Jazz albums I should own

[Nathanrtaylor]

Came home from a block party tonight after several drinks and felt compelled to listen to some jazz records. Started with the rather pedestrian Brubeck Take Five album (Blue Rondo is pretty great what with the time signatures and all) and then went to Eric Dolphy (mad alto sax), Charlie Parker, and some Miles.

Sort of ran out after that. Of bourbon, mostly, but also jazz records.

What else should I add to my list so when I refill my bottle of bourbon I can keep the records turning?

[Luke]

Miles Davis...'Kind of Blue'

[Bob Ross]

Miles Davis...'Kind of Blue'

It's almost become a cliché to find a copy of that album as the lone jazz LP in some yuppie hipster's collection, but I'll still defend the contention that If You Only Have One Jazz Album, Kind Of Blue Is The One To Have. Because it works for so many people with varying backgrounds and varying attention spans and varying thresholds of what "jazz" is (and/or what music is). It's an iceberg: on the surface, "Ooh, lookee there!", but look deeper and it's "Whoa!"

So yeah, recommending Kind Of Blue is almost a cheap shot, shooting fish in a barrel...but it's also the perfect recommendation for anyone who asks "What jazz albums should I own?" You should own it. We all should own it.

[Bob Ross]

A few more recommendations, some mainstream, most decidedly not:

Wes Montgomery - Smokin' At The Half Note
John Coltrane - Ballads
Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi, Crossings, Sextant, Headhunters, Thrust, Man-Child
Ronald Shannon Jackson and The Decoding Society - Eye On You
Tim Berne - practically everything he's ever recorded, but especially Fulton Street Maul, Sanctified Dreams, Fractured Fairy Tales, Pace Yourself, & theoretically (with Bill Frisell)
Michael Gibbs - The Only Chrome Waterfall Orchestra
Stan Getz - Sweet Rain
Carla Bley - Social Studies
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life

...and a big "+1" for Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch and Charles Mingus' Mingus Ah Um

[prcrstn8]

Starting from the a different part of the spectrum, stuff that arrives in a similar place:

Mitch Watkins, Underneath It All
Masahiko Sato, Amorphism
Tito Puente/Phil Woods, Salsa Meets Jazz
Cal Tjader, pretty much anything.

[xjoex]

Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins
Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Something Else by Cannonball Adderly (autumn leaves is an amazing song)
In fact you should listen to autumn leaves now:


Straight no chaser by Thelonious Monk is good too,

-Joe

[Matthew Strongin]

Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins
Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Something Else by Cannonball Adderly (autumn leaves is an amazing song)
-Joe

This pretty much nailed it. I also love Thelonius Monk with John Coltrane. Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HSTFixed]

Art Blakey (anything really but I love it with Wayne Shorter on sax)

Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil (the same Miles band from the late sixties with Elvin Jones on drums instead of Tony Williams)

Miles Davis All of it. From Birth of the Cool, Kind of Blue, Relaxin',Workin', Steamin', and Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (coltrane on sax, Paul Chambers on bass, Red Garland keys and Philly Joe Jones on drums.) Also the second quintet in the sixties with Tony Williams on drums, Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock on keys, and Ron Carter on bass E.S.P, Files de Kilaminjaro, Nefertiti, Miles Smiles)

Herbie Hancock, Takin Off

Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, Seasons of Change

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme and Giant Steps

Keith Jarrett Trio, Standards Vol. 1 and 2

Michel Camilo, Solo and Spirit of the Moment

Dafnis Prieto, Taking the Soul for a Walk

[MIN]

Don Cherry - Complete Communion, Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come, Eric Dolphy - out to lunch, Coltrane - Live at Vangaurd, David S Ware, Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Domino, Chicago Underground Quartet, Bill Evan - Live at Montreux, Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

These were mind blowing albums to me on the first listen.

[Pi Guy]

Lots of good stuff here. I'll add In a Silent Way by Miles Davis. Blew my mind the first time I heard it.

[Britishbane]

Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins
Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Something Else by Cannonball Adderly (autumn leaves is an amazing song)
In fact you should listen to autumn leaves now:


Straight no chaser by Thelonious Monk is good too,

-Joe

Not a huge Jazz fan, but Something Else was one of the first records I bought. Original Blue Note pressing none the less! Reminds me I need to take a listen!

Sun-Ra jazzy? Ashra Temple too?

I quite like Medeski Martin and Wood too.