Thread 127410417

I'll effortpost some jazz albums with some descriptions where I can, but will be sharing non-fusion jazz that I think is great.

I'll be focusing on albums that I think even non-jazz fans can enjoy or use as a way of getting into jazz.

Most will be in FLAC, but I'll specify the format.

Bill Evans & Jim Hall - Intermodulation (1966) [FLAC]

Some of you are probably familiar with the album Undercurrent by these two, with the amazing album artwork. This is a continuation of this collaboration. Jim Hall has never been a very busy player, so he's great for leaving a lot of harmonic space for Bill. That said, his legato phrasing and tone are beautiful on this album. There's no rhythm section, just these two going at it. Jim would go on to be one of the only people that really got into this Bill Evans style of back and forth and interspersed "conversational" jazz. The album is played cool with one exception of Jazz Samba, which is the only uptempo number. It's just a great album that really takes you to a nice place mentally.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/0tywdzb3a2hyb3h/1966-BEJH-I.zip/file

Looks like Mediafire is on a paid model now. I'll look for alternatives, but if anyone can recommend something that doesn't need registration, let me know.

John Coltrane - Ballads (1963) [FLAC]

This is Coltrane playing a bit more low key, as it's a ballads album. Some good names on this one, McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Jimmy Garrison on bass.

This is one of my favourite ballads albums, it's up there with Moon Beams for me. I also rate it in comparison to other Coltrane albums, although his absolute best work is on other albums.

This album has a different energy to Bill Evans' stuff, even if it is played cool. It's just a bit more jaunty in general, the playing is still somewhat busy, but there are some soulful moments.

https://mega.nz/file/qwhBQISJ#d5L5bzyszkariLrpsBlScq_eABqEkAX14qjow1oDKL4

Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio - Smokin' at the Half Note (1966) [FLAC]

This is a live date, with Wes sitting in on the guitar with the Wynton Kelly, which consists of Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Billy Cobb on drums. This makes the second album I've posted where guitar and piano coexist in the same band.

Wes is in fine form on this album, and is the best thing I've heard of him at this point. I really like Unit 7, Willow Weep for Me, Misty and their version of Coltrane's modal tune Impressions. All tracks are solid, though.

https://mega.nz/file/mhBBlTAC#iCzDVCuoxmO_2W0ojiXlZwmpU0KapgRg8i79U7w9f7c

cool thread, i remember listening to some of the bill evans jim hall albums and the recordings being not that great but i will give them a try

Pharoah Sanders - Africa

One of my favorite Sanders albums. I really like You've Got to Have Freedom, After the Morning, and Africa.

Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer (1964) [FLAC]

Before Wayne Shorter joined Weather Report, he released a slew of forward thinking straightahead jazz, with generally traditional instrument choices (sax, bass, drums, piano, etc), but more interesting musical choices. Much of the material is modal and features Wayne's very distinct and precise phrasing that immediately stands out as him. (I think of it sort of like drawing perfectly straight lines.)

Night Dreamer is one of the more popular albums that Wayne did as a bandleader, and on this album, he has McCoy Tyner on piano (same as Coltrane's Ballads album above), Lee Morgan on trumpet (himself an amazing player), Reggie Workman on bass and Elvin Jones on drums (same as Coltrane's Ballads).

The piano playing on the album is quite lush sounding, and has this feeling of pushing outwards into wider harmonic territory. The songs are melodically on point, and while I'm not the biggest horn guy ever, it's clear that the horns and the piano run the show on this one. Very enjoyable album.

https://mega.nz/file/Cw4RHbjJ#lch4q349Z-sauMOtuLwcoEY8apb7ERmOMraaAkoE8es

Miles Davis - 'Round About Midnight (1957) [FLAC]

Here's the album I think people should have recommended as a gateway into jazz instead of Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, Bitches Brew and various Mingus albums.

At its core, I'd call it a hard bop album with cool moments. It features Ah-Leu-Cha which is a bebop song Miles composed with Charlie Parker back in the 40s when they played together. If you were always wondering what bebop sounded like compared hard bop, that track is a good way to see.

The best tracks by far are 'Round Midnight, Bye Bye Blackbird and Dear Old Stockholm. There's hot, cold, bebop, usual bop and smoky moments, so it's quite a diverse release and gives a good overview of the landscape at the time. 'Round About Midnight is dripping in an old-school cool, brought by John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Philly Joe Jones on the skins and naturally, Miles himself on trumpet. With this album, it's much easier to see jazz outside the modern academic sort of context it has now, and more as the actual cool thing it was.

https://mega.nz/file/j5RxRSLB#Vt_00zPqq31wvdq2TeVBKfWAgFTXXTk1nkONUGBg4Iw

Bill Evans - You Must Believe in Spring (1981) [FLAC]

This is a later release from Bill than his older famous trio recordings. It's billed as Bill Evans, but does actually feature a trio of musicians, namely, the king himself Eddie Gomez on bass, Eliot Zigmund on drums and Bill doing his usual thing on piano. This was Eddie Gomez's last album with Bill, having played with him for at least 14 years, since 1967's A Simple Matter of Conviction.

Immediately obvious about the album is how rich it sounds, each instrument is getting plenty of room to express itself and bloom. The album is played cool almost all the way through, and the uptempo numbers that do feature, are not particularly fast. I am a huge fan of Eddie Gomez, and find him severely underrated as a bassist. In this sort of "conversational" jazz idiom, Gomez is the finest bassist, I actually think he's better than Scott LaFaro, but to be fair, Gomez got a lot more time than Scott to develop his style.

Standout tracks are B Minor Waltz, Gary's Theme, Suicide is Painless (a cover of the M*A*S*H theme) and the closing track All of You.

It's one to grab for fans of beautiful sounding music.

https://mega.nz/file/Hh4DAYjY#RDsrmK_ropkEt6qqixgcj4ADHH4NcIwtxay-GeDtOqQ

Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk (1958) [FLAC]

This is a bit of a different sound to the prior uploads. This is Lou Donaldson running hard bop, cover to cover. This album carries the typical bluesy swing and swagger that you'll find on a lot of hard bop albums, but I think Lou's band does a particularly great job of it here.

Personnel-wise, we've got Lou Donaldson on alto sax and a slightly expanded rhythm section consisting of Herman Foster on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, Dave Bailey on drums and rounding it out is Ray Barretto on congas. The congas are an interesting addition, but the execution is fairly subtle, they just add to the effortless swing set up by Peck and Dave. I'd say bass is pretty business as usual here, but the swing does feel quite good here, so Peck is supporting quite well. Gun to my head, I'd say the drums and horns are the show stealers on this album. Piano gets a star moment on the opening track Blues Walk and Autumn Nocturne.

All in all, it's a classy album with a lot of character. Lou is a class act too, if you ever see interviews of him. Pretty hilarious guy.

https://mega.nz/file/Dlg2VZyL#xznrDfe5GDeRxk8SwoNh1SkAZFWJ-CCalW7FJKxm-kY

Thanks for posting classic albums OP

>>127411525
Thanks anon, appreciated.