Hey all,
I am totally into jazz, especially stuff from the 50s and 60s like the Jazz Messengers, Thelonious Monk, john Coltrane, Charles Mingus, etc. The genre commonly known as hard bop is my favorite. Anybody into listening to/playing/understanding jazz?? Let’s talk… I want to hear what you got to say about it. 
I like most of that, and am trying to get more into it. I’m still pretty new so I’m afraid our conversation would mostly be me reading your posts and Googling artists and CDs you suggest.
OK, let’s start there. Suggest some stuff for me.
Currently I’m rotating among these:
Oscar Peterson plays Broadway
Oscar Peterson’s Verve Silver Collection
Stanley Jordan live in New York
Wes Montgomery’s Impressions
as well as a lot of newer stuff like:
Diana Krall
Molly Johnson
Lizz Wright
and whatever else I can find. Suggestions?
I’m a big jazz fan and, although I appreciate jazz from most eras, my tastes mesh pretty much with yours, Oregon. New Orleans, Swing, bop, and hard-bop probably constitute the majority of my collection, although I’ve more recently been exploring the Samba/Bossanova music of Stan Getz, Vince Guaraldi and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
We recently had another jazz thread, Only Serious Jazz Ethusiasts Need Reply, that had a lot of other fans posting suggestions. I made two lengthy posts there that outline many of my favourites. The whole thread is well worth reading.
There are a lot of jazz fans - serious and not-so - on this board. Comes with having a brilliant mind, don’t you know. They’ll all be along shortly. I like most of what you’ve listed and would add Modern Jazz Quartet, Miles Davis, Chet Baker (although he’s not really bop), and Lambert, Henricks & Ross for starters.
Just give me some Jimmy Smith and I’m happy. I absoluely love B-3 organ jazz, and he was the best.
I am a jazz fan and also a closet jazz guitarist (there’s an MP3 I did with a machine providing the backing on this page. It’s Unit 7 made popular by Wes. It was primarily to illustrate what the machine can do). I have never played jazz gigs but I’ve done rock & blues gigs since I was 15. (I just did a gig Saturday with my old band at Bangkok Blues in Falls Church.)
I really like a lot of Miles & 'Trane. I especially like the Cool Jazz phase. I played at a jazz workshop a couple of years ago where we played Move, one of my favorites.
Naturally I am predisposed to listen to guitarists. Wes was the greatest. Bireli Lagrene is a monster player. I’ve seen Pat Martino a couple of times; he comes from the hard bop school.
I also really like contemporary big bands (not 40’s era swing big bands). I can take or leave Maynard Ferguson but his Live At Jimmy’s album from the 70’s was one of the greatest jazz recordings ever IMHO. Toshiko Akyoshi’s big band is also great.
Oh Yeah, Miles Davis. Also Gil Evans’ Live at Sweet Basil is an unbelievable album. I had no idea until I read his life story that he was like 70 years old when that was recorded. It’s totally amazing!
I have to check out that other thread. Yeayuh…
I just came in here to mention that I found Bireli Lagrene because someone mentioned his name in a thread a long time ago, and I’m absolutely hooked. (If it was you, CookingWithGas, I thank you!) I also picked up Xenoblast by Jazz Mandolin Project on a lark, and really liked them too. Same thing with Baden Powell.
I generally prefer instrumental jazz, specifically Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto (the Getz/Gilberto album is a must-have if you have any interest in bossa nova), and pretty much anything else I can get my grubby little paws on. Speaking of Gilberto, I’ve actually enjoyed his daughter, Bebel’s, work as well.
I do like Diana Krall, but I really only like her when she’s with a small combo, not with a huge orchestra. “When I Look in Your Eyes” is an atrocity. Her version of “Devil May Care” off of her live in Paris album is excellent.
I’m just a beginner, but I have these DVDs:
Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson
Music keeps us young by the Billy Taylor trio featuring ‘I wish I knew how it would feel to be free’
Menuhin and Grappelli play Gershwin, Kern, Porter etc
The very best of Cleo Laine
My baby just cares for me by Nina Simone
I have mentioned him before in guitar-related threads, so you’re welcome just in case it was me. He spans multiple genres. Unlike other even great artists, you can never be sure what you’ll hear when you queue up one of his recordings.
You have to hear his live album, which is just incredible mastery of standards, including one of the fastest versions of Donna Lee I’ve ever heard. Then he has a huge body of work with the gypsy jazz thing, which is equally awesome. I have another CD that is all Sinatra tunes, and he even sings a couple. He is actually a credible singer. He has a CD called Acoustic Moments (IIRC) that is neither of the above, and the last cut is kind of a musical joke called Heavy Metal Earthquake where he shows that not only can he play jazz standards, sing Sinatra, be the second coming of Django, and play beautiful acoustic, but that Steve Vai better be scared if he ever decides to become a full-time shredder.
How about modern and/or free jazz? Anybody (NYC jazz fans, especially) listen to Gutbucket? They’re one of my favorite active jazz groups.
Stranger
As my slight contribution to the other thread, let me mention Regina Carter, the lady with a violin.
An artist who is rarely mentioned is pianist Michel Petrucciani. Read up on his life and be amazed at what he accomplished.
Yay!! I’m so glad to see others! Nice to meet ya Hodge and everyone else.
And Stranger… does Skerik count? (Critters Buggin)?
Big fan.
Currently going through a Grant Green phase - his way with a Gibson ES-330 guitar is amazing.
Check out Matador - made with the same sidemen 'Trane used on My Favorite Things - and even has Grant’s own version of that song. And he does his own, great job.
Really great.
I wasn’t previously familiar with Gutbucket but I’m definitely going to check them out. I’ve been a fan of a number of NYC avant-garde jazz acts, particularly John Zorn and his multitude of side projects, Marc Ribot, The Lounge Lizards and, especially, Sex Mob.