Jazz guys: Bebop, Hard Bop etc.

Thanks Davemitchell: I recently purchased Blue Trane on SACD. As usual for Trane, it's incredible. From your breakdown, as I thought, my collection which is primarily Miles, Coltrane, Rollins and the other greats I mentioned, from the time frame of mid to late 50's. I seem to lean more towards Hard Bop as my Jazz preference.

You can definately define styles without simply listing artists. There are several good books on understanding jazz styles. In fact listing artists is not really very useful. Miles for example began in bop, helped create cool jazz (birth of cool), recorded one of the first real hard bop ( walkin) albums, had the most significant contribution to modal jazz (kind of blue), mastered post bop ( miles smiles), and led the vangaurd of fusion. The very best place to start in my opinion is to read 'Louis Armstrongs New Orleans' which came out recently. For anyone interested in the genesis of American popular music , styles ,influences ,and a whos who from Jelly Roll Morton to Robert Johnson read the book. It helped me see why the blues ran so deep in Armstong ,Bird,and Young but not Dizzy or Hawk . Just my opinions as always. - Jim

Interesting Aldavis. I have Miles "Walkin","Kind of Blue" (seems like everyone has it),and "Miles Smiles", which is my favorite Miles disc. On the other hand, my wife has "Birth of the Cool", which repersents "cooljazz," but I'm not a fan of cool jazz, even though "Birth" is considered one of Miles' seminal recordings. The recording has always sounded like ancient jazz to me; slow and plodding, kinda of "Big Bandish." To coin an old 50's and 60's term "square."

Foster 9, I understand what you are saying about Birth of cool. Remember it was quite early. Check out the ballads on "workin", "steamin","cookin", "relaxin", and "round about midnight". Terrific small group sessions with strong cool overtones. Some of the very best jazz period. Also ,as an example, though not a "cool" recording listen to Dexter Gordons "Doin Alright" track one "I was doin alright" and hear the obvious 'swing'. This reintroduction of swing is a cool element in an otherwise hot performance. It is amazing. - Jim

All this is great stuff - the Rudy Van Gelder's Blue Note redbook re-releases of jazz artists recorded in the late fifties and early sixties are terrific. Don't miss Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder" or Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers' "Moanin'".