Jazz help

[mirage1]

Would like to start adding to my very limited jazz cd collection Can you recommend artists & recordings ?

 

[MrKlister]

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, maybe *****es Brew
John Coltrane: Giant Steps, A Love Supreme
Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby
Dave Brubeck: Time Out

 

[mirage1]

Thanks that sounds like a good start please list somemore

 

[Willow]

Wynton Marsalis (I believe his is the only musician to win a pulitzer)

 

[Dan]

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers "The Big Beat", Lee Morgan "Sonic Boom", Coltrane "My Favorite Things", Charles Mingus "Mingus Ah Um". For late 50s, Early sixties the best stuff was often on Blue Note Records. For people who are still alive try Mapleshade Records (www.mapleshaderecords.com) and Chessky labels. These labels utilize superb recording techniques. Try McCoy Tyner "New York Reunion" (Chessky) and Assante "Bringing The Flame Back Home" (Mapleshade).

 

[mirage1]

Thanks all!!! Really like the recording labels you have given me that is awesome will check them out If you don"t mind keep them coming also whom do you think is better Wynton or Branford?

 

[Dan]

I'm not a big fan of either of them. I found them rather derivative and lacking in punch and soul. Obviously I am in the minority. For trumpet I prefer Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Lee Morgan. For sax, there are many but Coltrane is a great place to start. For living performers try Bob Kindred (Mapleshade). Mapleshade also has many good samplers at great prices to get your feet wet.

 

[20to20K]

Great Contemparary Jazz as well

Agree with the Miles, Monk, and trane...but some great CD's have come out in the last 25 years as well.

Check Wynton Maraslis, "Black Codes from the Underground", Keith Jarrett Trio "Still Live". Pat Methany "Question and Answer", Steps Ahead "Steps Ahead", Kenny Garrett "Talking Book", Ralph Peterson Jr., "V", Dave Holland Quintet "Prime Directive".

You may like electric jazz as well(fusion). Check out Mike Stern "Time in Place", Miles Davis "We want Miles", Bob Berg "Cycles", John Scofield "Loud Jazz", John Pattituchi "John Pattituchi", Metro "Tree People". There is also plenty of fusion from the 70's (Return to Forever, Marivishnu, et al) but the recording quality of electric jazz back then was pretty lame. The first halfway decent sounding electric jazz CD I recall was Herbie Hancock's
"Headhunters".

 

[Francious70]

Anything by Bela Fleck and The Flecktones.

Paul

 

[jaxvon]

Stan Getz is another good one if you like tenor sax. Uhm...there's just too many to list. I'd also recommend you pick up stuff by David "Fathead" Newman. Also, to pump a local guy, Paul Vornhagen as well as a group he's in called Tumbao (Cuban Jazz). Charlie Parker stuff...

 

[mitch57]

Can anyone give me a list of Jazz that's been recorded on either DVD Audio or SACD? I already have the Pat Mathaney album but am looking for more.

 

[Dan]

There is quite a bit out there. Many of the most popular Miles Davis recordings are available on SACD. I have "Quiet Nights which sounds fairly good. There are two McCoy Tyner albums that were recently recorded and are of excellent quality. One is "New York Reunion" (Chessky) and "McCoy Tyner, Stanley Clarke and Al Foster" (Telarc). Tyner still has it and the Telarc sessions are both superbly played and recorded. The best known Coltrane is also available although I have not bought them since I already have them on redbook and my experience with reissues of old recordings has been generally disappointing.

If you have the patients try towerrecords.com and search SACD for a full list. There were about 700 titles of all genres last time I looked. There are probably more now.

 

[mitch57]

Dan,

Thanks for the info. I have had pretty much the same experience you had with "rissues of old recordings" with a few exceptions. Pink Floyd - Ark Side of the Moon being one of them.

 

[20to20K]

DVD-A vs. SACD

There are a lot more SACD jazz releases than DVD-A. Be careful when you buy SACD's. Some are not multichannel...just stereo. Also some are Hybrid,
which means they will play on both SACD players AND conventional CD players but most are not. Some of the titles I've bought and loved are:

Grover Washington - Winelight
Brian Bromberg - Jaco (tribute CD)
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (my fav album of alltime)
Donald Fagen - Nightfly (not really jazz...but close)
Santana - Abraxas (not jazz at all of course, but an awesome CD)

The only one that disappointed me was Weather Reports "Mysterious
Traveller". Didn't sound much better than the vinyl to me. I've heard
better things about "Heavy Weather" but I haven't found it anywhere
yet.