Dec 30 2024
View Album
Street Life
The Crusaders
Pretty groovy. Familiar with title track but only as single version. Alfonso Johnson played on this one
4
Dec 31 2024
View Album
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
One note samba is a classic. Def sets standards but a little too laid back. Almost cliche but those things started here. Might need a few listens but got burned out
3
Jan 01 2025
View Album
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Absolute madness
5
Jan 02 2025
View Album
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
3
Jan 03 2025
View Album
Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
A little too laid back for me.
2
Jan 06 2025
View Album
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
A few really good songs, some kinda lame songs. Great production and arrangements.
3
Jan 07 2025
View Album
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
Pretty good but a couple stinkers. Great arrangements and solos
4
Jan 08 2025
View Album
Drunk
Thundercat
Fantastic album. Great bass work.
5
Jan 09 2025
View Album
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
So ubiquitous in american culture it's stupid
5
Jan 10 2025
View Album
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
It's not for me, too sad and laid back, but this is an important album as a concept album and vocal pop album. Vocal performance is fantastic.
4
Jan 13 2025
View Album
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
Great blend of pop songs, big band jazz, and rock n roll. Good energy and mix of fast and slow songs.
5
Jan 14 2025
View Album
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
4
Jan 15 2025
View Album
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
Hits all the funk fusion I like, some straight ahead. Lots of great playing, especially the keys. Everything I'm looking for in a jazz album.
5
Jan 16 2025
View Album
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
3 hours?1?
4
Jan 17 2025
View Album
Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
I don't understand why this is on the list. It doesn't feel special or significant enough. Its a vibe but feels like an attempt for Gilberto to stay relevant after Girl From Ipanema and the far superior Getz/Gilberto album. Feels like campy over commercialized crap to me and not even close to her best work. Is this included solely to try to showcase her career outside Getz/Gilbert? Really no new ground broken here and not a significant album in any space. Does not belong on the list, so it's a 1. Also, Parade is one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard.
1
Jan 20 2025
View Album
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
There is some really cool stuff on here. These are the seeds of neo soul and rap. Not exactly something I would listen to on a regular basis, but I really dig pieces of it.
4
Jan 21 2025
View Album
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
It's not for me, but it's crazy how much of this I recognize. Seems like this modernized production of traditional Cuban music and brought it to a larger audience. Mostly standards but in some ways the definitive versions.
3
Jan 22 2025
View Album
Kenya
Machito
Absolutely fantastic big band jazz. Incredible percussion and kick ass arrangements.
5
Jan 23 2025
View Album
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
Doesn't even need an introduction. Probably the most known jazz album ever, and for a good reason.
5
Jan 24 2025
View Album
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
4
Jan 27 2025
View Album
Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
This was a weird one. Very unique, incredible vocal performance. I would not have given it the jazz tag- much closer to modernist orchestral music, though with modern arrangements. Not something I would listen to regularly but an interesting idea to take old German compositions and turn them into something new.
4
Jan 28 2025
View Album
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
The arrangements and sings were food but I really don't like Nina's voice. Very distinct sounding but kind of grating
3
Jan 29 2025
View Album
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
One of the best albums of all time.
5
Jan 30 2025
View Album
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
This is ok. Vocal jazz, end of Billie Holiday's career. Her voice isn't what it used to be but conveys a lot of emotion. Songs are much more emotional and sentimental, which in the realm of jazz to me is on the boring side. Not for me, but a well crafted album and a good reflection of the end of Billie Holiday's life.
3
Jan 31 2025
View Album
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
It's Alright. First cut is a great take on a classic. Unfortunately the rest kind of stays low tempo and mid dynamic and never really grabbed me. Its nice to hear a different side to Sinatra though. But maybe what I'm learning is I just don't like Sinatra. He's fine, but just not interesting.
3
Feb 03 2025
View Album
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
This is the Sinatra I've been waiting for. Decidedly not lame like the other selections. Still not exactly my jam but a good time.
4
Feb 04 2025
View Album
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
Pretty experimental, lots of cool stuff going on.
5
Feb 05 2025
View Album
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
4
Feb 06 2025
View Album
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Strong performances, but the compositions aren't really my thing
4
Feb 07 2025
View Album
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
Definitely white people soul, some cool arrangements and some cool songs, but not blue enough for me
3
Feb 10 2025
View Album
Frank
Amy Winehouse
Interesting arrangement, cool voice. A little too polished production for me though
4
Feb 11 2025
View Album
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
One of the coolest albums I've ever heard.
5
Feb 12 2025
View Album
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Pretty standard swing. I enjoyed it but liked his other albums more
4
Feb 13 2025
View Album
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Pretty forgettable. Steely Dan is always hit or miss for me. There are some cool arrangements here and there and couple songs are almost good, but some of these songs are just bad songs. Also the synths are really bad 80s cheesy synths.
2
Feb 14 2025
View Album
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
Hard listen, but as someone who loves thrash, punk and hardcore AND jazz, this one worked for me. Cool experiment. Worth listening to. Probably won't come back to it but I enjoyed it.
4
Feb 17 2025
View Album
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
Cool concept, experimental and improved like bitches brew but more put together. Pretty cool but not not as ground breaking as bitches brew or put together as Kind of Blue
4
Feb 18 2025
View Album
Palo Congo
Sabu
It's Alright. Calling it jazz is a stretch. Definitely latin. Great conga work. But it mostly just a lot of conga and not a ton of variation. Not for me.
3
Feb 19 2025
View Album
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Interesting vocal world music. Not a huge fan of the vocal pop kitch songs, but liked the other stuff. Probably not another listen for me but good to know this exists.
3
Feb 20 2025
View Album
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
2.98 is the current rating as of Feb 2025.
What the hell is wrong with you people?
This is a landmark album and group in Jazz Fusion. The compositions, instrumentation, and performances are absolutely outstanding. This was cutting edge in the 70s and still holds up. Sure the synths sound a little cheesy thanks to getting overused in the 80s, but man, you got Jaco ripping it up on bass, Shorter on sax, and Zawinul on synth- these dudes are literally legends of jazz.
Why does Headhunters have a higher rating? Is it because people recognize Herbie Hancock? More accessible?
If the "I dont like jazz" crowd doesn't get it, then maybe we need to just give up on you trying to understand it. But this is the backbone for all the best popular music.
5
Feb 21 2025
View Album
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
This is a bossa vibe I can dig. A lot of cool arrangements and stuff going on. Might revisit this one.
4
Feb 24 2025
View Album
Water From An Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
It was ok. Some interesting compositions but pretty straight ahead. Didn't feel like much special here.
3
Mar 03 2025
View Album
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5
Mar 04 2025
View Album
At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
4
Mar 05 2025
View Album
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
5
Mar 07 2025
View Album
Gris Gris
Dr. John
3