fett on 8/11/2008 at 00:33
Can I piggyback onto this thread to ask for recommendations for more upbeat 'happy' jazz, vocal or non? Piano and sax focused is preferred, though I can tolerate some guitar fronted jazz.
rachel on 8/11/2008 at 01:01
Well there are the classics like Brubeck, Charlie Parker or Stan Getz.
My current favourites are the Adderley's Quintet Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and Live at the Lighthouse. Somethin' Else (feat. Miles Davis) is a great one too, but I tend to prefer the "raw" feel of the live albums. Speaking of Miles, Milestones is a reference.
Along Came Betty's Brad Mehldau's Monogrammed Guest Towels is pretty cool.
I'm a big fan of gipsy jazz, like Django Reinhardt or the Hot Club of San Francisco (Yerba Buena Bounce)
fett on 8/11/2008 at 01:58
Happy or sad raph? I know the obvious ones - I'm looking for some more current stuff.
june gloom on 8/11/2008 at 02:12
Quote Posted by demagogue
"Explosions in the sky" are out of Dallas ... I always hear that genre called postrock or art rock, and if you like them you're also supposed to like MONO and Mogwai.
It (postrock) has got emotion, though I wouldn't really call it noir-ish. Then again, it definitely fits more with the Blade Runner setting IMO, being a little industrial and considering Vangelis did the soundtrack and is himself a little postrock.
I love post-rock! And post-metal, and post-hardcore. But that's not really jazz. ;p
Tonamel on 8/11/2008 at 04:07
fett, some happy, mostly vocal jazz for you:
Karrin Allyson, Wild for You
Buddy Rich Big Band, Live at WHAM
Koop, Koop Islands (Warning: REALLY cheesy at times.)
Vintage Jazz, vol. 1 (red wine jazz) and 2 (white wine jazz)
And for both you and dethtoll (as they've got a bit of a range, and I neglected to mention them earlier):
The Industrial Jazz Group, City of Angles
rachel on 8/11/2008 at 08:34
Quote Posted by fett
Happy or sad raph? I know the obvious ones - I'm looking for some more current stuff.
My second post was the happy stuff :)
Aja on 8/11/2008 at 08:35
Quote Posted by fett
Can I piggyback onto this thread to ask for recommendations for more upbeat 'happy' jazz, vocal or non? Piano and sax focused is preferred, though I can tolerate some guitar fronted jazz.
Coltrane -
Giant Steps. Possibly the best jazz album ever made. Then later check out Miles' albums
ESP,
Sorcerer, and
Nefertiti.
Dethtoll - try Coltrane's
Blue Train, especially the title track. I don't know Blade Runner, but there's a definite noir feel here.
I swear, between Miles Davis and John Coltrane it hardly seems like any other jazz needs to exist.
EDIT - oh oh! also, dethtoll, listen to
Tragicomic by Vijay Iyer. It's more experimental and probably a bit more difficult, but it's definitely got a sultry demeanor. And as an added bonus it's new, so you can feel like you're hip to the modern jazz scene. I'm actually not, but I stumbled upon the album and listened to it for the first time a few days ago; it's ace.
demagogue on 8/11/2008 at 08:58
Fett: I posted a link in my previous post to my "(
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=482B4EF94941D82C&page=7) history of jazz piano" playlist. It hits every major jazz pianist in chronological order from the beginning to today ... My original intention was to provide it for someone just getting into jazz to at least hear one song from every major player so they knew what was out there.
So if you want to know what's good and what's recent, I recommend you look at the last 10-20 entries or so. They'll all be current artists that are critically acclaimed (I tried not to make it just my opinion), and you can listen to them right there, and maybe it's easier to just point you to that than re-list them here.
Edit. Well a list wouldn't hurt: Eldar Djangirov, Hiromi Uehara, Giovanni Mirabassi, European Jazz Trio, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Brad Mehldau, Bill Charlap, Jacky Terrasson, Michel Petrucciani, Uri Caine, Michel Camilo ... Mulgrew Miller, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock (who BTW won the 2007 Grammy album of the year,
not best jazz album ... best album, although not for his personal best album ironically).
All of these cats are on the upbeat side, contemporary sound, and all very very good, I think.
It's reverse chronological order, so the top guys will be even more into fusion and maybe what you're looking for.
On YouTube, Doug McKenzie and PianistaItaliano are consistently wonderful.
