Source
r/Jazz•
MaccaAndCleese

Suggestions for entry level jazz listening?

Hello, I always wanted to get into jazz. However it's such a big genre that I only know a few songs and pieces here and there, without being big into the genre. I am autistic and a lot of music that I used to listen to I either now dislike or makes me cry due to an emotional response to something in the song. Jazz... never does that. I process my emotions healthily when I listen to jazz and I like that. This is why I would like to get into jazz. I don't know what to listen to however. Help a girl out please, your effort will be appreciated.

Some notes on my experience with jazz: I know some easy listening, big name stuff: Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles I can call my favorites, with Nina Simone not known well enough to have an opinion on, but up there. I also am VERY familiar with Ella Fitzgerald, know a couple songs from Doris Day, and I can safely say Take Five in the Dave Brubeck quartet rendition made 5/4 my favorite time signature. I also kind of know Louis Armstrong (mostly through his work with Ella) and have heard of the great trumpet player Chet Baker. Beyond that I know nothing. Recommend away, please!

Posted Jul 9, 2022, 6:31 PM UTC

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CCW_101•

For some more dense and challenging (arguably off course) albums, that are still very melodic, try Herbie Hancock's Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage, Wayne Shorter's Adam's Apple and The Soothsayer. Off course, for many the big in has been Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (which is also not a bad way to get introduced to John Coltrane).

This off course is all very much classic 50's 60's Jazz.

You might be able to get into Brian Blade's Fellowship as well, which is more contemporary. Or maybe even Kamasi Washington.

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[deleted]•

[removed]

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evilempire1300•

blue note top ten

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VegaGT-VZ•

Cool list but man whoever wrote this seems to think jazz hasn't moved forward in damn near 60 years.

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evilempire1300•

Yeah I agree! My thought in sharing was that this is history and education for someone who is new. It’s pretty important to get the head solo head structure in bebop and hard bop, before you dive into all kinds of modern stuff where they are tinkering with the head and sometimes even soloing the whole time without much head.

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VegaGT-VZ•

For sure, wasn't associating you with the judgments made in that link. I had a weird journey with jazz.... I got in through fusion and am working my way backwards. Cool to see the evolution in reverse. Struggling to make it past hard bop though.

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evilempire1300•

You might like some teaching by Winton Marsalis or Christian McBride where they talk about how the early musicians and arrangements set the foundation and vocabulary for everything else. I’m not sure I can track down links but try googling around for that.

1
Bbbrpdl•

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West

A truly great jazz album, without any maudlin sentimentality; its good fun without being cheesy…. Yes its cowboy themed, but I promise that doesn’t detract from how good it is!

4
Za_Paranoia•

Relaxing with the miles Davis quintet.

Great record and easy to listen to.

3
Perfect_Ad_7893•

Soul Station by Hank Mobley

3
quoe•

Recently saw Samara Joy and she is a fantastic vocalist. I highly recommend her; Pasquale Grasso on guitar as well. Enjoy

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Jungulate•

I saw them too, in Montréal! Terrific show.

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quoe•

Glad you've actually seen her live!! I agree, she was phenomenal in BC! Worry later/San fran was an unbridled delight. Since you know Samara; I'll share a couple more. No order only vibes: Rashaan Roland Kirk, James Carter, MonoNeon, Gretchen Parlato, Ahmad Jamal, Eric Dolphy, Youssef Kamal, Danny Grisset, Chris Daddy Dave [for fancy times], Kiyohiko Senba and the Haniwa All-Stars, The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr.

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Economy_Okra4392•

Indestructible by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Sunday at the Village Vanguard by Bill Evans.

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Economy_Okra4392•

Actually, check these two first, a bit more "user-friendly".

Live at London House by the Oscar Peterson Trio.

Jam Session (1952) by Charlie Parker.

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sdanielsmith•

I cut my teeth on Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Keith Jarret, and Chet Baker. Moved on from there to Nicholas Payton, Grace Kelly, Kait Dunton, Chris Botti, now back to classics like Ellington and Coltrane. I'd recommend any of those to start with.

3
bensonic88•

i can offer my wide variety, commercial-free Jazz stream as a place you might discover music you enjoy. you can click here to listen to THE JAZZ STATION

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Sea-Book-5536•

Thanks, this looks cool

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dsbenso•

thanks! give it a listen and share it with others if you think they’ll enjoy it.

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Trouble-Every-Day•

Kind of Blue is the album I always come back to.

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0belvedere•

Not so much turning in a new direction but Nina Simone’s first album is a great one: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=197tv8tUxiE

Also, both Chet Baker and Paul Desmond (of the Dave Brubeck group) play on Jim Hall’s Concierto album: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rGMqmJZdgm4

Finally search the sub for other posts from new listeners, you’ll find some good recommendations in them too

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LaserRanger•

while growing up Concierto was jazz for me. that was the jazz record my dad played most often.

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BellJarJar•

The albums that got me into jazz were Art Blakey's Moanin' and Free for All. I think those are more accessible than Kind of Blue or Giant Steps or some of the other stuff people usually reccomend.

If you're looking for something more laid back, I can't recommend Getz/Gilberto enough! Or anything from João Gilberto, really!

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smileymn•

John Zorn - Naked City, great starter album

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TakeItPrez•

Haha love it

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NarvalAlbatre•

I remember at my beginning of people saying to me to listen to Blue train and Kind of Blue. The thruth is, IMHO, they are not so accessible for someone who's starting to educate himself. I'll recommend Soul Station by Hank Mobley. Gosh, this album sound so great, very accessible, but still so good.

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doggitydog123•

Mostmornings. wwoz.org has a two hour traditional jazz segment, you could just listen to their archives in the last two weeks they’re exposed to a lot of different things

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MaccaAndCleeseOP•

Are you sure you typed that right? I searched that and it just took me to WWOZ's front page.

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doggitydog123•

They have a traditional jazz 2 hour segment most weekdays,- look at the menu and the two week archive

https://www.wwoz.org/listen/archive/

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MaccaAndCleeseOP•

Thanks! Now I can access it with ease!

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doggitydog123•

This radio station, which is local for me, has done more to expand the type of music I listen to then anything else in the last 40 years.

Not just jazz, but Cajun/zydeco music, some types of very classic rock, various types of blues

The one frustration you may encounter is at times it can be a chore to figure out what the name of the pieces – in some cases they just don’t list them. They do have a last 100 songs which is not always updated but can sometimes answer questions, but as someone here pointed out, Shazam is the way to identify a song otherwise

What is interesting about the stations they don’t play just top hits, the DJs are pulling esoteric stuff from the 20s and 30s up, and this generally applies to all genres

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rosietobes•

Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk

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rodri08•

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

Undercurrent - Bill Evans and Jim Hall

Chet Baker Sings

The Awakening - Ahmad Jamal Trio

Getz/Gilberto

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Sea-Book-5536•

Listening again now. Great selection of music

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