Show me some prime jazz, music nerds
EDIT: WOW I did not expect that many replies, thank you all for the fantastic examples.
Can’t let a jazz thread in a lefty space go by without posting the greatest album cover in jazz: Thelonious Monk, Underground
When Monk went on a European tour in the late 60s, the entire time he didn’t say a single word to anyone in the band. Months after they got back, he called the band members to apologize. He said he just couldn’t talk to them because they were too ugly.
Miles Davis: “Jazz is only a white man’s word he gave to music that he couldn’t play”
But yeah, Miles Davis is a classic
Except Bill Evans. You alright, white man
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Not nearly enough Django Reinhardt love in this thread… Anyway, here’s “Minor Swing”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTlo809EIloEdit: and “Nuages”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ-mxcP70O8He’s so cool. Imagine having three fingers on one hand and still becoming the greatest jazz guitarist of all time
Seriously. Plus with the balls the guy must have had to go back to Nazi-occupied France to play Romani jazz in Paris… it’s a wonder that he could even walk around.
Meanwhile, I only ever heard of him because of Tony Iommi…
Check out Bireli Lagrene if you’re into jazz manouche.
jazz manouche
More and more people are saying this!
Why? What else would you call it? I’m certainly not gonna say the name that includes a slur.
No my point is that it’s uncommon for people to avoid the older term. More and more people are using the new terminology and I’m here for it
I knew what you were getting at, I’m just having a little fun over here. Anyway, here’s some Bireli
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Django is incredible. Check out that run at :45.
Django moseyed so that Yngwie could jog.
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Not the biggest jazz person, but here’s a few in different styles
Some swing music with an incredible dance sequence
It was THE popular music for around 50-60 years, so while most people think of it in it’s most esoteric and artistically developed forms, most of it is actually very fun
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The one and only, magnificent, Sun Ra Arkestra. Led by the Maestro Marshall Allen, the oldest working musician in the world. He just celebrated his 100th birthday. I’m very proud to say that I’m friends with Marshall.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jyMP339MNww&pp=ygUUU3VuIFJhIEFya2VzdHJhIDIwMjQ%3D
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Miles Davis - Kind of Blue is one of the great jazz albums of all time
Modal jazz can be an acquired taste
huh, is that so. i was probably played this album before any other jazz album.
jazz is such a wide and interesting genre, i think it gets dismissed way too readily by a lot of people
this is a fun one - Moanin’, done by Charles Mingus
another personal favourite that gets stuck in my head all the time, but a bit older - A Night in Tunisia, done by Miles Davis & Charlie Parker
Mingus slaps
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Trying to define jazz is going to be a bad time, like trying to define art or the meaning of life. Jazz originated and developed over time as an African American take on popular music; bands playing popular tunes all night at dance clubs developed their own style, swinging the rhythm to keep people dancing and improvising to keep the music fresh.
I think the development of bebop had a huge effect on jazz, taking it from being primarily dance music to then focusing on virtuosic players. Bands got smaller and soloists became much more of a focus. Since bebop popped up in the 40s, most jazz has been heavily influenced by it.
Since the early 60s probably, there’s been a lot more branching and specialization in different jazz traditions, along with the growth of free jazz and other avant garde styles that explore breaking various “rules” of trad jazz.
It’s hard to recommend more than a few certified classics without knowing what you’re looking for. I’d say early John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, and Charlie Parker are a great place to start. If you want to go earlier, Louis Armstrong’s early stuff is great if you can get over the recording quality. If you want to go later, good luck, there’s a ton.
Bebop was also popularized because bands got smaller due to conscription or just people joining the war effort, either at home or on the front. The music changed to fit the material circumstances of playing it.
I’d recommend checking out the black saint and the sinner lady by mingus
Seconding Charles Mingus for Moanin’
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Yo jazz is music at its most theoretical, most experimental. Only the best of the best can do it well and it’s not always easy to listen to. It’s not always designed to chill with, sometimes it’s more akin to the feeling of learning something new than the feeling you get listening to music. Lots of times i listen and don’t enjoy, never come back. But sometimes i listen, initially don’t like, but come to appreciate the idea and come around. I think because jazz is so experimental it’s ok if you don’t dig it. Even if you don’t, it drives the rest of music and you’ll eventually hear its impact on all the songs you love if you take the time to learn to appreciate it.
Check out the Miles davis - kind of blue album. Immensely listenable and chill. If you like it, check out the extended versions or there where Davis talks about how he arranged it and put it together.
Jazz is studying the rules of music theory for an entire lifetime just to know the correct way to break them
Coltrane is fun, my mom hated him for the same reasons as metal, said it reminded her of ants dancing on your brain: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=Ux2qH8CMVr4
Comet is coming is an interesting fusion newer stuff https://yewtu.be/watch?v=G55GspnNkBo
Comet is coming is great. Ever listen to Tauk? They’re another fusion group with a focus on looong, high energy live shows.
No, I haven’t. Going to look on youtube.
Ever hear Michael Brecker?
No, but I’m definitely going to listen to suggestions on here as I get time.
Kamasi Washington, The Epic. Such a great jazz album.
Three songs from the 70’s which I adore:
Ahmad Jamal Trio - I Love Music --------- (spot the sample in a classic 90s hiphop track)
Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man --------- (I’ve got a ticket to see Herbie later this year, can’t believe it)
Idris Muhammad - Could Heaven Ever Be Like This --------- (Just such a huge huge huge track, sitting in a jazz-funk-disco nexus in '77, seriously actually listen to this)
