The super-talented and profoundly influential Indianapolis-born fretboard maestro didn’t let his inability to read music affect his career.
Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1960) Undoubtedly one of the greatest jazz albums ever. Brubeck’s popularity showed that innovations in jazz didn’t need to come at the expense of the music’s accessibility. Other highlights on the album include “Blue Rondo A La Turk’ (rendered in 9/4 time) and “Three To Get Ready” (in 3/4). An infectious number written in 5/4 time, “Take Five” became a hit single in 1960 and was written by Brubeck’s alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond, initially as a vehicle to showcase the quartet’s drummer, Joe Morello. The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out (Columbia, 1959)Ĭalifornia-born pianist Dave Brubeck had a penchant for playing music in unusual and unorthodox meters, and his quartet’s most famous song was this album’s title cut. Despite the high quality of his sidemen, Baker isn’t eclipsed by their presence and contributes some beautifully lyrical trumpet lines. The material is a selection of standards (including “How High The Moon” and “It Never Entered My Mind”) and features pianist Bill Evans, flautist Herbie Mann and guitarist Kenny Burrell. Despite his many travails, he sounds in good shape on an album that focuses exclusively on his trumpet playing (rather than his vocals). By the time Chet came out, the trumpeter had already been incarcerated for drugs offences. Behind the matinee-idol good looks, however, there lurked a serious addiction to drugs which derailed his career several times. With his chiseled demeanor, Chet Baker became the poster boy for the West Coast “cool” jazz scene of the 50s (despite the fact that he hailed from Oklahoma). Among the many highlights is the buoyant title track, along with “Shiny Stockings” and “Corner Pocket.” Big band jazz at its absolute peak. Regarded by many as the Basie band’s finest moment in a recording studio, April In Paris captures the swagger, verve, finesse and fuel-injected power of an ensemble that featured in its ranks trumpeter Thad Jones, saxophonist Frank Foster and rhythm guitarist Freddie Green. Though most big bands had bitten the dust by the 50s (largely due to economic factors), Basie kept his going and enjoyed something of a renaissance. Originally from Red Bank, New Jersey, Bill Basie, like his contemporary Duke Ellington, adopted an aristocratic title for a stage name and was a major force in the rise of the swing big bands of the 30s. “Brownie”, as the trumpeter was known, is sensational throughout the album, but especially brilliant on a thrilling version of Victor Young’s “Delilah.” He shows his prowess as a composer with his own fine number “Joy Spring,” which is an archetypal example of hard hop.Ĭount Basie And His Orchestra: April In Paris (Verve, 1957) It features Bud Powell’s piano-playing brother, Richie, who also died in that fatal car accident with Brown, along with tenor saxophonist Harold Land.
Clifford Brown And Max Roach was one of his best, made in tandem with a quintet he co-led with drummer Max Roach. Though he was killed in a car accident when he was just 25, on 25 June 1956, his genius is preserved by the many recordings he made.
One of the early architects of a jazz style known as hard bop, which came to dominate the genre during the 50s, Clifford Brown was a gifted trumpeter who was cut down in his prime. It wasn’t released until 1951, when it appeared as a 2LP set.Ĭlifford Brown And Max Roach: Clifford Brown And Max Roach (EmArcy, 1954) Satchmo At Symphony Hall contains some of Armstrong’s seminal tunes and features him fronting a seven-piece band that included Jack Teagarden on trombone. Though bebop was beginning to make its presence felt in the jazz world, there was still room for Satchmo and his authentic New Orleans-style jazz, as packed concert halls attested to. He recorded this memorable concert at the age of 46, in Boston, during November 1947. One of jazz’s founding fathers, trumpet sensation and gravel-voiced singer Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong became an ambassadorial figure for the genre in his later years. Louis Armstrong: Satchmo At Symphony Hall (Decca, 1951) While you’re reading, listen to our Jazz For Beginners playlist here, and scroll down to read our intro guide to 20 essential jazz albums. If you have any albums that you consider to be essential jazz for beginners, then let us know in the comments section. We’ve listed these albums chronologically, so you can get a sense of jazz’s progression across the years.