If Miles Davis' kind Of Blue is #1 then Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil is #2.

Just sayin'.

Hmmm. Agree that Miles Davis is at the top of modern mainstream/jazz accessible for the great masses of enthusiasts, and the was harbinger of every major jazz directional shift for what, 60 years? But Birth of the Cool would be at the top for me. Then The Dave Brubeck Quartet's Time Out.

Now, where do I put Monk, Coltrane, Dizzy, Mingus, Bird, etc.?

There's so many great jazz records out there that it would be impossible to rank them. You could do 10,000 of these and no two lists would be the same. But, I think you'd find Kind Of Blue near or at the top of a majority of those lists. Now, if you're talking sales ranks then no doubt, Kind Of Blue is #1. Personally, I'd put that recording in the middle of my pack. I like it, it's a good record, but there's so much other jazz out there that appeals to me more.

...I like (Kind Of Blue), it's a good record, but there's so much other jazz out there that appeals to me more.



This man speaks for me, too. Well put, D-man. :thmbsp:

"Kind of Blue" is a great one to get into jazz. Then expand from there.

I got into jazz about a year ago by getting a Top 100 jazz list off the Internet, and one-by-one, collecting the top 20 albums -- all the biggies. Then go from there. I've enjoyed the journey thus far and have learned a lot too.

One of my sleepers so far, if I can call it that, is Charles Mingus' Blues and Roots album. I enjoy it a lot.

Miles Davis: Seven Steps To Heaven
Joe Henderson: Inner Urge
Sonny Rollins: On Impulse

Doesn't anyone remember The Crusaders? Everytime I see a list being formed, nobody mentions The Crusaders. Here are a few more that tend to get forgotten:

David Sanborn
Bob James (the guy who wrote "Angela"-the theme from Taxi)
Wes Montgomery

...the list goes on, but I won't bore you any longer!

Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil is a great album , been spinning it all week .
I might put Coltranes "love supreme" or "blurtrain" in #2 .
also Herbie hancock "maiden voyage " is stellar .

Well I'm nowhere near a jazz expert at this point in time, but I think my pick would be Bitches Brew. (Is that still a blasphemous thought?)

Kind of Blue is a great album, but a couple of the tracks are just ho-hum in my opinion and I rarely bother listening to them.

A Love Supreme is pretty supreme all right! Coltrane's My Favorite Things is also really, really good. He plays soprano sax on half the album, which is an instrument I have come to love!

For those that like Brubeck's Time Out (great album), Live at Carnegie Hall is pretty impressive too, where a number of those tracks are played.

Doesn't anyone remember The Crusaders? Everytime I see a list being formed, nobody mentions The Crusaders.

Just picked up the Jazz Crusaders Lighthouse '68 LP. Not in the same league as Miles' best, but it definitely won't put you to sleep...

Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil is a great album , been spinning it all week .
I might put Coltranes "love supreme" or "blurtrain" in #2 .
also Herbie hancock "maiden voyage " is stellar .

Have you tried Charles Mingus? I'd recommend "Blues and Roots" -- that album rocks the house.:yes:

Miles was a jazzman
Coltrane was a prophet

No comparison

Just sayin' :)

This man speaks for me, too. Well put, D-man. :thmbsp:

I'll second that.I am not huge into jazz and KoB is good but I don't think it is the best out there.

How can one decide such and such is best? My favorite changes depending on my mood, the weather, the time of year, and the price of rice in china. I can make a list of types of jazz by my preference, cool is at the top and fusion towards the bottom, but to pick one piece or one album as better than all the rest? No way!

Also, never confuse best known with the best, they are not the same thing at all, although they are not mutually exclusive either.

I like:

Coleman Hawkins
Lester Young
Charlie Parker
Miles Davis
John Contrane
Sonny Rollins
Sonny Stitt

I will buy just about anything I come across of any of them.