#milesdavis — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #milesdavis, aggregated by home.social.
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This morning's #workout #music is a set from early fusion era #MilesDavis doing Bitches Brew and other late 60s works. Nothing needs to be said here. Classic.
https://youtu.be/cex5IOgTuVw
#jazz #PostBop #JazzFusion #KettleBells #BodyWeightTraining #Wellness #BalanceTraining -
This morning's #workout #music is a set from early fusion era #MilesDavis doing Bitches Brew and other late 60s works. Nothing needs to be said here. Classic.
https://youtu.be/cex5IOgTuVw
#jazz #PostBop #JazzFusion #KettleBells #BodyWeightTraining #Wellness #BalanceTraining -
This morning's #workout #music is a set from early fusion era #MilesDavis doing Bitches Brew and other late 60s works. Nothing needs to be said here. Classic.
https://youtu.be/cex5IOgTuVw
#jazz #PostBop #JazzFusion #KettleBells #BodyWeightTraining #Wellness #BalanceTraining -
This morning's #workout #music is a set from early fusion era #MilesDavis doing Bitches Brew and other late 60s works. Nothing needs to be said here. Classic.
https://youtu.be/cex5IOgTuVw
#jazz #PostBop #JazzFusion #KettleBells #BodyWeightTraining #Wellness #BalanceTraining -
This morning's #workout #music is a set from early fusion era #MilesDavis doing Bitches Brew and other late 60s works. Nothing needs to be said here. Classic.
https://youtu.be/cex5IOgTuVw
#jazz #PostBop #JazzFusion #KettleBells #BodyWeightTraining #Wellness #BalanceTraining -
Miles Davis au Festival de jazz d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins le 26 juillet 1963
#MilesDavis (tp), #GeorgeColeman (ts), #HerbieHancock (p), #RonCarter (b), #TonyWilliams (dr)
#jazz #podcast #francemusique en 2 parties:
https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/les-legendes-du-jazz/miles-davis-a-juan-les-pins-en-1963-1-2-7325948
https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/les-legendes-du-jazz/miles-davis-a-juan-les-pins-en-1963-2-2-5559919 -
‘It’s the story of what happens when the music stops’: bringing tormented jazz legend Bill Evans to life
By John LewisHaving directed documentaries about David Bowie, Radiohead and Joy Division, Grant Gee takes on a biopic of the turbulent and tragic American pianist
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/28/tormented-jazz-legend-bill-evans-grant-gee
#Film #BillEvans #Biopics #Jazz #MilesDavis #Culture #Music #Dramafilms #TheGuardian #JohnLewis
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‘It’s the story of what happens when the music stops’: bringing tormented jazz legend Bill Evans to life https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/28/tormented-jazz-legend-bill-evans-grant-gee #Film #BillEvans #Biopics #Jazz #MilesDavis #Culture #Music #DramaFilms
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#DemandezLeProgramme :
1971 - The Jazz Weekend in London
- #KidThomas Preservation Hall Band
- #OrnetteColeman Quartet
- #MilesDavis Septet
- The Giants of Jazz : #TheloniousMonk, #DizzyGillespie, #SonnyStitt, #ArtBlakey, #KaiWinding, #AlMcKibbon
#jazz -
Miles Dewey Davis III
May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991#OneHundredYearsOfMiles #MilesDavis #Music #Jazz #Jazztodon #Prestige #BlueNote #CBS
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Stanley Nelson Jr. – „Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool“ (2019)Jazz ist für mich schon fast eine sakrale Kunstform. Das ist was für Genies, lange Nächte, zu viel Zigarettenrauch und immer auch Schmerz und elementare Emotionen. Kaum eine Figur wurde in der Geschichte des Jazz wohl so konsequent mythologisiert wie Miles Davis. Der Dokumentarfilm von Stanley Nelson Jr. versucht gar nicht erst, diesen Mythos zu zerstören. Interessanter ist, wie er ihn auseinandernimmt. Schicht für Schicht. Nicht ehrfürchtig, sondern analytisch. Und genau darin liegt der Wert dieses Films. (ARTE, Wh.)
Zum Blog: https://nexxtpress.de/mediathekperlen/stanley-nelson-jr-miles-davis-birth-of-the-cool-2019/ -
#DemandezLeProgramme :
1948 - Miles Davis Nonet (Birth of the Cool band) - Royal Roost - New York#MilesDavis (tp), #LeeKonitz (as), #GerryMulligan (bs), Mike Zwerin (vtb), Junior Collins (fh), Bill Barber (tu), #JohnLewis (p), Al McKibbon (b), #MaxRoach (dr), Kenny "Pancho" Hagood (voc)
#jazz -
`Miles Davis Quintet, Stockholm 1967`
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NSJtCdlhe4
#jazz #music #MilesDavis #RonCarter #WayneShorter #HerbieHancock #TonyWIlliams
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As a tribute to Miles Davis who turns 100 today, I'm listening to N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Runnin'".
PS: I was off by one month. Today is Miles' birthday. So "100 Miles and Runnin'" by Warren G, Raekwon & Nate Dogg it is.
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As a tribute to Miles Davis who turns 100 today, I'm listening to N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Runnin'".
PS: I was off by one month. Today is Miles' birthday. So "100 Miles and Runnin'" by Warren G, Raekwon & Nate Dogg it is.
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As a tribute to Miles Davis who turns 100 today, I'm listening to N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Runnin'".
PS: I was off by one month. Today is Miles' birthday. So "100 Miles and Runnin'" by Warren G, Raekwon & Nate Dogg it is.
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As a tribute to Miles Davis who turns 100 today, I'm listening to N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Runnin'".
PS: I was off by one month. Today is Miles' birthday. So "100 Miles and Runnin'" by Warren G, Raekwon & Nate Dogg it is.
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As a tribute to Miles Davis who turns 100 today, I'm listening to N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Runnin'".
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Michel LeGrand - "LeGrand Jazz" (1959)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJenJIJrq0w1akhwwa2SZxies8ohwoO2
#NowPlaying #MichelLeGrand #MilesDavis #JohnColtrane #BillEvans #BenWebster #DonaldByrd #ArtFarmer #PaulChambers #HerbieMann #PhilWoods #HankJones #GeorgeDuvivier #JimmyCleveland #SeldonPowell #TeoMacero #EddieCosta #VinylRecords #vinyl @vinylrecords
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Following up on this...the report from Tracking Angle is correct: the long-out-of-print Mosaic version of this is, indeed, significantly better sounding, for whatever reason.
https://trackingangle.com/music/the-miles-davis-quintets-live-10-lp-masterpiece
#nowplaying #vinyl #jazz #MilesDavisQuintet #MilesDavis #RonCarter #HerbieHancock #WayneShorter #TonyWilliams
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New blog post: "What the Next Note Knows"
Miles Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Margaret Fuller, and Thelonious Monk walk into a wrong chord. The next note is what makes it music.
https://whilewerebothrunning.com/posts/what-the-next-note-knows/
#music #writing #blog #MilesDavis #WEBDuBois #jazz -
New blog post: "What the Next Note Knows"
Miles Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Margaret Fuller, and Thelonious Monk walk into a wrong chord. The next note is what makes it music.
https://whilewerebothrunning.com/posts/what-the-next-note-knows/
#music #writing #blog #MilesDavis #WEBDuBois #jazz -
New blog post: "What the Next Note Knows"
Miles Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Margaret Fuller, and Thelonious Monk walk into a wrong chord. The next note is what makes it music.
https://whilewerebothrunning.com/posts/what-the-next-note-knows/
#music #writing #blog #MilesDavis #WEBDuBois #jazz -
New blog post: "What the Next Note Knows"
Miles Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Margaret Fuller, and Thelonious Monk walk into a wrong chord. The next note is what makes it music.
https://whilewerebothrunning.com/posts/what-the-next-note-knows/
#music #writing #blog #MilesDavis #WEBDuBois #jazz -
`Miles Davis- The Complete Bags Groove Session, December 24, 1954 | REMASTERED`
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The logical next music to visit with, after "Filles de Kilimanjaro," is "In a Silent Way" (1969). Listen to "It's About that Time." Miles hasn't hooked up a wa-wa pedal yet, but Wayne has switched to soprano, and McLaughlin has arrived. The sound is evolving quickly.
#BlackHistoryMonth
#BlackMusic
#20thCenturyMusic
#MilesDavis (trumpet)
#WayneShorter (soprano sax)
#JohnMcLaughlin (electric guitar)
#TonyWilliams (drumming)
#DaveHolland (bass)
and more! -
After "Nefertiti" (1968), Miles Davis began to move away from a fully acoustic sound and toward what would be called fusion. Listen to "Tout de Suite," from "Filles de Kilimanjaro" (1968), as they make their way forward:
#BlackHistoryMonth
#BlackMusic
#20thCenturyMusic
#MilesDavis (trumpet)
#HerbieHancock (electric piano)
#WayneShorter (tenor saxophone)
#RonCarter (bass guitar)
#TonyWilliams (drumming) -
“The thing is they had a similar type of #intelligence. #PhillyJoeJones: Very #smart. Very, very smart. #Miles also. Very smart. Philly had a lot of range of interests too, #reading + a lot of stuff. That type of intelligence comes out in their playing” #MilesDavis open.substack.com/pub/iverson/...
TT 560 part four: Interview wi... -
Miles Davis - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965
Slowly working my way through this huge 10LP set of the Second Great Quintet (Miles Davis/Herbie Hancock/Wayne Shorter/Ron Carter/Tony Williams) push-push-PUSHing towards a new way of playing, namely: if you're bored with what's expected, do the opposite.
It can skirt right up to free playing, but then gets reined in...
#nowplaying #vinyl #jazz #MilesDavisQuintet #MilesDavis #RonCarter #HerbieHancock #WayneShorter #TonyWilliams
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Miles Davis' second great quintet, on "Nefertiti," their last fully acoustic album. Listen to "Fall" (recorded in 1967).
#BlackHistoryMonth
#BlackMusic
#MilesDavis
#HerbieHancock
#RonCarter
#WayneShorter
#TonyWilliams -
this is some repackaged early miles with bird , max roach, etc. (notwithstanding the cover photo)
#nowplaying #vinyl #vinylrecords #oldvinyl #miles #milesdavis
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herbie hancock and ron carter (he went to my high school!) are fabulous on this record
and victor feldman on piano .… what to say ... i don't know if you know me, but you may remember my henry mancini fascination back in covid times, my utter addiction to his interstitial music in blake edwards' late fifties noir TV series peter gunn and mr. lucky ... well that's victor feldman on vibes playing at mothers in peter gunn
#nowplaying #vinyl #vinylrecords #OldVinyl #jazz #miles #milesdavis
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here's a record i have had for a million years (you can tell bc there's that stupid phallic affectation again that i attached to my scrawl during my late hs and early college years) and played a million times. it's a little scratchy/pop-y but that's ok, even miles plays a sour note now and then.
best two bucks i ever spent.
#nowplaying #vinyl #vinylrecords #OldVinyl #jazz #miles #milesdavis -
I should add this one to Discogs, since this Japanese promo version hasn't been listed yet.
The Miles Davis Quintet - Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet
(1974 – Japan, Promo, Reissue, Mono, Prestige – LPJ-70007)
#nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #jazz #milesdavis #johncoltrane #RedGarland #PaulChambers #PhillyJoeJones
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Interested in exploring jazz? I just posted this as a reply elsewhere and will add a dedicated post. Just my 2 cents.
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Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual” and “Landmarks”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz
#music
#milesdavis
#johncoltrane
#patmethenygroup
#HankMobley
#cannonballadderley
#sonnyclark
#charlesmingus
#billevans
#herbiehancock
#bradmehldau
#christianmcbride
#brianblade
#joshuaredman
#marcinwasilewski
#NubyaGarcia
#brandeeyounger
#alephquintet #MatthewHalsall -
Interested in exploring jazz? I just posted this as a reply elsewhere and will add a dedicated post. Just my 2 cents.
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual” and “Landmarks”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz
#music
#milesdavis
#johncoltrane
#patmethenygroup
#HankMobley
#cannonballadderley
#sonnyclark
#charlesmingus
#billevans
#herbiehancock
#bradmehldau
#christianmcbride
#brianblade
#joshuaredman
#marcinwasilewski
#NubyaGarcia
#brandeeyounger
#alephquintet #MatthewHalsall -
Interested in exploring jazz? I just posted this as a reply elsewhere and will add a dedicated post. Just my 2 cents.
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual” and “Landmarks”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz
#music
#milesdavis
#johncoltrane
#patmethenygroup
#HankMobley
#cannonballadderley
#sonnyclark
#charlesmingus
#billevans
#herbiehancock
#bradmehldau
#christianmcbride
#brianblade
#joshuaredman
#marcinwasilewski
#NubyaGarcia
#brandeeyounger
#alephquintet #MatthewHalsall -
Interested in exploring jazz? I just posted this as a reply elsewhere and will add a dedicated post. Just my 2 cents.
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual” and “Landmarks”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz
#music
#milesdavis
#johncoltrane
#patmethenygroup
#HankMobley
#cannonballadderley
#sonnyclark
#charlesmingus
#billevans
#herbiehancock
#bradmehldau
#christianmcbride
#brianblade
#joshuaredman
#marcinwasilewski
#NubyaGarcia
#brandeeyounger
#alephquintet #MatthewHalsall -
@davep I made a list with some recommendations a few years ago for a friend and will cut and paste below:
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz #music #milesdavis #johncoltrane #patmethenygroup #HankMobley #cannonballadderley #sonnyclark #charlesmingus #billevans #herbiehancock #bradmehldau #christianmcbride #brianblade #joshuaredman #marcinwasilewski #NubyaGarcia #brandeeyounger #alephquintet
-
@davep I made a list with some recommendations a few years ago for a friend and will cut and paste below:
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz #music #milesdavis #johncoltrane #patmethenygroup #HankMobley #cannonballadderley #sonnyclark #charlesmingus #billevans #herbiehancock #bradmehldau #christianmcbride #brianblade #joshuaredman #marcinwasilewski #NubyaGarcia #brandeeyounger #alephquintet
-
@davep I made a list with some recommendations a few years ago for a friend and will cut and paste below:
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz #music #milesdavis #johncoltrane #patmethenygroup #HankMobley #cannonballadderley #sonnyclark #charlesmingus #billevans #herbiehancock #bradmehldau #christianmcbride #brianblade #joshuaredman #marcinwasilewski #NubyaGarcia #brandeeyounger #alephquintet
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@davep I made a list with some recommendations a few years ago for a friend and will cut and paste below:
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Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz #music #milesdavis #johncoltrane #patmethenygroup #HankMobley #cannonballadderley #sonnyclark #charlesmingus #billevans #herbiehancock #bradmehldau #christianmcbride #brianblade #joshuaredman #marcinwasilewski #NubyaGarcia #brandeeyounger #alephquintet
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@davep I made a list with some recommendations a few years ago for a friend and will cut and paste below:
--
Up to the 70’s it’s easy to align jazz styles to decades - there were clear stylistic shifts each decade from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. After that it’s a bit messy but let’s see. I'm not a musician, just a fan.
20’s and 30’s
Not my sweet spot really. Swing and big band, Dixieland…..Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie I guess would be places to start.40’s - Bebop
Bebop was a “hot”, fast and frantic style. Think Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Charlie Parker - “The Best Of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recodings”50’s - Cool (or West Coast) Jazz
A reaction to bebop, Cool Jazz toned down the heat and was calmer, more composed.
Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool"
Gerry Mulligan - “Night Lights"Mid-late 50’s - Hard Bop
A reaction in turn to Cool Jazz, hard bop is not as fast as bebop and is rooted in soulful rhythm and blues, gospel and blues itself. It’s generally what jazz sounds like to people who know nothing else, in a good way. I could play this stuff for hours and often do. They play the melody, then each musician takes turns to solo based on that, then they return to the melody to close.
Cannonball Adderly - "Somethin Else”
Hank Mobley - “Soul Station”
Sonny Clark - “Cool Struttin"Special mention here for Miles Davis’ “first great quintet" (Davis, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones). Released a string of great albums in the mid-late 50’s, four of which are from two 1-day sessions: “Workin’", “Cookin’", “Steamin’", “Relaxin’". Others include “‘Round About Midnight", plus an earlier band with “Bags Groove”.
Late 50’s - Modal Jazz
To the non-musician this is difficult to figure out, but basically its like hard bop but they solo over modes, or scales. I dunno - it generally just sounds ace. Kind Of Blue is modal, as is Miles’s album Milestones. Incidentally KoB features the single greatest cymbal crash of all time, at the beginning of So What. Brilliant album.Late 50’s - other classics
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. There's a video on YT that explains the infamous ‘Coltrane changes’ over the 2-5-1. Great album even to a non-musician.
Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um” - like the man himself - bold, brash, raucous, angry.
Bill Evans - “Explorations” - brilliant piano trio - this trio blazed a new trail where the bass and drums wouldn't just be ‘walking’ behind the piano, but would effectively be improvising even as Evans is soloing.Anything from the hard bop era is best enjoyed with a Manhattan or Dry Martini in hand. You just feel cooler with this stuff playing.
60’s - post bop
In the 60’s, hard bop evolved to be more modal and generally more abstract and edgy. Best example of this is Miles Davis’s “second great quintet" (Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams).
Miles Davis - “ESP”, “Miles Smiles”This might be the best spot to mention Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme”. When the “greatest jazz album of all time” question comes up its generally Kind Of Blue, but ALS is alway a close second. Or even first. A totally different feel. There's a video that explains how he solos using a psalm/invocation. Charles Shaar Murray (I think) once said that he didn’t understand the ALS album but it just sounds brilliant played loud in a thunderstorm. Certainly intense. (Everything from Coltrane after this album is avant-garde and a tough listen, IMHO)
70’s - funk and fusion
Not my favorite decade. The major stylistic shift was to electric funk and fusion which started in the late 60’s. There’s some funk that’s OK…..but 70’s fusion generally leaves me stone cold.
For funk - Herbie Hancock - “Headhunters”
For fusion - I dunno, the bands would be Weather Report (“Heavy Weather”), Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, maybe Brand X “Unorthodox Behavior”.80’s
Not great for jazz, IMHO, but one of my all-time favorite artists released his best stuff here so let’s see:
Pat Metheny Group - “Offramp”, “Travels”, “First Circle”. Sort of jazz-rock-ish with Metheny’s guitar synth a common feature.A movement evolved that was loosely centered around Wynton Marsalis called the “Young Lions”, a sort of reaction to the electric fusion years that turned back to 60’s style acoustic post-bop. Not sure I’d recommend much here though, the 60’s stuff is better.
90’s
Another tough one. Stylistically all over the map.
Joshua Redman’s “Moodswing” from 1994 is a great straight ahead set, with four of my all-time favorite musicians - Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.2000’s - ECM
The German ECM label has a real vibe all its own. Not blues based at all, an often austere, icy crisp production quality. Usually introspective & mellow but can get quite avant-garde. I love a lot of what’s been released.
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "January"
Michel Benita & Ethics - "River Silver"2000’s - modern fusion
There’s a wave of modern fusion bands that surpass the 70’s fusion style. Snarky Puppy, Darcy James Argue, Jaga Jazzist among others.
Snarky have a great video at NPR’s Tiny Desk - the second tune has the leader teaching the audience a polyrhythm and then they play a great tune.Another favorite band is Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band - start with “Perceptual”. A real folkloric, Americana feel.
And for modern straight-ahead, Christian McBride’s Inside Straight album “Kind Of Brown”.2000’s - London
And finally, London has a thriving scene with an often urban, hip-hop mix.
The Comet Is Coming - see them live at NPR
Other London acts to try would include Sons Of Kemet (“Your Queen Is A Reptile” - just two drummers, a tuba and sax), Nubya Garcia (“Source”, dub-wise basslines), many others.
I also like the spiritual Alice Coltrane feel of Matthew Halsall ("Colour Yes”).--
From 2025 I am enjoying Brandee Younger's "Gadabout Season"and the Aleph Quintet's "Hiwar".
That will keep you busy. And will also help you decide whether to dive in further or just run away.
#jazz #music #milesdavis #johncoltrane #patmethenygroup #HankMobley #cannonballadderley #sonnyclark #charlesmingus #billevans #herbiehancock #bradmehldau #christianmcbride #brianblade #joshuaredman #marcinwasilewski #NubyaGarcia #brandeeyounger #alephquintet
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#NowSpinning #Workin’ while #writing.
I do love Prestige #MilesDavis & It Never Entered My Mind is peak melancholy Miles.
This is the #Craft #OJC - great job by #BernieGrundman. The thing sounds sublime.
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🎶 ⚫🎺
MiLES DAViS#trompette #music #CD #MilesDavis #Prince #Genius #Tutu #Plays #Live
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Miles Davis and Milt Jackson - Quintet / Sextet
Or should I say Miles Da Vis? (Sheesh, that some kerning.)
Hard to believe this came out *four weeks* after Blue Moods back in the mid-50s. Anyway, it’s a nice gathering of top players, including Jackie McLean (whom Davis had critical words about his drug use, but he seems to be in fine form).
#nowplaying #vinyl #jazz #milesdavis #miltjackson #JackieMcLean #arttaylor #PercyHeath #RayBryant
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#NowSpinning #BitchesBrew by #MilesDavis courtesy of the #VinylMePlease #ElectricMiles boxset.
This is such a great set, impeccably done. I’ve got the #MoFi versions of about half of these, & the #VMP is better. That is particularly the case with BB - the VMP sounds edgier, more dynamic, as it should.
I’m still new to this period of Miles - but BB is monumental: unique, challenging, haunting, & lyrical.
