Greatest Jazz masterpieces

Noak2 wrote:

I can't choose just one or three.

I'll resort to two:

Grachan Moncur III - Evolution (Line-up Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Bob Crenshaw, Tony Willians)

Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach's - Freedom Now Suite

Another slow thread....... must be more jazz masterpieces somewhere

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis is a masterpiece. Just an album full of beautiful music.

Giant Steps and A Love Supreme are also 2 Coltrans albums that are essential jazz listening

Mingus Ah Um and Black Sinner... are up there as well.

There's definitely more, but I need to go through my collection, as this is off the top of my head.

As far as fusion; I never found Mahavishnu Orchestra albums masterpieces (though essential). In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew by Miles definitely are, as well as Romantic Warrior and Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy by Return to Forever, Spectrum by Billy Cobham, and many more. Again, I'll need to go through my collection.

My Last.fm

A couple have already been suggested

Miles Davis........."Kind Of Blue"

John Coltrane........."My Favourite Things"

McCoy Tyner........... "The Real McCoy"

Sonny Rollins..........."Worktime"

Any album done by a good Jazz vocalist with Fats Waller, Rodgers and Hart or Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer, etc. even Hank Williams. These people wrote so many standards that are constantly played by Jazz musicians. Yep get to know the roots or if not the original version, something pretty close.

Then you can sing along ( in bits, depending on the approach) and you will better enjoy the various improvised takes from any Jazz artist better.

Suggested vocalists

Frank Sinatra

Frankie Laine

Jimmy Rushing

Billy Holiday

Ella Fitzgerald

Anita O'Day

Bobby Darin

and of course although it is his trumpet playing that is the best bit Louis Armstrong............

Don't go for the earlies from the 20's (they are Great) but the best representation and sound in any albums are the two Columbia's he did in the mid fifties

Louis Armstrong Plays WC Handy

Satch Plays Fats.....................( Fats Waller material)

And one last vocalist who although is not listed on the site. He is a popular singer primarily

DEAN MARTIN

AKA Dino

Having a little joke about Dino at the moment after I played 4 or 5 albums in a row the other day.

Matt

Coltrane's A Love Supreme is probably my favorite pure jazz album. Love it more with every listen.

Brotzmann's Machine Gun above is also wonderful, and my favorite free jazz album. No album I've found has that intensity. In any genre.

Hit it on Five.

Saxophone Scatterbrain Blitzberg

Stab them in the ears.

I saw a movie recently at my cousin's house, it starred Dean Martin. Must have been from the 60s.

My Last.fm

darkshade wrote:

I saw a movie recently at my cousin's house, it starred Dean Martin. Must have been from the 60s.

Was Jerry Lewis with him?

Matt

No. It was a spy movie or something like that. I don't remember details as I wasn't giving it my full attention.

My Last.fm