Recommend Jazz & South American/African Music?

Ornette Coleman and Pat Metheny's "Song X" is a jazz masterpiece that has undeniable appeal for people that have been weaned on rock (download the track "Video Games" to get a taste of it)

Keith Jarrett's "Koln Concert" is one of the most remarkable instrumental works ever crafted

Scott Cossu's "Reunion"

Herbie Hancock is quite accessible

Check out this wiki on the '60s Brazilian music movement of Tropicalia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicalismo

All of the artists mentioned are worth checking out. Note that during this period, also more traditional bossanova artists like Edu Lobo (check his masterpiece Missa Breve), Chico Barque and Milton Nascimento made adventurous, almost psychedelic bossa records.

Brad Mehldau-Live in Tokyo. A great performance especially his version of 'Riverman' which is astounding.

Nina Simone-Little Girl Blue.
Miles Davis-In a silent way. It's got a real laid back ambient vibe.

I am a big fan of Nicholas Payton. He's a trumpet player. Pretty great stuff.

If you have any interest in jazz/fusion, you might want to check out:

Return to Forever: 'Romantic Warrior'
Al Di Meola: 'Elegant Gypsy'
Al Di Meola: 'Casino'

Al was in RtF for the album mentioned. If you're not familiar with him, he's a phenomenal jazz guitarist who's been around for many many years. I don't personally care for his newer output too much, but his 70s stuff is pure gold. Be aware that the 3 albums listed all have a definite 70s feel to them, so that may put you off initially.

Almost all of the 23-volume Ethiopiques series is worth a listen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopiques

Most people know the series because of the fourth volume, from which a lot of music was culled for BROKEN FLOWERS.

I was just about to recommend these.

I would also recommend checking out Fela Kuti. I really like the albums Zombie and Expensive Shit, but I haven't come close to listening to his entire catalog.

From what I have heard of his stuff, Caetano Veloso is pretty great. I really enjoy his first two self-titled albums. I have been interested in his other stuff but just haven't gotten around to checking it out.

I recommended a Mexican folk record in the Obscure Music Recommendations thread that is also pretty great. It is Pep Laguarda & Tapineria -Brossa d'ahir. I really love this record. You can check out what I wrote in that thread, if you are interested.

Ralph Towner's your man. Not many guitarists can accompany themselves live. The two Solstice albums are sublime, 'Live' and 'Time Line' are good as well.

Dingdingdingding! 'Personal Mountains' with Jan Garabek is another winner. 'Radiance' is good too, but very angry.

Chris Potter's work with the Dave Holland Quintet is very good too. I'm sure the stuff he records with his own group is as well, but I've only heard him play with Dave Holland.

Gary Burton Quintet's 'Ring' is exceptional as well.

Then there's 'Angel Song', by Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell, and Lee Konitz.

If you're looking for jazz, you're looking for ECM records. Their catalogue is a who's who of jazz greats, and there's a lot of mixing and matching among their artists.

Can't help you with the African stuff too much. Sorry. 'Spices of Zanzibar' is a good album.

tito afrocuban jazz

I love Tito Puente, Buena Vista Social Club is another favorite of mine.

Arturo Sandoval is another Latin Jazz master. I highly recommend "Swingin" if you're into bebop at all.

EDIT: His official website lets you listen to come of his songs.

If you're looking for African music with moments of transcendent beauty, you have to check out Miriam Makeba. Really beautiful voice. Maybe also look into Ali Farka Toure and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The compilation World Psychedelic Classics Vol. 3: Love Is A Real Thing has some amazing stuff on it, as well. And I endorse the previous reccomendation of the Ethiopiques series. There's everything on those discs from traditional folk to funk to jazz, and there are gems buried on virtually every volume.

For Brazilian music, I've recently been turned on to the unique music of Tom Ze.

That's a really great CD. Actually, most of the Luaka Bop compilations are worth checking out. Check this one out too: http://www.amazon.com/Brazil-Classic...2643834&sr=8-1

Checking out Wynton Marsalis isn't a bad bet. Lots of people basically hate his view of the history of Jazz--if you want a good review of Marsalis' view on that, check out the Ken Bunrs miniseries . . . it's basically Burns putting the man's view on film and little else--but the man can freaking play and so can everyone around him. (I literally witnessed a Wynton Marsalis Quintet performance during which the drummer played a good third of his drum solo on the sticks themselves. That was freaking impressive.)

Thelonious Monk.

Sonny Rollins.

My experience with South American and African music is a bit limited, but I do have a few recommendations. I'll save that for a future post. For now, some words on jazz.


Fat Dragon, I know from past discussions that you're not a virgin to jazz, but for anyone who is, here are a few essentials (and they really are must-haves):

- Miles Davis Kinda Blue
- Miles Davis In a Silent Way
- Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um
- Charles Mingus The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
- John Coltrane A Love Supreme
- Herbie Hancock Head Hunters
- Cannonball Adderley Somethin' Else

Pharoah Sanders is another favorite of mine and I highly suggest checking out some of his '60s and '70s recordings. Alice Coltrane is greatness too. You could do worse than to just kill two birds with one stone by going after Alice's beautiful and meditative masterwork Journey in Satchidananda which features Sanders on several cuts.

I've been into jazz for years now, but have been pacing my exploration into the classics. The jazz legends who I am most interested in at the moment are Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman. I've yet to hear a Mingus album I didn't like and his discography is massive. He's generally easier to grasp than Coleman, as the latter typically applies a free jazz/avant-garde approach to his work. Pick any of the more highly acclaimed albums by these artists as an entry point and you're good to go. If you're interested in jazz fusion, you can't go wrong digging into some Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra or Herbie Hancock's albums from the early to mid '70s. I've also got to recommend an album that I bought earlier this year and fell in love with - Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin's Love Devotion Surrender which includes an outstanding fusion take on "A Love Supreme".

For some great modern jazz, definitely consider giving some of these artists/bands a try: David Murrary, Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. And if you ever need any John Zorn/Tzadik suggestions, just let me know.

Here are some older jazz related discussions from the boards that might be helpful:

http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz
http://www.chud.com/forums/showthrea...highlight=jazz