Suggestions for top ten best recorded modern Jazz LPs

[dannygold]

I don't listen to ton of modern (say last 20 years) Jazz, can you folks suggest ten records I should buy that represent well recorded examples of the genre?

[PrettyGone]

I don't listen to a lot of modern stuff but these did pop up on my radar, and they all sound pretty good:


Gershwin's World by Herbie Hancock (1998)

Blue Muse by Kenny Burrell (2003)

Knee Deep in the North Sea by The Portico Quartet (2007) - This one's a bit different as it features loads of Hang Drum and is not particularly typical.

Anyway, hope this helps

[binarymilton]

What do you mean by modern?

If you want 'contemporary', meaning good examples of jazz that routinely gets reviewed and praised in the music press etc, then check out:

The Bad Plus
Acoustic Ladyland
Brad Mehldau Trio
Polar Bear
Dave Douglas
Matthew Shipp

In other words, the music on labels like Thirsty Ear or Babel or Tzadik.

Also, all the jazz recorded on the Mapleshade label is beautifully recorded.

Babel Label » Catalogue
THIRSTY EAR RECORDINGS

[doorknocker]

Ditto on Herbie Hancock's 'Gershwin's World', stellar on all fronts with Bruce Swedien at the helm. It's also a great treat to hear Joni Mitchell sing 'Summertime' and 'The man I love' (play this to anybody only familiar with Joni's earlier work and they will not believe it, hear voice dropped an octave or so!)

There's a record called 'ScoLoHoFo' , a kinda supergroup with John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and Al Foster and I remember being very impressed with the sound, though it's been a while since I heard it. It was engineered by James Farber.

And even though it's been WAY longer than 20 years, you simply NEED to hear some of the jazz classics that still are the sonic benchmark to this day. Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue' of course but I also suggest 'The Blues and the abstract truth' by Oliver Nelson which is one of the greatest records ever made in any regard. Sounds great on CD but even better on vinyl (and I'm not a vinyl snob at all).

I must admit that sonically I don't like most 'modern' jazz recordings because the sound seems to be really upfront and seperated in most cases. For whatever reason, this is especially true of horns. A particular bad example IMO is Dave Sanborn's 'Here and gone', a Ray Charles tribute. I really like the music but I threw the CD away, the horn sounds like a kazoo! I suspect it's a matter of over-brightness, over-EQing and the loudness war.

[Johnny Favorite]

Find yourself a Roy Hargrove album called "earfood". Amazing recording, great music.

[Dr. Mordo]

Some of the most interesting jazz that also sounds great is Bill Stewart's solo work.

Snide Remarks
Telepathy
Keynote Speakers
Incandescence

They are very 60s sounding, with this amazing roomy drum sound. Influence wise there's a lot of Monk, a lot of Miles, and a little Ornette for good measure.

But I would listen to more modern jazz if the drums sounded this good. I'm completely done with the ringy close miced snare.

Also the Tony Williams albums "Story of Neptune", "Tokyo Live", and "Young at Heart" are pretty amazing on every level.

Finally, the Keith Jarrett Trio with Gary Peacock and Jack Dejohnette is quite possibly the most telepathic jazz group ever, and all their recordings sound remarkable. But many people can't deal with Keith Jarrett's weird scat singing as he improvises, so try to listen before you buy. It took me a bit to get used to it, but the quality of the music is so high that I ultimately was able to forgive it.

[soulata]

I really dig:

Joshua Redman - Freedom in the Groove
John Scofield - Hand Jive

[Mr Darcy]

I'll chuck in "January" by the Marcin Wasilewski Trio. The production is simply exquisite - by far my favourite contemporary jazz album.

[nigel saunders]

There is so much out there

Most things by herbie hancock

favourite sounding track for general wonderfulness -Brad Mehldau ' dear prudence'

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

Ditto on Herbie Hancock's 'Gershwin's World', stellar on all fronts with Bruce Swedien at the helm. It's also a great treat to hear Joni Mitchell sing 'Summertime' and 'The man I love' (play this to anybody only familiar with Joni's earlier work and they will not believe it, hear voice dropped an octave or so!)

There's a record called 'ScoLoHoFo' , a kinda supergroup with John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and Al Foster and I remember being very impressed with the sound, though it's been a while since I heard it. It was engineered by James Farber.

And even though it's been WAY longer than 20 years, you simply NEED to hear some of the jazz classics that still are the sonic benchmark to this day. Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue' of course but I also suggest 'The Blues and the abstract truth' by Oliver Nelson which is one of the greatest records ever made in any regard. Sounds great on CD but even better on vinyl (and I'm not a vinyl snob at all).

I must admit that sonically I don't like most 'modern' jazz recordings because the sound seems to be really upfront and seperated in most cases. For whatever reason, this is especially true of horns. A particular bad example IMO is Dave Sanborn's 'Here and gone', a Ray Charles tribute. I really like the music but I threw the CD away, the horn sounds like a kazoo! I suspect it's a matter of over-brightness, over-EQing and the loudness war.

Ditto on catching up with the classics. There may have been some technical limitations but the best of it sounds stunning. And, of course, the 50s and 60s were a pretty magical time in the evolution of jazz.

I know what Doorknocker is saying about the sound of some newer recordings -- although I actually like the sound of horns when they're well tracked and mixed on modern gear -- they sound more like the live unamplified horns I've often experienced in the real world. I used to see a lot more jazz in small clubs but still see 6 symphonic concerts a year -- there's nothing quite like the edge and vibrancy of an on-the-money, unmiked, unamplified horn ensemble... the air just shimmers. In the very best of today's recordings I hear that in ways that didn't make it through earlier recording paradigms.

(That said, sometimes it's kind of disappointing to hear a brilliantly recorded ensemble -- but the music, while slick and professional, just lacks the vibe and urgency of the best, classic jazz. But then, I guess best and classic suggests that that stuff didn't grow on trees, either. I have some very well recorded jazz albums from the 60s that I barely listen to because, even though there are some fine players, the guiding genius just isn't all that... genius.)

[capnreverb]

Not considering the quality of the music per say, an interesting listen in terms of recording style would be to compare the recordings on the ECM label with those on the HatArt/HatHut. Very different approaches. You have a lot of space/reverb/lush sound with ECM. With the Hat's you get a very clinical "accurate" take on the music.

The best "jazz" record of the last twenty or so years is Sonny Sharock's "Ask The Ages".

[amanitas]

I would recommend the Kneebody/Theo Bleckman songs of Charles Ives disc as about the best 'modern' jazz record I've heard in a while. Granted it's more third-stream (got nominated for best classical crossover album grammy) and the tunes are like 100 years old, but the recording techniques and production and everything make it sound entirely modern without sounding out of place or intruding on the music. Modern and timeless.

Also just about everything else recorded on the Winter and Winter record label. Some great Dave Douglas albums on there, really cool stuff by Uri Caine, etc. etc. etc. - Just about every record I've heard on that label sounds awesome.

[scro_tum]

Both of Julian Lage's records (Sounding Point & Gladwell) are great examples of contemporary jazz. Listen to how they blend their instuments together - I esp like the cello/sax combo. Oh yeah, the compositions are awesome as well. Also, Sounding Point has a duo of guitar and piano doing a rendition of All Blues, and it is a great take on this classic tune. If you ever get a chance to see him live, jump on it. I saw him in Chicago and it was by far the best live performance I have ever seen.

[chris@theblue]

H Hancock, New Standards ( hot tub jazz )

Michelle Camillo, Through My Eyes (afro cuban)

Dave Holland, Extentions (fusion)

Jimmy Bruno Trio Live, w Bobby Watson ( bop )

Cedar Walton, ( trio w bass and perc ) mello

Dave Holland, (the crazy live double album w/ the bone all over the place)

Short list not in any order. . .

[Jackerypie]

Vijay Iyer- Historicity(incredible album) Check out Mystic Brew cover and Helix

Phronesis - Alive ( TOO GOOD) Check out the link, the dummer is..well you'll hear...crazy good ..check the snare at 9:35

YouTube - ‪PHRONESIS - Abraham's New Gift (Live)‬‏

Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Fantastic Swedish band. Check out the album 'From Gagarins' point of view'

Polar bear- Uk jazz act. really interesting stuff. New album is good. Seen them live and was disappointed. but I had seen Vijay Iyer trio a week or two before so.

Anywayz enjoy.

[Penny]

Tomasz Stanko Quartet- Suspended night

YouTube - ‪Tomasz Stanko Quartet - "Suspended Variation II" (2004)‬‏

[Brent Hahn]

This:

music

[Earthling]

I'm loving this thread...jazz is so dear to my heart...some great suggestions on here...perhaps I'll find some new fresh jazzyness to groove to...

If anyone out there is interested in learning about jazz....Ken Burns' JAZZ is a must see:

PBS - JAZZ A Film By Ken Burns: Home

Some of my faves:

Wes Montgomery (...must be from Blue Note label with his brothers)

Miles Davis (...Seven Steps To Heaven...so good)

Pat Metheney (...traditional jazzheads may not recognize him but I most certainly do)

Esbjorn Svensson Trio (...they were the first ever European jazz group to feature on the cover of Downbeat magazine.)

Here's a pretty good list:

[top]The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums

• Joe Henderson "The Standard Joe"
• Chris Potter "Gratitude"
• Dave Douglas "Strange Liberation"
• Charlie Parker "Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes"
• Joshua Redman "Freedom In The Groove"
• Miles Davis "Complete Bitches Brew Sessions"
• Pat Metheny "Bright Size Life"
• John Coltrane "Blue Train"
• Hank Mobley "Soul Station"
• Wynton Kelly/ Wes Montgomery "Smokin' At The Half Note"
• Grant Green "Solid"
• Freddie Hubbard "Ready For Freddie"
• Sonny Clark "Cool Struttin'"
• Sonny Rollins "Tenor Madness"
• Weather Report: Night Passage
• Lee Morgan: The Sidewinder
• Bobby Hutcherson: The Kicker
• Thelonious Monk: Live At The It Club
• Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue
• John Coltrane: The Heavyweight Champion
• John Coltrane: The Classic Quartet
• Dexter Gordon: One Flight Up
• Joe Henderson: In 'N Out
• Art Blakey: Mosaic
• Miles Davis: Nefertiti
• Bill Evans: Sunday At The Village Vanguard / Waltz For Debby
• Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil
• Miles Davis: The Complete Concert, 1964
• Jackie McLean: Destination Out!
• Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage / Empyrean Isles
• Miles Davis "Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet"
• Trio Beyond: Saudades
• John Coltrane "The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings
• Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet: Clifford Brown and Max Roach

[capnreverb]

"Ken Burns"

Ken Burns jazz trainwreck made me want to kick in my tv. Blatent mistakes, misinformation and a serious content bias. What a bunch of crap. The footage and such are amazing, but the bias was disgusting. The people they left out and the ones that got too much attention was hard for me to take. The way they decided to take a dump on Cecil Taylor was laaaame. I'm not a huge Cecil fan, but that was crummy. Also, I guess, white folks really had no part in jazz history .

They way they blew through jazz after hard bop was a clear bias on the part of the folks that put it together. And what did Louis Armstrong do that was really important after the Hot Fives and Sevens? He gets crazy air time where folks like Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Lee Konitz, and Jimmy Giuffre get little to no mention? The whole European free jazz scene since 65' did not/does not exist but Louis Armstrong gets a 1/2 hour on each episode? WTF? Shucks, Sidney Bechet is more relevant after the 20's than Louis Armstrong.

[mrmike186]

Just happen to be listening to Lynne Arriale "Nuance" at the moment. Great record. Of course great sonics must be accompanied by great performance.


My top five today is-

Roy Hargrove Big Band-Emergence (also love earfood btw)

Jimmy McGriff-Straight Up

Brian Bromberg-Downright Uptight

Peter Erskine, Tim Hagans & The Norrbotten Big Band-Worth The Wait(live)

Branford Marsalis Quartet- Eternal


As for pure sonics, you can't beat Dianna Krall's "The Girl In The Other Room" which is a bit less sleepy than some of her other stuff.


OK- Three more to round off the top ten

Pat Metheny-Imaginary Day (should probably be #1)

Ben Sidran-Nicks Bump

Joshua Redman-Mood Swing

[Earthling]

Originally Posted by capnreverb

"Ken Burns"

Ken Burns jazz trainwreck made me want to kick in my tv. Blatent mistakes, misinformation and a serious content bias. What a bunch of crap. The footage and such are amazing, but the bias was disgusting. The people they left out and the ones that got too much attention was hard for me to take. The way they decided to take a dump on Cecil Taylor was laaaame. I'm not a huge Cecil fan, but that was crummy. Also, I guess, white folks really had no part in jazz history .

They way they blew through jazz after hard bop was a clear bias on the part of the folks that put it together. And what did Louis Armstrong do that was really important after the Hot Fives and Sevens? He gets crazy air time where folks like Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Lee Konitz, and Jimmy Giuffre get little to no mention? The whole European free jazz scene since 65' did not/does not exist but Louis Armstrong gets a 1/2 hour on each episode? WTF? Shucks, Sidney Bechet is more relevant after the 20's than Louis Armstrong.

@capnreverb

While I am a jazz lover, I am by no stretch of the imagination a jazz historian let alone a critic.

However, I did study jazz as a youngster and spent many, many hours studying it deeply. I memorized many of Wes Montgomery's solos from his awesome Blue Note release 'Beginnings'... blah blah blah...And at my pinnacle I toured the U.S. with Bob James and Kirk Whalem. I'm pointing this out in an attempt to establish myself a bit.

Those are some strong critiques you got going on there. But after having contemplated your words I have to say i agree with much of what you say. It's obvious that you are way more knowledgeable about Jazz history than I. It's refreshing.

None the less Burn's documentary is a masterpiece, full of good info that people interested in jazz can get a jump start in their quest to learn about it.

I haven't seen the film since it was aired on PBS in 2001. And while I quite enjoyed it I too was disappointed with aspects of it. I haven't given it much thought till now.

This is what Wikipedia says:

The film concerns the history of jazz music in the USA, from its origins at the turn of the twentieth century to the present day. It is narrated by Keith David, and features interviews with present-day musicians and critics such as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (also the artistic director and co-producer of Jazz) and noted critics Gary Giddins and Stanley Crouch. Music critic and African-American historian Gerald Early was also a consultant. Broadcaster and producer Phil Schaap is interviewed briefly. Jazz is the longest jazz documentary yet produced, and it is rich in musical examples and classic, rare and unseen footage.
Visually, Jazz is in the same style as Ken Burns's previous works: slowly panning and zooming shots of photographs are mixed with period movie sequences, accompanied by music of, and commentary on, the period being examined. Between these sequences, present-day jazz figures provide anecdotes and explain the defining features of the major musicians' styles. Duke Ellington's I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (1938) is a recurring motif at the opening and closing of individual episodes of the series.
The documentary focuses on a number of major musicians: Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are the central figures, "providing the narrative thread around which the stories of other major figures turn",[1] among them Sidney Bechet, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Response and criticism

Jazz was nominated for several awards, including multiple Emmy Awards.

Positive reviews:

Among the positive critics, Charles Paul Freund writes that Jazz "is filled with rewards, many of them proffered unintentionally ... Burns's documentary gifts are not visionary, analytical, nor even properly historical. Rather, he is a talented biographer, and his films are most effective when he is able to present an overarching narrative in terms of the biographical detail of that narrative's participants."[2] Jason Van Bergen declares, "The nearly 19 hours of documentary coverage contained in the Jazz series unravels like a fine wine" and due to the series' attention to detail, "a complete discussion of every episode in Ken Burns's Jazz would be better suited for a Master's Thesis" than to his brief review. Van Bergen sums up, writing, "Burns's encyclopedic rendering of the growth of jazz cannot be questioned. Followers of the music will need this set on their shelves; but perhaps slightly more surprisingly, serious students of American history may also require the set to supplement their versions of the past century."[3]

Negative reviews:

Jazz was heavily criticized, particularly within the jazz critical community. With a negative opinion, Jeffrey St. Clair writes,
Ken Burns's interminable documentary, Jazz, starts with a wrong premise and degenerates from there ... Burns is a classicist, who is offended by the rawer sounds of the blues, its political dimension and inescapable class dynamic. Instead, Burns fixates on a particular kind of jazz music that appeals to his PBS sensibility: the swing era. It's a genre of jazz that enables Burns to throw around phrases such as 'Ellington is our Mozart.' He sees jazz as an art form in the most culturally elitist sense, as being a museum piece, beautiful but dead, to be savored like a stroll through a gallery of paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.[4]
The main criticism of Jazz has been that while it covers thoroughly the origins and development of New Orleans jazz, swing music, bebop and hard bop, it ultimately spends very little time on more modern movements such as free jazz, avant-garde jazz, soul jazz, jazz funk or jazz fusion: only one episode is devoted to the development of jazz from c. 1960 to c. 2000, and even then it focuses mainly on musicians preserving the older styles of jazz. Gary Giddins's own views on modern jazz were not much mentioned (he has often championed avant garde players like Henry Threadgill, Cecil Taylor and David S. Ware). Hundreds of acclaimed, influential and successful artists such as Woody Herman, Lennie Tristano, Wes Montgomery, Sun Ra, Ahmad Jamal, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, David Murray, Bill Evans, Errol Garner, John Zorn, John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett, Gary Burton, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Chet Baker, Eric Dolphy and many others received little, if any, attention. Additionally, Jazz ignores Nat King Cole, one of the most celebrated performers of the era upon which the series focuses much of its attention, whose career began as an accomplished be bop pianist before he transitioned to mainly a singer of popular music.[5]
Some otherwise positive reviews argue that, due to this fast-forwarding through several decades of the music's development, Jazz offered a warped or inaccurate picture of jazz since 1960. For example, critic David Adler writes that the first nine episodes, "Burns has done a respectable job of introducing pre-1960 jazz history to a wide audience. In Episode Ten, however, he gives viewers a disastrously skewed portrait of the creative lineage that has produced much of today's best jazz."[6]
Stu Vandermark's detailed review of Jazz contends that there were substantial factual errors in the documentary. Notably, Vandermark notes that Jazz repeats the debunked myth that jazz music was created in New Orleans; on the contrary, writes Vandermark, "no one really knows where jazz was born ... It is likely that the music evolved spontaneously in different cities around the U.S. wherever there were a few thousand black people making lives for themselves."

[Teej]

Originally Posted by dannygold

I don't listen to ton of modern (say last 20 years) Jazz, can you folks suggest ten records I should buy that represent well recorded examples of the genre?

Shirley Horn's "I Remember Miles" is a fantastic recording.

The track My Man's Gone Now is one of my reference tracks. Lush, dynamic, detailed...larger than life sound-stage and very involving. A great test of a system's ability to do drums with weight.

[thepilgrimsdream]

Kind of blue
Gershwins World
Ella and Louis
Ella and Louis Again

[Sultan of Swing]

Ok, I'm sure some purists will groan, but this is a great record. Great songs, exquisite playing, beautifully recorded by Al Schmitt.

[Sky]

+1 for "Gershwin's World" by Herbie Hancock.

Also, if you can handle a touch of smooth jazz with your fusion, Chick Corea Elekrtic Band "Beneath the Mask" is a fine example of modern production, with the Yamaha SY99 well showcased.

Sky

[digibird]

Originally Posted by dannygold

I don't listen to ton of modern (say last 20 years) Jazz, can you folks suggest ten records I should buy that represent well recorded examples of the genre?

The best recorded examples of jazz were not in the past 20 years. The absolute best jazz recordings ever were all done by Rudy Van Gelder in the 1950's and 1960's. If an album's liner notes say "engineered by Rudy Van Gelder" or "recorded in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey", buy it. It will sound superb. :-) I especially enjoy his work with Dexter Gordon, Red Garland, Freddie Hubbard, Grant Green, Kenny Burrel, and Lee Morgan.

[king2070lplaya]

I mean, I love and cherish the Blue Note, Columbia, etc. records from the 50's, 60's, but you CANNOT tell me that the drum and piano sounds they got are "modern" by any stretch. I was listening to "In Pursuit of the 27th Man" today, which was an early 70's RVG cut, and it still has the same mono-ish sounds. I cannot remember without listening to it, but I believe "Red Clay" is the same sort of thing. Not bad sounding at all (except the DRUMS on "Free Form" by Donald Byrd), but there is certainly room for improvement.

IMHO, what makes those records timeless is not as much the sonics on them, but the performances. Some of the very best big band recordings, rivaling anything put out today by Lincoln Center, Clayton-Hamilton, etc. are the mono cuts done in the 30's. If the performance is great, it transcends the medium.

I mean, jeez people take freaking GRADUATE CLASSES to learn musicality from those old Pablo Casals Bach suite recordings, have you heard those?! There's not a person alive today with enough charisma to pass off a recording of that low fidelity as a professional product, and yet it's still considered the definitive set to have if you want to study the cello suites.

My favorite jazz records that fit your criteria are:

Roy Hargrove: Earfood and Nothing Serious

Terence Blanchard: Choices

Nicholas Payton: Nick @ Night

LCJO: They Came to Swing (Roland Hanna and Lew Soloff on A-Train.... nuff ced. The record is worth those solos alone)

These are my very favorite of the modern records, but as you can tell i'm pretty biased about what i'm listening for. There's so much great music that's been released lately in jazz, you just got to check it all out as you are able. Watch the movie "Icons Among Us" and then buy all the records by those artists! Joking but seriously, just like musicians listening to absorb as much as possible as part of their learning, you should expose yourself to as much of what's out there as you have free hours in the day. Good and bad, you'll learn from all of it if you are receptive.

[binarymilton]

Originally Posted by Teej

Shirley Horn's "I Remember Miles" is a fantastic recording.

The track My Man's Gone Now is one of my reference tracks. Lush, dynamic, detailed...larger than life sound-stage and very involving. A great test of a system's ability to do drums with weight.

Was that album recorded by Pierre Sprey?

EDIT: to answer my own question, no it wasn't!

[gingataff]

I've never thought if it's a great recording or not but my favourite Jazz album of the last 20 years is Tales From The Hudson by Michael Brecker.

[bobtheninja]

It's far from modern, and also this doesn't answer op's question, but a really amazing recording is Jimmy Giuffre's Fusion and Thesis from 1961, rereleased on ECM under the name Jimmy Giuffre 3: 1961.