some jazz

[sublime]

i decide that listening to jazz while i play poker will help me concentrate better than listing to my usual collection of music (rap/metal etc)

so whats essential? miles, coltraine......?????

i know nothing. if somebody can check outy ITUNES is there some IMIX that seems worthy?

thanks

[Tron]

The first jazz album I ever listened to was Kind of Blue by Miles Davis... It's so essential. I still listen to it all the time, and I find that it is excellent when I need to concentrate. I wouldn't buy it off iTunes, though... Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

[Brainwalter]

charlie parker

[jgorham]

[ QUOTE ]
The first jazz album I ever listened to was Kind of Blue by Miles Davis... It's so essential. I still listen to it all the time, and I find that it is excellent when I need to concentrate. I wouldn't buy it off iTunes, though... Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know every jazz album ever made, even ones that didn't find a label. This one is best.

[diddle]

I don't particularly like miles and coltrane. a lot of their stuff is just them screwing around.

That being said: Giant Steps, My Favorite Things are among my *cough* favorites

Charlie Parker is amazing.
Stan Getz is a good listen.
Dave Brubeck
Buddy Rich unreal drumming. get "channel one suite"
Tito Puente for latin
Buena Vista Social Club, their pianist rocks. I love his solo album

It's tough to find good stuff. There is so much crap out there that is difficult to listen to.

[sublime]

Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

there is that much of a difference between itunes and a CD?

[InchoateHand]

Get all of Nina Simone. Her songs, her singing other people's songs, other people singing her songs.

[diddle]

[ QUOTE ]
Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

there is that much of a difference between itunes and a CD?

[/ QUOTE ]

some will say HELL FREAKING YES, others will say not really. There is no middle ground

If you have an awesome setup (like $10k+) and an excellent recording, then you can have an amazing listening experience.

But since you had to ask, then "no." you probably wont notice a huge difference

[The Stranger]

I'm too tired to look now (waking up in the middle of the night sucks), but I think there's a box set from the Ken Burns documentary.

[emil3000]

I think you want miles davis. He is pretty layed back and cool and does for good background music. Coltrane is pretty damn essential, but his best recordings demand full attention. Basically they get harder and harder by the years, with like 57 being easy listening, and 67 chaotic free jazz (that's not entirely accurate but what the hell). Blue Train and Giant Steps are good.


Stan Getz is good, but is slightly homosexual. Billie Holiday is wonderful.

[mmbt0ne]

I got the Miles Davis Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Recordings from 1963-1964 boxed set for Christmas. It's pretty damn cool if you're willing to spend about $100.

Also, you can't really go wrong with anything involving Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, or Coltrane.

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The first jazz album I ever listened to was Kind of Blue by Miles Davis... It's so essential. I still listen to it all the time, and I find that it is excellent when I need to concentrate. I wouldn't buy it off iTunes, though... Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know every jazz album ever made, even ones that didn't find a label. This one is best.

[/ QUOTE ]

you may know every jazz album, but you sure as hell dont know what you are talking about.

[stigmata]

Not stricly Jazz, but it's got a heavy Miles Davis influence and is quite frankly brilliant:

Four Tet - Dialogue.

[sfer]

Everyone likes the two Bill Evans Trio albums from the Village Vanguard--Waltz for Debbie and Sunday at the Village Vanguard. Rightly so.

I also think the mid-late 60s Miles Davis Quintet is really good.

[xadrez]

There are so many great jazz records, songs, artist...some of my favorite albums...

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
Milt Jackson and John Coltrane - Bags and Trane
John Coltrane - Live at Birdland
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
Duke Pearson - The Phantom
Jimmy Smith - The Sermon
Jimmy Smith - Back at The Chicken Shack
Grant Green - Alive
Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones - Sweetback
V/A - Lost Grooves
Lonnie Smith - Live at Club Mozambique
Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine - In Concert
Miles Davis - Black Beauty

[edtost]

artists to look at - stan kenton, clifford brown, maynard ferguson, arturo sandoval.

[sexypanda]

Hey if you're into something more contemporary, I highly recommend Brad Mehldau; he's an amazing jazz pianist. He's also in his late 20s (maybe early 30s?) and seems to have been just as influenced by Radiohead, Nick Drake, etc. as he is by Gershwin and Thelonius Monk. He does go off on tangents sometimes, but I enjoy that. If you're interested you can check out a couple songs here:

http://www.bradmehldau.com/mehldau/music/index.html

Just click on more info next to each album.


Actually go here: http://www.bradmehldau.com/mehldau/media/index.html

There are a bunch of mp3 tracks there.

[Tron]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

there is that much of a difference between itunes and a CD?

[/ QUOTE ]

some will say HELL FREAKING YES, others will say not really. There is no middle ground

If you have an awesome setup (like $10k+) and an excellent recording, then you can have an amazing listening experience.

But since you had to ask, then "no." you probably wont notice a huge difference

[/ QUOTE ]

Good answer. If you had a $10K+ setup, you'd probably get it on vinyl, though /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[turnipmonster]

I don't think there is. a lot of classic jazz recordings have terrible sound quality anyways. I don't enjoy the louis armstrong hot fves and sevens less because the recording quality sucks.

jazz is a lot more about artists than albums, like if you get into john coltrane you'll end up checking out all of his records (there's a ton), same for bill evans, stan getz etc.

everyone has made some really good suggestions in this thread. my favorite record of all time is miles davis's "my funny valentine + four and more" (tony williams was 17 on this record and already the baddest motherfu**cker ever to play drums). also check out john coltrane's "a love supreme". you'll get better suggestions if you tell us what kind of instruments/periods you like.

someone else mentioned brad mehldau, check out any of his art of the trio records, he's easily the best pianist of his generation. for big band stuff maria schneider is really on the cutting edge.

--turnipmonster

[gvibes]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey if you're into something more contemporary, I highly recommend Brad Mehldau; he's an amazing jazz pianist. He's also in his late 20s (maybe early 30s?) and seems to have been just as influenced by Radiohead, Nick Drake, etc. as he is by Gershwin and Thelonius Monk. He does go off on tangents sometimes, but I enjoy that. If you're interested you can check out a couple songs here:

http://www.bradmehldau.com/mehldau/music/index.html

Just click on more info next to each album.


Actually go here: http://www.bradmehldau.com/mehldau/media/index.html

There are a bunch of mp3 tracks there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mehldau just played here in Ann Arbor last night.

[gvibes]

[ QUOTE ]
Jazz is a type of music where you just really need the highest quality recording you can get.

there is that much of a difference between itunes and a CD?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you'd be able to hear the difference between a CD and a 128 mp3 on a decent pair of headphones (like, midline Grado ro Sennheiser).

On my stereo, which isn't exactly earthshattering (maybe, $2500, for the stereo part), I can't even listen to 128 kbps MP3's. They sound like ass.

Once you get up to 256 cbr, or the higher vbr settings, the difference becomes a lot smaller. I've never A/B'ed, but I don't know if I'd be able to tell the difference. CD's aren't a high-quality format to begin with.

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to tell the difference between an SACD or vinyl and a high quality MP3 in a second.

[Uston]

If you're going to use iTunes, download the songs "Shhh/Peaceful" and "In A Silent Way" by Miles Davis. $1.98 and you'll get one of Miles' best CD's (only two songs on the CD).

People have already mentioned a lot of great CD's but I have to add:

Eastern Sounds by Yusef Lateef
Sugar by Stanley Turrentine
Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock