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Top 10 jazz albums for a newbie


Burns-bass

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This thread contains some great music, but given the OP's specific request for foundations to learn walking bass, then I reckon Frank's list is the place to start before exploring some of the more recent music. I'd add that most of the albums on Blue Note from about 1951-1963 will have tunes that are in the same style, and the recordings themselves are very good with clear bass.

Once you get into the mid-60s, Miles's 2nd Quintet and John Coltrane Quartet took a lot of jazz into the 'modern' era. These lineups produced my favourite music, but in terms of learning walking bass they're a bit further away from "entry level", especially albums like Miles Smiles and A Love Supreme. For history and lots of written snippets, John Goldsby's The Jazz Bass Book is well worth a read.

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8 minutes ago, tinyd said:

This thread contains some great music, but given the OP's specific request for foundations to learn walking bass, then I reckon Frank's list is the place to start before exploring some of the more recent music. I'd add that most of the albums on Blue Note from about 1951-1963 will have tunes that are in the same style, and the recordings themselves are very good with clear bass.

Once you get into the mid-60s, Miles's 2nd Quintet and John Coltrane Quartet took a lot of jazz into the 'modern' era. These lineups produced my favourite music, but in terms of learning walking bass they're a bit further away from "entry level", especially albums like Miles Smiles and A Love Supreme. For history and lots of written snippets, John Goldsby's The Jazz Bass Book is well worth a read.

Cheers - the Goldsby book is fantastic.

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9 hours ago, tedmanzie said:

I would be very happy with these on my desert island 🏝️ >

Herbie Hancock  - Speak Like A Child 

Herbie Hancock  - Takin' Off 

Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby

John Coltrane - Giant Steps

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

Duke Ellington / Charlie Mingus / Max Roach - Money Jungle

Grant Green  - Matador

Don Patterson - The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson*


* not famous like the others but a personal favourite! marvel at the way Don plays fantastic walking bass with his left hand while improvising on his organ with his right 😜

 

How I forgot Money Jungle, Everybody Digs Bill Evans and Waltz For Debbie I don’t know!

I also forgot to mention anything by The Modern Jazz Quartet.

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16 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

I am loving this!

I had never heard this version. It’s different to the album track which has no guitar and a more ethereal type of sound. But it is lovely, thanks for posting 🙂

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Any Thelonious Monk reccomendations?

Just listened to the first album that was on Spotify (Monk) which was great, but with 53 studio albums and about 30 compilations to pick from on Spotify, it's hard to know where to start.

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6 minutes ago, Graham said:

Any Thelonious Monk reccomendations?

Just listened to the first album that was on Spotify (Monk) which was great, but with 53 studio albums and about 30 compilations to pick from on Spotify, it's hard to know where to start.

This is a decent guide. Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1 & 2 along with Brilliant Corners are my faves.

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Maybe not pure jazz but check out Pat Metheney's Bright Size Life (Pastorius on bass), although there's usually something good on most of the albums he released on ECM from mid 70's to early 80's.

 

Edited by KevB
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On 08/01/2019 at 12:12, dlloyd said:

Django - Joe Pass

I'd add in Joe Pass' Virtuoso 1 & 2 albums even though they patently don't meet the criteria (they are solo guitar albums - no bass, double OR electric!).

Or put another way, ideal jazz standard bass karaoke albums to play along with and see how your emerging skills are getting on... 😉

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This, from Hiromi's Time Control album, has a fine example of modal walking bass... Some older more stick-in-the-mud jazzers would say "it's not jazz, it's fusion" to which I say Get hip, daddy-o! Next y'all will be telling me there's an actual difference between Djent and Thrash metal 😄

 

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I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here - if you saw this browsing through a record store you would probably just keep on browsing right?

hold it right there!  this is sublime

Don Thompson on bass and Ed Bickert on guitar doing amazing things while pat metheny was still running around in short trousers

https://www.allmusic.com/album/thinking-about-you-mw0000006499


MI0001828210.thumb.jpg.adf9aef6166241d324e3086e36b5daa3.jpg
 

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