Reddit mentions: The best bebop music

> "I know that sounds closed minded, but think how much great music has been made in that last 45 years, let alone the last 10 years."

And a lot of them are covers of songs from before 1970 or they were greatly influenced by artists from before 1970.

There's a shit ton of fabulous music from before 1970. You want to hear a truly great vocalist? Try listening to Ella Fitzgerald. She puts most contemporary (female) singers to shame.

Are you a jazz fan at all? This live album, recorded in 1956, Misterioso, by Thelonious Monk, is a fantastic live jazz album. It truly captures what it's like to see a small jazz band, in a small club/restaurant atmosphere, where the band is on fire. The album is timeless. It could have been recorded in 2015 in some small Manhattan jazz club, the playing is so good.

The roots of so many types of music were laid down in the 60s.

James Brown, the godfather of soul (and funk) really got his sound going in the 60s. Hell, some of James Brown's greatest songs came from the 60s such as Cold Sweat or this song Mother Popcorn. Contemporary R&B, hip-hop and rap all were heavily influenced by James.

Ska & reggae were born in the 50s & 60s. Bob Marley got his start in the 60s. The 1st wave of ska was in the 60s. The English invasion of the 80s, that included bands like The Clash, The Specials, The Police and many more owe a ton to the ska & reggae music of the 60s.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was greatly inspired & influenced by Albert King whose biggest influence was during the 50s & 60s.

> "Music should always be going forward to me."

Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and many other bands that were the roots of metal all started in the 60s.

So many contemporary bands beg, borrow & steal from the past. Do yourself a favor and listen to older music. You'll better understand who and what influenced contemporary music.

Virtuoso. It's a solo album, and it's unbelievable. Solo guitar is his great contribution to jazz guitar.

For ensemble play, check out the song Django by Joe Pass. It has his best solo in my opinion. You can find is on the album For Django I believe.

You also might want to check out anything by pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (NHOP). NHOP is a bassist with chops like you wouildn't believe. They make a great duo. I have Northsea Nights, and can vouch for it's awesomeness.

Lastly, if you're serious about listening to Jazz guitar listen to Wes Montgomery's Smoking at the Half Note. It's a live album and has some of the best and most energetic solos/combo play that I've heard on any instrument. If you like that, check out The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. It's a studio album with some of the tracks in Smoking at the Half Note.

So many good pianists, where to begin? Have you checked out the Maybeck Recital series? The concert by Stanley Cowell is one of my favorite albums, Toshiko Akiyoshi really good as well..

Right now I'm listening a lot to Pastorale by Steve Kuhn, and a few albums by Enrico Pieranunzi (1685: Plays Bach, Handel and Scarlatti is superb. I'd say it's my favorite, but it is from 2011 so it hasn't yet stood the test of time. Trio: Dream Dance, Plays Morricone, Seaward and many more).. Eddie Higgins is good.. Ray Bryant's Somewhere in France is nice.. Fred Hersch plays Jobim is great. En Vivo piano solo by Ernán López-Nussa is also worth a listen.

Brad Mehldau as mentioned by someone else is of course the obvious recommendation for a modern jazz pianist, not obscure at all but brilliant. Live , Live in Marciac and Highway Rider would be my picks. One trio, one solo and one more ambitious undertaking (with his regular trio + Joshua Redman and a Chamber Orchestra)

I do, fine sir. There is a CD/book from Robert Crumb entitled Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country. Fascinating original recordings from the 1920's onwards. The jazz songs are old yet you can't find more authentic and swampy, to my opinion.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0810930862/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1319037085&sr=8-1

I might add, Allen Toussaint's the Bright Mississippi. A masterpiece of the New Orleans jazz music.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001PSQGQI/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1319037496&sr=8-1

It is the best I can do. Hope you enjoy it!

Maria Schneider - Thompson Fields

Incredibly textured, emotional, and stunningly beautiful. Incredible musicians too. The title track made me pull over in my car to listen.

Lickety Split: The Music of Jim Mcneely

Amazingly creative, intelligent and fun arrangements.

Mel Lewis and The Jazz Orchestra Live At The Village Vanguard -Compositions of Bob Brookmeyer

My favorite arranger. Just amazing music.

Madly Loving you - Bob Brookmeyer with The Ed Partyka Orchestra

Prominent arrangers composed music for Bob Brookmeyer. You can imagine the results when people try to impress their idol.

Thad Jones / Mel Lewis - Consummation

Just legendary.

He did a very good job with a certain sort of relaxing jazz. Good stuff. And there's Brubeck and Goodman and Ellington and Basie and others. For some fine stuff that's more energizing than relaxing, check out Neal Hefti's arrangements for Count Basie in The Complete Atomic Basie or, even perhaps better, Count Basie and His Orchestra Play Neal Hefti. Indeed, these same arrangements are well done by The Frank Capp Juggernaut in In a Hefti Bag. Great stuff.

I've built up a nice little jazz collection over the past few years and I really love slow, introspective piano stuff. Andrew Hill's Hommage is a great solo album, as is Mingus Plays Piano. Dave Brubeck's Jazz Impressions of Japan has a nice balance of fast/slow jazz and Thelonius by Himself is contemplative and cool. For a something a little different try Walt Dickerson's Impressions of a Patch of Blue or Sun Ra's The Night of the Purple Moon. Fun, funky stuff.

Something faster paced? Bitches Brew by Miles Davis or The Cry by Prince Lasha are two of my best purchases.

First of all, with Coltrane make sure you have the basics (Giant Steps, A Love Supreme, My Favorite Things, etc.), but also get Coltrane's Sound, Newport '63 and Transition. Coltrane's Sounds is just fucking awesome. The first three tracks on Newport '63 feature Roy Haynes on drums instead of Elvin which works REALLY well. Transition...crank up the volume on the first track and just get your mind blown.

In general though, one of the best ways to discover related music with these older albums is to read the liner notes (of course, this can be tough if you're buying through iTunes or something and they're not available). The liner notes will often mention who else the artist was playing with at the time, what their early influences were, etc. and that can guide your further explorations a bit.

• Toots and the Maytals
  
  
• Medeski, Martin & Wood
  
  
• Lee Morgan
  
  
• Blackalicious
  
  
• Brownout
  
  
• Dag
  
  This might be a good time to try to find something you like in one of the classic greats like Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
  
  If you're open to classical music I recommend this rockin' album of music by Samuel Barber
  
  Best of luck, friend.

Generally speaking, the studio recordings made for Verve have somewhat better sound, followed by Savoy and Dial. Artistically the reverse is true, and those Savoy and Dial collections linked to above sound pretty good.

For live recordings, some of the comparatively hi-fi releases are: Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Storyville, Montreal 1953, most of The Washington Concerts, Bird at the Hi-Hat, and the Complete Savoy Live Performances is good and includes the 1947 Carnegie Hall set. As with the studio stuff, lots of the best material is on somewhat technically inferior recordings. Chasin' The Bird is the best collection of these.

I can't narrow down the songs and movies to 5 but I think I can take a stab at the albums. The links go to Amazon. In no particular order...

1. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis - It works in every situation. It makes me feel like I am out in nature. Just that feeling of being able to breath deeply and you think, "this is where I am supposed to be."
   
   
2. Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd - It's so timeless. If this album came out today it would be hailed as innovative and fresh.
   
   
3. In On The Kill Taker by Fugazi - The energy. The passion. The emotion. When I need to get pumped up, this album does it for me. I can hear the first notes of Facet Squared just typing this.
   
   
4. A Fistful of Film Music by Ennio Morricone - My favorite film composer. This anthology is awesome from top to bottom and I could listen to it all day.
   
   
5. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan - I was introduced to Bob Dylan way later than I wish I was so I feel like I am making up for lost time when I listen to him. No one makes nonsensical lyrics make so much sense like Dylan.
   
   I could survive on a desert island with these 5 albums and never want for music. I might want a power supply though.

I don't know anything about the scene in Baltimore. Presumably touring acts stopped by there and they were hip to what was going on in New York.

The hottest jazz musicians in 1950 were Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Miles Davis. They played the genre known as Bebop, or just Bop, which started ca. 1944. So bebop was mature at that point and was the dominant jazz style. Everybody wanted to play like Bird.

For some examples of live jazz in 1950, check out the Charlie Parker collection [Chasin' the Bird] (https://www.amazon.com/Chasin-Bird-Charlie-Parker/dp/B000BO5LYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505098624&sr=8-2&keywords=charlie+parker+chasin%27+the+bird).

Here are some examples of post-war bebop:

• [Charlie Parker - "Round Midnight" (live 1950)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dffip1HAnY) -- famous Thelonious Monk tune
  
  
• [Thelonious Monk - "Misterioso"] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXp6DrISKQY) (1948)
  
  
• [Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - "Dizzy Atmosphere"] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlHPf0JQtVA) (live at Carnegie Hall 1947 --- great example of blistering high speed bop)
  
  Swing was the most popular music from 1934-1945, but it was in major decline in the post-war years. Bop bands typically were small combos of just 5 players --- sax, trumpet, piano, bass, drums.
  
  The top singers of the day would be Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald.
  
  Your characters might also listen to popular R&B.
  
  

Mingus Ah Um has always been one of my favorites. Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane is a good album too. If you are looking for some amazing vocals check out some Nina Simone.

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

This audio CD is notable for many reasons:

1. It represents a style at its height (1957).
   
   
2. It contains two of the world's greatest jazz artists, during the very short time they worked together (less than a year).
   
   
3. It documents Coltrane's style at a time when it really began to take flight.
   
   
4. The recording was discovered at the Library of Congress in 2005, so it's "new".
   
   
5. It was recorded live, and extraordinarily well for its day, at Carnegie Hall.
   
   Edit: it's also nice for getting your groove on with the ladies.

Europe grey market stuff is basically at best a cd pressed on a record. At worst it’s a cd pressed on vinyl with crap vinyl quality.

You’re much better off for Giant Steps either getting the 2017 mono which is a quiet flawless pressing or the Kevin grey mastered stereo , both on rhino, both fantastic sound.

stereo

mono

Miles Davis! I've always loved Jazz, it always gets me in a better mood. "Music is always a commentary on society."

Hehe, I'm just busting your balls, dude. I actually didn't start with the early classics either. Made my way from 70s prog rock to fusion jazz to contemporary jazz and then made my way back.

Anyway, look into the concert at the Carnegie Hall Monk did with Coltrane. That should be a good intro. Underground is also a great album.

Some that I can listen to from beginning to end:

• Willie Nelson - Redheaded Stranger
  
  
• Blonde Redhead - Blonde Redhead
  
  
• Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
  
  
• XTC - Skylarking
  
  
• Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane over the Sea
  
  
• Daft Punk - Alive 2007
  
  
• DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
  
  
• Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
  
  
• Chameleons - Script of a Bridge
  
  
• Slowdive - Souvlaki
  
  
• New Order - Substance
  
  
• PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
  
  
• Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Yes. For $1 more you can get the OJC/Riverside version. I have a recent OJC pressing of Sunday at the Village Vanguard, and it sounds great.

It's Amazon, cancel and change it: Waltz for Debby [Vinyl] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000000YBP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1mKbzbRHW6WD8

if you're already into duke, thelonious monk plays duke ellington might work for you. that being said...

i can't think of any bad monk albums, but he's at his best when he gets to stretch out on longer solos, building rhythm patterns, echoing and deconstructing melodies, etc. he often re-worked the same compositions at different points in his career, so for a lot of tunes there's not a canonical this-is-the-official-version "best" recording. you might try this imho stellar recently-discovered live recording at carnegie hall with john coltrane.

Found this discussion that is worth checking out:https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/quality-john-coltrane-vinyl-reissues-is-it-as-confusing-as-it-seems.666248/

Looks like there may be a more highly regarded version, also from Rhino: https://www.amazon.com/GIANT-STEPS-DELUXE-Vinyl-COLTRANE/dp/B0000DJYO0/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=yo_ii_img

Some greats that fly under the radar. Some of my all time favorites;
(these link to the amazon page for the CD, but have the options for Vinyl)

• Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band "Live at the Village Vanguard"
  
• Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery "Smokin' at the Half Note"
  
• Johnny Griffin "A Blowin' Session"
  
• Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra "Consummation"
  
• Sonny Clarke "Leapin' and Lopin'"
  
  edit: added list format and links

I bought the version below back in Feb of last year off Amazon for $11.58 and it sounds great! Temporarily OOS but still only $15.66.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000YBP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Similarily, I like this Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane quite a bit.

In case anyone is wondering, first hit on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/58-Miles-Featuring-Stella-Starlight/dp/B0000027R5

That's the album, and it's 7 bucks on amazon mp3.

i always end up back on Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall.

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For what it's worth, [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Kind-Blue-Miles-Davis/dp/B000002ADT/) recording claims in the liner notes to have corrected various errors in the earlier re-issues.

Tough to go wrong with Kind of Blue.