Jazz Recommendations

I was rereading the postings on this thread this morning, and really appreciate the thoughtful contributions made. I particularly thank the Professor (as he affectionately has become known).

Yesterday, I posted a list of some of my favorite jazz recordings, all of which I highly recommend to those newer to jazz as will as to others. My personal bias is that I like bop the best (defined broadly). My earlier list of favorites concentrated on bop.

I find interesting recordings of more traditional music by those labeled as avant-garde/free jazz artists. My favorites are:

Air, Air Lore
Alvin Batiste, Musique D’afrique Nouvell Orleans
Steve Lacy, Reflections: Plays Theloneous Monk
Steve Lacy, Soprano Sax
Amina Claudine Myers, Salutes Bessie Smith (voacls)
Archie Shepp/Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, Looking at Bird
World Saxophone Quartet, Plays Duke Ellington

You may want to check these out, if you are not already familiar with them. I would be interested if anyone has any recommendations of other recordings of this type.

I also thought it would be interesting to compile a list of some of the recordings I have that may be of interest to those with some familiarity with the music looking for something you may not have heard. This list I compiled this morning, which is not suggested as recommendations to those beginning a jazz collection, is:

Big Band (not from the Swing era)
Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabakin Big Band, Tanuki’s Night Out
Clare Fischer, ‘Twas Only Yesterday
Supersax Plays Bird

Guitar
Django Reinhardt, Quintet of the Hot Club of France

Piano
Joanne Brackeen, Mythical Magic (solo)
Elmo Hope, High Hope
Dick Hyman, Live from Toronto’s Café des Copains (solo)
Peck Kelley, Jam
Marian McParland, Live at the Carlyle
Jay McShann, The Big Apple Bash
Mary Lou Williams, Solo Recital (solo)

Saxophone-tenor
Don Byas, In Paris
Ricky Ford, Flying Colors
Wardell Gray, Memorial Vols. I and II
Buck Hill, This is Buck Hill
Flip Phillips, Flipenstein

Saxophone- baritone
Serge Chaloff, Blue Serge

Trombone
Jimmy Cleveland, Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars

Trumphet
Bill Hardman, Politely
Fats Navarro, The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vols 1 and 2

Violin
Duke Ellington’s Jazz Violin Sessions
Stuff Smith, Singin’ Stuff

Vocals
Alice Babs, Simple Isn’t Easy
Mildred Bailey, Her Greatest Performances
Sathima Bea Benjamin, Morning in Paris
Earl Coleman, Returns
Meridith D’Ambrosia, Another Time
Blossom Dearie, From the Meticulous to the Sublime
Irene Kral, Where is Love
Janet Lawson Quintet
Betty Roche, Take the A Train

Happy listening.

"Jazz At the Pawnshop" (XRCD2) and Benny Green's "Testifyin" are two very good live recordings that you'll ever hear.

Kadlec, there are some great suggestions here. I agree with everything that "the Professor" has posted. However some posts are out of place. This is just the tip of the iceburg, there are thousands more from great artists. For the most part every jazz recording prior to 1970 is fantastic, and there are many post 1970 recording that are great(but not as abundent). I know...there are a handful of crummy recordings, but the percentage of beautiful to crummy ones is unbelievable as compared to todays pop&jazz recordings. I could add many other, but I think you have enough recommendations here, so I'm not going to add...Oh I guess I will, but just one Ahmad Jamal's "Poinciana", I don't believe that anyone mentioned Ahmad Jamal. He may not be as seminal as Armstrong, Diz, Brubeck, Monk, or Miles, but he's still very important, and also has an easy style to follow. Another Booker Erving, any of the records titled with the word "book" in it. Eric Dolphy would be another, Johnny Griffin "Blowin Sessions". Desmod, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, Grant Green, you see it just goes on forever. Good luck!!
Kiwi
Also, I'm sure there are many great jazz radio stations throughout the country...KCSM out of San Mateo Community College is one of them. You can catch it through the internet.

I just picked up a new CD that I want to mention. It's McCoy Tyner plays John Coltrane, featuring McCoy with Al Foster and George Mraz (is there a better rhythm section?), recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1997. The recording was direct to two-track analog and is excellent.

I bought the CD after seeing this very same trio at Yoshi's in Oakland a few nights ago. The sonics are quite worthwhile, especially for a mainstream label (Impulse). In particular, Al Foster's cymbals are properly large. It's great to effectively have a recording of something you witnessed (not quite, I know, but close enough). Strangely, I attended a set or two of an earlier McCoy trio at Sweet Basil in 1989 or 1990, which was recorded and released on CD. The guy keeps following me around. :-)

Go to xrcd.com. It's the site for JVC CDs. Buy ANYTHING by Bill Evans. Recently, I have "discovered" the passion, emotion, ability and overall interpretation of Bill Evan's. I am pure and simply blown away!