molkman
Owner of George Washington's Prototype Mittens





2005 May 2 • 2066
404 ₧

Well, I like Jazz music alot, but sadly haven't listened to it that much actually, mostly because I just don't know where to start, like, I don't know any cool stuff (except for maybe Louis Armstrong and such). And since I know eDan and I think also Rodeo like to listen to Jazz stuff, I thought maybe you could recommend something, 'cause I really don't know where I should start, haha.

eDan Co.
Mighty Typist



2007 Sep 24 • 2921
252 ₧

Youtube is your friend. Search for the big names like Benny Goodman, Miles Davis, Weather Report (and Jaco Pastorious), John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans (there are two, I like them both), Joe Zawinul, Mike Stern... I can go on for quite a bit.

You need to see what you like...
1940's bigband music (like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman)?
Mellow jazz trios / quartets / quintets / sextets?
Modern Bebop (Like Randy Brecker and Bill Evans)?
Modern rock-jazz like Mike Stern?
Vocal jazz? Listen to Bobby McFerrin, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Jazz is such a huge branch of music, I didn't even get in to Blues at all, which you might like. Find what kinds of jazz you enjoy and tell us.


P.S. Sorry for not shutting my yapper flapper.

NatureJay
SJA: Commander of Ruthless Abuse


2005 Mar 23 • 1871
574 ₧

Okay. I'm into jazz, although recently I've been listening to classical non-stop because of a class I have.

Here's some basic stuff that I like:

Charles Mingus
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is probably my favorite composition, and not just because the liner notes were written by his psychiatrist, although this certainly helps. It's hard to describe it succinctly, but I'll try. There are three opening movements and a fourth final movement that combines them and jams them together. Along the way, there are spiraling woodwinds, Mingus banging on a piano for demonstrative purposes (he's usually a bassist), brass sections going mad, short heartfelt bass solos, and spontaneous interludes of flamenco guitar. And yet it all manages to make sense somehow.
Also recommended: Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (basically, anything that has "Better Get [H]it in Yo' Soul"), Epitaph (haven't heard yet, but it's a two-hour long final work of his that was never quite completed)

John Coltrane
Giant. If one knows jazz, one must know Coltrane. This is unavoidable. A Love Supreme, which is essentially a chronicle of him finding God after a long period of heroin addiction, is considered by many to be the greatest jazz album of all time (I put The Black Saint... above it, but few do). It lives up to its reputation and even for being "that" kind of album, it remains brilliant.
Also recommended: Ole Coletrane (the opening track is brilliant enough, but the third track does the slow stuff and manages to make it interesting)

Miles Davis
Not really a huge fan, but everybody seems to love Kind of Blue. I listened to it again the other day and I still don't think I quite get what all the fuss is about. I prefer Bitches Brew.

The Lounge Lizards (extra credit)
John Lurie is one of the main reasons jazz isn't dead yet. Sometimes it's jazz. Sometimes it sounds like a saxophone (Lurie!) playing a Giacinto Scelsi composition with standard jazz accompaniment. Sometimes they have Marc Ribot on guitar! I found them during finals week last semester and tore through their collected works pretty quickly. I can't decide whether I like The Voice of Chunk or The Queen of All Ears better, but the former is more traditional I think, which makes sense because it was released ten years earlier.

Thelonious Monk
You can get Brilliant Corners, and you can appreciate it for what it does, but to get the real emotional quality out of what Monk does to a piano, it's almost necessary to get Solo Monk and listen to tracks like "I Should Care" and "I Surrender, Dear". Fun fact: Monk and Mingus were known to get into it at New York City jazz bars and then steal each other's instruments and imitate each other. This is especially funny when one considers how extremely angry Mingus was most of the time.

Down Rodeo
Cap'n Moth of the Firehouse


2007 Oct 19 • 5486
57,583 ₧

Couldn't recommend anything I'm afraid Molks, I'm into it but more in the sense that I listen to Jazz shows on the radio (rather good ones it must be said).

eDan Co.
Mighty Typist



2007 Sep 24 • 2921
252 ₧

Miles Davis re-invented jazz. Seriously. It was his idea to use musical modes that match the color of the chords being played during a solo. He actually revived musical modes all together, So What is a great example of this. I think he is a genius.


What Classical music do you like? Baroque, Classical, Romantic? All of the above?

My absolute favorites are Beethoven and Bach, and I find it rather ironic because Beethoven was a big Bach fan himself.

If we're already on the topic, I just gotta recommend you listen to Beethoven's 7th symphony, 2nd movement.

NatureJay
SJA: Commander of Ruthless Abuse


2005 Mar 23 • 1871
574 ₧

I'm actually taking a course in it right now and have a paper due Wednesday where I have to review five works in a BBC style. I'm really only getting my feet wet in it, but I have ludicrous resources at my disposal via the school, so I've been taking advantage by looking up some names I'm somewhat familiar with by association.

I respect Beethoven actually quite a lot. The Pathetique Sonata is something that I could listen to on repeat for quite some time, but again, I've only gotten a sideway glance at his work so far. Similarly, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, though the only work of his that I'm familiar with, really quite impresses me and I could not stop listening to it a week or two ago.

Presently, I'm listening to String Quartet 7 & 8 by Shostakovich on repeat. A few days ago, it was Debussy's Clair de Lune. Those are the two locks for the paper (Four Seasons and Pathetique Sonata are off-limits, along with anything else covered in class). I don't know enough about classical composition to do anything too terribly complicated, but I've also been considering Chopin's Scherzo 2 and possibly Dvorak's 9th, Fourth Movement just for the challenge of it. Then, for kicks, I may consider throwing Scelsi in at the end, just to be problematic. I thought about tossing in some Gavin Bryars for effect, but minimalist composition can be a we bit repetitive and one has to give it a very close listen in places to tell when exactly it's changing.

SolidKAYOS
Count Adelaide


2007 Jun 24 • 84
68 ₧

O.o

the_cloud_system
polly pushy pants

2008 Aug 1 • 3081
-6 ₧

hmmmm just got jazzey

aaronjer
*****'n Admin


2005 Mar 21 • 5046
1,227 ₧

After extensive listening I have discovered that I passionately despise all of Baroque EXCEPT for Vivaldi. I like basically everything Vivaldi, his violin concertos prove to be the best thing in the era... Four Seasons or otherwise.

Most other 'classical' music I listen to is modern. Some completely faithfully classical and then other stuff like Yuki Kajiura that goes all over the place but contains major classical elements most of the time.

Most of the reason I prefer modern classical sounding music to actual classical music is that they NAME THEIR FUCKING SONGS NOWADAYS! I can't even describe how irritated I get by someone brilliantly creative musically being incapable of naming their songs in any way other than numbering them in order of creation... WTF was wrong with them?!

molkman
Owner of George Washington's Prototype Mittens





2005 May 2 • 2066
404 ₧

Awesome! Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll loo them up soon and tell you which of them I likey.

molkman
Owner of George Washington's Prototype Mittens





2005 May 2 • 2066
404 ₧

I got me some John Coltrane today, it's pretty awesome. Next up might be some Jazz that is not that much focussed on Saxophone. Drums would be kickass, haha.