Who Is Your Favorite Jazz Musician(s)?

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:47 pm

I'm starting to learn about jazz music.

Who do you like?

wayne · Post by **wayne** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:36 pm

Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Bud Powell, Charlie Christian, Louis Armstrong, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Arthur Blythe, Scott Joplin.

Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Fats Waller, Tad Dameron, Lenny Tristano, Fats Navarro, Charlie Haden.

There's some of me faves

Crickstone · Post by **Crickstone** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:42 pm

Blinding technique and great left hand: Oscar Peterson
Amazing voicings: George Shearing and Bill Evans
Orchestrations: Duke Ellington

That's a start...

Post by **hubird** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:00 pm

Groove Salad on SomaFM is quite jazzy all the time at the moment , but that wasn't what you're asking for

Me$$iah · Post by **Me$$iah** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:25 pm

I dont know if youl count this, but for pure sound and soul, theres only one to listen to.

Billie Holiday

Oh yes... I know, not a musician strickly speaking, but seriously just listen...I love the lady.

What a voice, I can honestly say after hearing Billie, I've found all other female singers just pale in comparison

Oh yeh and then theres Lester Young, he plays on a few Holiday recordings, he's a great horn player, well worth looking out for.

and anyone yet mentioned.

erm... Chick Corea (Gambale definatley rips through scales, tho, somewhat lacking in feeling)

darkrezin · Post by **darkrezin** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:41 pm

It's quite a broad genre... maybe you could be more specific about what you've already listened to and what kind of stuff you're more drawn to. Personally I can't listen to too much 'straight-ahead' old skool jazz these days (except live at local jazz bar sessions) - I guess I'm more into 60's/70's funky jazz and funk fusion.. not sure that's on your radar.

A couple of really nice acoustic jazz albums I would recommend to anyone though:

Herbie Hancock - Trio 77
Dave Holland - Extended Play Live at Birdland

Both live albums with incredible performances and next-level compositions that are incredibly complex but musically meaningful, never overplayed or indulgent.

On a more abstract and progressive tip, anything by Herbie Hancock in the early 70s for me beats the vast majority of electronic/experimental jazz music made since. The albums are 'Sextant', 'Mwandishi' and 'Crossings'.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:16 pm

I guess I like the older stuff more currently. I was watching this excellent Charles Mingus Sextet Live In 1964 tonight. It has some incredible moments.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 2238752319

at0m · Post by **at0m** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:49 pm

Ever heared of Toots Thielemans?
http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/5826/117/

I'd be the last to say I'm into jazz... But living in a tiny country, I don't often get such a chance of being chauvinist ;)

PsyGoatDelic · Post by **PsyGoatDelic** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:38 pm

I'm a jazz newbie, more into funk than the authentic jazz,
I really liked James brown, Herbie Hancock & Billy Chobam

alfonso · Post by **alfonso** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:10 am

In Jazz is impossible to have a preferred one....as a beginner you could just follow the career of Miles Davis from the Cool (Kind of Blue is a masterpiece, stellar lineout and pure inspiration) on, to have a perspective on how things moved in modern jazz.....

Zer · Post by **Zer** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:18 am

Well I´m not very much into Jazz but, when it comes to it yeah some songs of Miles davis and of course http://www.jazz-portraits.com/john__coletranetenor.htm
And I like swing preferrably without country influences like they are playing it here at every dixieland festival.But one thing I can´t handle is free-jazz. This is my favorite run-a-way music.

alfonso · Post by **alfonso** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:42 am

Zer wrote:Well I´m not very much into Jazz but, when it comes to it yeah some songs of Miles davis and of course http://www.jazz-portraits.com/john__coletranetenor.htm
And I like swing preferrably without country influences like they are playing it here at every dixieland festival.But one thing I can´t handle is free-jazz. This is my favorite run-a-way music.

Free Jazz is not necessarily disorder and unpleasantness. Have a listen to Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The real sense of free jazz is just the absence of common measure boundaries for the different instruments and the improvisation based on the destructuration of the main themes....sometimes very pleasant and nice.

Zer · Post by **Zer** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:41 am

oh -I didn`t know that this is free jazz as well, hm.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:26 pm

I've been doing some google video searches. I think right around 1964 would be the best time in jazz in my opinion.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:59 pm

Clasics: Evans, Shearing, Keith Jaret (just saw him play at Newark), James Booker (orleans blues), list goes on..
but who cares about people everyone knows about.

More recently, it's Kenny Werner all the way for me.. Also found a Romero Lubambo from Brazil, performing at a local jazz venue.. immediately got zapped in the spine by his playing.. sadly he doesn't have too many albums out, but I bought all that I could find. (on iTunes) Just amazing, just amazing.

I also rediscovered Methany with the Methany Mehldau album.

zangsta · Post by **zangsta** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:21 pm

I´m not very keen on jazz, but somehow I think the album Joni Mitchell did with Jaco Pastorius,
Hejira can be put there in a very broad sense.
Or a fusion of jazz and.....??? Never mind, it´s a great album!!

Jörgen