VMP Magazine

Like any jazz legend with a pretty lengthy career, Thelonious Monk’s catalogue is absolutely brimming with rock-solid choices for listeners of all kinds. Want something relatively easy to digest and straightforward? He’s got you. How about a record where he gets kind of out there and practices minimal restraint? No problem. What about something where, yes, the music is fantastic but the cover art is also awesome? Oh shit has Monk ever got you covered.

If I was educated enough as a jazz listener and not just a pleb who unabashedly loves the genre, I’d go on as long as my editors would let me about Monk and the best albums in his discography. But for me, until I decide to go back to school and take music theory classes (not happening!), it’s all about the feel. And this storied piano player, composer and band leader had me hooked from the first time I heard Brilliant Corners and took a deep dive into his work. As for that smart-guy stuff, well, Ryan’s got you covered there in the following graf. Ryan, you got it from here.

(Ryan grabs the keyboard)

Thelonious Monk was a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, using dissonance as an asset rather than a mistake. His compositions and playing style are uniquely his and his alone. Though often imitated, no one has ever come close to matching what he was pulling off 70 years ago! Throughout his recorded career, he can be heard playing solo piano, with small combos and with big bands and orchestras. No matter what is happening around him, the music always has a specifically unique Monk-ness to it.

Let’s do this.

Where does one begin when writing about an artist on the level of John Coltrane? Do you write about his unbelievable influence as the father of spiritual jazz, the sub-genre in which so many fantastic records reside? Or do you talk about the journey that brought him there, one of addiction, recovery, and finding himself in spirituality? Or do you simply say, hey, this man was one of the greatest artists, of any genre, to live on this planet?

I’m inclined to go with the last statement. It’s not just that Coltrane personally welcomed me into a world of music that had previously only intimidated me. There are plenty of other gateway artists for jazz, and perhaps even too many to name. If it hits you the right way, Coltrane’s music just sticks to your brain, never allowing you to forget bits and pieces of his work much like you’ll always remember the hook of certain pop songs.

Unlike manufactured tunes made for radio (no shots, I love some of ‘em, too), properly digesting the work of John Coltrane does require some work. But on that note, I’d like to share this quote from Coltrane himself, as part of this discussion shared by Blank On Blank, because I think it’s important to keep in mind when listening to jazz:

“If there’s something you don’t understand, you have to go humbly to it. You don’t go to school and sit down and say I know what you’re getting ready to teach me, you know? You sit there and you learn. You open your mind. you absorb. You’ve got to be quiet, you’ve got to be still to do this.”

Before moving on to our list of Trane’s best 10 albums to own on vinyl, it’s worth noting that we already covered perhaps his most essential record, A Love Supreme, in our first jazz primer. So, yeah, we didn’t want to cover the same ground here. Lucky enough for us (and anyone interested in his music), the man has plenty of other material to study and adore. And yes, I’ve once again worked with my friend/jazz musician, Ryan Kowal, on this list. Dig it.

Oh jazz, you magnificent and beautiful genre. You’re having a bit of a cool-kid comeback, aren’t you, with all those young, hip cats toying with your sounds and messing with your traditions. Good, I say, because you’re a genre that’s incredibly unique and, as a result, seemingly difficult to get into for some. We’ve all been there. “Jazz? Nah, I don’t listen to that unless I’m at the dentist or in an elevator.” Fuck Kenny G and his majestic curls. Jazz deserves more than being relegated to uncomfortable situations. It deserves to be consumed by anyone and everyone willing to open their ears and feel what often isn’t being said but played.

That’s where this list can help. As a jazz lover myself, but nothing close to what I’d call a proper aficionado, I reached out to my close friend and gifted jazz musician, Ryan Kowal, to help compile this list and share his insight. Dude is a seriously talented composer, vibraphonist, drummer, pianist, etc., and you should check out his music on his website. And you should listen to these albums. If not all of them, at least one or two. Jazz is more than filler noise used to drown out the anxiety that comes when you’re praying to the dental gods for no cavities. It’s also more than a genre for uptight folks who’d sooner tell you why you should listen to one artist over another.

Let’s cut the bullshit, embrace the genre, and just listen to some of the best jazz albums ever recorded.

When you talk to pretty much anyone about jazz, be he or she a novice or expert, you’re bound to discuss certain names. And among them, perhaps none is said more often than Miles Davis. The king of cool (shouts out to that lady in Billy Madison) has a storied career worthy of years upon years of studying, so I can understand any listener’s apprehension when it comes to diving into his discography. And it’s not just the fact that he released a lot of albums; dude also jumped into different ends of the jazz pool throughout his time on this planet. Whereas some of his earlier stuff is straight-ahead, laid-back jazz made for dinner parties, other records are more or less guaranteed to floor you with their experimental approach.

But hey, just as my good friend/jazz musician Ryan Kowal and I aimed to introduce readers to jazz as a genre, we’re here to do the same with Miles Davis’s extensive catalog. And if you read those articles, you will know that we covered two of his best records already: Kind of Blue and Live-Evil. As phenomenal as those albums are, we just didn’t want to retread any previously covered ground. Yes, you need to listen to them—seriously, you need to do that right now if you haven’t yet—but you also need to hear these if you’re looking for the essential Miles Davis albums. In addition to being his finest efforts, they also cover his varied and groundbreaking approach to jazz, a genre that surely wouldn’t be where it is today without Miles.

By now you know that we're reissuing Miles Davis' Sorcerer as our Record of the Month for December 2017. Here are 10 more Miles Davis albums to get to continue your Miles Davis Studies.

When you talk to pretty much anyone about jazz, be he or she a novice or expert, you’re bound to discuss certain names. And among them, perhaps none is said more often than Miles Davis. The king of cool (shouts out to that lady in Billy Madison) has a storied career worthy of years upon years of studying, so I can understand any listener’s apprehension when it comes to diving into his discography. And it’s not just the fact that he released a lot of albums; dude also jumped into different ends of the jazz pool throughout his time on this planet. Whereas some of his earlier stuff is straight-ahead, laid-back jazz made for dinner parties, other records are more or less guaranteed to floor you with their experimental approach.

But hey, just as my good friend/jazz musician Ryan Kowal and I aimed to introduce readers to jazz as a genre, we’re here to do the same with Miles Davis’s extensive catalog. And if you read those articles, you will know that we covered two of his best records already: Kind of Blue and Live-Evil. As phenomenal as those albums are, we just didn’t want to retread any previously covered ground. Yes, you need to listen to them—seriously, you need to do that right now if you haven’t yet—but you also need to hear these if you’re looking for the essential Miles Davis albums. In addition to being his finest efforts, they also cover his varied and groundbreaking approach to jazz, a genre that surely wouldn’t be where it is today without Miles.

Oh, you thought we were done?

Given that we’re talking about an entire genre here, especially one with such a huge number of important players, it’s impossible to just throw out a single list of 10 records that newbies need in their collection. Hell, it’s difficult to just stick to 20! But look, once you get through those first 10 records and this additional batch, we’re confident that you’ll at least have a better grasp on the genre.

Ryan and I have covered quite a bit of jazz over the past year or so. Among other articles, we have written about the best records for those just getting into the genre and somehow rounded up the 10 essential John Coltrane records that should be in your collection. And as we have traversed this great genre of music, we’ve turned a bit of a blind eye to more modern releases. We don’t exactly have a reason why it happened, it just did, but it’s OK because it got us thinking: What are the 10 best modern jazz albums?

In doing our research, we gathered a lengthy list of projects from the past 10 years or so. We eventually picked apart records we otherwise love or respect, casting them aside for albums that truly deserve a place on such a list. These selections do more than just showcase the best of what jazz has to offer in the past decade; they show exactly how alive and well jazz has and continues to be, no matter what coverage you may see for these artists. You won’t see many of these acts making headlines on your favorite music sites, but they are getting their shine in their own ways, whether it’s through critical acclaim or, in one very specific case, a friggin’ Pulitzer Prize.