26
votes
Let's generate a list of fantastic jazz albums
Hi, I am interested in creating a list of essential jazz albums for people who may be beginning to listen to the genre. My basic idea is that each person can contribute one album to the list. This has two caveats: one, you can only contribute once, and two, the album that you contribute cannot already be listed in the previous comments. If we can make this work, I will compile the results after one month based on the ranking of the albums by votes. Let's see what a bunch of ~s can do. Also, if you have suggestions for how this may be better organized, do let me know.
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1965)
Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser (1967)
Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport (1956)
E: and dammit I have another one.
Probably my favourite famous jazz album:
E: Picked one
If you had to pick one, though...
Sun Ra - Space is the Place (1973)
These three albums are albums I go to on a daily basis. The entire discography of each is fantastic.
In case someone else chooses Bags and Trane, these are my backups
edit: retooled the order to fit the OPs request for a single album ♥
I had a whole list until I read the original post. OP asked for one entry of one album per person. I’m still terribly upset that I had to pick one, but I’m curious to see which of yours makes the cut.
ha. I forgot about the 'just one' after I got going... if I had to choose one that would appeal to every jazz lover, it'd definitely be Milt Jackson's Bags and Trane. Its just one of those iconic records that hits home.
I'll edit my post to fit the format :)
I agree with you re: Bags and Trane. It will be interesting to see if either of your runner-ups is chosen.
Hi there. I want to address the one and one only component of this exercise. First, I want to see how our community deals with a constraint like this because it's extraordinarily constraining. Second, I want many people to have a chance to submit and contribute to the list. It seems to me that the first part allows the second to occur more readily. If we got to list our top three, five, ten albums, then I think we would have a lot of duplication and also many people may feel like there is no way they could ever find an album that was both worthy and more importantly not already listed. This has certainly happened to me in the past on other sites.
The other part of the constraint is that it will allow us to gain a sense of how quickly people are joining, reading, and responding to this particular list-building exercise.
Only one? I could give you a hundred without breaking a sweat! (And if we ever have a ~music.jazz subgroup, we'll need to keep a list like that handy for when we start getting the daily "I'm new to jazz, what should I listen to?" posts.)
But I digress. Here's a good one:
Great choice. I agree, one is difficult. Please see my comment above to understand my rationale.
Mingus Ah Um
Here four or my favorite Jazz album
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Bill Evans - Interplay
Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus
The Bad Plus - We Are The Vista
But if you could only pick one, which one would it be? I think Kind of Blue has already been chosen.
There Are The Vista by The Bad Plus would be my choice, and it fits nicely the contemporary jazz spot.
The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York (1962)
In my opinion, the Cannonball Adderley Sextet is the most swingin' band of the bop / hard-bop era - even more so than Miles' first quintet (don't @ me). I've spent a ton of hours on YouTube checking out performances of this group, and I think it's some of the most joyous stuff on the planet. Got to meet Louis Hayes a few times too.
Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference
Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby
All of the albums suggested here are fantastic, but this has got to be my favorite jazz album of all time.
Tim Berne – The Sublime And. Science Friction Live (2003)
Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi
I would say the obvious Headhunters, but the album pales in comparison to some of the live takes you can find out there
I am unfamiliar with this album, going to check it out today.
It's a great one from Herbie -- much more in the vein of In a Silent Way than Headhunters would be just a few years later. Some serious Sun Ra space-vibes, influences of afro-rhythms/funk/electronics and a dynamite group (it was essentially Eddie Henderson's appearance in the jazz world) put it in a special place in Herbie's discography
Late to the party, but you can't miss this:
Jan Johansson - Jazz På Svenska (1964)