Penguin Guide to Jazz: Core Collection List

[chicks]

http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/nm/notes/pjazz-core.php

A great reference for Jazz fans. I printed it to PDF and side-loaded to my Nook, making it very easy to look up LPs and CDs that I come across while thrifting. Not nearly as comprehensive a reference as the Penguin guide itself, or allmusic.com, but much more portable!

As a vocal jazz fan, I have all of the very few vocal jazz albums listed, and many of the more common albums from well-known artists. Lots more to find, but it's always fun to find another on the list.

 

[monkeyking]

Thanks for linking that up here. Reminds me that there are things I've been meaning to get, but I blank out at the record store.

 

[poppachubby]

Not a bad list I suppose. I definitely don't agree with some of the pics for certain artists. There are artists missing from the list also IMO...Paul Desmond anyone?

 

[chicks]

Not a bad list I suppose. I definitely don't agree with some of the pics for certain artists. There are artists missing from the list also IMO...Paul Desmond anyone?

Desmond's contribution to Time Out, which is listed, is huge and well known.

Speaking of great Sax players, Stan Getz has two entries, but the great Getz / Gilberto isn't one of them. :screwy: Scott Hamilton is listed - was just listening to another of his albums last night - great late-night jazz.

As a fan of Vocal Jazz, I would like to have seen John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman on the list, but am quite pleased to see Ella's The Cole Porter Songbook is there. Also happy to see Stéphane Grappelli get some recognition, as he's usually in the shadow of Django.

Notice that Beyond The Missouri Sky is credited to Charlie Hayden, no mention of Pat Metheny. It's the only Metheny I own, don't much care for his other work, but love this.

BTW, the new edition of the full Penguin Guide is due to be published on Nov. 4th.

 

[poppachubby]

Desmond's contribution to Time Out, which is listed, is huge and well known.

.

Right, but not one of his RCA sessions from the 60's are listed. This is a mis-step. Bossa Antigua is a classic, I would certainly put it ahead of many in that list.

Anyhow, I guess that's the way lists go, and one reason that I have never cared for them.

Let's face it, jazz fans know what time it is when it comes to who's who, and which LPs are essesntial. I think the worst crime on this list isn't necessarily exclusion but rather the listing of debatable albums.

The Joe Henderson pick is atrocious. Also, I would list Empyrean Isles well ahead of Maiden Voyage as far as Hancock is concerned. While Open Sesame shows the brilliance of a young mind, Hubbard has much better albums which convey a better sense of his legend. On and on and on...

 

[BULLWINKLE]

Thanks for the link!

 

[Art K.]

Not a bad list I suppose. I definitely don't agree with some of the pics for certain artists. There are artists missing from the list also IMO...Paul Desmond anyone?

I agree. I love the Penguin Guide for classical music but find that they are often out of touch with Jazz and I prefer the All Music Guide to Jazz.

Thank you for posting the list, Chicks. There is a lot of great stuff on there for sure.

 

[harrycrishna]

I think I am a bit like Art K. here.

The Penguin Jazz Guide (one of editors has died just before this newest edition) has always been a bit elitist and far out at times, but I do buy it. What is it with all these obscure Scandinavian, etc. musicians they go for? I dont know 'em - maybe I would like them?
Anyway, IMO, Pengy has to be balanced up with the All Music Guide to Jazz which is not too snobby to contain people like Sinatra and many many others. I love that guide - wish it came out more often.

Following (swallowing?) lists has resulted in my owning some great music, but there is plenty of unplayable cr^p, too!

 

[chicks]

I use allmusic.com all the time, probably the best music resource there is; didn't know there was a print version. Picked up the Rough Guide to Jazz at Half Price Books a while back, it's another good guide, great reading.

 

[poppachubby]

What is it with all these obscure Scandinavian, etc. musicians they go for? I dont know 'em - maybe I would like them?

Yes, maybe you would. European jazz is an undeniable part of the scene. Keep in mind that back in the day, it was Europeans who acknowledged the brilliance of jazz, long before N. America. Even in the US, alot of the corporate, club and media support came from European immigrants/direct descendants ( Ira Gitler, Ahmet Ertegun, Alfred lion, etc, etc.)

Europe provided an alternative avenue for recording and touring for American jazz artists. Europeans were starving for real deal jazz stars.

Aside from that, lots of well known masters lived in Europe. Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, etc, etc.

As a result of all of this, musicians were influenced overseas, and began their own scenes. Some branched off to create new sounds while others (Sweden for example) are still to this day rooted in Cool and Bop.

I would suggest having a look at the ECM (Germany) roster. They have artists which are way out there like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, right down to more straight ahead stylists. Of course, like I mentioned earlier, plenty of American musicians on that label also.

I think the international flavour of that list is probably the one thing they do right.

 

[Art K.]

Yes, maybe you would. European jazz is an undeniable part of the scene. Keep in mind that back in the day, it was Europeans who acknowledged the brilliance of jazz, long before N. America. Even in the US, alot of the corporate, club and media support came from European immigrants/direct descendants ( Ira Gitler, Ahmet Ertegun, Alfred lion, etc, etc.)

Europe provided an alternative avenue for recording and touring for American jazz artists. Europeans were starving for real deal jazz stars.

Aside from that, lots of well known masters lived in Europe. Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, etc, etc.

As a result of all of this, musicians were influenced overseas, and began their own scenes. Some branched off to create new sounds while others (Sweden for example) are still to this day rooted in Cool and Bop.

I would suggest having a look at the ECM (Germany) roster. They have artists which are way out there like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, right down to more straight ahead stylists. Of course, like I mentioned earlier, plenty of American musicians on that label also.

I think the international flavour of that list is probably the one thing they do right.

Again, I completely agree relative to European jazz. I have attended some wonderful live events with the likes of Tomasz Stanko and Trygve Seim and must say that I love their brand of music. I collect all sorts of European jazz and find that ECM is the label to look.

The closest thing to Bill Evans alive today is Marcin Wasilewski IMO. Have a listen to his first trio date and tell me what you think. He is amazing to watch and listen to live. His trio was actually part of Tomasz Stanko's Quartet on 3 albums and I've met the lot of them. Nice guys as well as great musicians.

 

[poppachubby]

I'll have a look for him Art, he is unknown to me. I'm always up for finding something new. On the topic of Euro I am a big Manfred Schoof fan.

 

[Art K.]

..and Stefano Bollani, Enrico Rava, Jan Garbarek, Tord Gustavsen, Arve Henriksen and on and on. For those who have not checked out European jazz...you're missing out.

 

[poppachubby]

List is too long...

I would certainly suggest Schoof as a source of wonderful style and composition. Another famed European would have to be Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP), his stuff is well worth looking into and he's played with the best of them. Oscar Peterson tried to enroll him into his trio after Ray Brown left...I think that says it all.

I actually have a ridiculous amount of ECM titles on my hard drive. A friend of mine made a deal with a cat in Switzerland, for 200 titles. He eventually was able to digitize them and I profited. I didn't get all 200 but I have about 130 or so. There's every LP you would expect to find plus a whole bunch of artists I had no awareness of.

Art if you are set up for digital playback let me know...

 

[Art K.]

I would certainly suggest Schoof as a source of wonderful style and composition. Another famed European would have to be Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP), his stuff is well worth looking into and he's played with the best of them. Oscar Peterson tried to enroll him into his trio after Ray Brown left...I think that says it all.

I actually have a ridiculous amount of ECM titles on my hard drive. A friend of mine made a deal with a cat in Switzerland, for 200 titles. He eventually was able to digitize them and I profited. I didn't get all 200 but I have about 130 or so. There's every LP you would expect to find plus a whole bunch of artists I had no awareness of.

Art if you are set up for digital playback let me know...

Just a cd player for now...computer setup coming soon.

I saw NHOP with Oscar not long before Oscar passed.

 

[poppachubby]

I saw NHOP with Oscar not long before Oscar passed.

Did you see the statue they put up here in Canada? Beautifully crafted...

 

[Art K.]

Very nice. I dearly loved the music and person that was Oscar Peterson.

 

[chicks]

Thanks for sharing, guys. So much to learn...