The most 'influential' jazz albums

A

aydee

Platinum Member
..

uh oh, jazz thread ahead, tread carefully...


Just got done watching a great BBC documentary on the year that changed Jazz...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BIEGF85cms

Fantastic insights into 4 great albums.

All made in the year 1959 and the people who made them. Miles' Kind of Blue, Charles Mingus' Ah Um, Brubeck's Time Out, and Ornette Coleman's The shape of Jazz to Come.

The premise of the documetary is that 1959 was a catalyst year, with the instrument mastery of bebop transforming to other more stylistic personal statements which experimented with modes, time signatures, broke harmonic rules etc.. and made a lasting creative impact on
the music world.

Do any other albums come to mind which might be equally influential? Time has moved on since 1959, so would be interesting to hear of some others.

I dont really mean albums you personally were influenced by, but the ones you thought were game changers in the music world.

abe

...
 
Last edited:
aydee said:
..

uh oh, jazz thread ahead, tread carefully...


Just got gone watching a great BBC documentary on the year that changed Jazz...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BIEGF85cms

Fantastic insights into 4 great albums, all made in the year 1959 and the people who made them. Miles' Kind of Blue, Charles Mingus' Ah Um, Brubeck's Time Out, and Ornette Coleman's The shape of Jazz to Come.

The premise of the documetary is that 1959 was a catalyst year, with the instrument mastery of bebop transforming to other more stylistic personal statements which experimented with modes, time signatures, broke harmonic rules etc.. and made a lasting creative impact in the music world.

Do any other albums come to mind which might be equally influential? Time has moved on since 1959, so would be interesting to hear of some others.

I dont really mean albums you personally were influenced by, but the ones you thought were game changers in the music world.

abe

...
Click to expand...
I'm stuffed on suggestions Abe, but I'll watch this thread eager to learn :)
 
The incomparable "Jazz at the Philhamonic" series of records. If you can find them, they were live recordings of the greatest Jazz legends of their time. Great live recordings of the greatest "drum battles" between Buddy and Gene. All on glorious 78s on vinyl.
 
Miles Smiles - Herbie didn't want to comp normally and Tony had no desire to play 2 and 4 a lot on the hi hat. Miles was cool with that. Now, many others play this way.
 
leoyucht said:
Miles Smiles - Herbie didn't want to comp normally and Tony had no desire to play 2 and 4 a lot on the hi hat. Miles was cool with that. Now, many others play this way.
Click to expand...

Tony always played that way

listen to him on the Jackie McLean records Vertigo and One Step Beyond

these are from before he joined Miles and display his absolute best playing outside of Four and More in my opinion
 
Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, released in 1969, was as influential as anything recorded before or since. It wasn't the first fusion record, but it was the most important one, historically speaking.
 
8Mile said:
Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, released in 1969, was as influential as anything recorded before or since. It wasn't the first fusion record, but it was the most important one, historically speaking.
Click to expand...

BB was a biggie! I remember that hitting the listening folk hard. Post swing wonderful wierdness...

Curious which was really the first fusion record of note.. must have been around this time? 67-69? In a Silent Way was recorded in '69...

A great brit band I heard from that vintage was Ian Carr's Nucleaus.. they were doing some wild stuff back there around the same time.

There's got to be a Monk record out there that must have shaken the tree?

...
 
aside from all the others great ones mentioned I would add:

Wayne Shorter - speak no evil

MIles - birth of the cool

Bill Evans - sunday at the Village Vanguard

John Coltrane - Giant Steps & a love supreme

Monk - brilliant corners

Eric Dolphy - out to lunch

Art Blakey - moanin

Sonny Rollins - saxophone colossus
 
To me influential means something different than what is great. Great, all what's been listed here in addition to a million more can be added.

Here are some of what I'd consider influential in addition to what's already been mentioned in this thread... Believe me - this is not all encompassing but what came from the mind and a couple resources I have...

1937 - Gene Krupa’s recording of Sing, Sing, Sing with Benny Goodman.

1938 – Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald – A-Tisket, A-Tasket – Ella F. hits the public for real.

1939 - 1941- Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra– Electric guitar brought to Jazz.

1939 – Billie Holiday records Strange Fruit

1939 – Coleman Hawkins Body & Soul

1945 – Charlie Parker / Dizzy Gillespie – Salt Peanuts

1955 - Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers: Horace Silver / Art Blakey pretty much established Hard Bop and using the name The Jazz Messengers, which Blakey would use for the rest of his career.

Considered the “Hard Bop Academy” which help to launch or solidify the careers of…..

Pianists such as: Wynton Kelly, Walter Davis, Jr., Kenny Drew, Benny Green, John Hicks, Keith Jarrett, Geoffrey Keezer, Mulgrew Miller, Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons, Cedar Walton among others.

Sax players such as: Kenny Garrett, Lou Donaldson, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, Donald Harrison, Javon Jackson, Branford Marsalis, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Bill Pierce, Wayne Shorter, Ira Sullivan, & Bobby Watson among others.

Trumpet players such as : Terence Blanchard, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis & Lee Morgan among others.

Trombonists such as: Steve Davis, Robin Eubanks & Curtis Fuller among others.

Bassists such as: Jymie Merritt, Curly Russell, Doug Watkins, Wilbur Ware & Reggie Workman among others.

1956 – Ellington at Newport (Sam Woodyard)

So many Coltrane albums are important and influential for various reasons but I think -1957 - Blue Trane (Philly Joe Jones)
1961 - My Favorite Things (Elvin)
1964/1965 - Love Supreme (Elvin)

1958 – Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! (Ed Blackwell / Billy Higgins)

The list can go on for a long while...........
 
dmacc said:
To me influential means something different than what is great. Great, all what's been listed here in addition to a million more can be added.

Here are some of what I'd consider influential in addition to what's already been mentioned in this thread... Believe me - this is not all encompassing but what came from the mind and a couple resources I have...

1937 - Gene Krupa’s recording of Sing, Sing, Sing with Benny Goodman.

1938 – Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald – A-Tisket, A-Tasket – Ella F. hits the public for real.

1939 - 1941- Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra– Electric guitar brought to Jazz.

1939 – Billie Holiday records Strange Fruit

1939 – Coleman Hawkins Body & Soul

1945 – Charlie Parker / Dizzy Gillespie – Salt Peanuts

1955 - Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers: Horace Silver / Art Blakey pretty much established Hard Bop and using the name The Jazz Messengers, which Blakey would use for the rest of his career.

Considered the “Hard Bop Academy” which help to launch or solidify the careers of…..

Pianists such as: Wynton Kelly, Walter Davis, Jr., Kenny Drew, Benny Green, John Hicks, Keith Jarrett, Geoffrey Keezer, Mulgrew Miller, Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons, Cedar Walton among others.

Sax players such as: Kenny Garrett, Lou Donaldson, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, Donald Harrison, Javon Jackson, Branford Marsalis, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Bill Pierce, Wayne Shorter, Ira Sullivan, & Bobby Watson among others.

Trumpet players such as : Terence Blanchard, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis & Lee Morgan among others.

Trombonists such as: Steve Davis, Robin Eubanks & Curtis Fuller among others.

Bassists such as: Jymie Merritt, Curly Russell, Doug Watkins, Wilbur Ware & Reggie Workman among others.

1956 – Ellington at Newport (Sam Woodyard)

So many Coltrane albums are important and influential for various reasons but I think -1957 - Blue Trane (Philly Joe Jones)
1961 - My Favorite Things (Elvin)
1964/1965 - Love Supreme (Elvin)

1958 – Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! (Ed Blackwell / Billy Higgins)

The list can go on for a long while...........
Click to expand...

nailed it to the wall as always
 
All of these have had a big influence among musicians, or marked a change of era:

Miles — Walkin', Sketches of Spain, Milestones, Four & More, Nefertiti, In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Live Evil
Chick Corea — Now He Sings, Now He Sobs
Dave Holland — Conference of the Birds
Brad Mehldau — Art of the Trio
Sonny Rollins — Live at the Village Vanguard
Stan Getz — Getz/Gilberto
John Coltrane — My Favorite Things, Live at the Village Vanguard, Sun Ship
Keith Jarrett — Standards vol. 1 and 2
Wayne Shorter — Footprints Live
Herbie Hancock — Headhunters, Thrust
Wynton Marsalis — Standard Time
John Scofield — Blue Matter

Wow, and a bunch of other great things from other people I totally didn't think of...
 
aydee said:
BB was a biggie! I remember that hitting the listening folk hard. Post swing wonderful wierdness...

Curious which was really the first fusion record of note.. must have been around this time?


...
Click to expand...

Miles In The Sky (1968) perhaps? Great record, BTW. Tony Williams on drums.
 
I feel compelled to mention Sonny Sharrock (Ask The Ages, jazz guitar), Albert Ayler (free jazz pioneer), Tony Oxley (brilliant percussionist) and Peter Brotzman (The Machine Gun Sessions, intense saxophone workouts). Each one innovators in their own right.
 
TYBG said:
I feel compelled to mention Sonny Sharrock (Ask The Ages, jazz guitar), Albert Ayler (free jazz pioneer), Tony Oxley (brilliant percussionist) and Peter Brotzman (The Machine Gun Sessions, intense saxophone workouts). Each one innovators in their own right.
Click to expand...

Alber Ayler,Peter Brotzman! Absolutely. Todd's point about albums really influencing other musicians and their styles is perhaps the way to look at 'influencial'.

@dmacc, thats comprehensive! Im curious about what people think of recent, modern jazz history... any thoughts there?

Btw, the guy who is 'officially' considered the originator of jazz rock is Gary Burton! ( Wiki )


..
 
TYBG said:
I feel compelled to mention Sonny Sharrock (Ask The Ages, jazz guitar)
Click to expand...

I don't know how influential it was, but I love that record-- that's one of my favorite things from the 90's.

Ayler's Spiritual Unity is also a good one-- along with Coltrane's Interstellar Space, which comes up in conversation with musicians a lot more often-- it's kind of the zenith of hard core 60's free jazz.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top