20 All-Time Must Have Greatest Tracks

**Noodler** · 05-03-2009, 06:21 AM

Hi, say if you had to come up with an album of jazz with 10 tracks and it was all the jazz you could ever be allowed to listen to again, what would you have on it?

And if it all boiled down to the absolute "must have" jazz tracks of everything available, what would be the essential tracks? ie the commonest, absolutley everyone knows them 10 tracks.

Yes, there's the Real Book, but I mean, where would you absolutely start a bare-bones jazz collection? The "you've got to hear this" tracks.

Thanks

**franco6719** · 05-03-2009, 06:58 AM

Just my two cents, but here goes my list off the top of my head (I usually leave things out of these kinds of questions and then come up with ten thousand that I SHOULD have mentioned:

1)'Round Midnight (Kind Of Blue, Miles, etc..)

Shit, single tracks, that's even harder than I thought.

2) So What

3) Giant Steps (Trane)

4) Tiger Rag (Art Tatum)

5) Love For Sale (Billie Holiday)

I can't think anymore. Have to go eat.

**Noodler** · 05-03-2009, 07:23 AM

I'll be buying these tracks, hence the limit ($$$), but pitch in if you have more.

I've discovered I like Mike Stern's Who Let the Cats Out, and may invest in that whole album though.

**franco6719** · 05-03-2009, 07:45 AM

Ok, here are a few more that really have STRUCK me as absolute must-haves. In no particular order though and just off the top of my head:

6)Sidewinder (Lee Morgan, from the same album)
7) Take Five (Paul Desmond)
8)Song For My Father (Horace Silver)
9) Lonely Woman (Horace Silver)
10) Cherokee (Clifford Brown)
11) Bright Size Life (Pat Metheny)
12) Nuages (Django)
13) My Funny Valentine (Keith Karrett trio)
14) Interplay (Bill Evans and Jim Hall, etc)
15) When the Saints go Marchin' In (Louis Armstrong)
16) A Love Supreme (basically one piece)
17) Blue Matter (John Scofield)
18) Dolphin Dance (Herbie Hancock)
19) Maiden Voyage (same)
20) Juju (Wayne Shorter)
Yes or No (Wayne Shorter)

etc..

I've gone a little over, but I'll stop there or end up listing everything, as I said. There's just too much great stuff really.

**m78w** · 05-03-2009, 09:46 AM

Here's my 20, tough question!

1) Stella by Starlight
2)How Deep is the Ocean
3) Summertime
4) Autumn Leaves
5) I Fall in Love Too Easily
6) Blame it on My Youth
7) Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
8) The Chicken
9) There is No Greater Love
10) My Funny Valentine
11) Blue Seven
12) You Don't Know What Love Is
13) All the Things You Are
14) Alone Together
15) Secret Love
16) Cheek to Cheek
17) Nardis
18) Gone With the Wind
19) Georgia on My Mind
20) Birk's Works

MW

**mr. beaumont** · 05-03-2009, 10:57 AM

Whew! This isn’t an easy task!
These are just 20 tracks I love. No intention of “covering the history of jazz” or being the quintessential 20 tracks, but these ones are damn good in my book, and if I had a CD with only these 20 tracks, I’d be okay.
Okay, no I wouldn’t, I’d be ragingly disappointed, but I’m trying to play nice!
Another disclaimer—In no order Song first, then performer of said song I dig the most.
1. Maiden Voyage—Herbie Hancock
2. Flamenco Sketches—Miles Davis
3. Four on Six—Wes Montgomery
4. If I should Lose You—Chet Baker with Paul Bley
5. The Water is Wide—Charles Lloyd
6. Bossa Antigua—Paul Desmond
7. Stolen Moments—Oliver Nelson
8. My Foolish Heart—Bill Evans
9. Idle Moments—Grant Green
10. Joy Spring—Clifford Brown
11. Jive Hoot—Bob Brookmeyer
12. Free For All—Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers
13. Roll Call—Hank Mobley
14. We’ll be together Again—Pat Martino
15. You Are too Beautiful—Johnny Hartman with John Coltrane
16. Blue and Sentimental—Ike Quebec
17. Angel Eyes—Jim Hall
18. Night Lights—Gerry Mulligan
19. Number Two—Booker Ervin
20. Green Dolphin Street—Eric Dolphy
Oh man, I can’t do just 20!

**Banksia** · 05-03-2009, 11:26 AM

I couldn't even trim it down to 20 albums.

**fast1** · 05-03-2009, 12:19 PM

wow, look at the diversity of choice here, alot of material to choose from.

**Noodler** · 05-03-2009, 07:25 PM

Thanks guys.

I just discovered I really like Mike Stern so I'll buy an album of his for sure. I was looking up the guys with icons below the box when you post. When we did Jazz in school it was Weather Report from memory. Is that a group?

Well I'm off to iTunes to check out these tracks and buy the ones which I really dig. Thanks so much for your time. I must admit, I'm surprised no Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, but it's a guitar forum.

Anyone else, feel free to pitch in. I like to be exposed to new music.

**Pequod** · 05-03-2009, 08:23 PM

10 jazz guitar must haves for your desert island - no order:
seven come eleven - charlie christian
nuages - django reinhardt
wes montgomery - west coast blues
grant green - idle moments
kenny burrell - midnight blue
barney kessel - moten swing
john mcloughlin - goodbye pork pie hat
jon scofield - a go go
louis stewart - here's that rainy day
alex de grassi - georgia on my mind

- easy

- Pequod

**Jake Hanlon** · 05-03-2009, 09:45 PM

Gosh, well these are so personallized that some people will dig, others won't. Lets see, not in any order, but I guess a loose order sort of based off what Itunes tells me I listen to a lot of. I would probably end up changing this list every few weeks hahaha.

1. Resolution; John Coltrane "Love Supreme"
2. Aspire; Kenny Wheeler "The Widow in The Window"
3. My Funny Valintine; Jim Hall "These Rooms"
4. Lonely Woman; Ornette Coleman "Shape of Jazz to Come"
5. Unit 7; Wes Montgomery "Smokin' @ The Half Note"
6. Yesterdays; Wes Montgomery "Wes Montgomery Trio"
7. You'd be so Nice to Come Home to; Jim Hall "Concertio"
8. Moment's Notice; John Coltrane "Blue Train"
9. Footprints; Miles Davis Quintet "Miles Smiles"
10. Joshua; Joe Henderson "So Near, So Far"
11. Speak No Evil; Wayne Shorter "Speak No Evil"
12. A Life Unfolds; Kurt Rosenwinkel "The Remedy"
13. Isotope; Mike Moreno "Third Wish"
14. It Ain't Necessarily So; Grant Green "Complete Quartet w/ Sonny Clarke"
15. If I Should Loose You; Charlie Parker "Bird w/ Strings"
16. You Don't Know What Love Is; Pat Martino "We'll Be Together Again"
17. St. Thomas; Jim Hall "Alone Together"
18. Blues 7; Sonny Rollins "Saxophone Collossus
19. Eternal Triangle; Dizzy Gilespi "Sonny Side Up"
20. Homecoming; Gateway "Homecoming"

**mr. beaumont** · 05-03-2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Noodler

Thanks guys.

I just discovered I really like Mike Stern so I'll buy an album of his for sure. I was looking up the guys with icons below the box when you post. When we did Jazz in school it was Weather Report from memory. Is that a group?

Well I'm off to iTunes to check out these tracks and buy the ones which I really dig. Thanks so much for your time. I must admit, I'm surprised no Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, but it's a guitar forum.

Anyone else, feel free to pitch in. I like to be exposed to new music.

hey, there's miles on my list!

**Noodler** · 05-04-2009, 07:28 AM

So there is. Track 2.

This is hard work! (sweats)

**Banksia** · 05-04-2009, 07:49 AM

I started doing a post with Parker on it but I hate these "list" threads - I change my mind every ten minutes anyway. Get some Parker because he's always in the bargain bin - I got a compilation with 30 songs for less than $A10. Try to find one with Ornithology, Scrapple, Yardbird,Star Eyes, Billie's Bounce. Also very listenable is the ballad album he did at Verve around 52-55. There's one with a lot of Cole Porter on it. Some of the arrangements are a bit saccharine but Bird's playing still comes through.

If you want Ella, my 2 faves are Ella + Joe Pass (the first one) or Ella does Cole Porter.

Miles is more difficult because you need to get an album from each period. Kind of Blue, Footprints, Bitches Brew (or In a Silent Way) and something from the 50s Prestige catalog(Walkin', Cookin' or one of those albums). That should cover 1952 - 1975

**Noodler** · 05-04-2009, 07:56 AM

Cool. I've already got one of his called Birdland Suite (I think).

The idea of the list was just to help me narrow down the tracks. Like if someone said, what's the first Albert King song I should listen to? It's be Blues Power! Or BB King, it'd be How Blue Can You Get or The Thrill Is Gone. SRV - Cold Shot. You know, just the best of the best, and ear-friendly.

I love "The Essential" CD's. I've got The Essential Geroge Benson. The best of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday...ooh and Norah Jones. I forgot I had that! And an Al De Meola one too. I should look at my CD's more often. Best of Dixie. Another Guitar Jazz one. Oh man!

I was surprised yesterday looking for Coltrane. CD's with 4 tracks! Must be looong songs. Yeah, alot of the jazz you can get cheap. As you say, about A$10 an album.

**hot ford coupe** · 05-04-2009, 12:18 PM

I agree with a bunch of those choices but there's one on a jazz collection that I heard that just knocks my socks off. It's Laurindo Almeida on guitar, George Mraz on bass and I forget the drummer. They did Debussy's Clair De Lune in a laid back samba rhythm. It starts off like the original but then after the first chorus, it kicks into this sexy, warm, easy samba. Mraz also deos incredible things with the bass. This cut is sooooooo coooooool I'd have to have it on any list.

**franco6719** · 05-05-2009, 03:29 AM

"CD's with 4 tracks! Must be looong songs."

Depending on the period, one "track" for Coltrane often meant one side of an LP, if not both! Definitely in the late period "suites" stuff.

Miles must-haves, in my opinion: Kind of Blue, The Complete Birth of the Cool, Walkin', Sketches of Spain, ESP or Miles Smiles, Bitches' Brew (or Silent Way)