New to Jazz - what next??

[rjd422]

I own the following cds. What others cds by these artists would you all suggest getting next or what other artist(s) should I look into??

John Coltrane
- Ultimate Blue Train
- The Very Best Of

Miles Davis
- Birth Of The Cool
- Kind Of Blue
- At Newport 1958
-Sketches Of Spain
-Porgy And Bess
-Miles Ahead
-Bitches Brew (2cd)
-Best Of Miles Davis And John Coltrane

Duke Ellington
- Black, Brown And Beige

Charles Mingus
-Mingus Ah Um

Thelonius Monk
-Monk.
-Criss-Cross
-Monk's Dream
-Underground
-Straight, No Chaser
-Monk Alone/The Complete Columbia... (2cd)

[Tenorman]

You are probably going to get everyone's favourites here, or continuations of what you already have. You are at the beginnings of a collection (Warning Jazz Fandom damages the wallet).

1. Listen to radio stations, (net or air), and filter through the stuff you don't like, and note the tracks you do

2. There are pleanty of cheap compilations out there. It is a fairly cheap way of hearing artists you would not normally hear.

3. Spend some time on the net, with the record companies, especially the small independents and listen to any samples that are there.

4. Most importantly, get out to live gigs with local musicians, and if you like them buy their CDs direct from them or their web-sites - this gives more money to the musician.

You seem to have concentrated on a particular batch of well-known and easily obtainable musicians, and there is nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of "unknown" musicians out there who will give as much pleasure.

OK I haven't recommended any particular CDs or musicians, but do you really want my favourites?? Your ears will tell you better than any recommendations can. It is just a matter of getting listening (and OK filtering through the "dross")

Best of luck and listening enjoyment

[vibes]

One thing I've found helpful is to look for albums recorded by the people who were sidemen on albums that you already like. For example, you have "Blue Train." Why not look for an album by Lee Morgan or Curtis Fuller? Or how about looking for an album with John Coltrane as a sideman? Sonny Clark's "Sonny's Crib" is a great one from around the same time period.

My collection has grown quite a bit over the last few years, and that growth has come primarily from exploring the works of sidemen on albums that I like. Have fun with the journey. :)

[DustyFoot]

rjd422,

Totally agree with Tenorman on 2 points, jazz is a personal thing and you probably really don't want to hear his or my favorites. You will want to go with your own gut feelings. Oh, and the second point he made about wallet damage -- I FEEL THE PAIN.

Since you asked, however, I will give you my take on CDs by the artists you mentioned, and the CDs you did not list:

Coltrane:
A Love Supreme
My Favorite Things

Miles:
Miles Smiles
Filles De Kilamanjero (sp?)
Something Else (filed under "Cannonball Adderley" but a definite precursor to "Kind of Blue")

Duke:
Anatomy of a Murder
(many, many others - I'll leave the hard-core Duke fans to fill in the blanks here!)

Mingus:
Mingus Dynasty
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

Monk:
Brilliant Corners
Live at the IT Club
Genious of Modern Music Vols. 1 & 2


To maybe suggest a few other artists, I would get into some of the Blue Note faves like Horace Silver, Andrew Hill, Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, etc. or the Verve family of cats like Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Johnny Hodges, Stan Getz, etc. etc. etc. That should get you WAY out of the gates!!!

[DustyFoot]

Vibes chimed in as I was writing my reply. I agree with that approach also. Start with the 'cornerstone' albums then branch out with the sidemen.

[GA Russell]

RJD, I've just tried to post this but there was a screwup, so let's try it again!

I recommend

1) when you find an album you like, buy an album by one of the back-up musicians.

2) Look to see who records (or recorded) for a major label and then buy something he did earlier for an independent lable. For example, you have Miles and Monk on Columbia, so look for Miles on Prestige and Monk on Riverside.

3) You don't have any West Coast jazz yet. Try Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker, or Shorty Rogers.

4) Join the BMG Record Club. You start with 12 CDs for about $45.00, and it's cheap after that. If you decide to do this, email me your email address and I'll send you an extra CD free.

Welcome to jazz!

[rjd422]

Thanks all.

A lot of useful information to sift through. For now, I think I'll stick with the artists I know, using the feedback on this site and on Amazon (has not steered me wrong yet).

DustyFoot, I have A Love Supreme and Mingus Dynasty on my wish list at Amazon. I'll probably order them later this week.

I think exploring the sidemen will be my 'phase 2'.

Thanks again,

RJD

[DustyFoot]

You won't go wrong with either masterpiece! Mingus Dynasty is not exactly Ah Um but it is definitely the next best thing to it. Some would even say it is better, at least in terms of depth and range. A Love Supreme, on the other hand, is almost light years removed from Blue Train (I say 'almost' because Coltrane also recorded 'Ascension' which is DEFINITELY light years away!)

[Muskrat Ramble]

3) You don't have any West Coast jazz yet. Try Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker, or Shorty Rogers.

Or Dave Brubeck, who often gets lumped into the West Coast school. Jazz at Oberlin and Time Out are two of his best featuring his classic quartet with the great Paul Desmond on alto. In fact, Time Out is one of the best-selling jazz albums ever. (But listen to it because it's great music!)

Here's another question: What sort of style or elements in jazz do you like the most so far? That can really help others offer recommendations. I.e., instead of asking, "What classic big-name jazz albums should I buy?" ask something like, "What's a good album with really bluesy tunes, or really hard-driving drums, or a really laid-back late-night vibe, or something by a guitar trio or solo piano, etc.?" Then you can get more specific recommendations, including ones for contemporary jazz or less-well known discs from decades past.

I second what others have said: don't just concentrate on all the oldie-but-goodie albums. There's tons of awesome stuff happening today that easily matches what's come before.