I just noticed that iTunes is having a sale on jazz. You can purchase some of the finest jazz albums of all time for between $5.99 - $6.99. For those of you who don't know much about jazz, but have always wished you did, this is a great opportunity!
I took the liberty of narrowing down the list on iTunes, here are my recommendations:
At Newport 1958: Miles Davis Sextet – Incredible live recording at the Newport Jazz Festival. Miles Davis (trumpet), Bill Evans (pianist), Jimmy Cobb (drums), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), & Paul Chambers (bass) performed this just six months before recording Kind of Blue (probably the best jazz album of all time).
My Favorite Things: John Coltrane – This landmark jazz recording was made in less than three days. The title track is one of my “favorites” of all time!
Saxophone Colossus: Sonny Rollins – Ranks up there with John Coltrane as one of the all time great tenor saxophonists. This is his finest all-around recording.
A Night in Tunisia: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Incredible percussionist Art Blakey kicks off the title track with one of the most famous intros in jazz history. Classic hard bop jazz.
It’s Monk’s Time: Thelonious Monk – Monk is not for everyone, and is kind of an acquired taste, but he is definitely a pianist unlike any other.
Change of the Century: Ornette Coleman - One of the most important (and controversial) innovators of the jazz avant-garde or “free jazz.”
Giant Steps: John Coltrane – Coltrane recorded this watershed “free jazz” album less than three weeks after completing his work with Miles Davis on another genre-defining disc, Kind of Blue.
The Great Summit: Duke Ellington & Louis Armstrong – Two of the masters
Lush Life: John Coltrane – Coltrane breaks from his exploratory “free jazz” to play standards and ballads, which are rarely more interesting and beautiful.
The only bummer about purchasing jazz on iTunes is that you don't get the liner notes. Half the fun of listening to jazz is learning about the history behind the music, and the liner notes are usually a terrific resource. However, another great resource is allmusic.com.
Happy listening!
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