Help me [Jazz] my pants

Local H Jay

So, recently been on a mean Jazz kick. I want more. I was exposed to it early on thanks to Cowboy Bebop and Kids on the Slope.

Right now, listening to John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson Trio, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Art Blakely.

More along those lines would be great, but I am open to suggestions. I know Jazz is a massive genre and I haven't even scratched the surface, so lay it on me man.

metaghost

Without naming names, my first recommendation would be to just inspect the rosters of any given recording you're enjoying. During the Blue Note era especially, a lot of the groups that folks like Coltrane put together would become the jump-off point for those individuals to become bandleaders in their own right. And because jazz allows for a bit more individual expression, you can usually say "oh, I really dig the sound of this pianist", look up their name, and then go find one of their records (shout out to McCoy Tyner).

And while I'm a bit disconnected from contemporary jazz, a couple of my favorite records from the past few years have been Kamasi Washington's "The Epic" and inside//outside's self-titled. Both are heavily "jazz fusion", with Washington's record being the more traditional of the two, so they might be a good angle of approach for checking out stuff from the 70s and 80s.

spool32

Ahmad's Blues by Ahmad Jamal is one of my favorite records of all time. If you like Kind of Blue you'll like this as well. The record was recorded live in the Spotlite Club and I treasure the glasses clinking and other occasional soft ambient noise... I think it really transports you into that scene. You can almost smell the gin martinis.
Ahmad loves space... in the track below you'll hear him develop a melody then later, just... suggest it back to you, so your mind fills in the space. I love how he doesn't play any notes you don't need to hear... once he's got the line put together he can just leave bits empty, or step outside it and do something different... I really adore this whole record.

"When people say Jamal influenced me a lot, they're right..." -Miles Davis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7RIDZulyHA



Also I don't see Dave Brubeck on your list and that's a shame. Here's the classic Take Five (it's written in 5/4 time) but he's worth a listen beyond this track for sure. He's one of the greats, and technically incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs

Solvent

Along the lines of Art Blakey, I'd suggest checking out Clifford Brown/Max Roach and Hank Mobley.

Fiendishrabbit

Herbie Hancocks early albums (Maiden Voyage, Empyrean Isles, Cantaloupe island)

Space Pickle

Get Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins.

doompooky

Charlie Parker is my favorite. (According to me) his two most popular songs are Yardbird Suite and Groovin High. Any Friday night at any jazz club in the country, you're likely to hear at least one of these.

Here's a full album to dig

Ataxrxes

John Zorn. Naked City and Painkiller are notable projects of his, at least to my taste.