New here

[Harry00]

Hello, this is "Harry",

I am new here and very new to jazz. I have listened to almost every kind of music there is, but hardly any jazz. (I used to work in the retail record business) I am getting hooked on jazz and would like to know more.

[John P. Cooper]

Hello-
Welcome.
What type of Jazz have you been listening to so far?
What music was the closest music to Jazz that you had listened to in the past?
DId you have any favorite styles of music before this?
When did you work in the record biz?

See you later.

John

[Harry00]

Hello John.

Mostly I have listened to Blues, Country & Rock. I have been to a couple Jazz concerts in the past (Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Alexander Zonjic). I've mostly been listening to the jazz station here. Half the time I don't even know who the artists playing is, but I like it alot.

I live neat Detroit and years ago worked three different record retail and warehouses.

[John P. Cooper]

Interesting.
You sound like you are an older listener?
What radio station do you listen to?
It would be interesting to see what types of Jazz they play and do not play?

[Gary Delligatti]

Harry;
stating that you listen to some jazz on the radio and "like it a lot" is like saying you like to read books. What is it that you liked about the music you heard? Was it the brass, percussion, style, vocal, big band, etc.. Given a little more information you will get a lot of suggestions from the folks here.

[Harry00]

Okay, but I'm not too eloquent, but I'll try to be more detailed. I like the style. It gives you kind of a "free" feeling, for lack of a better term. I don't like vocals too much. Yes, I know what you mean when you say it's like I said I like reading books, but I listen to jazz and for me it's like I just learn to read because I'm so used to other types of music. I really like the style of Miles Davis so what would you call his style?

[Harry00]

By the way John,

I listen to a radio station here in Detroit called V96 Smooth Jazz. They play a lot of jazz and also a lot of R&B. We don't, as far as I know, have an all jazz station. We did have one, but they went off the air. They do play some jazz on the public station, but not a lot.

[grove47]

If you likes Miles, here is a representative selection from his career that reflects some of the styles he helped create:

Birth of The Cool
Cookin'/Relaxin'/Workin'/Steamin'
Milestones
Kind of Blue
Four and More
My Funny Valentine
Nefertiti
Filles De Kilimanjaro
Bitches Brew
Live Evil
Get Up With It

Miles played with lots of important musicians, many of whom came through his various bands. I learned a lot about jazz by checking out albums by these great musicians, such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, and so on. John Coltrane, a major figure, is arguably his most important 'sideman'. Here are a few:

Soultrane
Blue Trane
Giant Steps
Crescent
A Love Supreme

There are great biographies of both Miles and Coltrane (and a few bad ones). And there is a lot of info on the net about jazz and how to get started listening. It is fun and never ending. A decent collection would not only include classics by Ellington, Armstrong, Parker, Monk, Gillespie and so on, but also music by contemporary musicians who are playing now. It is still a vital art form full of colorful, talented artists. Other posters will give you some suggestions, but there are quite a few labels that release new music by contemporary musicians, like ECM, Fresh Sound New Talent, Omnitone, Palmetto, Criss Cross, Pi, and so forth. Of the major labels, Blue Note is the best one, with newer artists like Jason Moran and Robert Glaspar. Blue Note is also the most recognized of the 'classic' labels, and includes a daunting catalog of classic jazz by most of the important '50s and '60s artists. I would also mention Kurt Rosenwinkel, a remarkable composer and guitarist who records for Verve, another major still active that is also a classic label.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Hi, Harry, welcome to JazzCorner. Let me throw out a few names besides Miles Davis to get you started in the right direction. You may have heard some of these names.

• Duke Ellington
• Louis Armstrong
• Thelonious Monk
• Dizzy Gillespie
• Count Basie
• Billie Holiday
• Dexter Gordon
• Lionel Hampton
• Charles Mingus
• Max Roach

[Gary Sisco]

I've been advising newbies for years to start with Miles and then follow the radiating in all directions paths -- past and future -- that follow from looking into his "sidemen." Eventually, you'll encounter the whole of jazz that way.

[Dr Dave]

Get "Kind Of Blue" and then find records by all the guys who played on it, and things will take care of themselves.

And welcome. We may seem like a bunch of assholes, but we mean well.

[bostontricky]

Harry, looks like Ed Love's still doing his jazz show weeknights on WDET (101.9 FM), 7 pm-midnight - looks like you can listen to last week's programs online.

(But what happened to their daily programming? Dave Dixon must be rolling in his grave.)



.

[Nate Dorward]

Re: jazz radio: worth digging through the Night Lights archives. Great show, & it's especially good if you're trying to learn more about jazz (since each show is "themed", with some illuminating commentary too).

[clinthopson]

Harry00,

If you're in Detroit, you ought to hook up with Nagel, he can tell you everything about everything you need to know.

Jimmy Cantiello gave you a dandy starting list.