Another boring 'recommend me some jazz' thread.
 

OK. I've been struggling this past year or so to find something I actually enjoy listening to, with lots of experiments leading to a depressing succession of inspirational cul-de-sacs. Then I got some Cannonball Adderley and, to my utter delight, discovered that I fucking LOVE it.

So, can anyone recommend me some jazz in that hard bop, 50s-60s Blue Note style? I'm a blank canvas on this in that so far I only have maybe three albums that really fit into the category: Adderley's Somethin' Else, Hank Mobeley's No Room for Squares, and Sonny Clarke's Cool Struttin' - oh and Charlie Mingus'. Mingus Ah Um. Anyway, I know this type of jazz doesn't get much of a mention here but if anyone could suggest where I might turn for more I'd be so grateful. Oh, and because I have so little of it, and know even less about it, don't worry about suggesting the obvious - cos it won't be obvious to me.

Cheers, er, daddios.

I love me some Thelonious Monk. Find a decent live recording or snag the Best of.

Thanks! Any recommendations for a good TM live album?

You're into the region of reasonable prices. Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Lionel Hampton & Count Basie will probably float your boat, but if you're looking for something even further away from your Davises and Coltranes, dig in your charity shops - I've found loads of awesome compilations with titles like 'hot jazz! 1946-52' or 'wartime hit' or, my two personal favourite 'Hits from the forties' and 'homemade jam - British jazz.

Stephane Grappelli (with or without Django Reinhart) may well flick your switches as well.

Edit: I'm assuming you're meaning the tail end of what's now known as 'trad' jazz, before it went hard and cool and free.

Thanks for that. I agree that Charlie Parker is an obvious one to look at but there's so much of it out there and so many mixed reviews of individual comps and individual albums that it seems almost impossible to work out where to turn.

How about a "best of" Humphrey Lyttleton comp? Y'know, "Bad Penny Blues" and all that. And forget ye not this person:

On a slightly more serious note, you may like some of Bill Evans' solo stuff...and try out the Oscar Peterson Trio too. Very nice indeed.

Agreed - this is why I'd err towards charity shops rather than Ray's Jazz. You can get a good ten albums for £20 - you'll get a load of guff, but that all-important find will be well worth it.

Herb Alpert. Check his shit. That's my homeboy right there.

Ha Ha. Seriously, I have some of their stuff and, while I love them both to bits as people, I've never been able to really get into them musically.

Another 'legend' of British jazz, Tubby Hayes, is another kettle of eels altogether. This album in particular has some brilliant stuff on it:

Some Oscar Peterson for you on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKKpoCy0a5Y

Actually a good place to start would be by watching his documentary: Straight, No Chaser.

start here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixahuLVBNM4

That's just bizarre that you mentioned the man like Alpert! 'Going Places' is one of those albums that always manages to find its way onto the gramaphone player at Rail Towers whenever the merest hint of summer begins to arrive. It always makes me want to eat oranges, for some reason. I'm sure that, as a fellow Alpertian, you fully understand. In fact, while struggling unsuccessfully to find something that connected, I often found myself returning to Alpert for a much needed fix of sonik-kwalitay, regardless of the weather. God bless you Sir Glice.

[edit:] Thank ye Melly and Mangajunk for those. Will watch them both in bed tonight.

I'm totally there with the Alpertism.

I was working somewhere in London when I was about 22 or so. There was a chap in his mid-30s, of Welsh providence. We went out for pints a few times. One time, he insisted on playing me some Alpert. He said, at the time, that in every musically-inclined person's life they really should learn to love the Alpert. I poo-pooed it at the time, thinking 'well, that's the same guff I hear from pub bores about the Doors/ Dylan and the like'. For some reason, however, his words stuck with me, and they came ringing back to me on miserable afternoon in a charity shop in arseendofnowheresville, Somerset, and I happened upon a Herb LP. '£1', I thought, 'might as well give it a bash'. And by God was that Welshman right. I thank you, Welshman I lost contact with a million years ago.

you are off to a good start with the mingus ah hum, and the SOmethin else. that somethin else is a fucking KILLER album

Jimmy Smith - THE SERMON (Jimmy plays organ)
John Coltrane - BLUE TRAIN
Ornette Coleman - SOMETHING ELSE
Art Blakey - THE JAZZ MESSENGERS
Sonny Rollins - SAXOPHONE COLLOSUS
Thelonius Monk - MYSTERIOSO
Dexter Gordon - DOIN' ALLRIGHT
The Quintet - VSOP (Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shroter and Tony Williams. LIVE, jesus fucking christ this is a goddamn BAD ASS ALBUM

Loving the Alpert story. Niggas know, Glice, niggas know!

Oh wow, that's PERFECT! Names and album titles. WONDERFUL help Rob. Loads to get through there. You're gonna be costing me ££s but anyway. Next time you buy yourself a large whiskey imagine I bought it for you, cos I would if I could!

Some favorites...

i prefer monk's brilliant corners. now there is a great album

...good list, Rob.
I especially second Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and Saxophone Collosus with Sonny and Max. I can listen to those every once in a while and always enjoy 'em.
///...
And, it almost goes without sayin' that Dolphy's Out to Lunch and Mingus Ah Um are indispensable as well.

Max Roach - We Insist! Freedom Now
Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones
Lennie Tristano & Warne Marsh - Intuition
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
Miles Davis Quintet - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles
McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
Joe Henderson - Our Thing
Warne Marsh - Release Record, Send Tape
Horace Silver Quintet - s/t


(...tried to stick to ten but could not...)
John Coltrane - The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions
John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound
John Coltrane - Lush Life
John Coltrane - Soultrane
John Coltrane - s/t (Prestige label)
John Coltrane - s/t (Impulse label)
this list of great early-to-mid Trane could go on for awhile...
Miles Davis Quintet - My Funny Valentine + Four & More
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Herbie Hancock - Speak Like A Child
Horace Silver - The Jody Grind
Horace Silver - Song For My Father
Horace Silver Quintet - Further Explorations by the Horace Silver Quintet
(This 1958 Horace Silver recording was just remastered by Rudy Van Gelder and rereleased by Blue Note a couple of months ago)

Yep. One of the first jazz albums that I really fell in love with.

For some hard bop check out Moanin' by Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers.