What are your all time favorite Jazz recordings and artists?

For me the all time greatest big band jazz recording is Count Basie's "April in Paris." It's just incredible the way the arrangement keeps building and building to a crescendo at the end. And then of course when the Count says "one more time" and "one more once" is like icing on the cake. Other favorites are Woody Herman's "Four Brothers," Paul Desmond's version of "El Condor Pasa" with an amazing Don Sebesky arrangement, Pat Williams "Mr. Smoke" from his "Threshold" album and Deodato's "The Spirit of Summer."
 
Agreed. There are a few I don't have from the early years, most notably BURCHFIELD NINES, the self-titled MICHAEL FRANKS album (a rarity too, I might add), among others. I have ART OF TEA, SLEEPING BEAUTY, TIGER IN THE RAIN, PASSION FRUIT, SKIN DIVE, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES, BLUE PACIFIC and DRAGONFLY SUMMER. After that, it kinda started blurring together... a la all of the other jazz artists/groups who became generic muzak, but what the heck. As I type this, I am listening to Michael Franks' TIME TOGETHER album on You Tube. It's ok, but just like RENDEZVOUS IN RIO, it's just not something I expect to play much.
 
Franks refers to Burchfield Nines as "the runt of the litter," and I don't think there is really anything radio-worthy on that one. But I do have some favorites. I swore I had mentioned them earlier in this thread but apparently not.

The Art of Tea, Sleeping Gypsy, One Bad Habit, Passionfruit (arguably one of his masterpieces in "mood music"), Blue Pacific, Dragonfly Summer and Abandoned Garden (his tribute to his recently passed friend, Tom Jobim) are tops around here, with Skin Dive and The Camera Never Lies not far behind. The latter two became sort of over-commercialized here since local radio hammered both of these back in the day, and parts of them have not held up well. If anything, The Art of Tea has become one of those classic late-night albums, its quiet simplicity being its greatest strength.
 
On Burchfield nines one track was played on an easy listening station near me which became my favorite song from it the track Dear Little Nightingale is still my favorite I also like Don't be blue ( I don't remember where that is from) I do have his best of which has another favorite The Lady Wants to know.
 
@Bobberman "Don't Be Blue" was from Sleeping Gypsy...or Sleeping Beauty as @toeknee4bz is fond of saying. :D That song followed by "Antonio" is a great album sequence. I may have to spin that one after I get through my other few records queued up tonight.
 
BTW, I just remembered that the song "Rainy Night in Tokyo" is actually a first hand account of his own wedding in Japan. Sept. 7 is his and Claudia's wedding anniversary. Classic Franks tune--I always liked the atmosphere on that one. And I like the lyrical touches throughout, like "Paul Desmond on the stereo...". If that doesn't set a mood, I don't know what does. I think Desmond himself described his sound as being like a "dry Martini". :wink:
 
My favorite jazz lps (in no particular order) are...

SWEET RAIN / Stan Getz (Verve)
SOUL MESSAGE / Richard Groove Holmes (Prestige)
WE AND THE SEA / Tamba 4 (A&M)
QUIET KENNY / Kenny Dorham (New Jazz)
ADAMS APPLE / Wayne Shorter (Blue Note)
LARRY NOVAK PLAYS / Larry Novak (Dot)
AND ALL THAT JAZZ / Steve Allen (Dot)
BRASAMBA / Bud Shank (Pacific Jazz)
ESP / Miles Davis Quintet (Columbia)
JAZZ SAMBA / Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd (Verve)
SEVERAL SHADES OF JADE / Cal Tjader (Verve)
TRIO 65 / Bill Evans (Verve)
DUSTER / Gary Burton Quartet (RCA)
CRESCENT / John Coltrane (Impulse)
INTO THE HOT / Gil Evans (Impulse)
THE ELMO HOPE TRIO / Elmo Hope (Hifijazz)



Please add to this the following artists... Joe Newman, Eddie Costa, Brew Moore and absolutely anything by Wes Montgomery or Kenny Burrell!
 
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Anything by Hugh Masekela (but especially TechnoBush, Tomorrow, Uptownship, and Friends with Larry Willis);

Jonas Gwangwa (Flower of the Nation, Songs from Exile).

Caiphus Semenya (several tunes).

Chuck Mangione (I am despeeate for a digital version of Tarantella).

Henry Mancini.

Claude Bolling (any of the crossovers but especially no 2 with Rampal; also, Original Ragtime).

Miles Davis. Kind of Blue.

Ella Fitzgerald. especially A Swingin' Christmas.

Sinatra. Anything but prefer his Reprise work.

Ibrahim Maalouf - check this guy out - esoecially the album with the tune Essentielles.
 
Anything by Hugh Masekela (but especially TechnoBush, Tomorrow, Uptownship, and Friends with Larry Willis);

Jonas Gwangwa (Flower of the Nation, Songs from Exile).

Caiphus Semenya (several tunes).

Chuck Mangione (I am despeeate for a digital version of Tarantella).

Henry Mancini.

Claude Bolling (any of the crossovers but especially no 2 with Rampal; also, Original Ragtime).

Miles Davis. Kind of Blue.

Ella Fitzgerald. especially A Swingin' Christmas.

Sinatra. Anything but prefer his Reprise work.

Ibrahim Maalouf - check this guy out - esoecially the album with the tune Essentielles.

I'll add one more Masekela, a recent one: Playing @ Work...
 
Recently I've been reviewing my various jazz cds and as i mentioned previously many of the artists others have mentioned here are in my collection i also found my cd copy of GETZ/GILBERTO cd which i forgot I had ( when you have a huge library one forgets those one off classics that hide in between everything else) with the passing of Joe Sample a couple years ago I started listening to his Solo cds as well as his crusaders classics we lost a true musical legend. But thankfully THE MUSIC LIVES ON!..........I also saw Claude Bolling mentioned here I own both of his cds with Rampal and his collaboration with guitarist Alexandre Lagoya from 1976 and the Picnic suite with both Rampal and Lagoya that's a unique collaboration his cds are currently only available as imports or they are out of print but they are well worth getting they are good early experiments in mixing Classical elements and jazz together
 
I've been big on Oregon lately. There are a couple of stinkers in the catalog but for the most part, they are all pretty good. Northwest Passage may be my favorite for now, with Crossing a close second. I wouldn't say they are strictly jazz, as there are so many other elements in the music. It even borrows some ideas from New Age music, but unlike much of that genre, this music actually has some brains. :wink: They are still together with three of the original four members (the drummer died decades ago, but the current drummer/percussionist has been with them for a while now).

Two of my favorites:



 
I have so many Jazz favorites its Almost impossible to list them all but it seems like many of my favorites have been mentioned here I do have a couple one off favorites which never quite became Superstars and very much unknown except to those of us who own the Cds one such album by Former Kenny G percussionist Tony Gable and 206 self titled 1993 release on the Heads up label which was based in The Seattle area originally until the late 90s it was such a promising Smooth Jazz album it got some airplay but the Group Disappeared after only one release but thankfully I still have it and it's a keeper its a blend of smooth jazz fusion. And just a touch of funk.
 
I have so many Jazz favorites its Almost impossible to list them all but... ...one such album by Former Kenny G percussionist Tony Gable and 206 self titled 1993 release on the Heads up label which was based in The Seattle area originally until the late 90s it was such a promising Smooth Jazz album it got some airplay but the Group Disappeared after only one release but thankfully I still have it and it's a keeper its a blend of smooth jazz fusion. And just a touch of funk.
Agreed 100%. "Futon Fun" and "Island Lady" are my favorite tracks off of the Tony Gable & 206 album, but I can easily [still] crank up the whole album and enjoy it start to finish.
 
Another great west coast musician is Tom Grant. His albums Mango Tango, Night Charade and Instinct are among the best, IMHO. And Hands: The Tom Grant Collection is a good starter for folks who don't have any of his other stuff.
 
Another great west coast musician is Tom Grant. His albums Mango Tango, Night Charade and Instinct are among the best, IMHO. And Hands: The Tom Grant Collection is a good starter for folks who don't have any of his other stuff.
I own some of those Tom Grant classics he is originally from Portland Oregon not too far from me same with other NorthWest artists like Dan Siegel .Jeff lorber and The G man from Seattle and they got tons of Radio airplay over the years on some of our radio stations Its all Great stuff
 
Agreed 100%. "Futon Fun" and "Island Lady" are my favorite tracks off of the Tony Gable & 206 album, but I can easily [still] crank up the whole album and enjoy it start to finish.
I also Love the opening track " The Slip" I've played that track on my radio show in regular rotation regularly by the way here's a fun fact you didn't know Two of the Tony Gable 206 band members Darren Motamedy and Bela Havasretti had a one off album in 1989 called Motoretti and the song Futon fun was featured on that album Albeit without Gable's percussion. And the 206 version was a modified version as the two aforementioned guys in the band wrote it originally. But still they are both EXCELLENT albums
 
Lately as ive been ripping my Cds into my computer and playing them back in the shuffle modes I been reminded of the Radio stations of yesterday who mixed Jazz and new age music with adult contemporary ( also known as NAC Or New adult contemporary) which for awhile replaced Easy listening formats in some places and there I discovered many lesser known artists in the jazz realm such as Sadly underrated keyboardist Tim Heintz and GRP alumnus Nelson Rangell along with the superstars such as Bob James. Earl Klugh David Sanborn. Spyro Gyra and other similar artists I find myself very fortunate that I was able to purchase many of these artists while they were readily available and I still have them all here today and because of the way things changed so drastically over time I know If I were to lose anything I probably would never be able to replace them now that they are no longer available as was mentioned in other posts on this forum Strike while the iron is hot because future availability Cannot be guranteed.
 
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