Small group jazz suggestions

cstmar01
cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
edited October 2010 in Music & Movies
Just looking for some suggestions of small group jazz recordings either on vinyl or CD, SACD etc that might not be a big well known name but still are great to listen to.

My local shop guy doesn't really tend to listen to this stuff (he's mostly older rock stuff) so he was out of suggestions of groups for me to try and doesn't carry a lot of it seeing he has no demand.
Post edited by cstmar01 on
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  • bklynNupe
    bklynNupe Posts: 728
    edited October 2010
    It really depends on your tastes. :p

    Try these guys Dusty Groove , they have a great selection of old and new. The write-ups are pretty honest, if they don’t care for something, they will actually say it.
    I use Amazon to cross-reference for samples.

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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited October 2010
    my tastes are all over the board when it comes to this.

    I tend to like basic set ups for jazz groups. Piano, sax, drumset, a horn, upright bass, good to go. vocals depending on the track. Upbeat, down tempo, anything inbetween.

    I played from 3rd grade on through till college saxophone and mostly was a jazz guy. I have a lot of big band stuff I play as well but been more on a kick to get into smaller group stuff. Even trio stuff is fun.
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  • Rev. Hayes
    Rev. Hayes Posts: 475
    edited October 2010
    I love the Nat King Cole Trio.

    Way better than his easy listening solo stuff.




    EDIT: Ahhh. I see you wanted actual "recording" suggestions. Well to keep it in the same vein:


    albumcoverDianaKrall-AllForYou-ADedicationToTheNatKingColeTrio.jpg



    A great sounding album. (I have the CD)
    Sounds good to me...
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,083
    edited October 2010
    Vince Guaraldi.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • LeftCoast
    LeftCoast Posts: 406
    edited October 2010
    For Latin Jazz

    Try the sound track to Calle 54. Might even be able to sample some stuff online. There is one cut that is very cool by Chano Dominguez. It is called Oye Como Viene. It is straight ahead jazz, but in flamenco timing with a trio of flamenco musicians as part of the group.

    also

    Eddie Palmieri has a trio of cd's:

    Palmas
    Arete
    Vortex.

    Palmieri is a legend and even his "salsa" discs are laced with jazz. Much acoustic goodness.
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  • LeftCoast
    LeftCoast Posts: 406
    edited October 2010
    Oye Como Viene with Chano can be seen on youtube
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited October 2010
    No doubt Jazz at the pawnshop is something everyone should have the sacd recordings are considered the best and you have the machine to do it.

    RT1
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  • bklynNupe
    bklynNupe Posts: 728
    edited October 2010
    LeftCoast wrote: »
    For Latin Jazz

    Try the sound track to Calle 54. Might even be able to sample some stuff online. There is one cut that is very cool by Chano Dominguez. It is called Oye Como Viene. It is straight ahead jazz, but in flamenco timing with a trio of flamenco musicians as part of the group.

    also

    Eddie Palmieri has a trio of cd's:

    Palmas
    Arete
    Vortex.

    Palmieri is a legend and even his "salsa" discs are laced with jazz. Much acoustic goodness.

    Eddie Palmeri, now your talking!!!:cool:
    Eddie Palmeri - Lo Mejor de Eddie Palmieri - Si Hecho Palante :cool:

    also, Willie Colon - The Big Break - w/ Hector Lavoe
    If you want a little bigger sound with strings (very '70's East Harlem sound), Ray Baretto - Rican -Struction

    and
    in regards to Vince Guaraldi - From All Sides is one of my favorites.

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  • bklynNupe
    bklynNupe Posts: 728
    edited October 2010
    Rev. Hayes wrote: »
    I love the Nat King Cole Trio.

    Way better than his easy listening solo stuff.




    EDIT: Ahhh. I see you wanted actual "recording" suggestions. Well to keep it in the same vein:


    albumcoverDianaKrall-AllForYou-ADedicationToTheNatKingColeTrio.jpg



    A great sounding album. (I have the CD)

    I have Nat King Cole - Live at the Sands, it really showcases his skills on piano.

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  • Ern Dog
    Ern Dog Posts: 2,237
    edited October 2010
    LeftCoast wrote: »
    Oye Como Viene with Chano can be seen on youtube


    Loved this video so much that I bought the Calle 54 cd!

    I'm a big salsa fan and didn't know there were others here too on forum. Here's my all time favorite salsa cd by Afro-Cuban All Stars. Alto Songo is my favorite cut.

    http://www.amazon.com/Toda-Cuba-Gusta-Afro-Cuban-Stars/dp/B000005J54/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited October 2010
    cstmar01 wrote: »
    Just looking for some suggestions of small group jazz recordings either on vinyl or CD, SACD etc that might not be a big well known name but still are great to listen to.

    My local shop guy doesn't really tend to listen to this stuff (he's mostly older rock stuff) so he was out of suggestions of groups for me to try and doesn't carry a lot of it seeing he has no demand.

    What kind of jazz do you like?
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited October 2010
    If you are into some old school jazz, I've been listening to some SACDs that I got not too long ago.

    John Coltrane: Blue Train
    Paul Chambers Sextet: Whims of Chambers
    Wes Montgomery Trio: self titled
    Kenny Burrell: Midnight Blue

    Anthony Wilson: Power of Nine

    Some may say that Miles Davis 'classic' Kind of Blue is not accessible, but I find it to be very musical.

    Your tastes may vary - of course :D

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • softwareperson
    softwareperson Posts: 14
    edited October 2010
    I like Dave Koz
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,329
    edited October 2010
    Steve Oliver....... Give his live CD/DVD combo pack a try, I love it and it can be had on the cheap on eBay.. I now own 5 of his CD's the guy is fantastic..
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited October 2010
    All the Miles albums with the Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock rhythm section.

    Sorry, didn't see the "not a big name" part.
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  • Norm Apter
    Norm Apter Posts: 1,036
    edited October 2010
    These are my favorites, but all by fairly well-known artists so I'm not sure there will be anything new to you here:

    Red Garland (Rediscovered Blues Vol. 1, Revisited!, Soul Junction, Red Garland's Piano, The P. C Blues, A Garland of Red)

    Grant Green (Idle Moments, Green Street, Feelin' The Spirit)

    Wynton Kelly (Full View, Piano)

    Cannonball Adderly (Somethin' Else)

    Lee Morgan (Lee-Way, Tomcat)

    Thelonious Monk (Monk's Dream, With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall)

    Freddie Hubbard (Ready for Freddie, Open Sesame)

    Kenny Burrell (Midnight Blue)

    Sonny Clark (Cool Struttin')

    Tina Brooks (True Blue)

    Wayne Shorter (Speak No Evil)

    Sonny Rollins (Newk's Time)

    Hank Mobley (Soul Station, Workout, Another Workout)

    Wes Montgomery (Smokin' at the Halfnote, Full House)

    Johnny Griffin (Introducing)

    John Coltrane (Giant Steps)

    For audiophile sound on CD (I don't spin vinyl), check out the two newest series by Music Matters (XRCD) and Analogue Productions (hybrid SACD). Each of these were just launched last year and there is only a few dozen titles of each (though several I mentioned have been released in either one or the other) , but most who have heard these opine that they trounce the early RVG remasters, Mcmaster Originals and even MFSL versions. Check out the online store Acoustic Sounds to find out more about these two series (I think they're one of the few online retailers that carry everything in the series).
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  • rad_ken1
    rad_ken1 Posts: 9
    edited October 2010
    When you specify "small group jazz + sax" you're liable to catch anything from Kenny G to Anthony Braxton. I have a pretty wide listening path so to veer just a bit into the less standard names you might try one of the Don Pullen / George Adams recordings like Breakthrough. I've got lots of vinyl so not familiar with a lot of the digital versions. I do like the XRCD's though and have found good recording quality on the Chesky, Mapleshade, Evidence labels.
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  • bklynNupe
    bklynNupe Posts: 728
    edited October 2010
    Ern Dog wrote: »
    Loved this video so much that I bought the Calle 54 cd!

    I'm a big salsa fan and didn't know there were others here too on forum. Here's my all time favorite salsa cd by Afro-Cuban All Stars. Alto Songo is my favorite cut.

    http://www.amazon.com/Toda-Cuba-Gusta-Afro-Cuban-Stars/dp/B000005J54/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1

    Nice, come to think of it a buddy of mine has this cd!

    This is also one of my favorites in part because of the personnel, Mongo, Dizzy and Sonny Fortune.
    The sound quality is exceptional on both the studio and live tracks.

    http://www.amazon.com/Afro-American-Latin-Mongo-Santamaria/dp/B00004U2GJ/ref=sr_1_31?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1286815722&sr=1-31

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