blues/jazz recommendations...

[admin_exported]

i have to admit i don't know too many artists of either, but ive been listening quite a bit to nina simone recently, and i think she's great, i also often listen to the blues brothers OST. which is one of my fav albums.

so, i've got spotify premium, and i'm looking to try out some more jazz/ jazzy blues / blues. etc.. any pointers?

ta...

 

[The_Lhc]

Did you check out the rest of the Blues Brothers stuff on Spotify, it's not all on there (on spotify Open at any rate) but there's more than just the soundtrack.

If you want some upbeat funky organ based jazz then and I know I've said it before but it's worth repeating, Medeski, Martin and Wood. I'd strongly recommend the later albums Combustication, Uninvisible and End of the World Party (Just in Case) as they're much more accessible than the earlier stuff on the independant labels, for an overall taster try Note Bleu, as the name suggests it's a best of from their Blue Note years. If you like those ones then you could move onto the earlier stuff or the last release from them, the Radiolarians series, however they're a lot more improvisational (the Radiolarians tracks were developed out of improvising at their gigs), so possibly not to everyone's taste.

 

[6th.replicant]

Every home should have one:

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue + Sketches of Spain

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

Oscar Peterson - Piano Moods: The Very Best Of Oscar Peterson

John Coltrane - Blue Train + A Love Supreme

Stan Getz & JoÆo Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto

Melody Gardot - My One and Only Fool

 

[Anonymous]

the_lhc:Did you check out the rest of the Blues Brothers stuff on Spotify, it's not all on there (on spotify Open at any rate) but there's more than just the soundtrack.

If you want some upbeat funky organ based jazz then and I know I've said it before but it's worth repeating, Medeski, Martin and Wood. I'd strongly recommend the later albums Combustication, Uninvisible and End of the World Party (Just in Case) as they're much more accessible than the earlier stuff on the independant labels, for an overall taster try Note Bleu, as the name suggests it's a best of from their Blue Note years. If you like those ones then you could move onto the earlier stuff or the last release from them, the Radiolarians series, however they're a lot more improvisational (the Radiolarians tracks were developed out of improvising at their gigs), so possibly not to everyone's taste.cheers the_lhc, there's plenty to check out there

i have heard some of the other blues brothers stuff too, very good..

 

[Anonymous]

6th.replicant:Every home should have one:

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue + Sketches of Spain

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

Oscar Peterson - Piano Moods: The Very Best Of Oscar Peterson

John Coltrane - Blue Train + A Love Supreme

Stan Getz & JoÆo Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto

Melody Gardot - My One and Only Fool

cheers 6th, i'll check them all out

 

[Anonymous]

I've actually got all of these except Melody Gardot. I'll check it out soon.

Few additions to the list: All oldish Jazz

a) Louis Armstrong meets Duke Ellington (Few songs in this are the best versions of these songs, IMHO).

b) Duke Ellington meets Count Basie (Great big band CD)

c) Coleman Hawkins meets Ben Webster

d) Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster..

 

[BillDay66]

Max

Dont know much about Jazz but I can reccomend plenty of blues music, John Lee Hooker is my personal favourite - try his last few albums (The Healer - Mr Lucky - Boom Boom etc) they feature a lot of his old hits but collaborations with celeb friends (Keith Richards - Bonnie Raitt - Carlos Santana) and IMO sound better because of the modern production.

Also Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Johnson and for a modern take Eric Bibb.

Spotify will be great for this because there is so much to choose from, different styles etc and you can soon spot the big influences that these guys had on later musicians, for example Jagger / Richards were hugely influenced by Muddy Waters and JLH, and when you start to listen carefully its obvious! All good stuff - have fun.

 

[6th.replicant]

MoData:...All oldish Jazz
a) Louis Armstrong meets Duke Ellington (Few songs in this are the best versions of these songs, IMHO).

b) Duke Ellington meets Count Basie (Great big band CD)

c) Coleman Hawkins meets Ben Webster

d) Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster..

 

[Anonymous]

BillDay66:
Max

Dont know much about Jazz but I can reccomend plenty of blues music, John Lee Hooker is my personal favourite - try his last few albums (The Healer - Mr Lucky - Boom Boom etc) they feature a lot of his old hits but collaborations with celeb friends (Keith Richards - Bonnie Raitt - Carlos Santana) and IMO sound better because of the modern production.

Also Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Johnson and for a modern take Eric Bibb.

Spotify will be great for this because there is so much to choose from, different styles etc and you can soon spot the big influences that these guys had on later musicians, for example Jagger / Richards were hugely influenced by Muddy Waters and JLH, and when you start to listen carefully its obvious! All good stuff - have fun.
had a quick listen to many of the jazz artists mentioned and i do like some of them, i'll revisit them later. but i think blues is more to my liking, jlh is great, and i'm really liking muddy waters too so far

 

[Anonymous]

Portico Quartet - Knee Deep in the North Sea

Spotify Clicky

 

[simonlewis]

Scatman john. ???

 

[BillDay66]

Glad youre enjoying Max, Try reading some brief bios of these guys whilst listening, especially Robert Johnson - really couldnt make it up

I think I like some of the stories as much as the music!

 

[Helmut80]

not jazz I'm afraid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WphNO24h9nA&feature=related

 

[Fisherking 145]

I'm definitely more blues than jazz, and discovered loads of new music (for me) last year. Everytime I'm in London HMV get's a fair whack of my hard earned. As BillyDay said regarding the old timers, but I'd also add Pinetop Perkins, Johnnie Johnson and Little Walter to name just three. More modern stuff (?), Oli Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Matt Schofield, John Mayall, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Thorogood, Davy Knowles and definitely Gary Moores Best Of The Blues. Breaking It Up, Breaking It Down by Waters, Cotton & Winter is one of my favourite live albums.

Good advice from Billy about reading to. If you read about them, it generally leads you to discovering more artists.

Good luck Max, think I may have to look into this Spotify thing.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Max - try Elysian Fields. They're jazz based, and Jennifer Charles has a very sultry, sexy voice which is, most of the time, quite dreamy, as in it sounds like she's smoked something. A little different, and mixed with a bit of rock. You might like it, you might not, but it's one of my favourite demo discs.

Bleed Your Cedar on Napster

 

[El Hefe]

Try Bistro Affair by Bevlyn Khoo.

 

[The_Lhc]

BillDay66:Dont know much about Jazz but I can reccomend plenty of blues music, John Lee Hooker is my personal favourite - try his last few albums (The Healer - Mr Lucky - Boom Boom etc) they feature a lot of his old hits but collaborations with celeb friends (Keith Richards - Bonnie Raitt - Carlos Santana) and IMO sound better because of the modern production.

Interesting, that's what puts me off of modern blues, it's so overly produced it completely loses what blues is supposed to be about, imo, where's the pain, where's the struggle, where's the blues? Gary Moore sweating and gurning his way through another set of guitar ****ery isn't the blues.

 

[Anonymous]

Max why don,t you start off with something like Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell Organ Grinders Swing, it is jazzy but man it does swing. Also can,t go wrong with most of the standards, ie American Songbook. I would also recommend searching out Joe Pass who played lovely accompaniments with Julie London and a few great singers. Blues isn,t really my thing, i,ve sat in with a few bands but after about 4 songs i feel it becomes staid.

 

[steve iow]

jazz FM,good mixture of old and new.Kenny Burrell midnight blue.recommend Stanley Turrentine and Dave Brubeck cds. good english drummer named Randy Jones with Dave Brubeck.

 

[BillDay66]

the_lhc:BillDay66:Dont know much about Jazz but I can reccomend plenty of blues music, John Lee Hooker is my personal favourite - try his last few albums (The Healer - Mr Lucky - Boom Boom etc) they feature a lot of his old hits but collaborations with celeb friends (Keith Richards - Bonnie Raitt - Carlos Santana) and IMO sound better because of the modern production.Interesting, that's what puts me off of modern blues, it's so overly produced it completely loses what blues is supposed to be about, imo, where's the pain, where's the struggle, where's the blues? Gary Moore sweating and gurning his way through another set of guitar ****ery isn't the blues.

Couldn't agree more, the blues is a fairly simple format really - take away the authenticity and its boring. However IMO Hooker's last few albums (especially The Healer and Mr Lucky) are the exceptions that prove the rule - not over produced at all, but recorded well with modern equipment and retaining the essence of the man. They are a good place to start listening to this style of music. I love Robert Johnson, but everyone I play it to thinks I've lost the plot, think you have to work backwards to get it!

Another fine example of good production of an old style is Johnny Cash - American 1-4, well worth a listen, Max. Not blues or jazz just great - avoid American 5-6 though, unless you enjoy the sound of a barrel being scraped.

Garry Moore? good guitar player...not much good at making enjoyable music.... IMHO of course

 

[marou]

Paul Jones has an excellent blues programme 7 p.m. Mondays on R2 and on internet radio, FIP mainly features jazz and blues plus the occasional bonkers French version of both

 

[8009514]

Jazz Blues Fusion by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. From early 70s if I remember correctly. Not one of my favourites by Mayall, a bit too jazzy for me, worth a listen though.

Rich

 

[Sorreltiger]

Some great suggestions so far! I think I have all of your Jazz Essentials, 6threplicant. I'd have to include Ella and the American Songbooks and any Herbie Hancock album.

If we're on blues now, no-one yet has mentioned Billie Holliday or her modern disciple Madeleine Peyroux. I also discovered Shemekia Copeland on Spotify - really raunchy and full of rhythm. Thanks to a recommendation on here, I've also been listening to Guy Davis, Chocolate to the Bone, which is very simple and rootsy.

 

[6th.replicant]

Sorreltiger:... I'd have to include Ella and the American Songbooks and any Herbie Hancock album...
Ooo yeah, Ella Fitzgerald Sings Cole Porter and Herbie's Empyrean Isles - Cantaloupe Island! - are also must-haves.

 

[6th.replicant]

igglebert:Portico Quartet - Knee Deep in the North Sea

And the follow up, Isla, is also rather wonderful.