of Ella's Verve recordings are pretty special, and of course don't overlook some of the golden period Sinatra stuff with Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra. Oh, and Nat King Cole is great for superb vocals and beautiful arrangements.

Diana Krall is sometimes derided for being too commercial, but has a real understated improvisational ability at the piano and a very tight backing band, while if you're into jazz vocals it's worth seeking out some Holly Cole - beautiful recordings and a stripped down piano and bass backing on the earlier stuff.

Big band? Benny Goodman is an obvious, along with the likes of Art Blakey/Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich/Billy Cobham discs if you're into drums.

A little more off the wall? You could try bass-player Victor Wootten's discs which combine jazz/funk and even some folk influences - A Show of Hands is a good starter.

If you like the 'mmm - niiice' school of jazz, try some discs by the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Something a bit harder? Chick Corea, whose work with Return to Forever is solid jazz-rock fusion.

If you prefer old school, take a taster of some Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker or Sonny Rollings, while the harder edged stuff should take in some Coltrane.

That should do you for starters...
 

iRog

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Plenty of resourses on the web - here are a couple I have found helpful:
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/jazz100/index.html
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/

The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD is also an invaluable print resource
 

Charlie Jefferson

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Thank you, Clare, Andrew & iRog.

There seems to be plenty of starting points and great potential for some tangential discoveries. I'm going to start off with some of the Ella discs and then head out into instrumental land. Is there any particular MJQ album that would be worth starting out with?

Victor Wootten sounds great, at least on paper! I'll give him a go. Chick Corea too.

Discovering jazz without much of a map but a few pointers should be fun. I'll report back from the field as & when.

Cheers.

P.S.

Regarding the format of these posts how do I indent my scribblings? I compose using paragraphs but the preview and the final post always appear as one unwieldy block of text.
 
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Anonymous

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Allow me to recommend a personal favourite of mine: Money Jungle by Duke Ellington, Charles Minggus and Max Roach. Fantastic cd.
 
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A few of my favourites are Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Keith Jarret and Spyro Gyra. A bit different maybe...my wife can't stand any of them, but there are lots of albums to browse through and I'm sure you'll find a few tracks that will satisfy.

PS. If you find a copy of Pat Metheny Group - Travels on CD, please let me know. My original vinyl copy wore out and I can't find another one.
 
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I can vouch for Andrew's comment on Antonio Forcione, his music is so excellently recorded on the Naim label, you'll find many other excellent recordings on the Naim label too. Other smooth vocal jazz I like Diana Krall, Jan Monheit, Stacey Kent, Madeline Peyroux all excellent.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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Thanks again everyone for your recommendations.

I dusted off a Naim label sampler CD and checked out Antonio Forcione's two tracks and others.

I love many different styles of guitar (Kottke, Fahey, Marr, Jake Thackray. . . .) and really took to Forcione's playing. The production/presentation was spot on too. I love that clean, complex style and will investigate further. Some of my favourite guitar playing is to be found amongst the Steely Dan back-cat. Jeff Baxter on Countdown To Ecstacy in particular, and a whole host of cherry-picked jazzers elsewhere, notably,on Katy Lied and Gaucho.

Which brings me, in a rather circuitous way, to my next line of inquiry. For twenty five years I've been mildy obssessed with all things Becker & Fagen but only recently has it struck me how much I love the various brass instruments and arrangements. So, where next in search of that exultant, seductive sound?

Anyone?

My girlfriend has converted me to Madeline Peyroux despite some initial difficulties when I first heard her singing hollowed Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan favourites. Diana Krall too, I like. As mentioned though, very smooth; which can work for and against some tunes.

Andrew, I've drawn a blank with Victor Wootten. Is any of his stuff still in print do you know?

Aaahhhh!!! The composite block of text continues! What am I doing wrong, anyone? I want paragraphs and I want them now! Please.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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Thanks for that. That extra T, naturally, makes all the difference.

Still no joy with the paragraphs. For fear of being all (Lynn) Trussed up here, can anyone help?

It is almost as frustrating as my daughter listening to her Fall Out Boy CDs on my hi-fi!!! (Not bad actually. It's just her devotion to them that's bemusing).

Gawd, how old do I sound??? Etc. . . etc. . . .
 

jetjohnson

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..Fall Out Boy eh? ...my young son alternates between them and Korn (!) ..whilst younger daughter insists on the umpteenth re run of the High School Musical DVD (truly horrendous!!) ..erm' where was I? oh yes jazz! It sounds like you have a rock collection similar to mine ....although I turned to jazz fusion some years ago (and I still haven't ONE friend who can stand any of it!) .....but, howzabout some Weather Report? ..try the excellent "Mysterious Traveller" album or mebbe's "Black Market" ..If you like Miles Davis ..try some John Coltrane "Blue Train" is an excellent start - it jumps out of the speakers! ..If you like guitarists John Schofield is worth checking out along with John Mclaughlin's solo stuff ...and speaking of Mclaughlin ....for total muso overkill *** an ear to his Mahavishnu Orchestra stuff especially "Birds Of Fire" you'll either love it (like me) or just find it too much.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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My 12 year old daughter likes the idea of Fall Out Boy but actually loves HighSchool Musical, if truth be known. Oh, those far off days of liking stuff because your "cool" friends played it.

I bought a few Weather Report albums in the 80's, but at the time they couldn't lure me away for too long from Zep and Neil Young. I'll try again, when I can locate said discs in the attic, and see what happens this time around.

Shamefully my only acquaintance with John Coltrane is listening to multiple versions of My Favourite Things at a friend's less than sober party awhile ago. Again, I'll check out Blue Train and beyond.

Don't think I've come across John Schofield, so will investigate accordingly. I quite liked a McLaughlin/Corryell/De Lucia album my Dad gave me years ago, so I might well go the whole hog and acquire a Mahavishnu Orchestra album. I have a feeling it'll send me deliriously back into the arms of The Fall. The excesses of muso virtuousity might well receive a good healthy rectal kick courtesy of Bingo Masters Breakout, How I Wrote Elastic Man & Totally Wired. Maybe, we'll see.

Thanks to Clare's recommendation I'm now marvelling at the seemingly incongruous blend of voices on an Ella & Armstrong Best Of compilation. Cheers. More pleasing discoveries (Corea, Wooten, Hancock, Coltrane et al) to follow, I hope.
 

jetjohnson

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I guess what seperates "real" music fans from people who just buy the odd album is the level of catholicness* in their taste....I can enjoy a Return To Forever CD swiftly followed by The Ramones and then mebbe's some Tom Petty ..and like yourself have adored Steely Dan since their inception (saw them live again in London some months back and they still have "it" ...also saw The Fall live once as well and I'm still trying to work out if I liked em' or not!

..And if it's ok to recommend another Forum to peruse along with this excellent site ..have a look at the NAIM forum (you don't have to own any of their gear) ....literally hundreds of albums recommended by their members ..classical ..jazz ..chamber music ...rock ..but not a lot of rap!

* erm' there's no such word is there?
emotion-42.gif
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="jetjohnson"]
I guess what seperates "real" music fans from people who just buy the odd album is the level of catholicness* in their taste....I can enjoy a Return To Forever CD swiftly followed by The Ramones and then mebbe's some Tom Petty ..and like yourself have adored Steely Dan since their inception (saw them live again in London some months back and they still have "it" ...also saw The Fall live once as well and I'm still trying to work out if I liked em' or not!

..And if it's ok to recommend another Forum to peruse along with this excellent site ..have a look at the NAIM forum (you don't have to own any of their gear) ....literally hundreds of albums recommended by their members ..classical ..jazz ..chamber music ...rock ..but not a lot of rap!

* erm' there's no such word is there?
emotion-42.gif


[/quote]

..also saw The Fall live once as well

That's the ticket(says the man with more than 150 Fall albums who's counting down the days to the next gig on 2/11/07 in Bolton,taking me to more than 40 shows,not easy for a bloke who lives at Lands End)

Go again JJ

re this thread,can't seem to do jazz,bought Kind of Blue the other day,only managed 10 minutes.seem to remember liking Weather Report a bit though.

is there an easy route into jazz?
 

jetjohnson

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is there an easy route into jazz? ....Personally I don't really think so - but "jazz" is so varied it's difficult to recommend what might appeal - but I guess if you don't like Miles Davis then jazz may simply not be for you

- I often feel that saying "I like Miles Davis" is akin to saying "actually I'm a Man Utd supporter" it sounds like something people say for effect rather than what they really feel - so admitting to lasting only 10 mins with "A Kind Of Blue" is rather refreshing!

It's fair to say Jazz is regarded as "difficult music" and suffers from a certain snob value

(TV's The Fast Show 's Niiiiiiiice sketch summed it up wonderfully) - it is the sort of music though that if you do finally "get" (even in small doses) is very rewarding - although I think The Fall's music can also be very "difficult" so mebbe's you've got a head start!
 

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