A Place for Music Fans!
Music Matters » Lists » Essential jazz Recordings.
Essential jazz Recordings.
-
Sep 25, 2010
- by ornleifs
- posted in Music Matters
Every list like this is incomplete and controversial as everyone has his own preferences and undoubtedly Jazz lovers will miss some of their favorite recordings here, but if so, simply make your own list. These are what I think are essential recordings in every jazz library.
1
Duke Ellington was a Great jazz composer and bandleader. He had huge influence and many of his compositions are now Jazz Standards.
2
Art Tatum was a Piano Giant with a phenomenal technique and his playing has influenced jazz to this time. He had a tendency to overplay when playing with others so I find him best as a Solo Artist.
3
Guitarist Django Reinhardt and Violinist Stephane Grappelli created a very Hot string jazz in France. Very lively, melodic and thrilling Jazz.
4
Sax player Charlie Parker was a Genius who with trompeter Dizzy Gillespie revolutionized Jazz in the 40´s and created the Bebop style. On this collection one can hear Parker or Bird as he was called, with Dizzy create some of their most memorable compositions.
5
This is a marvelous album by Oliver Nelson with Brilliant compositions and top players.
6
Art Blakey was a brilliant drummer and with his Jazz messengers he traveled the world many times over spreading the jazz Gospel. This is one of his Best albums.
7
The Modern jazz Quartet has a Cool and Beautiful style. They play on Piano, Vibraphone, Drums and Bass and this great album includes one of their most famous song Django, an homage to the Great Gypsy Guitarist Django.
8
This is a cool album with the trumpeter Lee Morgan and the title song became very popular. It's jazz infused with old style R&B.
9
The brilliant innovative Pianist Bill Evans influenced many with his harmonic sophistication. Here is a collection of some of his best recordings.
10
Miles Davis is one of the Giants of jazz and on this album with the help of arranger Gil Evans they create a marvelous fusion of Big Band Jazz and Spanish Music. Evans manages to get so many new colours from the band with his arrangements.
11
A Jazz masterpiece and one of the most Famous recordings of Jazz. Great compositions by the Trumpeter Miles Davis and fantastically played by the band. The Jazz Gods were obviously present when this was recorded.
12
Sarah or Sassy as she was called, is my favorite jazz singer. Smooth and creamy voice and she had a thorough knowledge of jazz harmony and knew how to phrase intelligently and improvise beautifully. These were her favorite recordings.
13
One of the most famous Jazz Recordings ever made, it includes the song Take Five which is a song that people unfamiliar with Jazz know very well. The Brubeck quartet is experimenting with different time signatures like 9/8 and 5/4 and the album also has so many beautiful melodies and fantastic performances by the band.
14
Bass player Mingus was another Jazz Giant who created many great songs and brilliant albums and this is one of his best which includes the famous Mingus piece Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.
15
One of the best album by Pianist Horace Silver. Funky, Elegant and Cool and full of great songs.
16
Oscar Peterson was a Piano virtuoso of the highest order and this is one of his most famous trio recordings.
17
Peterson recorded many albums in Germany for MPS label and they are among his Best recordings. This is a Fantastic album, full af flowing swing played with fire and his mastery of the keyboard is phenomenal.
18
Sax player "Cannonball" as he was called, created with his group many well known jazz songs and here is a collection of his Greatest Hits. Powerful, Funky and Soulfull jazz.
19
Sax Player Stan Getz with an album that became hugely popular and started the Bossa Nova craze in the 60's. This is a warm and wonderufl blend of jazz and Bossa Nova and even if you don't like Jazz you have heard Desafinado.
20
The spiritual seeker and Sax player John Coltrane created a masterpiece of metaphysical Jazz with this masterpiece. a Great album which had a huge Influence on the Fusion Jazz generation.
21
Bitches Brew was one of the most influential recording in the start of the Fusion movement. Miles was experimenting with blending or fusing other types of music with jazz. This is a recording that still divides people, many who prefer traditional Jazz find fusion not to be jazz at all while other, (including me) find this to be the logical next step in Jazz evolution.
22
John Mclaughlin who played with Miles created the Super Fusion band Mahavishnu and it became a huge hit and influenced many, this album is one of their best and is full of power and bliss. They play with tremendous energy and Passion.
23
Hancock is a Fantastic piano and Keyboard player and one of the Fusion masters. Headhunters is one of his most famous album where he blends Jazz, African rhythms, Funk and electronics.
24
Pianist Keith Jarrett stayed away from the Fusion movement and electronics but created a style of his own, a blend of Jazz, gospel and modern classical. A unique and Brilliant artist.
Köln Concert is one of his best improvised Solo piano recordings.
Köln Concert is one of his best improvised Solo piano recordings.
25
Return to Forever was Brilliant Band, every member is a virtuoso and a Great composer. This album is a Fantastic Masterpiece and the Album I would take to the desert island.
Chick Corea on Keyboards, Stanley Clarke on Bass, Al Di Meola Guitar and Lenny White Drums.
Chick Corea on Keyboards, Stanley Clarke on Bass, Al Di Meola Guitar and Lenny White Drums.
26
Corea is a Brilliant pianist and composer who with his band Return to Forever created some of the greatest fusion masterpieces. His solo albums are brilliant and on this Fantastic Recording he blends jazz with Spanish and Classical music.
27
Al Di Meola was a member of Return to Forever and is a Guitar Genius and this is his Masterpiece. Brilliant blend of jazz, Rock, Latin and Spanish music.
28
Stanley Clarke who played in Return to Forever is here with a Fusion masterpiece where he blends jazz masterly with Funk and Rock.
29
The wonderful first solo album by Bass Master Pastorius. His Fantastic mastery of the instrument and his brilliant use of overtones is always such fun to hear.
30
Weather Report was one of the Supergroups af the Fusion movement led by keyboardist Zawinul and Sax player Shorter and on this album Bass master Pastorius had joined them and this album is full of Great melodies, inspiring use of Synthesizers. Bass. Sax and Drums which creates a cosmopolitan Fusion full of Fun.
31
Pat Metheny Group is another Fusion Mastergroup who has made many Great recordings. This album is full of world rhythms and spacy Jazz with sophisticated harmonies and long flowing melodies.
32
Bass player Charlie Haden and Pianist, Arranger Carla Bley created a wonderful album here, full of Fantastic melodies and emotionaly charged music with a peaceful message.
33
The Art Ensemble find a perfect middle ground between Traditional and Free Jazz and create fantastic music full of Emotion, Beauty and Great humour. This album is simply brilliant.
See the full review, "One of the best Jazz albums of the 80's".
See the full review, "One of the best Jazz albums of the 80's".
34
After a long break Miles came back with this brilliant album where he continous to blend jazz with Funk and Rock. An album full of deep athmospheric jazz full of wonder and greatness.
35
Allan Holdsworth is an amazing Guitarist with incredibly sophisticated sense of harmony and a brilliant way of improvising over complex harmonic changes, those long fluid melodic lines of his are so inventive and interesting.
What did you think of this list?
Helpful
3
Thought-Provoking
3
Fun to Read
3
Well-Organized
3
Post a Comment
Count_Orlok_22
September 25, 2010
This is a truly brilliant list. Though I have to ask where Billie Holiday is...
ornleifs
September 25, 2010
Ha Ha she is on my Fantastic Female Singers list. The main problem for me when making this list was Who to leave out because only 35 albums !!, that's not very much. And since I usually prefer Instrumental music to singers, I unfortunately had to leave Billie out, but she is Number one on my Singer list.
show text editor
1
About the list creator
Örn Leifsson (ornleifs)
Ranked #14
Ranked #14
I have a BA in Philosophy but my main interest is Music. I play the piano andI have also learned a little to play the Guitar, Violin, Drum Set and the Djembe. The Music I love the most is … more
Recent reviews by ornleifs
Related Lists
- About Lunch
- Press
- FAQs
- Contact Us
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Sitemap
- Report Abuse
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.