6 Albums to Get You into Jazz

1. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (1959)

This album was groundbreaking for its time and has held up to this day as an all-around great record. At the time it did a few things differently that allowed it to standout against other jazz records. For one, the cover was a contemporary art piece, most other jazz records had the faces of the musicians on them. The album also included all original songs- most jazz albums included covers and renditions of other tracks from other artists. The title track Take Five was written by saxophonist Paul Desmond and its 5/4-time signature made it unique compared to the standard 4/4 signature heard in most jazz tracks.

There is a cohesiveness to this album, and almost plays and sounds like a solid “pop” jazz record (if such a thing could exist). You would be hard pressed to play this and have someone complain about it.

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2. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963)

A great collaboration with two Jazz legends on one record. You are basically getting a two for one with this one. The whole album flows beautifully, and it should come to no surprise that it was done in only one session (which is super rare). You’ll often find this record on many “Best of Jazz” lists and for a good reason. It is the pure essence of what jazz is.

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3. Miles Davis - Milestone (1958)

Most essential jazz album lists or best jazz album lists include Miles Davis Kind of Blue, which is not only one of the best jazz albums ever written, but one of the best albums ever written.

Being an avid jazz listener, I did not listen to it til much later in my life. It was not easy to get through, and I think for someone just starting out and getting into jazz you should wait to listen to it. Milestone is considered an essential jazz album, and I think it best to start here. You get a feel for jazz as a genre and understand why Miles Davis is such an icon and legend with his experimentation with scale patterns.

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4. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1954)

Chet Bakers singing sounds just like how he plays his trumpet. He was 24 years old when he recorded this album, but you would think he was much younger. There is a haunting innocence to his voice, and it leaves me feeling the same way Billie Holidays voice does. People often cite and enjoy the records where he sings as well as playing. Being a Chet Baker fan, I quite enjoy just hearing his playing, but his voice is so distinct and is a great example of a good vocal over a good sound.

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5.  Ella and Louis- Louis Armstrong + Ella Fitzgerald (1956)

Another iconic duo Ella and Louis are two of the most important and prominent voices in jazz, and music in general. Some articles mention that the two voices might not have worked harmoniously and perfectly together, but its hard to resist not loving them. They do work well together, and after further researching this album is often recommended on essential jazz albums to listen to.

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6. Billie Holiday - Solitude (1952)

There is no way I was not going to mention my girl, Billie. Everyone knows who she is or has heard of her, but people don’t often give her the time to really listen to her records all the way through. She was at the top of her game when recording this album. Most people know that the decline after this album came on strong with her alcoholism and heroin abuse. This little piece of melancholy and vocal character makes this not only an iconic jazz album but one of the greatest albums ever made.