The Jazz & Blues newbie (bootlegs, country, funk, house)

Inquisitor · 06-11-2006, 01:27 PM

Alright, here's the score, I know absolutely NOTHING about the Blues and Jazz scenes. I couldn't name you a single example of a Blues or Jazz artist, for example.

Well, actually, Stevie Wonder is the Blues, right?

REGARDLESS, I plea for you to share your Jazz/Blues wisdom with me and perhaps point me in the direction of some must-hear Jazz/Blues pieces of music

jazzfromhell · 06-11-2006, 11:37 PM

First off, Stevie Wonder is FUNK, as well as Soul, R&B (real R&B, not what gets passed off as R&B these days), and some Pop Rock, and he was one of the best around for all of them. Great as he was (not so good, these days), if he has any blues recordings, I haven't heard of them. It's not what you were looking for (although apparently, you don't exactly know what you were looking for sounds like

), but if you want his two best, check out Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.

Here're two lists that a friend of mine usually gives people looking to start in jazz and blues (lists are in that order):

Quote:

Here are just a few essential jazz recordings, which should be part of every collection. I am limiting the avant/free recordings, since I don't know your tastes.

Louis Armstrong - Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven (The Rosetta Stone of Jazz, this is considered one of the most essential recordings. But keep in mind it was recorded in the early 1920's). There are now two different box sets of this material. One by JSP and another by Sony. In terms of the music itself, the difference is on the 4th disc. Each box set, has added in some extra non-Hot Five/Seven recordings by Satchmo, which is different on each set. While the Sony version came out later, many inculding myself, prefer the remastering on the earlier JSP set.

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (generally considered one of the top 2 in Jazz history by most listeners. You can also get this in the Miles Davis & John Coltrane Complete Studio Recordings box from Sony. Everything in it, is gold and you will end up wanting it anyway.)
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (Complete Sessions)
Miles Davis - Jack Johnson (Complete Sessions)
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Deluxe Edition, which now includes the only live recording of A Love Supreme suite. Up until now, it's only been found on bootlegs. They also included alterate takes, with Archie Shepp, and Art Davis....that have always been rumored to have existed, but never heard before.)
John Coltrane - Ascension
John Coltrane - Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (another of the essential live recordings)
John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Sonny "Newk" Rollins - a Night at the Village Vanguard (yet antoher live recording)
Sonny "Newk" Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Charles Mingus - A Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Charlie "Bird" Parker - The Quintet: Live at Massey Hall (is considered one top live recordings in Jazz history.)
Charlie "Bird" Parker - Complete Savoy & Dial Recordings (The Holy Grail of Bird)
Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 & 2
Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol 1 & 2
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music
Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) (another one, that usually makes the top live recordings lists. You can skip anything from Wynton Marsalis, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and go straight to the source!! That is unless you're into xerox copies, and bad ones at that. )
Duke Ellington - The Duke at Fargo 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition (yes....it's live....and smokin')
Herbie Han**** - Maiden Voyage
Herbie Han**** - Empyrean Isles
Dizzy Gillespie - Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Dizzy Gillespie - Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 (this was just discovered last year. For fans of Dizzy and Bird, It's a toss-up between the above Massey Hall and this.)
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
Count Basie - Original American Decca Recordings
Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear

Each of these all have many others, as well.

Quote:

Just a few, of the essential recordings.

Lead Belly - Library of Congress, Vol. 1-6
Son House - Delta Blues
Son House - Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions
Charley Patton - Founder of the Delta Blues
Charley Patton - King of the Delta Blues
Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
Sonny Boy Williamson II - The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson
Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night
Howlin' Wolf - His Best
Blind Lemon Jefferson - King of the Country Blues
Blind Blake - Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker
Lonnie Johnson - Steppin' on the Blues
Blind Willie McTell - The Classic Years 1927-1940
Skip James - The Complete Early Recordings of..., 1931 - (Yazoo)
OR
Skip James - The Complete 1931 Recordings - (Body & Soul)

Charley Patton - Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues - Revenant (7CD-set) **

** One of the greatest box sets of in any genre of music, and a must have!

Also, a killer collection of blues videos, with a bit of jazz mixed in:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=jledbetter

If you listen to some of that and like it, I can give you further reccomendations. Enjoy!

Raine · 06-18-2006, 09:41 AM

^ forgot Billie Holiday

Otherwise your list is pretty accurate.

hiu · 06-18-2006, 09:26 PM

Stan Getz
Grant Green
Paul Chambers
Bob Cranshaw
Django Reinhardt
Scott LaFaro
Charlie Christian
Art Blakey
Bill Evans
Eric Dolphy
Pharoah Sanders
Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Louis Armstrong
Duke Ellington
Freddie Hubbard
Oliver Nelson
Oscar Peterson
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Yusef Lateef
Andrew Hill
Sam Rivers
Cecil Taylor
Herbie Hancock

Just a few of the more popular jazz artists that you should start with. Pretty much anything jazzfromhell's list is some good starter jazz and blues.

motley_crue131 · 06-19-2006, 07:18 PM

if your looking in blues, early kenny wayne shepherd and stevie ray vaughan are must haves.

jazzfromhell · 06-20-2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raine

^ forgot Billie Holiday

Otherwise your list is pretty accurate.

Well, it wasn't my list. I just copied/pasted it from another board. The original poster could give you reasons for not including Billie Holiday, I don't know what they are, though. If you want Billie, I'd go for either the Complete Commodore Master Takes or the Complete Decca Recordings. Those are both cheap (1 and 2 discs, respectively), but aren't greatest hits compilations, so you won't suffer any overlap later. If you want more (emphasis on more, these boxes are really big, so I guess only if you really love Billie), go for the Complete Verve Recordings and/or Complete Columbia Recordings.

P.S. The Commodore CD has Strange Fruit, considered by many to be her signature song, and signature or otherwise one of the saddest/most depressing songs ever.

ddp · 08-25-2006, 08:00 AM

Not sure why Jazz and blues are lumped together like this they really are quite different. Blues really has more in common with early rock and roll than jazz from an asthetic standpoint.

However, for a first Jazz exposure I would reccommend Sonny Rollins "Saxaphone Colossus". Sonny's playing is so warm and welcoming on this it is easy to be swept away by it.

HoochieCoochieMan · 08-27-2006, 01:19 PM

you forgot the best album of all time:

Thelonious Monk + John Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall 1957

and also...

John Coltrane: Interstellar Space

ddp · 08-27-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoochieCoochieMan

you forgot the best album of all time:

Thelonious Monk + John Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall 1957

and also...

John Coltrane: Interstellar Space

Monk and Meets Coltrane always good!!

Whirlwind Disaster · 10-25-2006, 02:00 PM

Dont forget the great Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

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06-11-2006, 01:27 PM
Inquisitor Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 43	The Jazz & Blues newbie Alright, here's the score, I know absolutely NOTHING about the Blues and Jazz scenes. I couldn't name you a single example of a Blues or Jazz artist, for example. Well, actually, Stevie Wonder is the Blues, right? REGARDLESS, I plea for you to share your Jazz/Blues wisdom with me and perhaps point me in the direction of some must-hear Jazz/Blues pieces of music

06-18-2006, 09:41 AM
Raine Full-Time Hellion Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: PA Posts: 1,502	^ forgot Billie Holiday Otherwise your list is pretty accurate. __________________ A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

06-18-2006, 09:26 PM
hiu Music Guru Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,167	Stan Getz Grant Green Paul Chambers Bob Cranshaw Django Reinhardt Scott LaFaro Charlie Christian Art Blakey Bill Evans Eric Dolphy Pharoah Sanders Clifford Brown and Max Roach Dave Brubeck Quartet Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington Freddie Hubbard Oliver Nelson Oscar Peterson Rahsaan Roland Kirk Yusef Lateef Andrew Hill Sam Rivers Cecil Taylor Herbie Hancock Just a few of the more popular jazz artists that you should start with. Pretty much anything jazzfromhell's list is some good starter jazz and blues.

06-19-2006, 07:18 PM
motley_crue131 Music Addict Join Date: May 2006 Location: canton Posts: 85	if your looking in blues, early kenny wayne shepherd and stevie ray vaughan are must haves.

08-25-2006, 08:00 AM
ddp Music Addict Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 209	Not sure why Jazz and blues are lumped together like this they really are quite different. Blues really has more in common with early rock and roll than jazz from an asthetic standpoint. However, for a first Jazz exposure I would reccommend Sonny Rollins "Saxaphone Colossus". Sonny's playing is so warm and welcoming on this it is easy to be swept away by it. __________________ Deep Down Productions Blog: Mikeblog Rainbow Songs Foundation

08-27-2006, 01:19 PM
HoochieCoochieMan Groupie Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2	You forgot the best! you forgot the best album of all time: Thelonious Monk + John Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall 1957 and also... John Coltrane: Interstellar Space

10-25-2006, 02:00 PM
Whirlwind Disaster Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: LahnDahn Posts: 56	Dont forget the great Screamin' Jay Hawkins. __________________ I just go buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz