What Is The Best Jazz Album Ever???

[olson_jr]

The one I'm listening to right now.

QFT!

 

[cratz2]

I doubt we could agree on a 'best' artist or even a 'best' sub-genre.

Kind of Blue would have to be on most shortlists but my two personal 'desert island' albums - as of today - would Charles Mingus Ah Um and Shelly Manne at The Black Hawk, esp if we count all four discs as one album.

 

[Raynald]

I also have a fantastic copy (deluxe SACD boxed set) of Jazz At The Pawnshop. I agree that it is indeed a very fine recording, however it's a fine recording of a rather uninspired musical performance. I was initially enthralled with the "magic" of the recording, the sweet notes from the vibes hang in a palpable space like none I had experienced before. The recording is very good at "putting the listener inside the venue" for sure, I was initially impressed by the very real tinkling of the glassware and sounds of the kitchen going on etc but the music itself left me wishing that the drinks were real and the feeling that I'd be okay stepping outside for a few minutes for a cigarette and I'm not a smoker. My feeling is that no matter how "quality" the recording is, it's not worth a damn if you wouldn't care to listen to it over and over again.

It is unfortunately rare that the best recordings capture the best performances.

 

[bjlefebvre]

Jazz Odyssey.

 

[Timberwolf53]

Probably not widely considered the best, but, a few of my favorites are: Miles Davis/Milt Jackson - Bags Groove, Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue, and Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of. I like jazz guitar and vibes, and these are some great albums using them.

 

[qdrone]

Kind of Blue is a bona fide classic recording. That being said there is no definitive answer because opinion varies by individual taste. Kind of Blue is in my jazz top five,for me it was a gate way recording making me explore the genre in depth.

 

[phantomrebel]

For me, the best ever is always the one that is currently playing. Could be a lot worse, like 6' under. Jazz always remind me to appreciate life each day.

 

[MannyE]

The best jazz album ever is the one you like the best.

 

[tubed]

 

[daza152]

Kind of Blue is a bona fide classic recording. That being said there is no definitive answer because opinion varies by individual taste. Kind of Blue is in my jazz top five,for me it was a gate way recording making me explore the genre in depth.

Well said and I am totally the same it has caught my interest in Jazz

 

[KrisM]

As has already been mentioned, there's really no 'best' jazz album.

Having said that, I think anybody who puts out a comment about JATP as being 'the best' is more of a listen to their gear type, or a read lists type, than much of a jazz fan, IMO.
I wouldn't put it in my top 1000, personally.

Are you looking to dig a little deeper with jazz, daza152?
If so, there's a crew of cool friends over in the jazz playlist thread that can point you in all kinds of directions.

 

[c.coyle]

There is no answer to this question so, in true AK fashion, this thread will easily hit 100 posts.

(Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch!)

 

[MurrayLives]

There is no answer to this question so, in true AK fashion, this thread will easily hit 100 posts.

(Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch!)

And then get locked.


I could probably desert island Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay, KoB, Jobim's Stone Flower, Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder, and Dexter Gordon's Our Man in Paris. But I'm not sure any of them is really the best, and by what metric would you even judge? Those are my favorites right now, and that's good enough.

 

[qdrone]

Well said and I am totally the same it has caught my interest in Jazz

Daza152 have you heard Somethin Else by Cannonball Adderley? It is IMO Kind of Blue part duex.

 

[daza152]

Daza152 have you heard Somethin Else by Cannonball Adderley? It is IMO Kind of Blue part duex.

I have heard of it and know of it, but haven't had a listen to it, only found on eBay or new reissues here in NZ

 

[daza152]

Daza152 have you heard Somethin Else by Cannonball Adderley? It is IMO Kind of Blue part duex.

I also love Jazz piano and Jazz Bass sound too

 

[DC]

Jazz at the Pawnshop is rightfully legendary in its recording quality. The performance, while fun and exciting, is not A-list stuff, though. (No disrespect intended for the musicians, but it wouldn't make the cut if the sound wasn't so extremely good.) That said, it is indeed worth a listen, even a second one. I own the Proprius SACD re-issue and one recording is enough - I'm not seeking out another version.

Best Jazz Album ever? Good luck with that...

 

[harman/kardon]

There is no single "best" jazz album, it's a ridiculous idea.

Agree. However, one of the best albums is in my opinion Oscar Peterson's "Night Train".

 

[daza152]

What abouit the obvious classics...? Blue Train, KoB, Black Saint and thr Sinner Lady, Ah Um, Giant Steps.....and so on..

 

[c.coyle]

Kind of Blue is a bona fide classic recording. That being said there is no definitive answer because opinion varies by individual taste. Kind of Blue is in my jazz top five,for me it was a gate way recording making me explore the genre in depth.

Now there's a good question: What record got you into jazz in the first place? I was a rocker in the broadest sense (still am) when I accidentally heard someone playing a Benny Goodman record. That clarinet blew me away! Bunny Berigan's solo on Sometimes I'm Happy blew me away! The live cut off some 1939 radio broadcast blew me away!

And the whole thing just swung like crazy! I went on a 5 year jazz buying spree.