International Jazz Day Album Guide
Steve Holtje, editor of MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide (Visible Ink), has written a 50-album guide covering the development from jazz, ranging from Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
1901 - 1971
trumpet
to Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp
b.1960
piano
, for CultureCatch.com. He writes:
“Monday, April 30, is International Jazz Day, proclaimed by UNESCO goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
b.1940
piano
. There will be streaming concerts and much more on jazzday.com. It seems like an apt time for a solid historical overview of jazz. Over the years, people have asked me, 'I've just started listening to jazz, what should I get?' and 'What jazz albums do you think everyone should have in their collection?' Here are my top recommendations to provide a broad foundation for understanding jazz through classic performances that have stood the test of time."
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
1899 - 1974
piano
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
1926 - 1991
trumpet
, and John Coltrane
John Coltrane
1926 - 1967
saxophone
are prominently featured, of course, but Holtje features more recent albums as well, writing, “Unlike Ken Burns, I don't believe...that one cannot include recent music on a list like this. In fact, I think that a list without some current artists is cowardly and less useful."
Follow the link for the complete article, sure to inspire—as such articles always do—conversations about what does and doesn't belong on the list.
