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Your most influential jazz albums and players

Who is/was the one living artist that had the strongest, most lasting effect on your musical perception? How? What was it about that and how did you discover him.her/them?
Glad you asked!

It was John Coltrane. When a drummer I was playing with ruined me for life after playing jazz albums for me in his basement, I heard a sound. A lot of sounds, in fact. There are probably at least ten tenor players whose work I love, but none touches me the same way as Coltrane's story telling in Spiritual, Ballads, Crescent, Equinox, Naima, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, Wise One. There's a quote on one of Coltrane's album sleeves where he mentions the "many beautiful things in the universe" he was searching for. I hear that in his playing. He was a good and then a great saxophonist when he played with Miles. When he went on to become leader, with his harmonic concepts framed by McCoy Tyner, with Elvin Jones' crazed jungle, he achieved true greatness for me. And if I had to pick one song to listen to forever, it would be that live take of Spiritual at the Village Vanguard with all fourteen people clapping at the end.
 
Who is/was the one living artist that had the strongest, most lasting effect on your musical perception? How? What was it about that and how did you discover him.her/them?

No longer living, but Nina Simone had a big effect on me.
 
I'm surprised Getz/Gilberto isn't on anyone's list.
I'll amend - The Getz/Gilberto album was a huge influence on me. I love this album. The way Getz was recorded on this album was as much a triumph as his playing on it. His weaving of lines in and out of the vocals is sublime and his choice of notes over the style, where you can quickly make things sound very wrong is wonderful.
Whenever I come back to this album after not hearing it for a while it knocks me sideways all over again. The album has some easy targets for some to aim criticisms, but many things go under the radar - Joao Gilberto's guitar comping for one.
 
If I'm choosing one artist living or dead, it has to be Bird. I played alto for a couple of years in elementary school, then stopped. It was when I heard Charlie Parker as an adult that I went back to playing. He just blew me away. His flowing lines, so lyrical even at the fastest tempos, bluesy, his rhythms and manipulation of time. To hear the possibilities on my instrument had a tremendous impact. He also qualifies as both dead and living. Yes, Mr. Parker passed away on March 12, 1955, but as we all know, Bird lives!
 
The first six notes of Bye Bye Blackbird are quarter notes with no accents. I've never heard any jazz artist play or sing them that way.
I'll take this as a compliment.....
Who is/was the one living artist that had the strongest, most lasting effect on your musical perception? How? What was it about that and how did you discover him.her/them?
This is OT (and it's your own thread)...I may have to contact a moderator.....:rolleyes:
(but seriously, a VERY different question than the original one asked).
 
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I think the point which @GCinCT and I are making is, yes, many great artists made multiple great recordings, but IMHO, the core of the question is: acknowledging their great oeuvre, which one resonated with you the most ?

It becomes a slightly 'harder' question to answer, thus the answers are gonna be a bit more thought out, methinks.

When I look at an album, I am looking at it as a whole piece. So there may be 'songs' from 'other' albums which the artist did which were 'better' in your opinion, but the rest of that album may have been somewhat less influential or resonant for/with you.

Also, as a viewer of the thread, reading all these responses of a bunch of albums....I am more likely to actually look up/try to find/give a listen (or re-listen) to ...the album/cuts from "The Real McCoy".....

...than I am to simply be motivated to start listening to various McCoy recordings....if you get my drift.
 
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This is interesting to me, as my Journey into Jazz has been long and sporadic, but not particularly in depth, with introductions to Jazz Music and Artists mainly through Pop and Rock Artists who have been influenced or played Jazz. It's been a path following interviews and articles about Musicians who have mentioned Jazz Albums or Musicians along the way, that I've subsequently dipped a toe into, as it were..so I don't have any Jazz Albums that I would particularly say have influenced me 'most' but the music and musicians behind the introduction to the Jazz, have, as it were.. But it's interesting to read how others have been influenced.
 
This is interesting to me, as my Journey into Jazz has been long and sporadic, but not particularly in depth, with introductions to Jazz Music and Artists mainly through Pop and Rock Artists who have been influenced or played Jazz. It's been a path following interviews and articles about Musicians who have mentioned Jazz Albums or Musicians along the way, that I've subsequently dipped a toe into, as it were..so I don't have any Jazz Albums that I would particularly say have influenced me 'most' but the music and musicians behind the introduction to the Jazz, have, as it were.. But it's interesting to read how others have been influenced.
That'd be an interesting thread in and of itself.....what Pop/Rock artists do you like, who you feel incorporate Jazz elements into their playing/style....

There are quite a few which come to mind....I'd be interested in knowing who yours are....
 
I think the point which @GCinCT and I are making is, yes, many great artists made multiple great recordings, but IMHO, the core of the question is: acknowledging their great oeuvre, which one resonated with you the most ?

It becomes a slightly 'harder' question to answer, thus the answers are gonna be a bit more thought out, methinks.

When I look at an album, I am looking at it as a whole piece. So there may be 'songs' from 'other' albums which the artist did which were 'better' in your opinion, but the rest of that album may have been somewhat less influential or resonant for/with you.

Also, as a viewer of the thread, reading all these responses of a bunch of albums....I am more likely to actually look up/try to find/give a listen (or re-listen) to ...the album/cuts from "The Real McCoy".....

...than I am to simply be motivated to start listening to various McCoy recordings....if you get my drift.
It's just a conversation starter. A topic. Discuss. Say what's on your mind. Chit chat.
Y'know?
 
It's just a conversation starter. A topic. Discuss. Say what's on your mind. Chit chat.
Y'know?
Changing the topic midstream, mate .... ;)

I'd rather read more folks' album lists ....than start digressing into who their #1 Jazz Deity is (whether living, dead, no-longer-living, or no-longer-dead)....
 
Interesting to look at the lack of representation from countries other than the US.
 
Changing the topic midstream, mate .... ;)

I'd rather read more folks' album lists ....than start digressing into who their #1 Jazz Deity is (whether living, dead, no-longer-living, or no-longer-dead)....
Not changing, adding to and correcting. I really thought I wrote living or dead.
 
If you want to go disciplinarian, the five are:

John Coltrane: Ballads, Live at the Village Vanguard
Sonny Rollins: Live at the Village Vanguard
Miles Davis: Amandla
Wynton Kelly: Kelly Blue
 
Not changing, adding to and correcting. I really thought I wrote living or dead.
LOL, I was just needling you on the deceased thing.

If you want to go disciplinarian, the 50000 are:
It's your thread, sax friend...you may do with it what you like :cheers:

But I do think
"what are the most influential jazz albums for/to you ?" and "if you had to pick one single musical artist who most influences you .....who would it be?"

are 2 different subjects, is all.

Related, perhaps, but quite different.

Responses to the former making for a much more interesting read, in my opinion....as it potentially directs one to specific stuff to listen to.
 
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