The "Incredibly Impossible to Derail This Thread" thread | Page 1119 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

All great suggestions from those who have already posted.

I’d say my #1 suggestion for a listener wanting to get into jazz would be the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out, particularly the pieces ‘Take Five’, ‘Blue Rondo à la Turk’, and ‘Strange Meadow Lark’. The reason why I say this is that it’s not only a fantastic record in and of itself, but also that it’s probably the jazz that appeals most to listeners of genres with more conventional structures. The pieces all have very recognisable melodies and precise structures, without too much improvisation, and without being too long, as these were things which initially put me off jazz before I got used to them. 

That said, it’s important to remember that Brubeck was well aware of the fact that a lot of his success and acclaim at the time was due to the fact that he was white, as black performers at the time were routinely ignored by critics who would lavishly praise white musicians for replicating their innovations months later. This also applies to rock and roll, as well as hip hop. Here’s a great article that helps explain it.

After Time Out, you could go in any number of directions. There are so many different eras of jazz that I think the best thing to do is find releases that represent the best of each era. Most people start off with modal jazz, which is a smoother, subtler form of the music wherein players abandoned chord-based pieces and instead improvised within a given mood. Modal jazz is home to some of jazz’s most expressive and beautiful playing. I’d go with Miles’ Kind of Blue to start with (be sure to also check out the non-album track ‘Stella By Starlight’ too, a personal favourite), and after that I’d check out Cannonball Adderley’s Somethin’ Else. Bill Evans also has an excellent discograph, I’d recommend practically anything he ever did, particularly albums like Undercurrent and Waltz for Debby. Wes Montgomery is arguably the premier jazz guitarist of this period, and his Incredible Jazz Guitar is a very enjoyable listen. 

Spiritual jazz (which often crosses over with free jazz) is another big and interesting branch of the genre. Its most well known purveyor is of course Mr John Coltrane, a legend in the jazz community. For him, there are countless great albums, with my personal favourites including A Love Supreme, First Meditations, Ole Coltrane, Ballads, Coltrane’s Sound, Giant Steps, Lush Life, Live at the Village Vanguard, Concert in Japan and his collaborations with other artists, such as Duke Ellington, Milt Jackson and Kenny Burrell. Alice Coltrane, an excellent performer and Trane’s second wife, has a lot of great music to her name as well, particularly 1970’s Journey in Satchidananda. 

If you’re interested in bebop (a faster, chord-based style of jazz that was popular in the 40s and noted for its instrumental virtuosity), then I’d check out any compilation of Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. As for the fusion period, again I’d say Miles’ work is a pretty good touchstone for the period, with notable other contributions including Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters and Chick Corea’s Return to Forever. 

AppleScruffJunior said
Seeing as the Doctor Who thread is permanently closed.

 

  

Why was it permanently closed?