Jazz for aficionados

@mahgister 

This John Zorn CD I bought years ago and had mixed feelings about it and a few other Zorn CDs I purchased. It goes without saying that if you are having mixed feelings (or second thoughts) about an artist, you will stop spending your hard earned money on him/her.

Voodoo • Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet (spotify.com)

Fast forward to when I happily started using Spotify and could listen to an album before buying it and I can now explore Zorn freely and pick and choose songs I like. I just put together this John Zorn Book Of Angels playlist I titled John Zorn 1 BOA (book of angels). It comprises the first 8 BOA sessions in chapter "1". When time permits I plan to make 3 more chapters covering all of the BOA sessions to give a listen.

John Zorn 1 BOA - playlist by Paul Irishman | Spotify

I listened to BOA Vol. 1 in its entirety and it is by no means "chaotic noise" Some of the songs were quite enjoyable.

However if you like to use genres for music/artists I would not call Book of Angels Volume 1 "Astaroth" jazz.

I do not know what genre I would call it. Maybe abstract music? world music?

@mahgister Great post, thank you! I hadn't heard of Klezmer music before this very moment. More to learn. Also, your last 4 sentences hit home.

Now here is some really good music that you can definitely describe as jazz. The band is called "Steps Ahead". From Wiki

The group arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker.^[2] The first three albums were released under the name Steps, later changed to Steps Ahead, on Nippon Columbia in Japan, starting with the debut live album Smokin' in the Pit (1980), followed by Step By Step (1981) and Paradox (1982).

I listened to the live album "Smokin' in the Pit" in its entirety last night and it is what I would call "a keeper". Check out the personnel! Michael Brecker (arguably the best tenor player alive 1975 - 2007), and Steve Gadd, often placed on the list of "best drummers" on drums, Michael Mainiary on vibes, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Don Grolnick on piano.

The last 3 musicians are all excellent as well. All of them are superlative as soloists and there is great cohesiveness and "feel" among the band when playing as a whole. 

I will be listening to them a lot more!

Any recommendation is an invitation not an obligation...

We are all different...

I discovered great jazz here and it is why i also sometimes post my suggestion...

If one suggestion hit  the target and make only one people happy as i was with few discoveries others here recommended i will be happy...

Each time i recommend an album i try also to explain why in few words...

😊

Here a more classical style post bebop album of Jamie Saft quartet ...

A great musician ...Some of his albums are not free jazz...😊

Then i like this one as much as the Book of angels vol.1 Astaroth with his trio..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yR8HOh9qVY