A Question Going 'Round

A Question Going 'Round

Just saw this in jazz fan circles: what are your top 3 album recommendations for folks who are new to jazz?

I have opinions... and I think I'm going to extend it beyond just jazz. What are my criteria?

1. Easy to listen to and enjoy regardless. It has to stand on its own.

2. Relevant to the music it's representative of. It has to connect to the broader music genre it's a part of.

3. Personally, is it an album you can return to even after you've become old and cynical about the genre?

Ok, then, let's do this. Jazz, Rock 'n Roll, Country, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip Hop, and Classical. (My list for today, completely arbitrary, your list will and should be different! That's the most wonderful part of having so many recordings, we all can pick our own variation and have a good listen.)

Jazz:

1. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Ella And Louis

2. The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out

3. Duke Ellington and John Coltrane: Duke Ellington And John Coltrane

I think jazz, for a new listener, needs to lead with the best vocalists of the 20th century.

Rock 'n Roll:

1. The Beatles: Revolver

2. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band: Born In The U.S.A.

3. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Damn The Torpedoes

Yes, I know, I know, Born To Run... This is about a straight run of 4 minute rock songs that never quits and shows a new listener what is possible. Just like I often prefer U2's Boy, but Joshua Tree is more accessible. Answers to different questions.

Country:

1. Ray Charles: Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music

2. Willie Nelson: Redheaded Stranger

3. Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth

Country has never really found comfort with the album format; these are the big 3 I think. There are others out there but I'm hard pressed to find any that are more meaningful to the genre as a whole. Dwight Yoakum, Allison Krauss, Roseanne Cash, Garth Brooks (first 2 albums especially) all honorable mentions here.

R&B/Soul:

1. Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life

2. Al Green: Let's Stay Together

3. Gladys Knight and the Pips: Neither One Of Us

Oh lord could I go on. Roberta Flack, Earth Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, P-Funk. Have to put up a list and move on.

Rap/Hip-Hop

1. Fugees: The Score

2. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

3. Outkast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Yeah, I know. I just love the sound of these records. Obviously there's a list of honorable mentions; one really cool one I find fascinating is an album by Branford Marsalis: Buckshot LeFonque.

Classical:

1. Van Cliburn: My Favorite Chopin

2. P.D.Q. Bach: The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach

3. The London Symphony Orchestra: The Planets (there are several here to choose from, any of them work)

More than any other genre here, the list is too long to do anything but generate arguments, so I just went with accessible and, yes, silly.

Oops, almost forgot.

Blues:

1. B.B. King: Live In Cook County Jail

2. Buddy Guy And Junior Wells: Alone And Acoustic

3. The Robert Cray Band: Strong Persuader

A good mapping to past and future here. And one hell of a way to get the butt moving and the blood flowing in Cook County...