Any jazz fans here?
 

I really don't know **** about jazz, I just got into it recently because I have a bit of a road rage problem :evil: and my mom suggested that I quit listening to punk and hardcore while driving. So I found a good station (105.9 for anyone who lives near Baltimore) but they never tell you who played what, and they play quite a few of songs with singing (I prefer instumental jazz) The only two artists I know are George Benson and Ronny Jordan.

Discuss/help me :)

jazz music is rarely written down on paper...the musicians play whatever they think will sound good. I can play some jazz music on my musical instrument, which is a tenor trombone.

I listen to Jazz all day long. The thing is, Jazz is a very diverse genre. You have from the old school jazz from the 30s, 40s, 50s, bebop, modal jazz to jazz fusion, acid jazz, latin jazz and whatever in between they come up with. If you are getting into it, I would suggest "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis -it's a classic standard and a good place to start. Some friends of mine started listening to jazz after I gave them that album.

P.S: Stay away from Smooth Jazz.. most of it is really corny and sucks. Sounds like porn movie soundtracks. :evilgrin:

Ronny Jordan is apparently acid jazz, but I don't know whats so "acid" about it. I'll check out the Miles Davis thing tho.

I like Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, and early Herbie Hancock.

Well, the station that I listen to is a Smooth Jazz station, but they do play some really good stuff. I normally can't stand sax, clarinet or anything like that, I really like stuff with lots of piano, guitar, trombone or trumpet.

Davis sounds really good, I'll go guy that CD next chance I get. Any other of his stuff you recommend

Thanks for the suggestions, Herbie Hancock was my favorite.

Wait, the same Herbie Hancock who did "Rockit"? That's...Not...Jazz...?

My exgirlfriend is actually a trained Jazz singer :o She has an account here, I'll see if I can get her to come post sometime.

He said old Herbie Hancock, so I'm assuming some of that really weird **** that I previewed (Rockit was one of them) was his more recent stuff.

Early Herbie Hancock is great. His first work being part of the 2nd great Miles Davis Quintet or his solo work from the 60's was mostly modal jazz. He then did more "weird" stuff in the 70s. But that happened to everyone :D
I think Rock It was from 1980. They were "experimenting". Same with Miles, in the 80s he blew it by using a lot of cheesy synthesizers.

And yeah, I can't stand the smooth jazz saxes either :S. They are mostly alto or baritone ughh... If you want to hear good saxes though, look out for music by Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley. Of course there are many others but those are the ones that come to my mind atm. EDIT: Oh and as posted above: Stan Getz too!

I like real Jazz. I also love Blues. But I mean the REAL Jazz. Not that harry Conick Jr. Easy listening crap. Someone who's likely to have appeared on the Cosby Show.

That's funny how soon as you mention Herbie Hancock, people start
to sing "Rock-It". I had the song "Maiden Voyage" in mind when I
mentioned his name.

Now that I'm into jazz I've realized that Vince Gaurdaldi's Peanuts music is really good (most of it). Anyone remember "Little Birdie" from the Thanksgiving episode (the song after it was amazing aswell).

I've recently fallen in love with Charles Mingus.

That guy was a pure genius. I've been listening a lot to his old albums lately - such a fantastic musical creativity, beating just anything released today. My true recommendation.

See, the kids today, they listen to the rap music, which gives em the brain damage, y'see. With the hippin' and the hoppin' and the bippin' and the boppin'. And they don't know what the jazz is all about!