How to get into jazz (/JRF)?

Just bought

I already have Mwandishi & Crossing and like them both.

^ Bennie Maupin ruling on the kazoo

Edited by Mascodagama - April 25 2016 at 13:21

A fine album (yes it IS an album's-type-genre) is Soultrane - John Coltrane particualrly the number Good Bait.

Btw traditional jazz is 12 bar based jazz, be bop is has a theme or head there after the improvisation develops - or not... big band is precision arranged stuff, very different from be bop.

You can get a life time of adventure and indeed some very hard core stuff with Duke Ellington - not just the Newport Festival gig... his pal Count Basie has loads of good stuff.

My favourite is Miles. Check the Cookin' Steamin, Relaxin' and Workin' albums compiled from 2 sessions. These are available in hi res though I've not seen them. But these with his band including Coltrane have an inventive melodic attitude rarely equalled. This was when he recorded for the Prestige label all recordings compiled in a box set that really tells a story of 40s and 50s NY(mainly) based jazz. His recordings for Columbia such as Kind of Blue (is to jazz what The Dark Side of The Moon is to progressive rock)... Miles uses new techniques and the music is intimate and sublime.

If you need (you do) quality guitar music in jazz then that means Joe Pass. The Viruoso 5 CDs (3 single) 1 double explores 2 of his three primary existences. Solo (exquisite melody via fingerstyle jazz) and his fine band work (same guys for years). His other area is collaborations with trumpeter JJ Johnson and some albums with Ella Fitzgerald.

Fusion - well after a whole lotta cool jazz hearing fusion with a rock back beat made me reaize why the jazz nuts disliked it so much. It was like a constant banging where there used to be nuance and suggestion. Still a good bit of Stanley Clake (School Days) never hurt anyone.

Charlie Mingus has 2 versions (now) of Mingus Ah Um. This is his Kind Of Blue . DSOTm you get the idea... The old LP is wonderful intimate album and the remastered version on 2 CDs is that a bit more and another album. Both versions are well worth having piling up the collection of albums.

Charlie Parker is prbably best represented (and I am very willing and happy to take advice here) but a 1 CD by doco producer Ken Burns is one of the best recordings of his I have heard. His recordings mainly exist in from the 40s and are often very far from hi fi. But his sax was a unique instrumental voice and Miles began his career with Mr Parker. Perhaps if anyone's keen the multi CD studio recordings are a worthwhile purchase?

Now I know free jazz gets an, er, interesting reputation. Heaven knows it is one of the last forms I really want to listen to - Coltrane's Ascension really is not the everyone makes up noise as you go along but a highly technical suite of music. But it is not welcoming. Its as unsentimental as you can get in music and probablly good to put on to get rid of unwanted house guests.

Still Coltrane used a little free jazz in some latterday releases by his wife Alice. He had some marvelllous tunes and used the dissonance to transition between pieces. I'd try Soultrane and Love Supreme (Magma covered that) first though.

However free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman (beaten up once at least for his free jazz back in the peace loving '60s) has a marvelous and melodic album called Love Revolution. An interesting little game can be played with that. It's called spot the Pink Floyd sax lick as here and there a telling phrase makes it's origins to Dick Parry known.

The things is with jazz is that it has been around for just over 100 years and gone through genre defining eras. There has been some new things such as acid jazz but it seems like the whole spectrum from New Orleans to Swing, Be Bop, Cool, Fusion has been set. I'd go for tha major players and either the recommednded albums or a good anthology to get an idea of someone's music. You may, as ever stop with one or two or move through someone's career.

Where to start or stop with Oscar Peterson for example? He did a very interesting album with Joe Pass. Porgy and Bess with him on Clavichord and Pass on guitar. It's interesting but the medieval clavinet is a little teeth grating for me. Not quite as much as  the rather rare Mozart (Glass) Harp Concerto but still one more regarded as an adventure than a mainstay. Pass is, as almost always, superb.

Theloious Monk's Brillaint Corners is in many ways both an adventure and mainstay type album.

What's the preferred lead instrument? Sax, trumpet? Piano? Guitar, bass drums. A dozen albums won't do it... trust me. Big band? Small band? Me I like small bands. I actually prefer Miles second quintet though his first with Prestige may be the most unbeatable.

Have fun. ;)
 

I don't listen to much jazz at home, but I love it live. A totally different approach from going through classic styles and albums is to look at the programme of some local clubs and venues, check on youtube the odd song from a band that comes up when you have time, and if you like it go.
I have seen and enjoyed a lot of "random" live jazz in this way.
As somebody wrote before, most jazz is for the moment in which it is played.
Small venues often mean good sound, and you've got to be able to play your instrument well if you want to do jazz, that's some ingredients for a good live experience.


Edited by Lewian - April 26 2016 at 13:23

^ Absolutely, the best way to experience jazz is definitely live. It's one of my rules of jazz that when you go and see a band and you don't have their CD, then you buy it because they were great, the CD will ALWAYS disappoint. I mean it could be an excellent CD, but you can't record that alchemy.

I still buy the CDs though

Edited by Mascodagama - April 26 2016 at 13:43

Speaking of live, once upon a time - which happened to be about the first time I saw Yes at MSG on the Union tour I nearly also got to see Joe Pass down in the Village. Heard about that gig and was down there very quick, especially for me. A bouncer opened the door I saw Pass for a few seconds then the door shut. Not even oxygen was getting in there and certainly not me.

Fastest and briefest gig I ever saw.

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: Went to see Gogo Penguin is Boston last night, heavy driving minimalist jazz trio from Manchester UK, was about 100 people there all standing, grooving along, really good night out. https://gogopenguin.bandcamp.com/album/v20

I would like to recommend:

Edited by presdoug - May 08 2016 at 15:19

Late to the party, but better late than never.

Edited by Wirebender - December 11 2016 at 14:30