about 50% of my music collection is jazz. my favorites would be the following:

1) miles davis - all periods up to the end of the 70's.
2) john coltrane
3) thelonious monk
4) ornette coleman - especially the first 3 records
5) charlie parker
6) grant green
7) modern jazz quartet
8) lee morgan
9) mingus
10) blue mitchell
11) eric dolphy
12) sonny rollins
13) chet baker
14) Bill Evans
15) Stan Getz
16) Gerry Mulligan
17) lennie tristano

these are my go-to guys but there are so many more worth exploring...wayne shorter, anthony williams, ellington, armstrong, dextor gordon....on and on and on....JJ Johnson, mccoy tyner, art blakey...on and on ....

when i was getting really into jazz, about 22 years ago, i very much enjoyed exploring it in steps...for example. i would obsess over trumpeters, starting of course with miles davis...then lee morgan, blue mitchell, dizzy, armstrong...then tenor sax, then alto sax...then i became obsessed with piano players like monk, evans, john lewis, tyner, silver, etc.....

then, you can obsess over various labels....blue note, prestige, impulse, capital etc......i would go out hunting for vinyl and try to fill my shelves with any thing on impulse and blue note....lots of fun

you can also obsess or explore periods---bop, hard pop, free jazz, cool jazz, electric

you can also approach by band size...trio, quartet, quintet etc... i go in and out of periods where i like a band with no piano but two horns (ornette coleman), or a band with no horns at all (MJQ) etc... sometimes i get on a thing where i obsess with trombone in the band (JJ Johnson)...

have fun. go the library with a list and get into it

C'mon guys.
Not one of you mentioned the greatest of 'em all and the one place to start;
The IMMORTAL , the ONE and ONLY irreplaceable LOUIS ARMSTRONG !!!!!

Get the box set "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1923 - 34"

Bix Beiderbecke is another early great.

Love the Bill Evans vids - thanks for that.

I see two of you did mention him - way to go Steve and srandallf

I want to throw in a plug to a relatively unknown jazz pianist, the late (great) Michel Petrucciani. IMHO, his name will grow in stature.

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Sherwood

It took me awhile. At first I put it on as "background music." Then I listened a bit closer. It is totally sublime. One of the most subtle albums I've ever heard. Then again I tend to hear things more in the filmic vein so that might be part of it.

armstrong. i mentioned armstrong. no list is complete without him. i particularly love his ellington collaborations and hello dolly period. the way early stuff is awsome too. potatohead blues daddy-o

I see that. To me Rock's not that hard to categorize, but that's probably because it's what I've been listening to for most of 38 years. Jazz is much more difficult. So far, I can tell differences here and there, but I have a heck of a time telling what's what. There definitely seems to be many different types and to my ear, many are similar. This will be a fun trip learning a whole new genre of music.

I've actually got some Glenn Gould, but it's classical music, not jazz.

I think most if not all of my Louis Armstrong is as a vocalist, but I may have some of his horn work. I love to hear him sing. That voice, so rough and gravelly, but making beautiful music. I guess it's a very earthy thing. I also listen to Tom Waits. Some folks call me weird. :D

If you download torrents, and you like jazz, go to mininova.org and do a search for "schon55". I assume it's a user that's uploaded an enormous amount of jazz. Pretty much all of it ripped at 320bits.

thanks for all of the assistance. I guess it's fortunate that my company has blocked youtube, I have to watch/listen when I get home. I probably wouldn't get anything done at work otherwise.

I found some stuff on youtube on the history of jazz. I'm hoping it helps me figure out what's what, bebop hard bop, swing, cool, etc....

thanks all.

I'm not completely into Jazz but the one person I always like listening to is Dave Brubeck.

dont focus on the types...but, if you want to, Miles Davis is one artist who traveled through all periods from be-bop to modal to pop. you can use miles davis to hear the difference in the forms done by the master of all the forms. but i would just focus on what is pleasing to your ear.....

cant go wrong with those noted above. you could easily spend the next 30 years on just the above. go to the library and borrow the names you recognize

rent straight, no chaser: thelonious monk dvd and see if you like monk...cant go wrong with him in my opinion
http://www.amazon.com/Thelonious-Monk-Straight-No-Chaser/dp/B000053VC9

unfortunately most lennie tristano is out of print...strangely, nobody knows who he is. he is the best...well, at the very top. this is still available and i recommend it:

http://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Lennie-Tristano/dp/B000005H6T/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1236056245&sr=1-2

to think that this record was released in 1949 is just unbelievable. and warne marsh and lee konitz are amazing

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236056223.jpg

y'all forgot one of the greatest in Jazz

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236062823.jpg


mostly crap music for jackasses.

the only tolerable stuff is immediately related to peanuts.

trekkor- yea, I'm a drummer. Played with a lot of people when I was young ... Bill, Larry Coryell (guitarist for chick corea), Rick Hayden (guitarist for Dave Weckl Band), Reggie Thomas (piano), Jim Widener & his big band, Lou Marini (sax player from The Blues Brothers & SNL band) ... probably a lot of others I forget.

I played with a kicks band that was pretty well know and hosted a lot of big names. Fun times. Now I just listen. I play just for myself to keep up the chops.


One of my favourites was always Joshua Redman. Youtube Joshua Redman - Jazz Crimes, or Hide & Seek..


I just love someone who plays a mean sax.

Nice!


KT

I do generally focus on what is pleasing, but at the same time, I'd like to understand what the different types are so when I'm reading online or reading these posts, I've got a clue. I may prefer shades of red and orange, but when someone says "I like purple" I want to understand what that means.

But yeah, for now, I'm checking out the samples on Amazon.com and going when the tide takes me.