Best Jazz albums???

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I might have to say my favorite (thus making it the best) jazz album was Four and More by Miles Davis. The energy is amazing!
 
I love jazz, I have not really done research on which I think is the best though. I would have to say I love John Coltrane and Cecil Talor come to mind.
 
It is hard for me to say one is my exact favorite... But if I had to narrow it down to three, I could probably do that.

Jaco Pastorius – Word of Mouth

Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um

And even though it is ultra modern and little experimental...
Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet – Husky

I'm glad to hear of others that like Jazz though! Miles Davis definitely has some great albums himself, though. Whenever I hear "Mood" I can't help but be sucked into this serious, composed state of mind (not that I'm complaining).
 
Not sure whether I would conclude that it is the best, but probably one of my favorites is Self-Titled Album by The Lounge Lizards ...basically any music that involves John Lurie haha

Check It:
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Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch
Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds
 
Re: Best Jazz albums?

I have two:

Bitches' Brew by Miles Davis
Casino Lights '99 by Various Artists
 
Bitches Brew is a great album but personally I think his recordings from live performances are even better (not saying his studio albums aren't superb, but something about the live aspect seems to have more emotion and raw feelings/honesty)
 
not exactly your typical jazz....

Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette
Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects - Sol Niger Within
Gorod - Process of a New Decline
Cynic - Focus, Traced in Air
 
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I have many favorites, but one that always comes to mind is

Herbie Hancock - Headhunters

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In addition to the usual suspects which cannot be denied (Miles, Coltrane, etc.) Thelonious in Action: Recorded at the Five Spot Cafe:
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Monk comes immediately to mind, as does Mr. Hancock, specifically The New Standard and Gershwin's World.

Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy, Ambassador Satch or his work with Ella Fitzgerald are fantastic as well.

Tip of the iceberg, of course...



:m200:
“There are only two kinds of music – good and bad.” – Duke Ellington
 
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Louis and Ella...greatness......
 
If someone told me they were interested in starting to listen to jazz, and wanted to know what some of the good albums are, I wouldn't know where to start without some thought. Jazz refers to such a wide range of styles, that it's almost a shame to pigeonhole them all under the label "jazz." I think what I would first do is think about how they relate with music. If they're a dancer, that's one thing, I'd probably recommend either a latin jazz album like a Mongo Santamaria or a swing album like a Glenn Miller. If they mostly relate to music through lyrics and listen to pop music, I would look for something that has more lyrics, perhaps a blues singer like Billie Holiday. I might point someone who liked rock or funk to Weather Report. Etc. I'm not comfortable saying "here are some of the best jazz albums."

If you like Miles Davis, then you probably like bebop and the kinds of music that grew out of it and/or are related to it. Thelonius Monk is a great choice for bebop, as is John Coltrane, etc. JJ Johnson is a great trombone player in this area. Charles Mingus takes in things from lots of different styles but is quite obviously influenced by earlier bebop. I'm kind of surprised that these are the kinds of things people are mostly talking about in this topic, because bebop is a less popular listening music with no words- so you can't dance and there's no lyrics (usually). That cuts off most people who relate to music through lyrics and possibly dance, rather than listening (really sitting down and listening) and maybe playing.
 
Koba said:
If someone told me they were interested in starting to listen to jazz, and wanted to know what some of the good albums are, I wouldn't know where to start without some thought. Jazz refers to such a wide range of styles, that it's almost a shame to pigeonhole them all under the label "jazz." I think what I would first do is think about how they relate with music. If they're a dancer, that's one thing, I'd probably recommend either a latin jazz album like a Mongo Santamaria or a swing album like a Glenn Miller. If they mostly relate to music through lyrics and listen to pop music, I would look for something that has more lyrics, perhaps a blues singer like Billie Holiday. I might point someone who liked rock or funk to Weather Report. Etc. I'm not comfortable saying "here are some of the best jazz albums."

If you like Miles Davis, then you probably like bebop and the kinds of music that grew out of it and/or are related to it. Thelonius Monk is a great choice for bebop, as is John Coltrane, etc. JJ Johnson is a great trombone player in this area. Charles Mingus takes in things from lots of different styles but is quite obviously influenced by earlier bebop. I'm kind of surprised that these are the kinds of things people are mostly talking about in this topic, because bebop is a less popular listening music with no words- so you can't dance and there's no lyrics (usually). That cuts off most people who relate to music through lyrics and possibly dance, rather than listening (really sitting down and listening) and maybe playing.
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yeah, I like bebop because I play it. If I hadn't started I'd probably never have gotten interested in it.
 
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