Where to start with jazz...

[T_L_H]

So, this is pretty simple. I've only heard a bit of jazz ,but from what I've heard I like, and I'd love to get into it more, but I have no idea where to start. So, what would you reccomend to someone who is completely ignorant to the jazz world? (a.k.a me)

[Rams]

The recommendation or Ed Bickert thread. I have some stuff uploaded in there.

[halfdeadhippo]

http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/jazz100/top100.html

Start at the top and work your way down. That's what I've been doing since I found the site.

[Yield]

http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/jazz100/top100.html

Start at the top and work your way down. That's what I've been doing since I found the site.

Yeah, that's a good list, with Kind of Blue at the top.

I would recommend Miles Davis-The Best of the Bluenote/Capitol Years. It's a pretty good compilation.

[some jive turkey]

go to the library and just check out cds.

A lot of people like to say start with "Kind of Blue" , "a love supreme" or other records from Davis or Coltrane.
Sure they're great records, and awesome places to "get started". Nothing at all wrong with that advice, but there's no reason you couldn't start with Brecker Brothers Skunk Funk or mahavishnu Inner Mounting Flame, or whatever,..Kenny G, if that sounded more appealing to your ears (though I personaly wouldn't reccomend the latter)

[T_L_H]

Thanks for the help.

[antihippy]

where to start with jazz?

why, john zorn of course.

[Ando!]

go to the library and just check out cds.

A lot of people like to say start with "Kind of Blue" , "a love supreme" or other records from Davis or Coltrane.
Sure they're great records, and awesome places to "get started". Nothing at all wrong with that advice, but there's no reason you couldn't start with Brecker Brothers Skunk Funk or mahavishnu Inner Mounting Flame, or whatever,..Kenny G, if that sounded more appealing to your ears (though I personaly wouldn't reccomend the latter)

mahavishnu is a sick place to start if you dig rock

[SaintAndrew]

mahavishnu is a sick place to start if you dig rock*high five!*

i'll never forget the first time i listened to a mahavishnu record.
i bought "the inner mounting flame" because i knew who JM was from listening to him play with di meola and paco, and was just blown away. that's still one of my all time favorite albums, and i think JM was at his peak there.

[some jive turkey]

yeah, somehow when I started listening to jazz I went back to the classic stuff from the 50s and 60s, and similtaneously dove into the fusion stuff from the early 70s (mahavishnu, headhunters, RTF), as well as contemporary stuff like Medeski Martin and Wood.

As a result, I just learned to see jazz as an approach to making music, and not jazz as something that sounded like "ching-ching-a ding" with a muted trumpet and a piano tinkling in the background,or whatever.

There's all kinds of stuff to listen to.

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

Yep, Mahavishnu was definitely my crossover artist. Went form Mahvishnu to John Mclaughlin's other work then into Miles, Trane, Parker, everyone else..... and on and on...

[Zebra]

Pharoah Sanders' Karma really did it for me.

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

Oh man that is beatiful.

[Hammertime]

also, if you just wanna hear an example of the album you'd like to listen too, I'd suggest [url]www.allmusic.com[/url. You can hear samples of TONS of albums...

[ROM]

It doesn't matter where you start because there are so many varietys of jazz that if you listen to say frank sinatra and dont like him you will move on, eventualy you will come back to him and like it because there is a little something of another artist that click together.

You wanna start with jazz I recommend going to www.google.com then type in Jazz Artists and start downloading everything.

[Yield]

I just got a good album, Charles Mingus - Ken Burns Jazz, it's a great series of albums for getting into jazz artists.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Go see some live jazz...I hated jazz until I saw it live.

[Yield]

That is actually the best suggestion in the thread so far.

[Bajs]

I have listend to Toots Thielemans lately. Hes great. I dont know if Esbjörn Svensson Trio is famous outside sweden ( guess they are) but they are pretty good to. Hmm, Chic Corea and return to forever is great too (differnet then Return To forever though, but they are great as well).

For fusion i would say Bill Brufords solo albums. I have one, cant remember its name though. Like "the master strokes" or something like that. And Return to forever.

[Bajs]

John coltrane and Dave Brubeck is great too.

[hopestreet]

I'm a sucker for the ladies. Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are nice.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

John coltrane and Dave Brubeck is great too.

I'm goin to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Should be a good time.

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

I'm goin to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Should be a good time.
yeh me too

[Not_bajs]

Well, my choir might perform Duke Ellingtons sacred concert with Alice Babs on lead vocals this autumn.

[Richard248]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?

One more thing. Classical Music. I realise theres Classical Music forums but i may as well put everything together. Where to start in Classical Music? I enjoy listening to dramatic... pieces?.. such as Gladiator - the battle, and the classical works from rob dougan - namely "Will You Follow Me?" But i also like the softer type of classical music. Any ideas?

Quite often i have so many questions but i guess thats them all. Im quite strange in my music for i love ALL music genres - from Heavy metal, to rock, to indie, to pop, to jazz, to classical, to nu-metal, to soul, to rap, to RnB... I cant think of anything i dislike ;)

Anyway, il stop rambling on. Thanks.

[Yield]

One more thing. Classical Music. I realise theres Classical Music forums but i may as well put everything together. Where to start in Classical Music?

The three B's of course (Bach, Brahms, Beethoven), Mozart, Paganini, Dvorak, Telemann.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[StrawberryFieldsForever]

Im so glad i found this website :thumb:

Ive been looking to 'get into' jazz and the blues for quite some time now and im completely at a loss as to where to start. In the past ive just listened to jazz and the blues from various places and thoroughly enjoyed it, not knowing what it would be called or who it was from. Im only 16 so i dont know much!

I just downloaded the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis and i have to say... im in love!

A few questions i have before i pursue more..

Does anyone know Sauf Keita? I have one track of his/hers called Tomorow and i think it is brilliant. If anyone knows of the song (is on/from the film "Ali") could you point me out to anything similiar?

I really like the type of music from ray charles, yet am not certain of what type of music it is? Could anyone point me to a similar artist?

What type of music is the... hmm, hard to explain. An example springs to mind. In the film "White Men Cant Jump" there are 3 black men singing in the street. Argh, poor example Richard! I think it may be gospel, but I imagine i would end up with hymms. Any suggestions should be helpful.

Frank Sinatra? Swing? I love listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin (even the swing covers from Robbie Williams) but i again dont know what are good songs to start me off. Is swing related to Blues?


Ray Charles is not one of those artists you can stick in one genre. If you were to put him somewhere though, it would likely be R&B (which is much different than the R&B of todat). He covers soul, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock...everything.

Swing is a style of jazz, and probably the most common (it's my personal favorite). Other styles are latin and ballad. Blues and jazz are closely related, though have different feels and are often build from different scales, so I dunno, I guess you could say swing and blues are related, but I don't think thats the best way to put it.

[Lupus]

Lol

[indietrash]

two words: Free Jazz!
the Collective Improvisation by Ornette Coleman Double Quartet is nothing short of genius.

others I'd recommend:
Shining, John Zorn, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Mr. Bungle (they've got quite a lot of jazzy stuff, check out Disco Volante) and Miles Davis, of course.

[pearlsjam482]

http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Times-Essential-Library/dp/0805070680 This book is actually a great idea if you want a good list of albums.

[TheClap]

Free Jazz is defiantly something you don't start out with, thats a love and hate even for hardcore jazzers.

[Odin88]

i recommend Athiest

[Mr. Black]

I think maybe the best way to go, is to buy a best of that has a variety of Jazz styles, everything from Dixie to Free Jazz and all the stuff in between, and then pursue the musical styles of the songs that you like.