Jazz - what opened it up for you?

[skywalker]

Back in late 60s Oscar Peterson had a show on Saturdays on BBC2 IIRC. Just a half hour thing, but even then at 15 or so I was smitten.

[Hector]

[quote name='TKenrick' post='1192077' date='Apr 7 2011, 06:13 PM']Cannonball's opening phrase on 'Milestones' is one of my all-time favourite moments. Aside from that, the first time I heard Sonny Rollins on 'St Thomas' was a big turning point, as was getting Metheny's 'Bright Size Life' record.[/quote]

Man, listening to "Somethin' Else" and tell you what: Cannonball really knows how to open a solo with a bang! Some really awesome moments on that album.

As for what got me into Jazz, I have no idea!

[Truckstop]

The Fast Show.

Honestly!

Truckstop

[JPS]

+1 for Milestones (the track and Cannoball solo) and Kind Of Blue. Also a version of All Of Me by Lester Young which had Teddy Wilson on piano if I remember rightly.

[clauster]

I heard Hugh Masakela's Grazin in The Grass one night on Capital Radio. That got me into the sound of the trumpet. From there it was Miles Davis next.

Still love the trumpet in all genres of modern music and if I was starting out as a muso again it's the instrument I'd go for.

[jakenewmanbass]

Oscar Peterson trio on Jazz 625, Hallelujah time just lifted me up by my chest.

[timtoomany]

I was given an album by Jessica Williams Trio called 'Momentum' and was hooked from the beginning. I believe it has the most oblique version of 'Autumn Leaves' ever recorded too. A phenomenal pianist with incredible support; sadly underrated/unknown IMHO.

Building on this, I was recommended Bill Evans Live at Village Vanguard, which was a real slow burner for me, but now a vital part of my listening habits many years later.

[Doctor J]

I saw a tape by Ronnie Scott's Quintet called Never Pat A Burning Dog on sale for £1. How could I go wrong?

First tune, called Contemplation, still gets me every time, love it. Moved on from there.

[dlloyd]

The cantina band from Star Wars.

[Mr H]

It was long held in the music press that any male music obsessive would eventually decide that it was time to listen to jazz. This happened to me when I was twenty eight and got my first CD player, and one of the seven CDs I bought was [i]A Love Supreme[/i]. I liked it a lot, and carried on getting the standard and/or easily obtainable Coltrane and Miles stuff (including [i]Ascension[/i], the tune the Beastie Boys recommended for clearing the house of unwanted guests. Liked it, too!).

Eventually I bought a Charles Mingus compilation which featured Eric Dolphy and that was pretty much it - got loads of Mingus/Dolphy recordings over the next few years. Eric Dolphy is probably my favourite musician.

Got to admit, though, the thing that struck me most about the Mingus recordings I loved the most were how much they reminded me of the classic Tom & Jerry soundtracks.

So it was Tom & Jerry that opened up jazz for me, as it turned out!

[risingson]

[quote name='dlloyd' post='1192332' date='Apr 7 2011, 10:01 PM']The cantina band from Star Wars.[/quote]

[purpleblob]

[quote name='SteveK' post='1192090' date='Apr 7 2011, 06:21 PM']If we're not allowing fusion or jazz rock then, I've got to say, I'm still waiting.[/quote]

Yeah, I think I'm pretty much of the same opinion as the above. Stuff I class as jazz is really jazz fusion. I've never been into Coltrane or "Dizzy" Gillespie or the sort of classic jazz like these guys played.

However if I were allowed fusion based bands/music then obviously Jaco's self titled album was a major eye opener (not just for it's bass playing), Chick Corea Elektric Band, Pat Methany, Weather Report, Marcus Miller (inc. with Miles). But probably one of my favs would be John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (particularily Adventures in Radioland).

EDIT: Almost forgot, I always loved Goodbye Porkpie hat (however I first heard it performed by Stanley Clarke ).

Edited April 7, 2011 by purpleblob

[paul_5]

[quote name='spike' post='1192041' date='Apr 7 2011, 05:45 PM']I'd listened to jazz before, but John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' was the first jazz album that really blew me away. I still think he's the boss (closely followed by Miles and Mingus)[/quote]
+1, Love Supreme is sublime.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Wil' post='1191953' date='Apr 7 2011, 04:56 PM']In before someone says Moondance.[/quote]
When I saw Bilbo had started this thread I am afraid I clicked on this to do just that.

[quote name='dlloyd' post='1192332' date='Apr 7 2011, 10:01 PM']The cantina band from Star Wars.[/quote]
In all seriousness I think television & film has a huge part to play in developing people's tastes. My Dad was a pro Jazz drummer before I was born and always tried forcing jazz on me. So I naturally swung towards my Mum's records. However a lot of TV soundtrack's opened my eyes away from rock & pop music. Even stuff like the Pink Panther and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) influenced me as a bassist and as a music fan. And the Cantina Band were great fun. Apologies if my taste in Jazz is a bit "McDonalds"

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='clauster' post='1192193' date='Apr 7 2011, 08:06 PM']I heard Hugh Masakela's Grazin in The Grass one night on Capital Radio. That got me into the sound of the trumpet. From there it was Miles Davis next.

Still love the trumpet in all genres of modern music and if I was starting out as a muso again it's the instrument I'd go for.[/quote]


Wow, anyone else remember when Capital Radio played quality specialist music? Alexis Korner and Adrian Love used to do early evening weekends IIRC. Anyway, enough of hijacking the thread, Herbie Hancock's Quartet album (with Wynton Marsalis) was probably the one for me - was in to jazz-rock and jazz-funk so when this came out I wasn't quite expecting straight-ahead Hancock but loved it right from the start.

Might have to start a thread about Nicky Horne now you've got me all nostalgic

Edited April 7, 2011 by Mykesbass

[steve-soar]

[quote name='skywalker' post='1192171' date='Apr 7 2011, 07:47 PM']Back in late 60s Oscar Peterson had a show on Saturdays on BBC2 IIRC. Just a half hour thing, but even then at 15 or so I was smitten.[/quote]Thank you so much. I really couldn't work out how I was able to listen to Oscar on the telly as a little bastard but I remember watching this with my dad. It must have been repeated in the early 70's.

I really liked George Melly as a kid. He use to be on Grananda Tele a lot in the 70's and when I went to see him he was amazing.

[Wylie]

'Footprints,' Wayne Shorter. Everything about that tune.

[Dave Vader]

and still nobody says Moondance....

So What here as well, kind of blue just did something.

[blamelouis]

A guy when i was 17 said to me "have you heard Jaco" ?
He then gave me Invitation

Which led to Weather report + Miles Davis + Monk + Mingus.

But the track i've always loved is....

[dbass]

Bill Evans live at the Village Vanguard with Scott LeFaro on bass.

It all made sense after that.

[spongebob]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1192427' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:31 PM']I really liked George Melly as a kid. He use to be on Grananda Tele a lot in the 70's and when I went to see him he was amazing.[/quote]

George Melly and The Stranglers - 'Old Codger'?????

.....hello.....????

[Quatschmacher]

Like many people, I got into jazz via Kind of Blue; a music teacher gave me a tape with that one one side and Jaco's self-titled album one the other. It was Cannonball and Trane that got me started. The same teacher gave me a few compilations with Mingus (Goodbye Pork Pie Hat), Silver (Song For My Father) and loads of other great stuff and this was enough to set me on my journey.

[quote name='Mr H' post='1192336' date='Apr 7 2011, 10:03 PM']Eventually I bought a Charles Mingus compilation which featured Eric Dolphy and that was pretty much it - got loads of Mingus/Dolphy recordings over the next few years. Eric Dolphy is probably my favourite musician.[/quote]

Nice to see another Dolphy fan. Eric is also one of my favourite musicians, though it took me several years before I really got into him. I bought out to Out To Lunch not long after getting into jazz because I was exploring flute players. I really wasn't into it but kept going back to it over the course of about six years before I finally got it. Incidentally, if you're a fan of Eric's bass clarinet playing you owe it to yourself to check out Louis Sclavis (if you haven't already).

[Bilbo]

[quote name='Mykesbass' post='1192416' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:23 PM']Herbie Hancock's Quartet album (with Wynton Marsalis)[/quote]

That was another early one for me. I had a mate who was into Jazz/Rock/Fusion etc before me and he turned my onto all sorts of obscure (to me, anyway ) bands and this Quartet double LP was one of the early proper jazz records (even heard this before I heard the Miles/Shorter Quartet).

A great record.

[bubinga5]

i remember first hearing this track from John Coltrane and listening to it over and over again.. just such sensitivity.. there are much more from the man... but this touched me at the time.. i was watching the sun coming up mind.. the track was food for thought indeed..

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLAq0XhXG8E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLAq0XhXG8E[/url]

Edited April 8, 2011 by bubinga5

[Mr H]

[quote name='Quatschmacher' post='1192694' date='Apr 8 2011, 10:46 AM']Incidentally, if you're a fan of Eric's bass clarinet playing you owe it to yourself to check out Louis Sclavis (if you haven't already).[/quote]

Excellent advice. Never heard of him before, but I'm liking it very much so far (I've reached track 5 of [i]L'imparfait de Langues[/i]). Thank you for the tip.