# Build me a Jazz CD Collection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460 "2005-06-30T02:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/1 "2005-06-30T02:21:38Z")
Or at least start one for me. Due to family changes, I am losing 75% of previously jointly owned CD’s. That doesn’t bother me much, as I am not a huge fan of my wife’s musical tastes. I am left with a lot of classical stuff and the various albums that I bought because they stuck out from my vinyl collection or because they fitted in with particular memories of mine. Anyway, I tend to use music mainly for background purposes, and in looking through what I have left, I notice a total absence of jazz. The thing is, I actually like jazz, though I know next to nothing about it. So, if I was to be buying jazz CDs over the next few months (especially once work starts), and was looking to end up with say 30 of them for starters, what would y’all recommend? The perfect thing would be a broad ranging exposure so I can be put in a position to pick for myself after that. Kind of a teach me to fish concept, really. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/2 "2005-06-30T02:27:30Z")
How about Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane? An amazing CD. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/3 "2005-06-30T03:02:15Z")
Well, _Kind of Blue_ is obvious. _The Quintet_ at Massey Hall. _Ellington Live at Newport_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/4 "2005-06-30T03:09:04Z")
Anything you can get by Dave Brubeck. Start with _Time Out, Time Further Out, Time In, Jazz Impressions of New York, Jazz At Oberlin_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![chinbender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@chinbender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chinbender)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/5 "2005-06-30T03:16:54Z")
Herbie Hancock-_Headhunters_ Cannonball Adderly-_The Capitol Years_ Charle Hunter-_Ready…Set…Shango!_ The Dirty Dozen Brass Band-_Buck Jump_ ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/6 "2005-06-30T03:23:14Z")
Thelonious Monk’s _Underground_ ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/7 "2005-06-30T05:16:31Z")
Billie, Sarah, Ella and Dinah. Throw in Carmen and Betty. Don’t forget Dianne Reeves, Patricia Barber and Diane Schuur. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/8 "2005-06-30T05:26:20Z")
Gotta second **Kind Of Blue**. Absolutely essential. Another Miles Davis that I dig a lot is **Cookin’ at the Plugged Nickel**. I think that they’ve released a box set of the Plugged Nickel sessions that I need to pick up someday when I have some more expendable income. Coltrane. Any Coltrane, but I’m kinda partial to **Giant Steps** if you must limit it to just one (but you also get a good dose of Coltrane on **Kind of Blue** ). ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/9 "2005-06-30T06:04:30Z")
Some Classics and a couple of favorites: Charlie Parker: Yardbird Suite Chales Mingus: Ah Um Cannonball Adderly: Capitol Years (as mentioned above) or Live In San Fransisco Miles Davis: Kind of Blue is a MUST. Complete Birth of the Cool is awsome also Dave Brubek: Time Out is a MUST (as mentioned above) Louis Armstrong: Hot 5’s and 7’s Horace Silver: Blowing the Blues Away Clifford Brown and Max Roach : Same title (one of my favorite trumpeters and my hands down favorite drumer) John Coltrain: Giant Steps Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners Wes Montgomery: Movin Wes Oscar Peterson Trio: Night Train ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/10 "2005-06-30T11:13:22Z")
**McCoy Tyner**. Maybe _The Real McCoy_. Tyner played with John Coltrane on a lot of recordings, including, I think, _My Favorite Things_. I’m partial to **Sonny Rollins** for saxophonists. **Eric Dolphy** is a multi-instrumentalist that I like. One of my favorite albums, with a little Brazilian flair is _Jazz Samba_ with **Charlie Byrd** and **Stan Getz** (who I think was from Maryland). Except for _Kind of Blue_, probably my most-played **Miles Davis** album is _Sketches of Spain_. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/11 "2005-06-30T11:36:47Z")
Excellent suggestions so far, and I’ll try not to repeat. Seeing you’re from Nashville, you might start listening to WMOT (Jazz 89.5 FM) and get ideas from them. There are quite a few local players (most notably Beegie Adair, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and the Wooten Brothers just to name a few) whose CD’s are on display as a group at Davis Kidd in Green Hills (perhaps elsewhere, too.) As for background type jazz, I’d suggest: Pat Metheny Group: **Travels** Stan Getz: **Focus** and **People Time** (and any of his Bossa Nova things) Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass: (several good titles) Chick Corea: \*\* Rendezvous In New York\*\* (may not be exact title) Larry Carlton: (almost anything he’s done) Harold Land: \*\* Lazy Afternoon \*\* Gerald Wilson Orchestra: (any title) Dizzy Gillespie: **On The French Riviera** Joe Pass: (any title) Oscar Peterson: (any title) and Mr. Nashville himself, Chet Atkins: **Sails** and **Stay Tuned** If these (more than half anyway) meet your approval, I can offer another dozen or so. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/12 "2005-06-30T12:13:39Z")
and I’ll add … **Dexter Gordon** esp for background his **Ballads** CD. It’s all instrumental. this is actually the first Jazz CD that I owned myself. it’s what I like to call “smoky sax” music. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/13 "2005-06-30T14:22:58Z")
A group that many don’t think of is **The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra**. They play a lot of Ellington and have some extremely talented musicians. Also, try some **Modern Jazz Quartet** (who aren’t modern anymore, but back in the day…). For some mellow standards, try **Chet Baker** , one of the more prolific trumpet players. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/14 "2005-06-30T17:32:52Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Excellent suggestions so far, and I’ll try not to repeat. Seeing you’re from Nashville, you might start listening to WMOT (Jazz 89.5 FM) and get ideas from them. There are quite a few local players (most notably Beegie Adair, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and the Wooten Brothers just to name a few) whose CD’s are on display as a group at Davis Kidd in Green Hills (perhaps elsewhere, too.) Ah, but I am only in Nashville for three more weeks. And I am hooked on 1430 AM as they give me the BBC World Service. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I am heartened by recongizing most of the names, but did not want to slip into the habit of getting greates hits CDs. I imagine I will be frequenting Amazon when the pay checks start. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/15 "2005-07-01T00:21:58Z")
Get the 2 volume _Manhattan Transfer_ collection. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-me-a-jazz-cd-collection/310460/16 "2005-07-01T00:44:49Z")
Getz/Gilberto (Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto). Gotta go, more later. (P.S. Seconded on Sketches of Spain)