help me find quality classic jazz?

Lester Young, Ben Webster, and Coleman Hawkins seem to be what you're looking for. All old, mellow, breathy and intimate. I'm actually listening as I type to a Lester Young recording with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Any one, actually all three, are well worth looking into. The sound quality of the recordings for Webster and Hawkins are quite good. If you can find re-issues for Young's, the sound is cleaned up considerably. Some of his older recordings are scratchy and as good as he is, tough for me to listen through. Have fun.

Miles Davis - "Kind of Blue" it maybe a little too new (early 60's I think) alto sax - Julian "Canonball" Adderley, tenor sax - John Coltrane with Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, James Cobb and Paul Chambers - GOOD STUFF! Before Miles got crazy with things like Witches Brew ;-)

I heartily recommend:
Kenny Burrell's "Soul Call"
(McCoy)"Tyner Plays Ellington"
Newborn/Haynes/Chambers "We Three"
Getz with Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida
"Idle Moments" by Grant Green or
"Scott Hamilton is a good wind who is blowing us no ill."
(*according to Leonard Feather)

best friends are...guitarists - newer, but older players with excellent sounds and songs

I goofed - It is Ray Brown trio - some of my Best Friends are guitarists including Kenny Burrel. Has some excellent standards like Tangerine, Fly Me to the Moon and My Funny Valentine. Lot's of good guitar work. Not old, but in that vein.