Best smooth jazz albums?


Hi, I'm a newbie at this hobby and my musical tastes are changing as my audio system gets better. Right now I'm really into smooth jazz and was wondering what some of the better recordings are. I have had no prior experience in this genre of music, and am looking for something that can really make my audio system sing (Rotel 960ax preamp, Rotel 965 Cd-player, Audiosource Amp 2, Vandersteen 2ce speakers, and Silversonic interconnecs). Thanks for your help!
petrtyl1
My list (reformatted)
Miles Davis
-Kind of Blue*
-58 Sessions*
-Ballads*
-Relaxin'*
-Cookin'
-Workin'
-Steamin'
-The New Miles Davis Quintet
-Birth of the Cool*
-The Musings of Miles
Bill Evans
-Explorations*
-Sunday at the Village Vanguard*
-Everybody Digs Bill Evans*
-Portrait in Jazz*
-Waltz for Debby*
-Interplay
-Bill Evans at Town Hall
-At Shelly's Manne-Hole
-At The Montreux Jazz Festival
-Re: Person I Knew
-Loose Blues
-Since We Met
-Trio '64
-Trio '65
-Quintessence
-How My Heart Sings
-Moon Beams
-Undercurrent - With Jim Hall*
Paul Desmond
-The Paul Desmond Quartet Live
-Polka Dots and Moonbeams*
-Paul Desmond + MJQ at Town Hall
-Like Someone in Love
-Pure Desmond
-Two of a Mind w/ Gerry Mulligan
-Bossa Antigua
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
-Time Out*
-Gone With The Wind
-West Side Story
-Jazz Impressions of Eurasia
-25th Anniversary Reunion
-1975 - The Duets
-Brubeck Time
Tommy Flanagan
-Eclypso
-Nights at the Vanguard*
-Let's - The Music of Thad Jones*
-Lady Be Good
-Montreux '77
-Moodsville
-Alone Too Long
-Thelonica
-Sunset and the Mockingbird
-Confirmation
Oscar Peterson
-Live at the Blue Note
-Live
-Benny Carter Meets Oscar Peterson
-Oscar Peterson Trio + Clark Terry
-A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra
-West Side Story*
-Reunion Blues
-Night Train*
-Blues Etude*
-The Trio*
-Oscar in Paris Disc 1
-Oscar in Paris Disc 2
-Face to Face w/ Freddie Hubbard
-My Fair Lady and Fiorello
-Oscar Peterson plays Count Basie
-Very Tall*
-Plays the Duke Ellington Songbook
-Plays Porgy and Bess
-Plays Cole Porter
Stan Getz
-The Dolphin*
-Sweet Rain
-Spring is Here
-Pure Getz
-The Lyrical Stan Getz
Keith Jarrett
-The Cure
-Standards, Vol. 1*
-Standards, Vol. 2*
-Standards Live*
-Bye Bye Blackbird
Shelly Manne
-The West Coast Sound Volume 1
-My Fair Lady*
-At The Blackhawk Volume1
-At The Manne-Hole Volume 1
Andre Previn
-Gigi
-After Hours
-Like Previn*
-Pal Joey
Art Farmer
-Warm Valley*
-Modern Art
-Silk Road
Toshiko Akiyoshi
-Finesse
-At The Top of the Gate*
-At Maybeck
-Remembering Bud
Charlie Rouse
-Takin' Care of Business
-Unsung Hero
Sphere
-Four For All
-Bird Songs
Marcus Roberts
-Gershwin for Lovers
Chet Baker
-Chet*
-Straight From The Heart
-My Favourite Songs
-In New York*
-Once Upon a Summertime*
-No Problem
-Some Day My Prince Will Come
-The Touch of Your Lips*
-In Paris
-In Milan
-In Paris Volume 1
Kenny Barron
-Lemuria-Seascape
-Things Unseen
-The Moment*
-Sambao
Errol Garner
-Jazz Masters 7
-Concert By The Sea
McCoy Tyner
-Things Ain't What They Used To Be
-Live at the Musician's Exchange Café
-Inception
-Revelations
-The Music of Burt Bacharach
-With Stanley Clarke and Al Foster
Duke Jordan
-Flight To Denmark*
-Flight to Jordan*
Hank Jones
-The Oracle
-Upon Reflection*
-Handful of Keys
-Master Class
The Great Jazz Trio
-Flowers For Lady Day
-Love For Sale
-Monk's Moods
-The Club New Yorker
Kenny Drew
-And Far Away
-Your Soft Eyes
-The Riverside Collection*
-Pal Joey*
Zoot Sims
-Warm Tenor*
-Zoot at Ease
-Zoot!
-For Lady Day
-Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers
John Lewis
-Garden of Delight
-The Bridge Game*
-Preludes and Fugues
-The Bridge Game Volume 2
Chick Corea
-Alive
-Chick Corea Akoustic Band
Warren Bernhardt
-Reflections
-Trio '83
Laurindo Almeida
-Chamber Jazz
-Outra Vez
Vince Guaraldi
-Vince Guaraldi Trio
-In Person
Emily Remler
-East to Wes
-Firefly
-Standards*
Monty Alexander
-The Duke Ellington Songbook
-Echos of Jilly's
-Triple Treat
Red Rodney
-Then and Now
-No Turn on Red
Fred Hersch
-Plays Coleman, Coltrane, Ellington,.
-Dancing in the Dark
Art Pepper
-Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section*
-Surf Ride
-Tete-a-Tete
Wes Montgomery
-The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery*
-Full House
Ellis Marsalis
-Ellis Marsalis Trio
-Heart of Gold
Brad Mehldau
-The Art of The Trio Volume 3
-The Art of The Trio Volume 4
-Introducing Brad Mehldau*
-Places
Red Garland
-The Nearness of You
-It's a Blue World
-Groovy*
-All Kinds of Weather*
-Red Garland's Piano*
-A Garland of Red*
-When There Are Grey Skies
-Solar
-At The Prelude Volume 1
-Red Alert
-Revisited
-The P.C. Blues
-Red in Bluesville
-Can't See for Lookin'
-Crossings
-Feelin' Red
Art Tatum
-Solo Masterpieces Volume 1
-Solo Masterpieces Volume 4
-Solo Masterpieces Volume 6
-Solo Masterpieces Volume 8
Joe Beck/Jimmy Bruno
-Polarity*
Joe Beck
-Relaxin'
-The Journey
Hampton Hawes
-Trio, Volume 1
-Here and Now
-All Night Session, Volume 3
-Volume 2: The Trio
Benny Green
-Testifyin'
-These Are Soulful Days
Barry Harris
-At The Jazz Workshop
-Chasin' The Bird
-Preminado
Lynne Arriale
-With Words Unspoken
-A Long Road Home
-Melody
Barney Kessel
-Some Like It Hot
-Red Hot and Blues
-The Poll Winners
Cedar Walton
-The Prestige Collection
-The Trio, Volume 1
Grant Green
-The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark
Wynton Kelly
-Kelly Blue
-Piano
-Smokin' At The Half Note With Wes Montgomery
-Kelly At Midnight
Stanley Turrentine
-The Best of Stanley Turrentine
-Ballads*
Milt Jackson
-Jackson, Johnson, Brown, & Company
-Invitation
-Clifford Brown
-At Basin Street
-Jazz Immortal
Art Blakey
-Moanin'*
Tubby Hayes
-The New York Sessions w/Clark Terry
Herbie Hancock
-Maiden Voyage
Ray Brown
-Soular Energy*
-Some of My Best Friends are Trumpet Players
-Some of My Best Friends are Piano Players
Bud Shank
-Brazilliance Vol.2 w/Laurindo Almeida
Bob James
-Straight Up
George Shearing
-I Hear a Rhapsody
Clark Terry
-Portraits
Cannonball Adderley
-Somethin' Else
John Coltrane
-Blue Trane
Duke Ellington
-Duke's Big 4
Dexter Gordon
-Ballads
Frank Morgan
-Love Lost and Found
Eric Reed
-Manhattan Melodies*
Stephane Grappelli
-Live At The Operetka House in Warsaw
J.J. Johnson
-Standards*
Marty Paich
-The Marty Paich Trio
Ray Bryant
-Potpourri
-Solo Flight
Joe Pass
-I Remember Charlie Parker
George Mraz
-Duke's Place*
Bobby Timmons
-Sweet and Soulful Sounds
My god Spoons that is one hell of a list. I am famaliar with most of them and agree they are great the ones I am not famalier with will now be added to my list of to get CD's.
A list to consider for terrific smooth jazz recordings are Richard Elliot "City Speak", Rick Braun "Body & Soul"' Keiko Matsui "Dream Walk, "Sapphire", "Live", Peter White "Caravan", Chieli Minucci "Renaissance" and "It`s Gonna Be Good"' Special EFX "Double Feature", "Masterpiece", Norman Brown "After The Storm". You would also probably like any of the recordings by Fourplay, Larry Carlton, and The Rippingtons. I also am a relatively recent convert from the original R&R scene. All of the music I have suggested is energetic contemporary jazz with some R&R edge to it so you wont get oversedated with the Kenny G type stuff. You can also keep track of the Oasis smooth jazz awards each year to see who`s doing what. You`ll find Chieli Minucci is one of the great guitarists no matter what genre you`re from and I`m a child of the 60`s. One last thing and I`ll go. It is important that go to see the talent "live". The CD`s from the smooth jazz genre DO NOT do justice to the energy and talent level of these performers. Just go hear Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Dave Koz, Fourplay or The Rippingtons just One Time and you`ll know just what I mean! Best, John