Essential Jazz Albums

[Pieterland]

thanks a lot guys... it's good to know that i'm in the right track, because i' ve got most of the albums you named here...

As I promised, here t is the list I’ve made of my favorite contemporary jazz recordings… in no specific order.


1. Simple Acoustic Trio - Trio
2005, Poland. Jazz piano trio with a modern approach. Includes a very powerful version of Bjork's song "Hyperballad".


2. Maria Joao e Mario Laginha - Fabula
1996, Portugal. Magic. You've never heard anything like this… MAGIC!

3. Pink Freud - Sorry Music Polska
2002, Poland. Mystical and mysterious acid jazz... I've seen them live, and they are really wild, one of the bet shows I’ve been to... almost psychedelic.

4. Cheiro de vida – Vivo
1988, Brasil. A live show… an unknown band… and the greatest bass player (I mean it)… this one it’s really hard to get, but try to track it down, you won’t regret.
And if you don’t find it, search youtube.

5. Paolo Fresu - Rosso Verde Giallo e Blu
2007, Italy. Just to name one. I loved every album I’ve heard of him. A great contemporary trumpet player that won’t disappoint even to the hardest listener.

6. The Crimson Jazz Trio – Songbook Volume 1
2005, England/United States. Classics of the great progressive rock band played by an astonishing group of musicians that will blow your head away…

7. Benavent, di Geraldo, Pardo – El concierto de Sevilla
1995, Spain. Another trio. But this time it’s bass sax and drums the ones in charge to cast the spell… flamenco/jazz. Live album.

8. Cinematic Orchestra – Every Day
2002, England. Another acid jazz pearl. Dark, urban, modern, eclectic. This album may be in the boundaries of jazz, but I wanted to include it in the list anyway,.

9. Claude Bolling – Jazz a la Francaise
1987, France. God plays the piano. Lovely fusion between ragtime, early jazz, and classical music in Bach’s code. Glamorous, definitively French.

10. Jaques Loussier Trio – Vivaldi, The tour seasons
1997, France. Another great jazz piano trio. The all-time classic Vivaldi concertos played in very peculiar way.


I hope you can find them, and listen them…

[Deacon_Blues]

Do you have any youtube links to those artists? Would be easier to check them out if so.


Anyway, here's some of my fav's:

Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Pat Metheny Group - Still Life (Talking) *
Chick Corea - Friends
Headhunters - Herbie Hancock
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
Donald Byrd - Black Byrd

Not much straightahead jazz here... A lot of essential artists are also missing, but that's because I don't know them well enough.

The album marked with a * is my all time favourite jazz album to this day. I don't own all their CD:s, but this one contain some IMO really excellent compositions, like "Minuano", "Last Train Home" and "Third Wind" so that's why I picked this album. Groundbreaking and incomparable music to my ears. Note my use of the word "compositions"; to me they are far more than just "songs". I just bought the first album by PMG from 1978, and the live CD "Travels". I have so far only listened to the first one once and it seems really good. I just have to listen to it a few more times before I can say it's a milestone in jazz history or not...