First Jazz artist you heard?

**cosmic gumbo** · 09-28-2010, 07:01 PM

I remember hearing Morris "Misfit" Beaulois playing Monk on his tuba outside of Skeeter's barbershop when I was young. It changed my life.

**docbop** · 09-29-2010, 02:47 AM

Hard to say what my first was as a kid my parents played big band records all the time. Then I heard some stuff associated with Beatniks on TV. I got into playing surf guitar and my friend at school played me a Gary Burton record with Larry Coryell and I dug that.

Then a couple of the school's hard core Jazzer's played me some Free Jazz and I hated it. I said if that's Jazz I'll go back to Blues. Then a bunch of us were hanging out at the music store on a Friday night and one of the horn players from the school dance band came by. We started talking about Jazz and how we didn't like it. He convinced us if we go to that club with him he would change our minds. So we went to the club and hear Jimmy Smith Trio (Phil Upchurch on guitar) we were all Jazz fans from then on.

**Recurve?** · 10-01-2010, 06:20 AM

Louie Prima! Joni Mitchel What a Voice. Django,

I Listen to standards, and they sound funny cause I've heard Louie PRima's versions first! lol

**patskywriter** · 10-01-2010, 10:29 AM

i was surrounded by jazz from day one and we were never formally introduced. i cannot imagine life without jazz.

**dixiehwy25** · 10-05-2010, 09:50 PM

I was born in 1961. For the half dozen or so years in my life, jazz was a staple on American variety shows. It was always around, so I never had an epiphany. It was part of the fabric of popular culture at the time- if a bit niched.

The best I can offer are guesses. The three most likely are:

Stan Getz and the Gilbertos- "The Girl From Ipanema" was a huge hit in 1962, starting the Bossa Nova craze. So for the next television season or two, one got a chance to watch them.

Dave Brubeck- US radio stations have a long tradition of playing instrumentals into the news at the hour and half hour. "Take Five" was big favorite in that slot.

The Modern Jazz Quartet- Back in the days of Hugh Downs, Barbara Walters and Frank Blair The MJQ did the "Today" show theme- so they made regular, if not frequent appearances there. How about that with your morning coffee?

Jazz was still pervasive in the '60's and was still capable of getting on the charts. For me, it's always been around- but today I have to put it on myself.

Dennis

**RonD** · 10-05-2010, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

I remember hearing Morris "Misfit" Beaulois playing Monk on his tuba outside of Skeeter's barbershop when I was young. It changed my life.

Awesome! Cosmic Gumbo, the visual I get from this post is amazing, Thank you.
Am I correct in assuming you are in New Orleans?
Cheers,

**P.J.** · 10-14-2010, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by steam-powered

Since not many folks I know, other than folks at the clubs, listen to jazz, I'm always curious what the first album and/or artist introduced an affectation for this music.

For me, it was around 1977 (age six or seven) when I found Wes' Road Song on vinyl. I played it over and over ever since. Of course, as a teen I discovered his Riverside and Verve recordings, but none-the-less, it was Road Song that introduced me to jazz. The start of a life-long appreciation.

How about you?

Probably something on the radio, Herb Alpert, perhaps?

PJ

**KingCrimson250** · 10-14-2010, 04:15 PM

First experience for me was being played Ellington standards and shown clips from Ken Burns' Jazz in high school music class. I joined the jazz band at school only because they were the only ensemble that had a position for guitar LOL.

So I went for about four years or so playing jazz guitar without ever having actually listened to any jazz, needless to say, I was awful! I was getting more and more into prog rock, and getting more and more into the experimental stuff, and then one day someone mentioned that I ought to check out Bitches Brew. I was pretty impressed by it and started to work my way back through Miles' discography. I got Kind of Blue and happened to pick up Giant Steps along with it (I remembered Coltrane being mentioned in the Burns documentary LOL). Those two albums changed my life.

I still listen to mostly horn players, but Jim Hall's Live has really blown me away on guitar. His rendition of 'Round Midnight dropped my jaw through the floor, I mean that guy was playing like a horn player, man. His playing was impeccable, every note loaded with emotion, every phrase rising and falling, harmonically and dynamically rich. Talk about great phrasing. I listen to Wes, and I love Wes, but nothing's ever done it for me like that record.

**Jazzophobe** · 10-14-2010, 04:48 PM

I'd have to say it's more of a period for me than a single artist...about or around 1977-78, it was Jan Akkerman (spelling?), Pat Metheny, Weather Report....

**backliner** · 10-14-2010, 06:34 PM

Like Brian329 and Frogeye, it was early records (some of them 78's) I heard in probably 1959:

Sing, Sing, Sing - from a Gene Krupa's Greatest Hits 33rpm LP after that.

My oldest brother had Miles Davis records, as well as Elvis, and The Kingston Trio.

First jazz guitarist I was turned onto was Barney Kessel (Easy Like), followed shortly thereafter by Johnny Smith, and Howard Roberts (Guilty!)

Pretty much put the hook in me.

**cherokeebat** · 03-30-2011, 09:25 PM

As a kid I remember Take Five

**bahama** · 03-31-2011, 01:59 AM

Frank Rosolino

**Jazzpunk** · 03-31-2011, 04:40 PM

My uncle!

**Twin6** · 04-20-2011, 09:12 PM

Emily Remler and John Coryell did a joint project in 1985. There was no turning back when I heard them play.

**amhabz** · 04-20-2011, 11:46 PM

Mom and Dad grew up in the 30's and 40's. Always remember them listening to big band swing, Nat Cole and Les Paul and Mary Ford on old B&W TV and the radio (if they didn't have Polka music on that is) So Don't know who may have been the 1st. Benny Goodman was one of my 1st rememberance of wanting to play like him.

**Bailz** · 04-21-2011, 09:51 AM

first jazz i heard was jan gabarek. i think it was 'its ok to listen to the grey voice'. that was when i was young though. I didnt really get what my dad was going on about! when i rediscovered jazz in my late teens i think it was either allan holdsworth or pat metheny. I got into the jazz thing through the metal, prog thing.

**peejay** · 04-21-2011, 10:58 AM

In about 1962 when I was 12 my elder brother bought an album by the Lional Hampton All Stars, Stardust, live at the Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, recorded 4th Aug 1947. It features many great jazz stars including Barney Kessel and it was hearing him play that turned me on to Jazz guitar. I still have the record (but don't tell my brother !)

**ABQ_Jazz_Fan** · 04-21-2011, 12:16 PM

What a great thread. I would have to say that for me it was around 94-5 and I was in the Navy and out at sea. I had a friend that was really into jazz and I was into metal and hard rock. He threw some names like Miles and Coltrane out there and one day while in port in San Diego, I picked up a copy of John Coltrane's Newport '63, took it back to my rack and put on the headphones. That record blew me away and still does to this day. I've always enjoyed guitar-centric music so it wasn't long before I had some Joe Pass and Wes. Now, it's the classic recordings and modern stuff like Abercrombie and Rypdal that continue to blow my mind. There is no turning back.

**gcb** · 04-21-2011, 03:21 PM

Django

**tele jazz** · 04-21-2011, 06:53 PM

heard wes. thought "this is good" looked for more jazz guitar, hear django thought "this is rattly and twee", heard christian, thought "he likes sliding into major 3rds"

but before i heard jazz guitar players i had a preconceived notion of what they should be and sound like, and wes fitted this the best.

first proper jazz i heard was probably my dad playing me paul robeson.

**chrisg** · 04-22-2011, 09:37 AM

For me it was very much a natural progression. I grew up with rock and in my early-mid teens was very much into the shreddy players (Malmsteen, Becker, Gilbert, etc..) and to be honest got pretty good at it (had better technique then than i do now) until I saw Brett Garsed at a guitar festival and loved his playing, that got me into the rest of the fusion guys (Gambale, Holdsworth, etc...) then from there got into there influences then the influences of the influences and then all the people those people played with, you get the idea.