A Suggested Discography

[drrodgers2002]

I was sitting around with some friends this weekend and we were having a discussion of all the albums I have that they can't sit through 2 minutes of. Obviously these were not friends that were big fans of jazz (what kind of friend is that anyway). And my collection is not large by any means but I started thinking...what are the essential albums you would recommend in a jazz collection? For listening, studying and generally speaking to your soul.

For me...

I am a big Michael Brecker fan and have many of his albums. I have a lot of David Sanborn (I know many of you think he is kind of 'pop' and 'bubble gum' but "A Change of Heart" was a great make out CD in high school so it holds a special place :]). I have all the Yellowjackets and I love them with Russo and Mintzer.

For classics I have some Cannonball, Coltrane (I don't play well enough to just say Trane) and very little else.

I am also asking so I will know some good titles to get for my own collection.

I did a search for lists and I could not find anything like this before but forgive me if this topic comes up every 2 days.

Thanks,
Jeff

[kevvieg]

In no particular order (ALL in my opinion):

Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue, Birth of the Cool, ESP, Bitches Brew, We Want Miles (any with Herbie, Ron, Tony, & Wayne)

Coltrane: Blue Train, A Love Supreme, Live at the Village Vanguard, (The Heavyweight Champion: Complete Atlantic Sessions boxed set).

Sonny Rollins: The Bridge, Saxophone Collossus, Tenor Madness (anything pre-1970)

Any Charlie Parker on Savoy or Dial

Ella and Duke

Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz To Come

Dizzy Gillespie with Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins

Clifford Brown/ Max Roach Live at Basin St.

Wayne Shorter: Ju-Ju, Adams Apple

Joe Henderson: Inner Urge

Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, Headhunters

Stan Getz: Jazz Samba, Getz/Gilberto

Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard

Cannonball Adderley: and the Poll Winners, Live in San Francisco

Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay

Oscar Peterson: Night Train

Woody Herman: any of the second "herd"

Duke Ellington: Newport 1958 (The one with Crescendo & Diminuendo)

Billie Holliday: any EARLY Columbia recordings

Louis Armstrong: Hot Fives & Sevens

Art Blakey: A Night at Birdland, Cafe Bohemia, any with Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and/or Wayne Shorter (among others)

Weather Report: Heavy Weather, Black Market

Brecker Brothers: Heavy Metal Bebop

Jaco Pastorius: S/T or Word of Mouth

Pat Metheny: Bright Size Life, 80/81

Charles Mingus: A Hum, Blues & Roots

Don Grolnick: Weaver of Dreams (Not essential, but great)

George Russell: Ezz-Thetic (W/ Konitz)

Dave Brubeck: Time Out

Chet Baker: The Best of Chet (Sings & Plays)

Keith Jarrett: Any of the trio w/ Peacock & DeJohnette

Chick Corea: 3 Quartets

Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis: Monday Night at the Vanguard

Grover Washington: Mr. Magic (yes, it's "smooth", but he did it before it became a cliche, and he did it best.)

I know I left out many more recent recordings, but in building a collection from 1920-Present day this is a reasonable survey of styles and artists :-)

[Frank D]

Good choices all, but you forgot Dexter Gordon! I'd reccomend any of the sides he did on Blue Note, or better yet the 6 CD Blue Note box set.

As far as Getz, I'd also have to include something from his latter period like People Time or Soul Eyes - passionate playing from a master jazz musician.

I can't think of Chick Corea w/o thinking of Light As A Feather.

[kevvieg]

I knew I'd forget someone :-)

Of Course Dexter belongs here, and I'm with you on the Blue Note stuff.

Light As A Feather is a great album (Seminal for the genre). So is "Now He Sings Now He Sobs".