Jazz Recommendations

[soundave]

I love the 70's prog thread, as it is opening up all sorts of musical doors for me. Obviously, 70's prog was a huge influence on Opeth.

I know that there are also some jazz influences on Opeth (though definitely less pronounced than prog). I especially hear them on Still Life. I was wondering if any of you have any favorite jazz albums you'd like to recommend. Maybe we can broaden our horizons even more.

I'll start with a few of my favorites:

Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Roland Kirk-Verve Jazz Masters
Dizzy Gillespie-Complete RCA Victor recordings

 

[annt]

I've been trying to get into jazz many, many times but it just doesn't work for me

 

[soundave]

Hmmm....what have you tried?

 

[annt]

Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, umm... Mahavishnu Orchestra... can't remember everything really.

 

[soundave]

Did you try Bitches Brew? I think, of my own collection (which is paltry), that it would be the most interesting to an Opeth fan. Long songs, shifting dynamics, excellent musicianship. Some other Miles Davis is fairly conventional.

I actually like Be-Bop for the crazy musicianship. Some of the guys were totally shredding, or headcutting as they called it then...good term...we should bring that back.

 

[annt]

I think my dislike for jazz has to do with the fact that I prefer disciplined, carefully crafted songs over improvisation... but I'll check out Bitches Brew, my friend has it and the little I have heard it has sounded quite good.

 

[soundave]

Gotcha. It is, of course, a different kind of discipline. But, yeah, it's less about the songs than the playing. Give BB a try, and let me know what you think.

 

[Disgustipated]

Norah Jones.

 

[EveOfDarkness]

Joe Pass - Virtuoso

Amazing guitarist, plays with an electric hollow-bodied guitar and creates beautiful complex melodies and INSANE guitar runs. Makes for a great listen. Recommended especially for guitar players. Recommended track: Stella By Starlight.

Pat Metheny Trio - Bright-Size Life

One reason for picking this up would be because it includes late bass phenom Jaco Pastorious doing his thing alongside Metheny's (who is equally if not more amazing than Pastorious) awesome guitar work. Great 70's fusion. Recommended track: Bright Size Life.

Jaco Pastorious - Jaco Pastorious

The bass god himself, opened up the minds of bass players as to what was possible to do on that instrument. Influenced many players today and aside from his instrumental prowess, created some beautiful, and at times, funky fusion. Recommended track: Portrait of Tracy.

 

[soundave]

Thanks EoD!

 

[Kenneth R.]

Excellent recommendations. All of them!

For those just dipping their feet into the pool of Jazz: there's always fusion to get you started:

7For4
Etna (70's)
The Tangent
Vital Tech Tones
Return to Forever
Allan Holdsworth
Weather Report
Al DiMeola
Area
Kenso
Niacin

 

[saut]

Jazz guitar: Jeff Linksy, Bireli Lagrene, Thelonious Monk.

 

[Sanzen]

Pat Metheny Trio - Bright-Size Life

One reason for picking this up would be because it includes late bass phenom Jaco Pastorious doing his thing alongside Metheny's (who is equally if not more amazing than Pastorious) awesome guitar work. Great 70's fusion. Recommended track: Bright Size Life.

AAAAHHH....a couple of my friends saw Pat Methany last night...with fucking Christian McBride on bass! assholes

Jaco Pastorious - Jaco Pastorious

The bass god himself, opened up the minds of bass players as to what was possible to do on that instrument. Influenced many players today and aside from his instrumental prowess, created some beautiful, and at times, funky fusion. Recommended track: Portrait of Tracy.

Excellent choice, I was gonna say this. If you haven't heard Jaco do Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee", you haven't lived.


And not to derail the thread from straight jazz or fusion, but just on the off-chance that anyone on here hasn't heard Cynic, Athiest, or later Death....uh, go do it. I'm probably preaching to the choir on that one, though.

anyway, [/derail]

edit: for more good bass stuff, check out Stanley Clarke's School Days, Marcus Miller's self-titled and M2, Charles Mingus's Pithecanthropus Erectus, and anything John Pattituci and/or Victor Wooten have ever touched.

 

[Procella]

I love Charles Mingus, especially 'Blues & Roots'.
John McLaughlin 'Heart Of Things'
James Hurt 'Dark Grooves, Mystical Rhythms'

Probably I don't have to mention John Coltrane and his absolutely perfect 'A Love Supreme'...

 

[EveOfDarkness]

edit: for more good bass stuff, check out Stanley Clarke's School Days, Marcus Miller's self-titled and M2, Charles Mingus's Pithecanthropus Erectus, and anything John Pattituci and/or Victor Wooten have ever touched.

^^^so true

 

[Deoxy]

Anything by Thelonuis Monk!! Charlie Parker of course as well, anything by him. Miler Davis of course is great and a good jazz introduction album is Kind of Blue. Bitches Brew and Sketches of Spain are great and all but harder to digest for someone who is new to jazz. Kind of Blue is a return to so called "cool jazz" and is much simpler than beebop. Sonny Rollins is an amazing sax player and Ron Carter is the master of the standup bass I love him. Oh yes and you must check out the band Weather Report, simply amazing.

 

[Nitronium Blood]

HEY! LET US ALL TALK ABOUT JAZZ BECAUSE THAT MEANS IF YOU LISTEN TO JAZZ THEN YOU ARE AN ELITE MUSICIAN WITH ELITE TASTES!

YOU ARE ALSO AN ADVANCED HUMAN BEING.....WOW LOOK AT ALL THESE MAINSTREAM AND OBSCURE JAZZ NAMES I AM THROWING AT YOU I AM SOOOOOO OPEN MINDED AND COOL BECAUSE I LIKE JAZZ AND METAL, I RULE AND YOU DON'T. I MEAN EVEN THE MOST ADVANCED 'METAL' MUSICIANS CANNOT HOLD A CANDLE TO JAZZ MUSIC. AM I RITE OR WHAT?!

 

[skeletal_wreck]

Tony Williams.

Excellent for the origins of Jazz-fusion.
Formerly Miles Davis' drummer he started getting in to Hendrix and wanted to keep the jazz element but make it rock more.

Out of this came the album 'Emergency'. Rated 10/10 by rolling stone magazine its often considered one of the very first fusion attempts. Emergency actually isnt my favourite though, he got better at the fusion idea after this.

The album 'Believe It' just rules. Its pure 'get out the lava lamp and furry pink carpets' music. Much funkier jazz. Play it in sync with any porn movie and it will work just great! Check out tunes like 'Mr. Spock' and 'Proto-Cosmo's'.

Steve.
:hotjump:

 

[NFU]

Heres a couple of my fav. Jazz albums:

Miles Davis - Milestones
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Charlie Parker - Bird And Diz
Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Thelonious Monk - Its Monks Time
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
Andrew Hill - Point Of Departure
Bill Frisell - I Have The Room Above Her
Dexter Gordon - GO
Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine
Art Blakely - Moanin
The Bad Plus - These Are The Vistas
Red Garland Quintet - Soul Junction
Peter Nylander - Eyes Open
Michael Blake - Elevated
Cannonball Adderly - Something Else
Benny Goodman - The Legendary Recordings
Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
Bill Evans - You Must Believe In Spring
Sonny Rollins - Saxaphone Colossus
Wynton Kelly - Someday My Prince Will Come
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Lee Morgan - Sidewinder

 

[Mayberry's Finest]

Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, umm... Mahavishnu Orchestra... can't remember everything really.

Hmm, well you might want to try some Return to Forever or Al Di Meola solo albums. Casino and Elegant Gypsy are great. Then you have the whole Friday Night in San Francisco deal with Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, and John McLaughlin. Birds of Fire by the Mahavishnu Orchestra was pretty good. You might want to see what you can find of Shawn Lane's jazz tunes. I know Powers of Ten had some pretty jazzy tunes on there and I haven't listened to The Tri-tone Fascination in awhile but I'm sure you might want to check that out too. Then there's Allan Holdsworth. I have Metal Fatigue on vinyl and it's a pretty interesting album. The singing may be a big turn off though. You could always try listening to Scott Henderson and Tribal Tech but it's really hit and miss for me as it a lot of jazz. I prefer something more along the lines of a Kind of Blue by Miles Davis or some of Chris Poland's (formerly of Megadeth) band OHM and his jazz influences in his solo albums (Return to Metalopolis and especially Chasing the Sun). You should try looking up this guy by the name of Scott Jones. He's a phenomenal musician that I found out about via the Harmony Central forums and his album, Freedom, is one of the best instrumental albums I own. I hope this was helpful.