Help kick starting a jazz collection

[Conman]

Hey guys I obviously have been listening to jazz for a while (otherwise I wouldn't be here) but what I have listened to is a real mixed bag of things and not a solid collection I decided I am going to start a jazz collection CDs books cassette tapes and more. Was wondering I you guys could give me some ideas on where to start. What CDs or group of CDs should I buy first.

Thanks

[docbop]

That will be a long list of albums alone and will get expensive if you buy it all on CD.

I would say to keep the number down start with like ten albums representative albums from each decade from 30's on. After you listen and absorb those then you'll have a good idea of what you want to expand on.


Now my easy way would be buy everything Miles Davis did from beginning to the end and your done. All the greats played with Miles at some point so your covering all the big names. He played everything from Bebop to Fusion so all styles are covered. And he was one of the greatest improvisors ever period. His phrasing, note choice, and use of space are master courses. So one person gets you a complete library.

[Conman]

Thanks

today I bought
kind of blue
my favorite things
moon beams
And time out

i heard those are good places to start

I also already had
I remember django by Howard Alden
and the best of Wes Montgomery
as well as select songs on my iphone

[AlsoRan]

Hey Conman,

I suggest you go to Youtube and sample a bunch of Jazz albums.

People often upload entire albums for you to hear, and if you like an album or song, you can buy either for yourself.

Enjoy.

[Conman]

Hey Conman,

I suggest you go to Youtube and sample a bunch of Jazz albums.

People often upload entire albums for you to hear, and if you like an album or song, you can buy either for yourself.

Enjoy.

Thanks I am

For now I was just looking for what are the classic standards every collection should have

[pierre richard]

Jamie Aebersold has a list of jazz artists one should listen to as a beginning jazz player...

But as was mentioned above,go to you tube and surf around...

Time on the instrument...

[Jehu]

Jamie Aebersold has a list of jazz artists one should listen to as a beginning jazz player...

This is what I was going to mention -- it's in the "red book", available as a free download.

[SuperFour00]

The Wes Montgomery Riverside recordings, most of his Verve stuff, "West Coast Blues" ('60, Harold Land), 'Road Song ('68).

Anything Charlie Christian.

My desert island list.

[henryrobinett]

Miles Davis. I agree. Everything up to the early to mid 70s. Early Coltrane. Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon. But Miles, Miles Miles.

[mr. beaumont]

I still like that old bit of advice...buy kind of blue, then buy records led by the sidemen on blue, then records led by the sidemen on those records...you could, in under 20 albums,; have a whole history of jazz listening...

[Tom Painter]

Might as well go all the way back to Pops, Ellington etc...

The Ken Burns compilations might be good, though I've never actually checked them out.

[Dennis D]

I still like that old bit of advice...buy kind of blue, then buy records led by the sidemen on blue, then records led by the sidemen on those records...you could, in under 20 albums,; have a whole history of jazz listening...

That's really good advice !! I agree completely.

What did I read once - -that's the only record - later cd - from that or any era that's never been out of print.

As good as music gets !

Again - -thanks - -that's really good advice !! To anyone else wondering where to start, save yourself some trouble and start w/ Kind of Blue.

[mr. beaumont]

I got that advice from a piano player who many years later became my "jazz mentor" of sorts.

I was in high school...I think I probably spent half my little grocery store bagger paychecks on CD's...but going that route, in a year I had a damn good jazz collection.

[Dennis D]

I got that advice from a piano player who many years later became my "jazz mentor" of sorts.

I was in high school...I think I probably spent half my little grocery store bagger paychecks on CD's...but going that route, in a year I had a damn good jazz collection.

I was in college, tending bar full time during the summer. One of the other bartenders and I would go to his apartment after work to drink beer and listen to his jazz records 'til the sun came up......
Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, any Bill Evans, Ole, My Favorite Things, remember some Pharoah Sanders in there, Monk, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett..

...funny how it always got back to Miles and Bill Evans.....

...ok, so you didn't necessarily have to be messed up to listen to it - -but it didn't hurt either.....

[Sleeko]

A little off topic but as far as where to purchase, I've had great luck on Amazon. A lot of the albums are offered used for only a few bucks. Just be sure to verify the condition and the sellers reputation. I've actually received cd's that were listed as "very good used" and when I got them were still wrapped and new! Happy hunting.

[mr. beaumont]

I was in college, tending bar full time during the summer. One of the other bartenders and I would go to his apartment after work to drink beer and listen to his jazz records 'til the sun came up......
Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, any Bill Evans, Ole, My Favorite Things, remember some Pharoah Sanders in there, Monk, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett..

...funny how it always got back to Miles and Bill Evans.....

...ok, so you didn't necessarily have to be messed up to listen to it - -but it didn't hurt either.....

Lol...how about it?

I had on Chet Baker's "Chet" today in my classroom during a prep period, and one of my students came back to borrow my staple gun and canvas stretcher...he hung around for a moment listening, then, he asked, ever so politely...

"Mr. Matz...do you....uh...smoke pot?"

[pkirk]

Well, lots of good, but conservative choices.

How about checking out some of the million other directions jazz has headed. I suppose the "buy all the Miles you can" would be a good start. But there's still a lot of ground uncovered.

How about checking out

Ornette coleman
Albert Ayler
Joe Henderson
Andrew Hill
Art ensemble of Chicago
Sonny Sharrock
Henry Threadgill
World Saxophone quartet
Cecil Taylor
Steve Coleman
Greg Osby

[mr. beaumont]

You can be at those cats in one step if you use my method.

[cosmic gumbo]

Besides Miles, the other great talent scout bandleader in jazz history was Art Blakey for his Jazz Messengers.

[nick1994]

I reckon the best advice given so far is take your favorite album and then follow the records of the sideman as suggested by mr. Beaumont.

[Little Jay]

My collection grew steadily because I liked Grant Green and Kenny Burrell and I was chasing everything they played on, also as sidemen and discovered the artist who were the 'leaders' ond those albums. Then I started buying albums of those artist and albums where they in turn were sidemen.

So a bit like mr beaumont's method, but just the other way around ;-)

[marcwhy]

Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson, and other Blue Note stuff.

Newer cats: Mark Turner, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Tom Harrell, etc.

Have fun -- lots to listen!

[Conman]

Thanks guys lots of good advice

[TOMMO]

For building a record (CD) collection on a budget you can't go wrong with that series of ".(insert figure 6,7 or 8 here).....Classic Albums" - all 4 CD sets with full albums by the respective artist and dirt cheap for what you get.

Two examples:

[Conman]

For building a record (CD) collection on a budget you can't go wrong with that series of ".(insert figure 6,7 or 8 here).....Classic Albums" - all 4 CD sets with full albums by the respective artist and dirt cheap for what you get.

Two examples:

awesome me thanks man