Introducing Jazz
A lot of students tell me that they've never understood jazz but would like to try, so here's a list of good albums to start with and a playlist at the end.
Some essential classics, in rough chronological order (links take you the album's page on allmusic.com):
- Louis Armstrong - Hot Fives and Sevens
- Count Basie - Atomic Basie
- Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band
- Charlie Parker - A Studio Chronicle
- Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
- John Coltrane - Giant Steps
- Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
Start with "Kind of Blue".
Some classic vocal albums:
- Billie Holiday - Song for Distingue Lovers (1957)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella in Berlin (1960)
- Sarah Vaughan - With Clifford Brown (1955)
An overview of jazz piano:
- Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here (1933, 1949)
- Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 (1949-51)
- Erroll Garner - Concert By the Sea (1955)
- Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz (1959)
- Oscar Peterson - Night Train (1962)
- Thelonius Monk - Monk Alone (1962-68)
- McCoy Tyner - Echoes of a Friend (1972)
- Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert (1975)
- Herbie Hancock - The Piano (1978)
- Chick Corea - Solo Piano: Standards (1999)
- Brad Mehldau - Live in Tokyo (2004)
Finally, if you'd like a 24-track overview of jazz in general try this playlist (again, you'll need a Spotify account to open it):
I've put it in the order: vocalists, big bands, saxophone, piano.
