Recommendations for jazz/soul albums

[U2girl]

Seeing the "blues album" thread, I'd like to also research some old school jazz and soul. Your suggestions? The closest I have in my collection now (if it counts as jazz) is a Frank Sinatra Best of.

By name, I know of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and singers like Aretha Franklin, Ottis Redding, Marvin Gaye (actually had a Best of but somehow didn't enjoy it that much). Would any of those be a good start?

 

[bsp77]

Miles Davis' A Kind of Blue is by far the most famous jazz recording. People may argue about whether it truly is best, but it is essential. But that is a very smooth, cool jazz recording and may not be what you are looking for. For more upbeat, very old jazz, you could go with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, although both are hard to anthologize due to frequent label switching. You should just go to AllMusicGuide and try to figure out where to start.

If you do like Miles Davis, there are a lot of other recording besides A Kind of Blue that are considered extremely good (Birth of the Cool, Round About Midnight, Sketches of Spain, Porgy & Bess, Bitches Brew). Also, if you like Miles, you would also like John Coltrane, with his A Love Supreme almost as essential as A Kind of Blue.

I don't know as much about soul music, but of course Ray Charles would be an ideal place to start as he invented the genre.

 

[babyman]

I think bsp77 has given you already all the best advices!

 

[U2girl]

Armstrong and Ellington, I have heard of those too. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Canadiens1131]

If you're looking more to the vein of R&B/Soul, you can't go wrong with Motown Greatest Hits. The Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Isley Brothers, hell even a little Rick James.

As far as jazz, Kind of Blue is the best starting point, most likely. I tend to gravitate towards off-the-wall 70s Afro-Cuban stuff which is pretty upbeat. This is a good album for that kinda stuff.]

Shoot, just saw you said 'old school jazz and soul', which pretty much rules out my suggestions. Billie Holiday might be to your liking, as well as Armstrong and maybe even some George Gershwin compositions.

 

[babyman]

U2Girl, I need your help! Sorry if I get out of your topic, but I don't know where to post this question in interference!!

I'm planning to go to Slovenia this summer for a week more or less. Do I need the passport to enter the country or is the identity card alright? I'm italian.

 

[U2girl]

If you're looking more to the vein of R&B/Soul, you can't go wrong with Motown Greatest Hits. The Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Isley Brothers, hell even a little Rick James.

As far as jazz, Kind of Blue is the best starting point, most likely. I tend to gravitate towards off-the-wall 70s Afro-Cuban stuff which is pretty upbeat. This is a good album for that kinda stuff.]

Shoot, just saw you said 'old school jazz and soul', which pretty much rules out my suggestions. Billie Holiday might be to your liking, as well as Armstrong and maybe even some George Gershwin compositions.

Ohhh, I wouldn't mind getting into Motown music too. Too many choices, not enough money ...

Yes, Billie Holliday is another name that rings a bell, not sure I heard anything by her. Al Green would fit somewhere around this kind of music too, right?

I don't know if they count under jazz/soul, I have liked Norah Jones and moreso Joss Stone lately.

 

[U2girl]

U2Girl, I need your help! Sorry if I get out of your topic, but I don't know where to post this question in interference!!

I'm planning to go to Slovenia this summer for a week more or less. Do I need the passport to enter the country or is the identity card alright? I'm italian.

No problem. As we're both EU members, I believe it's ok to enter Slovenija with your identity card.

 

[babyman]

No problem. As we're both EU members, I believe it's ok to enter Slovenija with your identity card.

You've given me a great news, my passport validity has expired, I had the fear to get into the usual italian burocratics hell to renew it!
Thanx a lot!

 

[dandy]

good stuff suggested above.

ella fitzgerald is heavenly, too.

 

[hiphop]

jazz. there are way too many artists and recordings i love to even consider starting a list, really

soul, you want the original soul? then get some

james brown - again, very many recordings. i also like his new stuff. james brown directed his own empire. and still does.

parliament/ funkadelic/ george clinton/ the whole crew there, also bootsy albums are fun.. i´d recommend the album "the electric spanking of war babies" by parliament

the berry gordy motown: like mentioned above - diana ross, etc etc.. you will hear the typical motown sound on many recordings, the studio musicians created that sound, they were very underpaid though. get some marvin gaye, gladys knight & the pips, martha reeves & the vandellas, the early stevie wonder albums, four tops and so on. what a pity universal bought motown, what once was a fine label s just a giant clusterfuck now.

the other big soul label of the 60s was stax. some artists from there went to atlantic later, while jerry wexler - who also did ray charles at atlantic - was recording some of the artists at stax in memphis. check out some music by rufus thomas, booker t. and the MGs, otis redding (released on volt). and of course ray charles. isaac hayes is another must.have

and finally don´t forget superfly and pusherman: both by curtis mayfield, another great artist

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus

 

[bsp77]

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus

Excellent, excellent choice. Might listen to that now.

 

[Jack In The Box]

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus

good call

try The Yellow Jackets, nice jazz band

 

[kakvox]

Oh, how I love my Jazz....

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (In my top ten albums of all time )

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall

 

[elevation2u]

Music I have in my ipod/vinyl collection which I love which I believe fall under the "jazz" cateogry:

John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Maynard Ferguson, Esbjorn Svennson Trio, Jean-Luc Ponty, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Dave Holland Quintet, Sex Mob, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Weather Report, Curtis Mayfield, Shuggie Otis, Fela Kuti, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Lee Morgan,