to while with jazz?

[TheFlayinDutchmn]

I’ve been wanting to get into jazz lately. I have some miles Davis that I’ve liked a bit, hardly ecstatic about it though. I know jazz didn’t spring from classical, but I’m hoping there is some more cross over music. I’ve really loved Stravinsky’s ebony concerto; it definably makes my top n compositions list. And the two jazz suites Shostakovich did are superb. So I guess I have two questions.

How does a mostly classical listener best get into jazz?

Is there more music along the lines of what Shostakovich and Stravinsky did?

I asked this a while back on a jazz forum, they weren’t much help, I hope you guys might be, thanks. I don’t know about y’all, but I have an insatiable need to listen to everything (except händel of coarse), and jazz has been a bit foreign so far.

Cheers,
nick

[jbuck919]

This should have been posted in the pub and probably will be moved there. I can only say that I enjoy most jazz without knowing much about it, which is what many people say about classical music. If "popular" music only meant jazz, true bluegrass, show-type music and pop songs on the level of Cole Porter, then I doubt that most classical afficionados would have any difficulty with it. "Just enjoy" would be my motto.

[Corlyss_D]

How does a mostly classical listener best get into jazz?

I think its the same way as you get into classical. When you hear something you like, listen to more of it, follow the composer/arranger, performer, or band, into other areas that you might like, and then start reading about it. I'm not much into jazz per se, but the Great American Songbook is sometimes categorized as an off-shoot of jazz, and I am really into that. On XM's 40s station they play a lot of instrumentals as well as vocals that were popular then. They also have about half a dozen stations classified as "jazz." If you have access to a jazz program on your local radio stations, start there (but expect to hear a lot of mixed-genre jazz). A lot of CPB stations used to have at least one program on jazz, but many have abandoned their music formats altogether. If you can listen to internet radio on your computer, try out live 365. You can listen to any station in their stable; they have hundreds if not thousands of stations broadcasting all genres of music. Here's their classical line-up for you classical fans.

[Corlyss_D]

This should have been posted in the pub and probably will be moved there.

After losing the "moved" marker for one thread, I think I'll leave it here for a day or so and then move it over to the Pub in case there are some jazz fans here that don't go into the Pub.

[hangos]

I only got into jazz past three years ago after having listened to classical for over 25 years.
The only advice I would give is ; go with the flow, i.e. pursue what tickles your ears. In my case it was "Move" by Miles Davis, then "Scrapple from the apple" by Miles and Charlie Parker, then along came Thelonious Monk!
In other words, it depends what grabs your attention and your heart. I was lucky, as my son played jazz CDs for hours, so when I heard something I liked, I was able to follow it up.
My shortlist would be;
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah-um which is brilliant on instrumental blend,virtuosity and arrangement (like a nonet in a way)
Bill Evans - virtually any album if you like piano (he plays in a way reminiscent of Michelangeli)
Charlie Parker - lots of cheap compilations containing Ornithology, Scrapple, Au privave,Buzzy, Chasin the bird, Donna Lee if you like to hear Paganiniesque genius on alto sax ( and Parker planned to study with Nadia Boulanger at one point)
Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music vols. 1 & 2 if you like strange rhythms and harmonies played in a fragmented,spare pianistic style which really swings and moves you deeply.Sounds like he's playing the wrong notes at times but it all adds up somehow
So, I hope you read this before it goes for a few drinks in the Corner Pub!
Cheers
Martin

[BC]

Jazz covers such a wide range of music. Maybe as a classical fan you might enjoy music that is more "composed through" initially. If you like Miles Davis, his collaborations with Gil Evans might interest you -- generally, these are written parts and Miles is the only improviser. All the Miles/Evans music is excellent and well regarded critically, but perhaps the most immediately accessible is Sketches of Spain. "The Birth of the Cool " is another example of relatively "composed through" music by Miles. For improvisational small-group jazz, the most famous Miles band with the general public is probably the one with Coltrane, but, apart from Kind of Blue, I generally prefer the later quintet with Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. Again, all the albums by this quintet are excellent but I'd suggest ESP as a good starting off point.

You will already be familiar with Bill Evans playing from Kind of Blue, if you want to follow up on that my recommendation would be the famous Village Vanguard sessions, released under various names (Walz
For Debby, Sunday at the Village Vanguard etc) .

The only small group Jazz album that is as famous/highly regarded it as Kind of Blue is probably John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". I used to love this album, it has a relentless intensity, but nowadays I tend to prefer somewhat earlier Coltrane like "Blue Trane" or "Giant Steps".

This could turn into an interminable post so I just might suggest some albums I would particularly recommend to someone new to jazz.

Maiden Voyage -- Herbie Hancock
Rush Hour -- Joe Lovano
Blues and the Abstract Truth --Oliver Nelson
Strange Place for Snow -- EST
Easy Living -- Enrico Rava

Don't be put off by the relative obscurity of a couple of these names -- they are all examples of small-group jazz towards the melodic/accessible end of the spectrum.

I would also agree with all of Hango's recommendations -- with perhaps the reservation that I'd hesitate to recommend Charlie Parker to a jazz beginner - I suspect he is a more specialised taste than his fame would suggest, and the technical quality of some of his recordings doesn't help.

[TheFlayinDutchmn]

great, thanks for the suggestions, this sounds good.

My main issue is that, when I don't really like a piece of jazz, listening to it is about the most anoying thing I can imagine. I have this thelonious monk CD, that's particularly bad in that repsect, though I do like some of whats on it. But I suppose you seek out your ignorance and eliminate it.

Any more suggestions on more jazz-influcenced classical music?

cheers,
nick

[TheFlayinDutchmn]

sorry about the miss categorization btw.

cheers,
nick

[moldyoldie]

Any more suggestions on more jazz-influcenced classical music?

Music from The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) by Kurt Weill

Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin (Quintessential!)

[Eetu Pellonpää]

I would recommend the works of Ralph Towner. He plays mainly acoustic guitar and piano, and Bill Evans was one of his big innovators. His music combines carefully constructed and improvisational elements, both traditional and modern. If you like classical guitar music, his "Anthem" and "Solo Concert" albums would be a good starter.

http://www.ralphtowner.com/

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... lph+towner