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Underrated jazz greats

I listen to all sorts of music, but mostly jazz. There are many musicians who, for whatever reason, don't attract the attention that their great gifts possibly deserve. I would be interested to know who others think are hidden gems in the jazz world, who have contributed substantially to the genre.

I will begin with two musicians who I believe are outstanding, and deserving of the highest recognition.

1) Lew Tabackin - an outstanding tenor player, and a phenomenal jazz flutist in my view.

2) Sir Roland Hanna - tremendous command of the keyboard, and he thought around the perimeter of pieces to make them both musically and intellectually satisfying.

Very interested in others' thoughts.
stewartr
orpheus10
5,988 posts
 
Fortunately, almost all of those mentioned are well represented in my collection; including Tina Brooks. I have him on Mosaic Blue Note LP's.

I would like to add Ray Nance; he played violin, trumpet, and could sing. While he is best known for trumpet, I like his violin. On Chico Hamilton's "The Head Hunters", I know there's smoke coming off the violin strings, I can smell it coming through the speakers.
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Second Ray Nance, try him on "Jaki Byard with Strings", where he even lays out and does a vocal. The guitar on this one is great as well from a very, very young George Benson.
stewartr OP
9 posts
 
Viridian - well said vis-a-vis Rashaan. There was an expression of true dedication to the medium.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Another treasure from my rarity collection:
Pekka Pohjola.
ballywho
134 posts
 
Bobby Timmons.
- I remember going to see The Eddie Gomez Trio play a Bill Evans tribute @ Cezanne in Houston in 2003. The other two in Gomez's trio were Stefan Karlsson on piano and Jimmy Cobb on drums. I brought a copy of Timmons' This Here is Bobby Timmons for Cobb to sign since he performed on the album (and his photograph was on the back). Cobb seemed surprised that I wasn't presenting him with the yet another copy of Kind of Blue like everyone else around me. And to go with that reaction the people waiting in line with their copies of Kind of Blue gave me odd looks at my copy of the Timmons album. It felt as though no one knew who in the heck the guy even was. What a pity.
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