I need some new stuff, new artists in particular. By new I mean new to me, not new to the jazz scene. And please, not that disconnected jazz that sounds like everyone’s playing a different piece; I want jazz with some rhythm, some flow. Mellow or snappy, doesn’t matter to me.
I like Chet Baker, Miles, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, T.S. Monk, and I just bought NuJazz Italia, which I like a lot, too.
Suggestions?
Try Dave Brubeck or Oscar Petersen. Or my favorite unheard-of record, the eponymous album from The Vince Guaraldi Trio. (He’s the guy who did the Peanuts soundtrack, but he recorded this album way before that. It’s terrific.)
You could try The Cinematic Orchestra. You can listen to some of their tracks here:
The album Time Out by Dave Brubeck is one of those all-time jazz classics. A compilation would work too, but just make sure it has “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” Brubeck’s piano and Paul Desmond’s smooth alto sax work great together.
I’m a sax player, so I’ve always been fondest of the jazz saxophone greats. You already mentioned Parker (greatest of all time), but I also love Stan Getz, Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, the aforementioned Paul Desmond. All of those guys are “smooth/cool” players, rather than honky and harsh. I would definitely not recommend Ornette Coleman, who plays the “free jazz” you specifically dislike. John Coltrane is one of the best ever, although he had some honky moments himself. The album Giant Steps would be your best bet, or if you don’t have it already, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.
If you like big band swing, Duke Ellington and Count Basie were some of the best around. For vocals, I love the faster, more upbeat stuff from Ella Fitzgerald. Jimmy Smith was a beast on the Hammond B3 organ, blending soul with jazz, if you’re into that sort of thing, and going back to Paris in the 1920s and '30s, guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli played “hot jazz” in the clubs and bistros that you will love.
I recommend you go to Amazon.com and listen to samples from all of those legendary masters!
I like Either/Orchestra (they’ve been around 20 years, so I guess they’re not "new to the scene 
). My favorite album of theirs is Afro-Cubism.
Another great, great album is In This House On This Morning by Wynton Marsalis. I realize he’s kind of a self-righteous prick – but this is a truly astonishing piece that I never get tired of. (Hm, come to think of it, I should go revise my Desert Island Album list… that really should be on it.)
Aagramn – excellent username! /OT
Try Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Wes Montgomery (just avoid the muzaky albums of '60s pop songs like California Dreaming and A Day in the Life; check out his recordings on Riverside), Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, and the aforementioned Sonny Rollins.
Check out some Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis’ Birth of The Cool, and Clifford Brown.
Dexter Gordon - Go
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus; Blue Note Greatest Hits
Cannonball Adderly - Somthin’ Else
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
Ben Webster - King of the Tenors
Teddy Edwards - Sunset Eyes
Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster
Lee Morgan - Tomcat; The Sidewinder
Any of these are top tier jazz CD’s that would enhance any jazz lover’s shelf. Enjoy.
OT
Thank you. Can’t claim I invented it though, I nicked it from somewhere (no idea where now).
/OT
My dh is a big jazz fan and plays jazz guitar every now and then…flipping through his cd’s I see Roy Hargrove, Charles Mingus, Jimmy Bruno, Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, Ron Eshcete, and alot of the others mentioned above as well. Oscar Peterson gets played alot around here.
We saw Roy Hargrove a few years ago (when we could actually go out without rounding up a babysitter a month in advance) and he was wonderful. That might be a good place to start.
Some good recommendations here. I like early jazz. I’m not a huge fan of later jazz - even Miles Davis and Coltrane are too much for me. So you might not be crazy about some of this stuff, but here it is anyway.
Duke Ellington is one of my favorites. Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, and James P. Johnson are great early jazz pianists who play “stride” (left hand gives it a ragtime sound). As far as ragtime goes, Scott Joplin is another awesome pianist. You know, the guy who wrote “The Entertainer.” 
You have to be careful buying Joplin CDs though because it’s usually not an original recording (which bothers me, but might not be a big thing for you)
Some good female vocalists: Ethel Waters & Ella Fitzgerald have more of a “showtunes” feel to them, but with amazing voices and some really catchy tunes. Nina Simone and Billie Holiday had nice deep voices. I love Bessie Smith, but she definitely has more of a bluesy feel.
If you’re into the swing thing, you should definitely check out Benny Goodman (clarinet).
Oh, and here’s another vote for Django Reinhardt and Count Basie.
And of course my favorite: Louis Armstrong.
Hope this is coherent. I had a long night last night.
Sheila Jordan is a jazz vocalist I particularly like. My favourite album of hers is The Crossing.
someone already said it, but i want to second Duke Ellington as being the best at jazz with strong rhythm. I highly reccomend the Ken Burns Jazz Collection Duke Ellingtion CD for the best scholarly compilation on one CD at a good price.
not on the list are Stan Getz in his Bossa Nova years with his classic version of Girl from Impanea
and you should totally watch Ken Burns documentary Jazz, it is at most libraries, it is a wonderful ride, and by the end you will have a long list of musicians to check out (it is something like 10 DVD’s long, but each movie is a thrill)
I’ve always maintained that Brubeck’s Carnegie Hall was not only their best album, but arguably one of the best live albums ever. They were at the peak of their artistry and hit it completely out of the park. Morello’s performance on the Castilian Drums cut was simply the most phenomenal exhibition of jazz drumming ever recorded, and he accomplished it on a five-piece trap. I can’t think of a bad cut on this album, and yes, it includes Rondo and Take Five, along with Unsquare and a knockout version of Pennies From Heaven.
That’s neat that you mentioned Sheila Jordan, Savannah. Have you heard the duet album she made with Harvie Schwarz? Pretty cool. I will check out The Crossing.
I was thinking about Savannah’s post and it occured to me that jazz vocals is a great way to get jazz that’s not too out. Joe Williams and Mark Murphy are my two fave guys. Abbey Lincoln is my fave lady, but I love Carmen McRae (Carmen Plays Monk is a desert island disc for me) Anita O’Day, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald of course, Betty Carter can be an acquired taste. The Velvet Fog, Mel Torme. The Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley album is a can’t miss. Andy Bey. Jimmy Scott is a kick of raw emotion. Mr. Five by Five, Jimmy Rushing, and Big Joe Turner. June Christy. Rosemary Clooney is way fine. Her Sings Duke Ellington is righreous. I’ll stop now.
I didn’t mention Tony Bennett on purpose. I’m probably the only jazz fan who doesn’t care for him. I think he is a bit of an oaf. But hey, the Tony Bennett/Bill Evans album is a winner, despite of Tony. I’d mention Frank, but I also am not a huge big band fan, and Frank almost always has a big band behind him.
Medeski Martin and Wood.
You’re guranteed to love this group. Any of their albums are great, but I’d say Friday Afternoon in the Universe is their best.
Mingus. Charles Mingus is one of the genre’s geniuses, and it always seems to me like he gets ignored in these. Listen to The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - it’s probably my most-played album ever.
Thanks for all the great recommendations!
I have Miles’ Kind of Blue, and Sarah Vaughan and Coltraine, and of course, Ella. I did see pieces of the Ken Burns Jazz documentary, but that was ages ago and I should see it in its entirety. I wonder if I can get it at Netlix?
Aamgramn, I really liked Cinematic Orchestra!
Big Bad Voodoo Lou, I do like the soul/jazz thing, and will avoid Coleman like the plague, thank you. I’ve been having a hard time finding a web site where I can listen to all the suggestions, though; I didn’t have any luck at Amazon.com. I just signed up for allmusic.com but then couldn’t get logged on. 
I really wanted to listen to Reinhardt and Grappelli (the violin is my favorite instrument of all time).
And Jackelope, I’ll definitely check out The Vince Guaraldi Trio; I have that Peanuts theme piece set as my ringer on my phone.
Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions - I’ll check them all out.
Keep 'em coming!