BlueNote's recommendations (Top 10)

[BlueNote]

**Miles Davis, Kind of Blue**

Miles Davis, Milestones

Art Blakey, Moanin'

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme

John Coltrane, Blue Trane

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus

Charlie Parker, Yardbird Suite

Stan Getz, Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio

Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out

Coleman Hawkins, Body & Soul

[cleger]

Good list. Of course you knew by putting this up there would be some discussion as to why it's wrong ;).

First why two Miles disks from the same era with essentially the same band? Why not a 60's quintet disk like Miles Smiles or Nefertiti? Or why not some 60's Wayne Shorter. Assuming this is for a budding saxophonist, why not some Dexter Gordon or Joe Henderson? I realize that this is strictly opinion, so please take my comments in the spirit of fun that they are intended :D .

Of course a list of only 10 does limit a person doesn't it?

[BlueNote]

Nope, just a starting point.

I could list many more, yes (I have about 400 jazz CDs), but these would be a good enough starting point for a beginner. Part of this is how I discovered jazz, so different people got into different cats at different periods.

[CircaRevival]

Good list, BlueNote. :salute:

A few changes I would make-

1. Replace Blue Train with Giant Steps (IMO much more significant)
2. What about Louis Armstrong?

A very good starting point though, nice post.

[Chris S]

Definitely a good starting point, I agree with Cleger about replacing one of the Miles discs (probably Milestones) with Miles Smiles...

Otherwise.... a good start.... a Dexter album would be good, Sophisticated Giant maybe.....

If we're talking purely tradition here, it's a good list, but maybe a Kenny Garrett album, a Phil Woods.....

All just opinion naturally, but a very good list.

Chris S

[Sid]

...... and the Duke? probably something from the Blanton-Webster Band; Count Basie? kill two birds with one stone and go for the Smith-Jones Inc sides with Lester Young and off course Monk - swop Blakey's Moanin' for the Messengers with Monk...... I'd have real problems picking just 10 for "Desert Island Discs"!

[aennea]

Just wanted to say thanks everybody for the jazz education I'm getting on this forum. I feel that thanks to you all I've widened my horizons and now enjoy listening to jazz even more ( I can't remenber how it came up, who mentioned it or on which section of the forum it was but I recently discovered the Mingus*5 album here and can't get enough of it).
It's off to the library tomorrow with me clutching Blue Note's list in my plump little fingers ... any great bari players to add to it by any chance ?;)

[Consider the Source]

... any great bari players to add to it by any chance ?;)

Gerry Mulligan.

[CircaRevival]

... any great bari players to add to it by any chance ?;)

Also, look for Pepper Adams. I have "10 to 4 at the Five Spot" with Donald Byrd and Elvin Jones; and "Encounter!" with Zoot Sims (tenor) and Elvin Jones. Both great albums.

[aennea]

Thank you guys !

[ThomasK]

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[Dentarthurdent]

Fabulous list. Makes me wish I could be hearing this amazing music for the first time again.
Nice to see a Stan Getz cut in the list. Stan is the man for me. The Oscar Peterson disc is excellent. As an alternative I'd suggest 'West Coast Jazz' which is classic late 50's Stan - full of great standard tunes too. The late stuff Stan did with Kenny Barron is sublime too - a masterclass in playing the standards.

[alexh]

I would definitely try to squeeze in Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come.

Definitely a very interesting album, but maybe not what you want to play to beginners in the first place... :twisted:

[ThomasK]

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[Been-Jammin']

Whoa! If there is One jazz album you HAVE to own, it's Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
There is No purer form of improvisation on the planet!..as most of the songs were just "sketches" written hours before recording, and the recordings were all first takes ever of some great songs.
And with Miles, Bill Evans, Cannonball, and Coltrane, You CAN'T go wrong.

I just wanted to clarify that I do know that bluenote already listed Kind of Blue, even making a point with the *astericks*...I was just making a point of his point.

[Alpina]

Bluenote... great list & thanks.

I am a late blooming newbie :D and find I am still finding it hard to grasp the concept of the following terms.

Dark sound

Classical Sound

Bright Sound

To my untrained ears all good sax players sound ...well... good.

Do you think you could perhaps mark against your list if the player is dark sounding etc please?

It really would be a great help in my learning curve:?

Merry xmas

Andy

[BlueNote]

Dark - Stan Getz

Classical - Ken Tse (sorry, don't know many classical saxophonists!)

Bright - John Coltrane/Michael Brecker

[Alpina]

Thanks Bluenote

[slingerman43]

Whoa! If there is One jazz album you HAVE to own, it's Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
There is No purer form of improvisation on the planet!..as most of the songs were just "sketches" written hours before recording, and the recordings were all first takes ever of some great songs.
And with Miles, Bill Evans, Cannonball, and Coltrane, You CAN'T go wrong

"Kind of Blue" has to be the number one recommendation as a first CD to buy for any aspiring jazz instrumentalist. Check with your buddies who play othr instruments and participate in forums like this. It is always the 1st pick to introduce folks to jazz.

Roger

[BlueNote]

If I'm not mistaken, Miles and Trane (before Adderley joined the group) played "So What" live a few months before the Kind of Blue recording. Other than that, it wasn't really played, or ever played by others.

And yes, Kind of Blue is THE album to own as a beginning jazz listener. A golden example of improvisation, and a collective of souls with a different take on the same music. It's probably the only album that I still enjoy listening to after having listened to it over and over for the past few years.

[ThomasK]

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