Jazz Recommendations

to Professor Campbell et al, what an impressive thread! Having just stumbled upon it (my first real day off since the holidays), I've read each and every one of these posts, and must offer my own stamp of approval to nearly every recommendation that's been made here. I would add my own comments for Kaldec, only in that these were possibly overlooked by the many jazz enthusiasts who've posted here. There was no mention of Kenny Garrett's album, PURSUANCE: THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE, which is, perhaps, one of the finest releases by a new artist to appear in the past several years. As for noteworthy books, I'm sure that most of you would agree that Barry Kernfeld has contributed more than his fair share of good information on the music and musicians that make up this wonderful genre. Although his GROVE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ is probably indispensible to the ardent fan, I think his BLACKWELL GUIDE TO RECORDED JAZZ is equally important. I'm sorry that I can't recommend a single album that is my all-time favorite; there are just too many of them that I couldn't possibly live without, but if pressed, I might have to say that THELONIOUS MONK WITH JOHN COLTRANE ranks among my absolute favorites. Happy listening!

Thank you all for your great insights. I have a large collection of recorded jazz, both on CD and vinyl.

Among my favorites available from Red Trumpet in better quality CD releases are:

Alto Sax
Art Pepper, Gettin Together (earlier period)

Big Band (avante garde)
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (if you like Au Um, listen to this)

Drums
Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland (with Clifford Brown) (timeless bop)

Piano
Bill Evans, Portrait in Jazz (great sound, one of his best)
Herbie Nichols, Blue Note recordings (see Spellman, Four Lives)

Tenor Sax
Johnny Griffin, A Blowing Session (wtih Coltrane and Hank Mobley) (terrific)
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus; Way out West (classic bop)

Vocals
Armstrong and Ellington, Complete Sessions (also issued as Great Reunion) (if you have never heard this, you will be blown away)
Ella Fitzgerald, Ella in Berlin (includes famous rendition of Mack the Knife)
Sarah Vaughan, In the Land of Hi Fi (beautiful voice, great record)

Other terrific recordings that are among my favorites, which you may wish to consider, include

Alto sax:
Sidney Bichet, The Fabulous (New Orleans style)
Art Pepper, Straight Life (later period, incredible)
Sonny Stitt, Plays Bird (hard blowing bop)

Big Band
Count Basie, At Birdland
Charles Mingus, Au Um; Pethecanthropus Erectus
Oliver Nelson, Blues and the Abstract Truth (a classic)
Ella and Basie, On the Sunny Side of the Street (one of Ellas best)
Ellingotn, At Newport

Piano
Ellington, This One’s for Blanton (also the original Ellington/Blanton duets)
Bill Evans, Sunday at the Villiage Vanguard; Waltz for Debby
Jay McShann, Tribute to Fats Waller
Theloneous Monk, Solo Monk; At the Five Spot
Herb Nichols (see above-if you like Monk, listen to this)
Bud Powell, The Essen Jazz Festival Concert (inspired)
Horace Silver, Blowin the Blues Away
Ralph Sutton, At the Café des Copains (incredible stride piano)

Tenor Sax
John Coltrane, Coltrane and Hartman; Bags and Trane; with Ellington; A Love Supreme; My Favorite Things (soprano sax); Giant Steps
Stan Getz, Happy 50th
Dexter Gordon, Lullaby for a Monster; A Swingin Affair, Go, Stable Mable
Charlie Parker, Savoy Sessions

Trumphet:
Louis Armstrong, Hot Fives and Hot Sevens (New Orleans style, important timeless music)
Clifford Brown, At Basin Street; Clifford Brown and Max Roach; and Best of Clifford Brown and Max Roach in Concert (I love Clifford Brown)
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue; Someday My Prince Will Come; Box Set
Lee Morgan, Sidewinder

Vocals
Armstrong and Ellington (see above)
Bob Dorough, Yardbird Suite (sings Charlie Parker music, very interesting)
Ella Fitzgerald (see above: Ella and Basie; Ella in Berlin-two of her best)
Johnny Hartman, (see above: Coltrane and Hartman-a classic); Once in Every Life
Billie Holliday, All or Nothing at All
Helen Humes, 1947 (incredible); Songs I Like to Sing
Alberta Hunter, Amtrack Blues
Eddie Jefferson, The Jazz Singer
Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown (wonderful music)
Carmen McRae, Carmen Sings Monk; Lover Man and other Billie Holliday Classics
Anita O’Day, Anita Sings the Most; Pick Yourself Up
Maxine Sullivan, With Her Swedish All Stars Vols 1-3 (hard to find, but great)
Sarah Vaughn, with Clifford Brown (also, see above-In the Land of Hi Fi) (essential music)
Dinah Washington, Dinah Jams (contains one of the greatest trumpet solos); The Swigin’ Miss “D”

Believe it or not, I actually tried to keep this list as short as possible. It is not intended to be anything but a personal list of some of my favorite recordings.

I was rereading the postings on this thread this morning, and really appreciate the thoughtful contributions made. I particularly thank the Professor (as he affectionately has become known).

Yesterday, I posted a list of some of my favorite jazz recordings, all of which I highly recommend to those newer to jazz as will as to others. My personal bias is that I like bop the best (defined broadly). My earlier list of favorites concentrated on bop.

I find interesting recordings of more traditional music by those labeled as avant-garde/free jazz artists. My favorites are:

Air, Air Lore
Alvin Batiste, Musique D’afrique Nouvell Orleans
Steve Lacy, Reflections: Plays Theloneous Monk
Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax
Amina Claudine Myers, Salutes Bessie Smith (voacls)
Archie Shepp/Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, Looking at Bird
World Saxophone Quartet, Plays Duke Ellington

You may want to check these out, if you are not already familiar with them. I would be interested if anyone has any recommendations of other recordings of this type.

I also thought it would be interesting to compile a list of some of the recordings I have that may be of interest to those with some familiarity with the music looking for something you may not have heard. This list I compiled this morning, which is not suggested as recommendations to those beginning a jazz collection, is:

Big Band (not from the Swing era)
Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabakin Big Band, Tanuki’s Night Out
Clare Fischer, ‘Twas Only Yesterday
Supersax Plays Bird

Guitar
Django Reinhardt, Quintet of the Hot Club of France

Piano
Joanne Brackeen, Mythical Magic (solo)
Elmo Hope, High Hope
Dick Hyman, Live from Toronto’s Café des Copains (solo)
Peck Kelley, Jam
Marian McParland, Live at the Carlyle
Jay McShann, The Big Apple Bash
Mary Lou Williams, Solo Recital (solo)

Saxophone-tenor
Don Byas, In Paris
Ricky Ford, Flying Colors
Wardell Gray, Memorial Vols. I and II
Buck Hill, This is Buck Hill
Flip Phillips, Flipenstein

Saxophone- baritone
Serge Chaloff, Blue Serge

Trombone
Jimmy Cleveland, Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars

Trumphet
Bill Hardman, Politely
Fats Navarro, The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vols 1 and 2

Violin
Duke Ellington’s Jazz Violin Sessions
Stuff Smith, Singin’ Stuff

Vocals
Alice Babs, Simple Isn’t Easy
Mildred Bailey, Her Greatest Performances
Sathima Bea Benjamin, Morning in Paris
Earl Coleman, Returns
Meridith D’Ambrosia, Another Time
Blossom Dearie, From the Meticulous to the Sublime
Irene Kral, Where is Love
Janet Lawson Quintet
Betty Roche, Take the A Train

Happy listening.

"Jazz At the Pawnshop" (XRCD2) and Benny Green's "Testifyin" are two very good live recordings that you'll ever hear.

Kadlec, there are some great suggestions here. I agree with everything that "the Professor" has posted. However some posts are out of place. This is just the tip of the iceburg, there are thousands more from great artists. For the most part every jazz recording prior to 1970 is fantastic, and there are many post 1970 recording that are great(but not as abundent). I know...there are a handful of crummy recordings, but the percentage of beautiful to crummy ones is unbelievable as compared to todays pop&jazz recordings. I could add many other, but I think you have enough recommendations here, so I'm not going to add...Oh I guess I will, but just one Ahmad Jamal's "Poinciana", I don't believe that anyone mentioned Ahmad Jamal. He may not be as seminal as Armstrong, Diz, Brubeck, Monk, or Miles, but he's still very important, and also has an easy style to follow. Another Booker Erving, any of the records titled with the word "book" in it. Eric Dolphy would be another, Johnny Griffin "Blowin Sessions". Desmod, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, Grant Green, you see it just goes on forever. Good luck!!
Kiwi
Also, I'm sure there are many great jazz radio stations throughout the country...KCSM out of San Mateo Community College is one of them. You can catch it through the internet.