NationStates Jolt Archive

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone could help me out.

I'm doing a small project and looking for Jazz music I could use!

So, can anyone tell me any good Swing Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Folk Jazz and Big Band Jazz please?

Thank you very much!

Edit: Can be both Instrumental or With Lyrics, either is good :)

tag


i love the jazz of The Alex Scholnick Trio - they take well known rock & metal songs and do extra-long jazz versions of em :)

Do you need modern Jazz music... or old time ragtime/jazz stuff?

Off the top of my head:
Miles Davis - 'Birth of the Cool'
Miles Davis - 'Kind of Blue'
Miles Davis - 'Miles Davis, Live at Newport 1958'
Miles Davis - 'In Person, Friday Night At The Blackhawk, San Francisco 1962'
Miles Davis - 'Bitches Brew'
Charlie Parker - 'Talkin' Bird' (Mostly better off getting a 'best of' album of Charlies, as he made so many singles and such. And see the movie 'Bird' while you're at it)
Cannonball Adderly - 'Somethin' else'
Herbie Hancock - 'Headhunter' (jazz-funk though, but awesome jazz-funk)

For big band, try Duke Ellington.

Do you need modern Jazz music... or old time ragtime/jazz stuff?

A bit of both would be awesome, and thanks to all so far :)

Off the top of my head:
Miles Davis - 'Birth of the Cool'
Miles Davis - 'Kind of Blue'
Miles Davis - 'Miles Davis, Live at Newport 1958'
Miles Davis - 'In Person, Friday Night At The Blackhawk, San Francisco 1962'
Miles Davis - 'Bitches Brew'
Charlie Parker - 'Talkin' Bird' (Mostly better off getting a 'best of' album of Charlies, as he made so many singles and such. And see the movie 'Bird' while you're at it)
Cannonball Adderly - 'Somethin' else'
Herbie Hancock - 'Headhunter' (jazz-funk though, but awesome jazz-funk)

For big band, try Duke Ellington.

i'll sencond that... since i was beat to the punch
great taste in music btw

Bump!

Umh...

Dave Brubeck - Take Five / Blue Rondo alla Turka / Unsquare Dance /many others, that are just the most known I'd say

I second Herbie Hancock's Headhunters album.

For Acid Jazz try the Verve Remixed compilations, they're absolutely awesome, or the In II Jazz IV series.

For danceable non-electronic stuff try the Mojo Club Volumes, although I don't know wether they're available outside of Germany, or the Diggin' Deeper series.

Another Edit: The Blue Note compilations are also great (Blue Break Beats / Rare Grooves / Lost Grooves), although they're more Blue Funk.

Fran

For Folk-Jazz try out Friday Night in San Francisco by Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola. It's flamenco mixed with jazz.

Also by John McLaughlin's band Shakti, check out Natural Elements. It's a mix of jazz and Indian classical music.

Off the top of my head:
Miles Davis - 'Birth of the Cool'
Miles Davis - 'Kind of Blue'
Miles Davis - 'Miles Davis, Live at Newport 1958'
Miles Davis - 'In Person, Friday Night At The Blackhawk, San Francisco 1962'
Miles Davis - 'Bitches Brew'
Charlie Parker - 'Talkin' Bird' (Mostly better off getting a 'best of' album of Charlies, as he made so many singles and such. And see the movie 'Bird' while you're at it)
Cannonball Adderly - 'Somethin' else'
Herbie Hancock - 'Headhunter' (jazz-funk though, but awesome jazz-funk)

That's great music, but i don't think it's really Swing Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Folk Jazz or Big Band Jazz.

Anything by the pianist Oscar Peterson is worth listening to. Ditto on the others listed already.

Sun Ra anyone?

Oh yes, Oscar Peterson! How could I forget him?

*bows her head in shame*

Fran

That's great music, but i don't think it's really Swing Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Folk Jazz or Big Band Jazz.
You're right there. But it is bloody great Jazz, and I can't help bringing them up whenever it's mentioned.
I figured if World wide allies is interested in Jazz, why point him in the direction of some Jazz Gods? (And I just realised I didn't even mention Theolonius Monk!)

I'll way endorse the Cannonball, but I just can't do Headhunters.

Sun Ra anyone?
SUN RAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

ahem...


Anyway.....Going in order-

Bix Biederbeck, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong (natch), Original Dixieland Jass Band (the 'jass' lets you know it's extra pretentious, linking it to the creole word for either 'speed up' or 'have sex' or whatever it really means if there is a creole speaker around and not a raspy voiced old man in a club in California telling me these things...)
Any of work from these artists will do for just about anything since most people can't tell the difference one from the other. Later Armstrong is actually a little different.

Earl 'Fatha' Hines, Count Basie (w/Lester Young or Joe Henderson, the latter I saw in concert-fantastic...), Duke (natch), Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway (those two will make up a bunch of 'recognizable' tunes such as Is You Is or Is You Ain't (My Lady)-the song Tom sings to the lady cat in Tom & Jerry and Let the Good Times Roll. A lot of the swing bands that popped up in the nineties where really doing these Hot Seven type music, the smaller swing combos), add to that, though it messes the chronology slightly, another Loius, Louis Prima. A notable version of Sing, Sing, Sing and almost to the arrangement version of the piece that the Brian Setzer Orchestra did that I suddenly can't remember...

Thelonius(sp) Monk(the collection The Composer is a good cross sample), Max Roach, Bird, Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderly (I'm going to say Paris, 1960-just to be different), Pepper Adams (just going to throw a bop playing bari sax guy in there because I have an agenda), most of the people already listed....

Then-John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, Miles (again), Pharoah Sanders, Art Ensemble of Chicago, SUN RA...I'd go on but this is free jazz and progressive stuff so it's pretty harsh. Probably not what you are looking for but I love it. Very dissonate and wild sounding.

Cool Jazz-this is your Bruebecks and Gerry Mulligan (bari sax again), Chet Baker (My Funny Valentine, Blue Room and he plays trumpet...), Paul Desmond (redundant kinda-sax player for Dave Bruebeck). Odd time signatures and breezy tempos. West coast.

Third Stream-Gil Evans-Where Flamingo's Fly or the three he did with Miles (again) Sketches of Spain, Milestones, +19. Oh and a Bossa one that I found out about a few years ago...This is classically aranged jazz, small chamber orchestras with jazz harmonies and solos, etc.

Modern cats-the Marsalsis' family, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, mind went blank....dammit.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band rocks-they are a Second Line band (a marching traditional jazz band) that uses modern harmonies and arrangements and funks like no one has funked before. I love them.

Sex Mob-Free jazz band that does some funky versions of pop songs like Macerana, Live and Let Die, Ruby Tuesday, Fernando etc...Dig 'em.

Medeski, Martin, and Wood-Funky organ trio. But then, if you really want organ--

Jimmy Smith-Root Down...yep, thats where it comes from. Even better with out someone rapping over it. I met this guy in a jazz bar before I knew who he was. He's cool.

World Saxophone Quartet-free jazz sax quartet, down right menacing. But if you get the Rhythm & Blues album they do things like For the Love of Money and Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay...menacing.

I like the Headhunters. Also, Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Prey and some others...Weather Report, if you're in the mood for it.

I lost track of the question, so I'm going to stop. Blue Note puts out a good series that samples all the eras and styles of jazz that are a great way to find out what it is you like.

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone could help me out.

I'm doing a small project and looking for Jazz music I could use!

So, can anyone tell me any good Swing Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Folk Jazz and Big Band Jazz please?

Thank you very much!

Edit: Can be both Instrumental or With Lyrics, either is good :)
I have to confess that I've never heard anything refered to as Folk Jazz before, but it occoured to me that things like the Hot Club of France or Django Riendhart might fit nicely. The only smooth jazz I can mention in good conscience is Pat Metheny.