Category: Jazz
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Donald Byrd ‘A New Perspective’ (1964)
A New Perspective gently rewrites what you think jazz can sound like, partly because Byrd himself was always pushing at the edges of the art form. Known for his warm trumpet tone and an instinct for blending styles without losing the heart of the music, Byrd approached this album with a sense of exploration. Take…
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Bill Evans ‘Everybody Digs Bill Evans’ (1959)
The cover of Everybody Digs Bills Evans says it all– glowing quotes from jazz legends like Miles Davis, George Shearing, and Ahmad Jamal stretch across the album cover, underscoring the bold title of this jazz pianist’s solo album. Evans plays with a sense of space and touch that made him one of the most revered…
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Frank Sinatra ‘Songs For Young Lovers’ (1954)
When Frank Sinatra signed with Capitol Records in 1953, he was emerging from a career slump but armed with a newfound sense of confidence and artistic direction. The dude was seasoned by countless nights on the stages of Las Vegas and refined a more intimate yet sophisticated lounge jazz style. Songs for Young Lovers has…
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Jeff Kashiwa ‘Sunrise’ (2021)
I was hanging out with the kids this weekend and at the risk of showing my age we were listening to the free “Music Choice” channel on television while we played in the living room. For those unfamiliar it’s just a television station that plays songs on a loop ad-free. We had one the smooth…
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The Dave Brubeck Quartet ‘Time Out’ (1959)
As we mentioned during our review of Thelonious Monk’s brilliant album Brilliant Corners (yes, the pun was intended, yes, I know I’m annoying) only five jazz musicians have ever graced the cover of TIME magazine. Dave Brubeck was one of them, a savant pianist and composer who rose to prominence during the 50’s. He is…
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WILLOW ’empathogen’ (2024)
I was in downtown Palo Alto last night for a Thai cooking class with my mom at Sur La Table. It was a great time, and as we were exiting the store we realized we were a block away from the Coldplay concert at Stanford Stadium and had to juggle our way through all the…
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Sammy Davis Jr. ‘Starring Sammy Davis Jr.’ (1955)
Sammy Davis Jr. was a multifaceted entertainer, known for his work as a singer, dancer, actor, and comedian. His debut album in 1955 kicked off his career of captivating audiences with his remarkable talent and charm.
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Dean Martin ‘Dean Martin Sings’ (1954)
When you think of old school cool it’s hard not to think of a guy like Dean Martin. As a key member of the infamous Rat Pack (which also included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop), Martin played the role of the laid-back, wisecracking, hard-drinking charmer who helped define the group’s…
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Miles Davis ‘On The Corner’ (1972)
Once lambasted by the mainstream jazz community (Bill Coleman once said it was “an insult to the intellect of the people”), On the Corner has since been reappraised as a groundbreaking and visionary work that was way ahead of its time. Fusing funk, rock, electronica, and jazz together, Davis’ tested the limits of what the…
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Art Pepper ‘Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section’ (1957)
Sometimes great art can be born in the most dire of circumstances. Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section that kind of album, a somewhat miraculous triumph born from chaos, desperation, and sheer talent. At the time Pepper was battling a crippling drug addiction and hadn’t touched his instrument in six months when he found himself…
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Billie Holiday ‘Lady In Satin’ (1958)
In 1958 Billie Holiday entered the studio to record Lady in Satin and was a woman bearing the weight of a lifetime of hardship and heartbreak. The years of substance abuse, turbulent relationships, and brushes with the law had taken a significant toll on Holiday, both physically and emotionally. Her once-crystalline voice now carried a…
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Herbie Hancock ‘Head Hunters’ (1973)
Herbie Hancock’s influence on funk is undeniable, with his groundbreaking keyboard work redefining what was possible within the genre. Hancock brought a mesmerizing harmonic sophistication and experimental spirit into funk, especially through his mastery of the electric keyboard and synthesizer. On Head Hunters he fused the rhythmic depth of jazz with the driving grooves of…
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Cannonball Adderley ‘Somethin’ Else’ (1958)
Recorded during Julian Cannonball Adderley’s time with Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet, this album features Davis in one of his rare sideman roles after 1955. He not only plays several initial solos but also composed the bluesy title track and selected most of the material. Notably, “Autumn Leaves” became a staple in the Davis repertoire,…
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Miles Davis ‘Kind of Blue’ (1959)
Kind of Blue is one of those albums you see everywhere– best of lists, college dorm rooms, your father’s vinyl record collection, a poster in a music store. It’s undoubtedly the de facto initial phase of the “I’m expanding my musical tastes and diving into jazz” starter pack that all music lovers hit somewhere around…
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Art Blakey ‘Moanin’ (1959)
Moanin’ is cornerstone of hard bop jazz that showcased Art Blakey’s prowess and exceptional talent as a drummer and bandleader. It’s filled with infectious grooves, soulful piano melodies, and powerful drumming that creates a dynamic interplay which highlights each musician’s strengths– the album’s blend of bluesy influences and intricate rhythms is a fun as hell…
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Ornette Coleman ‘The Shape of Jazz to Come’ (1959)
Despite being released 65 years ago The Shape of Jazz to Come remains a cornerstone of the avant-garde jazz movement that upended the genre at the conclusion of the decade. At the time it was radical departure from conventional jazz structures, heralding a new era in the genre with its innovative approach, primarily its removal…
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Duke Ellington ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ (1957)
Duke Ellington’s piano playing was a cornerstone of his influential career, characterized by its sophistication, creativity, and emotional depth. Ellington’s approach to the piano was as distinctive as his compositions– blending intricate jazz harmonies with a robust drive, and combining the elegance of classical music with the rhythmic vitality of jazz. His expressive touch on…
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Gene Woods ‘Love & Protest’ (2022)
Alongside my passion for writing and recording my own music I work in sales for a software company that supports nurses in the health care industry. My mom has been a NICU nurse for 30+ years so the opportunity to help nurses provide better care for patients was a natural fit for my unique skill…
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Casiopea ‘Casiopea’ (1979)
Japanese jazz fusion group Casiopea has been around for a minute ever since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1979. The band has gone through multiple lineup changes and released over 40 albums in their nearly 50-year career, constantly pushing the envelope of funk and jazz into the far off corners of the fusion genre.…
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Horace Silver ‘The Stylings of Silver’ (1957)
Horace Silver’s album The Stylings of Silver is a tidy romp through the hard bop genre which showcases Silver’s distinct blend of rhythmic innovation and melodic sophistication. Featuring a formidable lineup of pianist Silver, trumpeter Art Farmer, saxophonist Hank Mobley, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Louis Hayes, the record combines intricate jazz arrangements with Silver’s…
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Weather Report ‘Heavy Weather’ (1977)
Jazz-rock is this interesting little corner of the music world that existed in the early 70’s amidst the prog-rock explosion before sort of withering away into smooth jazz with the likes of Kenny G in the 80’s. Jazz rock took a whole bunch of brilliant musicians who grew up listening to rock n’ roll and…
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Bud Powell ‘Inner Fires’ (1952)
Any biography that has the opportunity to start with Herbie Hancock describing you as “the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano” is a pretty damn good one. Bud Powell was an iconic jazz songwriter whose life as a black artist in New York City during the 40’s led to…
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Spyro Gyra ‘Morning Dance’ (1979)
American jazz fusion can run the gamut from being overtly cheesy to incredibly interesting, and Spyro Gyra’s 1979 album Morning Dance checks both of those boxes (sometimes in the same song). Blending elements of R&B, jazz, and funk along with virtuostic performances from as many as 10 musicians on an individual song, the band zips…
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Peggy Lee ‘Black Coffee’ (1956)
Black Coffee was Peggy Lee’s first album but one that came well after she was already firmly established at the top of the charts. Her 1943 single “Why Don’t You Do Right?” sold over a million copies and kickstarted what would eventually become a seven-decade recording career that earned her the moniker “Queen of American…
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Jaco Pastorius ‘Jaco Pastorius’ (1975)
Jaco Pastorius is the living embodiment of spontaneous combustion, an artist who rose to massive prominence in the 1970’s backed by his prodigious bass playing capabilities before flaming out spectacularly under the weight of mental issues brought on by massive drug use in the 80’s which led to homelessness and a drug-induced bar fight that…
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John Coltrane ‘Giant Steps’ (1960)
There’s a certain innate bravado that comes along with being a jazz player, and naming your album Giant Steps certainly isn’t for the faint of heart unless you’re cocksure you’re damn well gonna deliver. It’s with that sense of swagger jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane entered Atlantic Studios in New York City with during…
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Thelonious Monk ‘Brilliant Corners’ (1956)
As one of America’s five jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine (joining the ranks of Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis) Thelonious Monk’s contributions to American jazz music cannot be overrstated. Along with being the second-most recorded jazz composer in history (behind the aforementioned Duke Ellington), Monk’s…
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Nat King Cole ‘Just One Of Those Things’ (1957)
Nat King Cole’s prodigious career for three decades was somewhat of a watershed moment for America. During a period of significant racism and social upheaval, Cole broke the color barrier in various ways during his career– despite facing intense discrimination Cole recorded over 100 songs that landed on the pop charts, became the top-selling act…
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Sonny Rollins ‘Way Out West’ (1957)
Called “the greatest living improvisor” for his masterful ability to improvise over just about everything (which frankly is one of the best nicknames you could give a jazz musician), jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins’ chops are indisputable. On Way Out West Rollins drags you into deep waters, utilizing a style known as “strollin’” for the first…
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Vince Guaraldi Trio ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ (1965)
A Charlie Brown Christmas was an absolute staple this time of year during my childhood, dutifully airing on PBS and ABC each season during the holidays like Linus’ warm safety blanket. For kids like me who didn’t have cable growing up (my parents didn’t get cable until I was 18 which is sort of insane…
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Charles Mingus ‘Mingus Ah Um’ (1959)
Charles Mingus is one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, an American icon in the genre whose legacy has lived on long after his death in 1979. A fiercely passionate artist, Mingus was known for being religiously uncompromising with his compositions, prone to violent eruptions (he once punched renowned trombonist Jimmy Knepper…
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Chet Baker ‘Chet Baker Sings’ (1954)
It’s funny how music can provide such vivid imagery of a place and time you haven’t experienced. Chet Baker Sings is the sound I hear when I imagine what it would be like to sit down at a romantic white tablecloth dinner in New York City in the 1950’s, dressed in a suit with a…
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Count Basie ‘The Atomic Mr. Basie’ (1958)
This was the first time I’ve ever knowingly listened to Count Bassie, who was an incredibly influential jazz musician in the 40’s and 50’s. The Atomic Mr. Bassie is considered one of the best albums of his career (keep in mind Basie’s career apex occurred before the business of recording music professionally really took off)…
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Joe Jackson ‘Night And Day’ (1982)
Joe Jackson’s Night And Day has all of the elements that make the 80’s such a wild time in music history. The album throws elements of jazz, new wave, salsa, classical, and pop into a blender with a laissez-faire panache. What comes out the other end is an album of absolute excess, filled with big…
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