1001 Jazz Albums

as suggested by The Penguin Guide to Jazz

[1001penguinjazz]

985: Live at the Philharmonie

I'm warming up in here for an essay I am about to create for a segment we do on our website called "Records We Love". I chose this 32 minute masterpiece for all the obvious reasons so let's talk about it for a minute.

Dave Pike decides in the late 60's that the US is fucked and is like oh hey you know where people are cool and open-minded about things? Europe. So he takes action and crosses the pond and brings with him the influences of the jazz-fusion and psychedelia-rock that was on constant air-play at the time. He moves to Germany and finds three incredible jazz musicians, including Volker Kriegel on guitar, and releases three albums on MPS in 1969 alone - including this tasty live one recorded in November at Berlin Philharmonie.

What is it about the vibes that are so seriously hypnotizing? I feel like a young child at storytime completely engrossed in the captivating tale once mallet hits bar commanded of one, Dave Pike. Joy. This album is live joy at it's finest. Listen to it from cover to cover and good luck finding a better way of spending 32 minutes.

[1001penguinjazz]

986: Jaco Pastorius

A perfect album. I don't make these declarations lightly, (IYKYK). Jaco was a genius that didn't get to live out the full potential of his genius-osity but at least we have this beautiful album to remember him by (as well as Weather Report and all the wonderful collab he did with Joni Mitchell).

Listen to this from start to finish, don't bother with noteworthy tracks or skipping around. This is an album meant to be absorbed in it's entirety and then meant to collectively blow your damn mind. What an absolute mesmerizing player Jaco was - what an incredible master of the bass. We're all better off as a human civilization when we incorporate listening to more Jaco in our lives. Just sayin.

Thanks for reading.

[1001penguinjazz]

987: Tones For Joan's Bones

Part of this project is consciously and actively diving deeper in to the catalogs of players I already really love, but don't know all the breadth of their material. Enter Chick Corea ...

This is a solid first solo album that pretty much takes flight and soars.

Personnel includes:

Chick Corea – piano Woody Shaw – trumpet Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone, flute Steve Swallow – double bass Joe Chambers – drums

noteworthy tracks: Litha, This Is New, Straight Up and Down

[1001penguinjazz]

988: Very Saxy

Very saxy indeed. Been waiting to listen to an album highlighting this perfect wordplay. This is the kinda jazz record that makes me wish I was sitting in the far back corner table of a dark, late-night jazz club drinking a martini (extra dirty) and wearing sunglasses (at night) bobbing my head back and forth to the groove and when a saxy stranger catches my eye, I catch it back, lower my shades and mouth "jazz, baby" and wink. The rest is jazz-soundtracked history.

This is most def a sax forward show, but shoutout to Shirley Scott on the organ. I think we can all agree that 1959 was an outstanding year for jazz. This record is one of many that illustrates why.

noteworthy tracks: Very Saxy, Lester Leaps In, Fourmost, Foot Pettin', Light And Lovely

[1001penguinjazz]

989: Complete Live At Pershing Lounge 1958

This is, oh man, one of the best. I've already listened to this one 1,001 times and looking forward to another 1,001. How does he play like that? How is it possible to press piano keys with such fervor and astute perfect technicality? Ahmad Jamal is a jazz treasure and this album illustrates why on so many levels. Lucky concert-goers don't even know! They know now, but ugh when will they invent the time machines so I can go back in time and sit in on this magical performance? I'd really like to see that happen in my lifetime. Until then though, we've got recorded music. Which will suffice for now ... I guess. Stop reading this dribble though and put this album on - all the senses will seriously thank you.

Special shoutout to this version of Poinciana which is a beautiful groove in which you will get pleasantly lost in.

noteworthy tracks: But Not For Me, Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Moonlight in Vermont, Music Music Music, No Greater Love, Poinciana

[1001penguinjazz]

990: A Day in New York

Clarinet jazz? .... not my fav. Bill Evans jazz? MY FAV! However this is not a Bill Evans album, this is a Tony Scott album. I can barely hear Bill Evans on this one and that makes me feel indifferent. I see how this is part of the 1001 repertoire and I appreciate it's place on this list but I won't be listening to this album again. If you're in to that ho-hum, basic bitch, boring AF but still jazzy sound than you'll loooove this one. But if you're more in to mining for those spectacular goosebump-induced music feels - SKIP IT.

noteworthy tracks: Body and Soul

[1001penguinjazz]

991: Nonet & Octet

I have a particular affinity for bass players as band leaders. Just feels natural in the jazz world and I guess I just love how they decide to arrange things when they're such a lowkey (but clearly backbone) instrument. Oscar Pettiford swings and this is an excellent album for the jazz lovers. I've only recently started listening to more of Oscar Pettiford thanks to a colleague who likes to play a lot of his music on his show.

unrelated to this post, but related to this project - I've come to terms with the fact that this whole thing is most definitely going to take me AT LEAST a decade to complete. But here we are - 10 down, 991 to go!

noteworthy tracks: Another One, Minor 7th Heaven, Stardust, Bohemia After Dark, Titoro, Kamman's A' Comin'

[1001penguinjazz]

992: Monterey Concerts

Good one. Not really too much else to say. A tasty discovery that will now find itself on rotation on SFC9. Cal Tjader is everything and live vibraphone jazz sounds like magic.

noteworthy tracks: all of them all the way through - don't mess with a good thing

[1001penguinjazz]

993: Bags Meets Wes!

This is such a pleasant and relaxing album. I should already know this one, and I do know some tracks, but taking a ride all the way through was truly time well spent. The combination of guitar and vibes by 2 of the best jazz players to play it is mesmerizing and just ... nice.

Another beautiful (early 60's) lineup:

Milt Jackson – vibraphone Wes Montgomery – guitar Wynton Kelly – piano Sam Jones – double bass Philly Joe Jones – drums

noteworthy tracks: S.K.J., Stablemates, Stairway to the Stars, Blue Roz, Sam Sack, Jingles, Delilah

[1001penguinjazz]

994: Dinah Jams

One of the finest jazz records of all time and this is why:

Dinah Washington - vocals Clifford Brown - trumpet Maynard Ferguson - trumpet Clark Terry - trumpet Herb Geller - alto saxophone Harold Land - tenor saxophone Richie Powell - piano Junior Mance - piano George Morrow - double bass Keter Betts - double bass Max Roach - drums

I listen to this album at least a dozen times per year as a reminder of how excellent vocal jazz is and can be. Recorded live in LA in 1954 (a good year for jazz) this performance just goooooooes.

noteworthy tracks: Lover Come Back To Me, Summertime, Come Rain Or Come Shine, I've Got You Under My Skin, There Is No Greater Love, You Go To My Head

[1001penguinjazz]

995: Jazz for the Jet Set

If a team of scary people told me "we're putting you in a glass cube for the rest of your life with water, food, a bathroom, and other necessities in order to survive BUT there will only be one jazz musician's catalog being played on repeat in your cube for eternity and that jazz musician will be ... Dave Pike"

I'd be okay with that.

noteworthy tracks: Jet Set, Sunny, Sweet Tater Pie, Devilette

[1001penguinjazz]

996: Think!

This album is SO good. Lonnie Smith is everything. Sweet, sweet organ-driven soul jazz how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

noteworthy tracks: Son of Ice Bag, The Call of the Wild, Think, Three Blind Mice, Slouchin'

[1001penguinjazz]

997: In A Silent Way

One of the greatest jazz fusion records of all time - this is where it started.

There are only 2 tracks on this gem and they are both extremely noteworthy. As always thanks for everything, Miles!

[1001penguinjazz]

998: W.S.Q.

Which stands for "World Saxophone Quartet" - this is the kind of album that I'm here for. The whole reason that I'm even doing this to begin with. To expose the ears, soul, and mind to things I would otherwise not so easily stumble upon.

Essentially this album is a saxophone choir humming (and sing-screaming) only the freest of free avant-garde jazz. It's challenging but somewhat reachable - it's advanced jazz reserved for the diehards, noise-lovers, and the weird-sax-sounds enthusiasts.

Personnel includes:

Hamiet Bluiett — baritone saxophone Julius Hemphill — alto saxophone Oliver Lake — alto saxophone David Murray — tenor saxophone

As a student of jazz over here, I really enjoyed this particular assignment. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

noteworthy tracks: Plain Song, W.s.q, Suite Music, Fast Life

[1001penguinjazz]

999: Blossom Dearie

I love this record, but I won't be listening to it because I've listened to it cover to cover at the very least 298 times (this will remain the exception to the rules) and I highly, highly recommend. Blossom Dearie has a voice that sounds like the good weather - early springs and temperate summers.

She's cute, she's sassy, she knows jazz, she's an incredible piano player, and she sings the most beautiful songs in French. Blossom Dearie (self-titled) is a feel good album that pretty much never disappoints.

There better be more Blossom Dearie albums on this list.

noteworthy tracks: Everything I've Got, Tout Doucement, I Won't Dance, A Fine Spring Morning, Blossom's Blues

[1001penguinjazz]

1000: Byrd In Hand

It's got that bright & shiny irresistible (Rudy Van Gelder) hard bop sound and I enjoyed it. Easy to listen to, easy to absorb, easy to love. Donald Byrd at the helm showing us how he commands the trumpet. He commands it well if you were wondering. Everyone on this record is in fine form.

Personnel includes:

Donald Byrd - trumpet Charlie Rouse - tenor saxophone Pepper Adams - baritone saxophone Walter Davis, Jr. - piano Sam Jones - bass Art Taylor - drums

noteworthy tracks: Witchcraft, Devil Whip, Bronze Dance

[1001penguinjazz]

1001: The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Apparently the first recorded jazz that became popular. This album is a series of recordings made through the years 1917-1921 and that couldn't be a truer reflection of the sound. This album is time travel at it's finest. You get a real sense of how it must have felt in that time to hear this music for the first time through one of these recordings.

I have appreciation for this in the grand scope of jazz history, but after two songs I wanted to poke my finger through my eye to my brain and swish it around a little so that I could feel a different kind of pain. My personal tastes reflect a very small window for listening to this specific album and this specific sound.

noteworthy tracks: Livery Stable Blues, Tiger Rag, Bow Wow Blues (My Mama Treats Me Like A Dog)