Who are your favorite Jazz artists?

[JazzFreeek00]

Hey everyone!! I am new to this site but I love jazz music. I was wondering what are your favorite jazz artists? Seeing Mindi Abair live with her saxophone at the Jazzfest in Catalina was so awesome. I love her song, "Lucy's." So good! She's becomign my new fav jazz musician. Do you guys have any opinions about other similar artists?

[lazy bird]

My all time favorite jazz mucisian is alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. I love the way he goes from one note to another, his sublime improvisations and his harsh legato sound on the alto saxophone.

recommended Parker recordings:

Savoy recordins
Dial recordings
Diz 'n Bird at Carnegie Hall
The Quintet / Jazz at Massey hall

At the moment my favorite contemporary artists are composer & alto saxophonist John Zorn and clarinet player Louis Sclavis. The latter has an awesome tone on his instrument.

recommended cd's:

John Zorn / Masada live at Tonic
Louis Sclavis / L'affrontement des prétendents
Romano, Sclavis, Texier / Suite Africaine

[lazy bird]

I've never heard of Mindi Abair. Has Mindi a website?

[andreimatorin]

I saw this jazz violinist play the other day, he's only 17 but damn!! He was awesome! I think his name was Andrei Matorin or something. I can't wait til his cd comes out... MAN. :D

Or, if they dont have to be alive, (i know this sounds cliche), but John Coltrane is my favorite. Not to mention we share B-days.

[lazy bird]

My favorite jazz violinist is Mark Feldman. I saw him perform with the John Abercrombie 4tet and with Dave Douglas.

[Coypu]

Allan Holdsworth, guitar genious with a unique and groundbreaking approach to composition and improvising. Very technical but the music is often very good and his fellow musicians are always top notch. Check out : Road Games, Secrets, metal fatique and anything else that you can get hold of.

[lazy bird]

Originally posted by Coypu
Allan Holdsworth, guitar genious with a unique and groundbreaking approach to composition and improvising. Very technical but the music is often very good and his fellow musicians are always top notch. Check out : Road Games, Secrets, metal fatique and anything else that you can get hold of.

Holdsworth is recommended in 'building a jazz library' on allaboutjazz.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=24

[3pointdeli]

my favorite artists who is currently active is nels cline (guitar.) he's done a bunch of records in a variety of genres, from punk rock to avant garde jazz.

for those of you who enjoy jazz violin, you'd probably like "mask" by jeff gauthier's goatette (which features nels cline and his twin brother alex on drums, jeff gauthier on violin, and a bassist and pianist whose names i don't recall at the moment.) that one is available from cryptogramophone records. (it got rave reviews on aaj, by the way.)

as far as jazz in general goes, my favorites are eric dolphy and thelonious monk. also: miles, because you can't beat the variety of the miles davis catalog. and coltrane (mainly the "classic quartet", but i like most of his work), because you can't beat the dedication he and his colleagues had for the music.

[Coypu]

Originally posted by lazy bird
Holdsworth is recommended in 'building a jazz library' on allaboutjazz.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=24

I checked it out and it seemed like good recomendations, many of my favorites where on that list. Now I've also got some downloading to do, thanks.

[andreimatorin]

i guess i got everyone talking about jazz violin :)

[lazy bird]

Originally posted by andreimatorin
i guess i got everyone talking about jazz violin :)

yeah!

I've heard a Zappa live recording with violinist Jean Luc Ponthy and it sounded great, but unfortunately I forgot the title. (Maybe I did better to post this at the Zappa thread.)

[JazzFreeek00]

I totally agree, I am really getting into jazz violin. There is something about how the string sound complements jazz style. To answer your question Lazy Bird, I got a little more info about Mindi Abair--she has a great website where you can listen to the tracks from her cd that's coming out in a couple of weeks. Take a look, let me know if you like her playing. www.mindiabair.com

[jazzypaul]

Zappa and Ponty did a studio date together in the late 60's/early 70's, I think it was called King Kong. Zappa is all over it, and it sounds like an extension of Hot Rats. Which is to say, it sounds amazing.

[Joel]

Pat Metheny
John Abercrombie
Al DiMeola
Brad Mehldau
Jack DeJohnette
Herbie Hancock
Dave Weckl
Spyro Gyra
Wes Montgomery
Kenny Burrell
Jim Beard
The Yellowjackets
John Scofield
....that's all for now

[Dr. B]

Originally posted by andreimatorin
i guess i got everyone talking about jazz violin :)

If we're talkin' jazz violin with mostly young discussants interested in today's music, I can't believe someone here hasn't mentioned Regina Carter...

[liamw]

Regina Carter is certainly one of MY favorite younger musicians on ANY instrument. As for violinists, I can't believe nobody's mentioned Stuff Smith, Stephane Grapelli, Ray Nance ...

[clifton]

I love jazz, and if I listed all my favorites, it would be a long list, at least after Charlie Parker, who is my favorite musician, period. After Bird, the list includes Ornette Coleman, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Sun Ra, Dave Douglas, John Coltrane, Earl Hines, Johnny Hodges, Louis Armstrong, Jackie McLean, Duke Ellington, and Illinois Jacquet. Please get Mosaic's Jacquet set before they run out. You won't regret it.

[GA Russell]

Welcome Jazz Freek!

I enjoy albums to relax by, so now I'm listening to a lot of '50s and '60s things like

Music From Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
Nirvana - Herbie Mann and Bill Evans
all of Paul Desmond's recordings with Jim Hall
all of the Verve bossa nova records of the mid-'60s
Mose Allison
Georgie Fame
Mark Murphy
Julie Is Her Name - Julie London
Cannonball's Bossa Nova - Cannonball Adderley and Sergio Mendes
Infinite Search - Miroslav Vitous

[Dr. B]

Originally posted by liamw
Regina Carter is certainly one of MY favorite younger musicians on ANY instrument. As for violinists, I can't believe nobody's mentioned Stuff Smith, Stephane Grapelli, Ray Nance ...

...or Joe Venuti...

[jazzypaul]

I am the polar opposite of GA Russell, I enjoy albums which get me all pumped up...

DKV Trio: Trigonometry

Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Footloose & Fancy Free

Ka'hil El'Zabar: Big Cliff

Art Blakey: Free For All

Thelonious Monk: Misterioso

Trane: Giant Steps, Crescent, A Love Supreme

Grant Green: Alive!

[victor]

Originally posted by GA Russell
Welcome Jazz Freek!

I enjoy albums to relax by, so now I'm listening to a lot of '50s and '60s things like

Music From Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
Nirvana - Herbie Mann and Bill Evans
all of Paul Desmond's recordings with Jim Hall
all of the Verve bossa nova records of the mid-'60s
Mose Allison
Georgie Fame
Mark Murphy
Julie Is Her Name - Julie London
Cannonball's Bossa Nova - Cannonball Adderley and Sergio Mendes
Infinite Search - Miroslav Vitous

is that julie london recording available on cd......i havent been able to find it

[victor]

Originally posted by GA Russell
Welcome Jazz Freek!

I enjoy albums to relax by, so now I'm listening to a lot of '50s and '60s things like

Music From Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
Nirvana - Herbie Mann and Bill Evans
all of Paul Desmond's recordings with Jim Hall
all of the Verve bossa nova records of the mid-'60s
Mose Allison
Georgie Fame
Mark Murphy
Julie Is Her Name - Julie London
Cannonball's Bossa Nova - Cannonball Adderley and Sergio Mendes
Infinite Search - Miroslav Vitous

[kh1958]

Favorite jazz musicians (limited to five)

That would be Mingus, Ellington, Parker, Gillespie and Coltrane.

As for jazz violin, ditto that Mark Feldman is incredible, having seen him also with John Abercrombie.

I was fortunate to see Stephane Grappelli twice, a highly elegant and swinging experience on both occasions. I haven't heard anything from him in years, but John Blake is very fine (saw him with McCoy Tyner several times and leading his own band).

Regina Carter I saw last fall and I was pretty lukewarm on the experience.