I could use some jazz mentoring.


I'm a relative newbie to jazz. I know what I like, but I can't find anymore of it. I figure this might be a good place to ask.

Generally, I think I like the sound of bluesy, laid back jazz.

My two favorite cds are:

Wynton Marsalis - Midnight Blues (it's the 5th in a series of cds he did)

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

If you've heard both of these cds, I hope you can see the commonality between them in the same way I do. To me they are both moody, introspective, and romantic albums.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm really looking forward to discovering more of a great genre.

-Esfand
dubzilla
Well--I'm going to recommend some DVDs--and they aren't even DVD-A or some other music only. Ken Burns--Jazz. This was originally broadcast on PBS. I am not an expert in jazz--I love it, but I do not know the history and want to have the connection to the roots of jazz. You know they are there, and I know that most of it was before my time. I have thoroughly enjoyed this DVD collection (10-discs) because I couldn't see it when broadcast (good ad for Tivo I suppose). This will not only give you an insight into other performers you may like, but also into the history of jazz, which to me makes the music all that more interesting.
Along the trumpet idiom, look into Lee Morgan. Maybe a little less laid back, but very well thought out solo work.
If you can log on to internet feed you can educate yourself very quickly with 2 very good jazz PBS stations.

kplu.org Tacoma, WA
kuaz.org Tucson, AZ

In all my travels, these are two of the very best for traditional jazz. Graveyard shift of kplu turns wild with some avantgarde and very unknown talented artists.
How about Chet Baker for moody. On Coltrane(tenor sax) try Coltrane plays the blues, his later stuff classifies as free jazz.
Try this thread.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?gmusi&976325372&read&3&4&

It was quite helpful to me as I was starting to build a library. Those that I generally enjoy include Mile Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins to name a few of the "better known" names.