5 Albums Guaranteed to Get You Into Jazz

The problem with jazz is that there is so much crap jazz around that most hear a bit of it and therefore think jazz is shite. Fair enough. So this list brings you 5 albums which are not necessarily jazz greats or jazz masterpieces (I'll leave that for another list) but jazz albums that at the end of the day are guaranteed to have you sparking up a fat cigar and corking a bottle of shiraz chilling out to music that truly defined what it meant to be cool. Falling in love with jazz is one of life's great secret pleasures. I can pinpoint the moment a few of my good friends fell in love with jazz, one of my favourite 45" Blue Note jazz records spinning on my turntable & their faces suddenly grinning from ear to ear. I'll never forget it. Enjoy this journey....


Lee Morgan. LEE WAY.

The time and place for jazz was 1950's USA. At that time 2 post war European immigrants were running around recording the best on the scene at the time. Their recordings were released as Blue Note Records recordings. I'll do a feature on Blue Note one day as its one of my great passions but suffice to say if in doubt, buy something on Blue Note recorded in the 50's or 60's. It represents the documenting of a time and place never to be repeated again - its jazz in its absolute heyday. This album is one of the best from the Blue Note collection.


Miles Davis. KIND OF BLUE.

This was the breakthrough album for Davis and it sold by the truck load. Its almost a cliche today to hear this album at a restaurant trying to be all hip and down with it. Truth is, its a great jazz recording and so easy to listen to its almost unimaginable that someone with half a taste for music would not like it. A great late night album. Drift off to the master of trumpet.


Jimmy Smith. JIMMY SMITH PLAYS FATS WALLER.

Another Blue Note release. Jimmy Smith is a hammond organ player who plays the most laid back groovy, smooth, silky, soulful tunes you will ever hear. Here he plays covers from the great composer Fats Waller but that's not what's important, what is important is that Jimmy Smith is the high preist of chill out jazz and you will absolutely love him! Anyone familiar with the organ lick in the Beastie Boys tune Root Down? That's Jimmy Smith baby! Say no more.


Bill Evans Trio. TRIO '65

Bill Evans is a piano player whose recordings sound brilliant and fresh, totally modern and sounds like that idea in your head of what jazz should sound like - tinkering keys, brush drumming, smooth bass solos etc with that real smoke filled room, scotch hitting the rocks authentic jazz bar feel. This is one of his easiest albums, subtle, still in parts and swinging in others.


Joao Gilberto/Stan Getz. GETZ GILBERTO.

Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz brought a latin brand of music to the USA and blended it with the jazz at the time to create Bossa Nova. I can't begin to describe how influential Bossa Nova has been to every chill-house, jazzy beats recording ever made since (e.g Kruder and Dorfmeister some 30 years later see my Must Own Albums of the 90's list) Basically this album combines the latin lyrics of Gilberto with the sax playing of Getz and the result is a magic that transports you to the beaches of Brazil in seconds. Getz was one of the great tenor sax players and here you will hear every pitch and every pinch of this instrument in the hands of a real master. This album is a treasure.


If you liked any of these albums try: The Miles Davis Quintet The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings, Hank Mobley Workout, John Coltrane Blue Train, Stanley Turrentine Hustlin', Grant Green Solid.