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1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (961-970)

Here is another 10 to add to the list.

We are getting close! Just a handful of albums left to add. Remember that there is no ranking system here. Hopefully these lists will inspire you to seek some of these albums out that perhaps you haven’t heard before, or revisit an old favorite. And as always, we want your thoughts on any or all of these albums. Here, in no particular order, are albums 961 through 970.

961. One Night in Washington – Dizzy Gillespie (Collectibles, 1955) CLICK HERE TO BUY

962. Road Band – Woody Herman (Membran, 1955) CLICK HERE TO BUY

963. Stay with Me – Billie Holiday (Verve, 1959) CLICK HERE TO BUY

964. Earl’s Pearls – Earl Hines (Unlimited, 1960) CLICK HERE TO BUY

965. Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 – Thelonious Monk (Discovery, 1952) CLICK HERE TO BUY

966. The Joint is Jumpin’ – Fats Waller (Bluebird RCA, 1929-1943 recording dates, 1987 compilations date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

967. Mingus at the Bohemia – Charles Mingus (Original Jazz Classics, 1955) CLICK HERE TO BUY

968. King of the Tenors – Ben Webster (Verve, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

969. Count Basie in London – Count Basie (Verve, 1956) CLICK HERE TO BUY

970. Live: 1939-1941 – Charlie Christian (Jazz Archives (France) 1939-1941 recording dates, 1996 compilation date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (951-960)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (941-950)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (931-940)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (921-930)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (911-920)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (901-910)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 750

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 500

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50 Greatest Jazz Vocals of All Time

50 Great Jazz Vocals is a crowdsourced list of the 50 most popular jazz vocal recordings of all time, as determined by the listeners of NPR Music, Jazz24.org and KPLU in Seattle. We asked jazz lovers all over the world to vote for their favorites. When the results were in, the thousands of votes were tabulated, and this list is the result. You can take a look at the list below or, better yet, dive into the webstream, kick back and listen to all 50 Great Jazz Vocals. According to our listeners, it doesn’t get any better than this.

I had the opportunity to speak with KPLU’s Kirsten Kendrick about this list. You can listen to our discussion here.

Here are the winners:

50 Great Jazz Vocals: The List

1. Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit”
2. Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane, “Lush Life”
3. Billie Holiday, “God Bless the Child”
4. Ella Fitzgerald, “How High the Moon”
5. Ella Fitzgerald, “Mack the Knife”
6. Etta James, “At Last”
7. Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”
8. Chet Baker, “My Funny Valentine”
9. Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto, “Girl From Ipanema”
10. Peggy Lee, “Fever”
11. Sarah Vaughan, “Lullaby of Birdland”
12. Ella Fitzgerald, “Summertime”
13. The Manhattan Transfer, “Birdland”
14. Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane, “My One and Only Love”
15. Nina Simone, “I Loves You, Porgy”
16. Ella Fitzgerald, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”
17. Joe Williams with Count Basie & His Orchestra, “Everyday I Have the Blues”
18. Billie Holiday, “Autumn in New York”
19. Sarah Vaughan, “Misty”
20. Ella Fitzgerald, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
21. Nina Simone, “Feeling Good”
22. Billie Holiday, “Fine and Mellow”
23. Nina Simone, “My Baby Just Cares for Me”
24. Nat King Cole, “Route 66”
25. Frank Sinatra, “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)”
26. Ella Fitzgerald, “Blue Skies”
27. June Christy, “Something Cool”
28. Ray Charles, “Georgia on My Mind”
29. Frank Sinatra, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
30. Anita O’Day, “Sweet Georgia Brown”
31. Billie Holiday, “All of Me”
32. Louis Armstrong, “Black and Blue”
33. Susannah McCorkle, “The Waters of March”
34. Frank Sinatra, “Fly Me to the Moon”
35. Billie Holiday, “Good Morning Heartache”
36. Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson, “You Go to My Head”
37. Clark Terry, “Mumbles”
38. Billie Holiday, “My Man”
39. Diana Krall, “Peel Me a Grape”
40. Nat King Cole, “Unforgettable”
41. Nat King Cole, “Stardust”
42. Chet Baker, “Let’s Get Lost”
43. Billie Holiday, “Lover Man”
44. Ella Fitzgerald, “Someone to Watch Over Me”
45. Eva Cassidy, “Autumn Leaves”
46. Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane, “They Say It’s Wonderful”
47. Les McCann & Eddie Harris, “Compared To What”
48. Julie London, “Cry Me a River”
49. Cab Calloway, “Minnie the Moocher”
50. Nat King Cole, “Nature Boy”

Related Posts:

The Jazz 100 (Part 1 – The List)

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1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (811-820)

Here is another 10 to add to the list.

Remember that there is no ranking system here, and if you don’t see your favorite jazz album yet, it doesn’t mean it won’t show up.

Hopefully these lists will inspire you to seek some of these albums out that perhaps you haven’t heard before, or revisit an old favorite. And as always, we want your thoughts on any or all of these albums. Either way, let’s get started with this week, and in no particular order, albums 811 through 820.

811. Stable Mable – Dexter Gordon (SteepleChase, 1975) CLICK HERE TO BUY

812. Three Stories – Eldar Djangirov (Masterworks Jazz, 2011) CLICK HERE TO BUY

813. At Mister Kelly’s – Sarah Vaughan (Verve, 1957) CLICK HERE TO BUY

814. Watermelon Man – Mongo Santamaria (Milestone Records, 1963) CLICK HERE TO BUY

815. Diz and Getz – Dizzy Gillespie (Verve, 1955) CLICK HERE TO BUY

816. Tune-Up! – Sonny Stitt (Muse, 1972) CLICK HERE TO BUY

817. Strange Fruit (Crown Collection Compilation) – Billie Holiday (2000 compilation release date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

818. Crusaders 1 – The Crusaders (MCA, 1972) CLICK HERE TO BUY

819. Like Minds – Chick Corea (Concord Jazz, 1998) CLICK HERE TO BUY

820. Somewhere in France – Ray Bryant (Label M, 2000 release date) CLICK HERE TO BUY

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die (801-810)

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 750

1,000 Jazz Albums You Should Hear Before You Die – The First 500

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(End of) Summertime Poll

The final days of summer are upon us, and depending on where you live, summer seemed far too short, just right, or far too long this year.

Regardless, the end of this summer inspired me to post our first poll in quite some time, asking you what your favorite version of Summertime is. Your comments are encouraged!

[poll id=”3″]

 

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1959 – 50 Years Ago and Still the Best Year in Jazz

50 years ago certainly told some sad stories in jazz, including the death of Billie Holiday and Lester Young. But 1959 still appears to be the year that produced some of the most influential albums in jazz history. Here is a list of the best from 1959 (and thanks to Robin Lloyd for the list, and pointing out their similar anniversary).

1. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

kind of blueThe most legendary album in jazz history easily takes the top spot on this list. The original album still sells 5,000 copies a week. A two-CD “Legacy Edition” version of this album was released celebrating the 50th anniversary, including alternate takes, false starts, and a 17-minute live version of So What.


2. Time Out – Dave Brubeck

time outThe album that left the 4/4 time signature behind, was the first jazz album to have a single (Take Five) that sold one million copies. Sony will release its own 50th Anniversary edition of Time Out this Tuesday, featuring three discs. Disc one will feature a newly remastered edition of the original. Disc two is a 30-minute DVD interview with Dave Brubeck talking about the making of Time Out, with never before seen footage, and Disc three is a compilation of recently discovered tapes at the Newport Jazz Festival from 1961, 1963, and 1964.

3. Giant Steps – John Coltrane

giant stepsAnother great album where every song became a jazz standard. The album features two different trios, with bassist Paul Chambers being the only member to participate in both. Constant chord changes and wonderful improvisation made this a classic.

4. Mingus Ah Um – Charles Mingus

mingusAs mentioned earlier, the great Lester Young died in 1959, and Mingus Ah Um is highlighted with a wonderful tribute to Young called Good Bye Pork Pie Hat. Columbia has also released a two disc “Legacy Edition” of this album this year, featuring unedited versions of tunes that were shortened for the original version, as well as some great outtakes.

5. The Shape of Jazz to Come – Ornette Coleman

shape of jazzReleased exactly 50 years ago last Friday, The Shape of Jazz to Come basically said “forget about the rules, just let me play”. That might sound sloppy (the description, not the music), but Coleman might have just looked at things differently than those before him. He always heard a melody, and managed to create great jazz with freedom that didn’t sound chaotic.