Looking for some new music

Two very different genres......and I love them both....

For 90s Alternative I'd recommend the below 5 (and I'm assuming you are familiar already with Nirvana and Radiohead classics, if not skip my reccomendations and immediately get Nevermind and OK Computer respectively) but assuming you are already aware of these two albums....

1) Jeff Buckley - Grace.......This is my favorite Rock album since Dark Side Of The Moon was released. He has a voice like you've never heard. Seriously! The writing on this record is about as perfect as can be and the emotion which pours out of the speakers (headphones) is just stunning and gives great indication that had Jeff Buckley lived he would have possibly become the next great star following the death of Cobain.

2) Elliott Smith - Either Or - Either Or is almost the exact opposite of Grace. It is about as Low Fi as you can get. The songs were largely recorded on casette tape. As far as I know Elliott plays every instrument himself on this record in contrast to Grace which made use of some brilliant studio players. But like Buckley and Cobain, Elliott's life was cut short (Elliott supposedly killed himself a few years back, but it's not clear for sure)....The reason I recommend this album is I think as a writer Elliott is among the most unique to emerge in the 90s. He writes in the Beatles' style, but with a humbleness and a quirk that you don't associate with the Beatles' more outward appeal. In other words his music is more White Album-ish than Abbey Road or Sgt Pepper-ish.....and I really think he was a gifted genius.

3) The Replacements - Let It Be........I may get crap for suggesting something which is not 90s.......this record actually came out in 1984, but actually the essence of 90s Alternative begins with this record. You can hear so much of the punk agression mixed with melody here........It is the best 90s record not to come out in the 90s, in my mind.....ahead of its time, and deserves to be in your collection

4) Alice In Chains - Dirt.................I'm in the minority in that their unplugged album is my favorite, but Dirt is the essential Alice In Chains record to most. Most of the tracks are classic now, and its just a really strong heavy rock record

5) Pixies - Doolittle.....OK again this one dates back to 1989, but what a record right? This record sounds more contemporary than any Nirvana record to me.....while maybe the writing is not as supreme.

*) Arcade Fire - Funeral.....this is much newer (2004) but it's an extension of the 90s rock sound with a lot of other things thrown in. I firmly believe in 10 years people will be talking about how Arcade Fire is a major band to be considered alongside many.

*) Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel........again this is much newer than 90s.....but it's just a brilliant record and the sound is excellent as well

*) Beck - Sea Change..........From a personal perspective, very few albums mean more to me than this one. If you are looking for a deep and personal artistic statement then this is it.....it's not heavy though, and may not even really be "rock"

*) Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation...........Again an 80s release, but this is another pinnacle Alternative Rock recording

and finally...

*) Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea........this record is (for me) more intriguing than it is great, but many people on this site will tell you it is the greatest record in 20 years. This is truly a unique piece of work and it is worth acquiring.


JAZZ......the ten first jazz CDs I'd acquire are.....
1) Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue.........amongst the most talked about albums in history so I won't overdo it here.....but the thing which makes album so special more than anything else is that the compositions here are just complex enough to keep your interest and just simple enough to be pure and non cerebral. Each soloist on the record is incredibly unique....and within two listens you can identify who's who without even thinking.

2) John Coltrane - A Love Supreme...........If Kind Of Blue is Sgt Pepper, then A Love Supreme is Dark Side Of The Moon.....this may be a weak comparison, but what I mean by it is they are both so classic and they both come from the same cloth...........Artists like Miles and Coltrane released such a plethora of albums that it becomes almost a crime to reccomend one single album over a bunch of others.......but in the case of Coltrane, I feel "Supreme" is a welcomed introduction.

3) Charlie Parker - Ken Burns Jazz.......I tend to stay away from compilation albums, but in this particular case I think being that up until late in his career, Parker didn't release full length albums, a compilation is fitting. Not only that, but Ken Burns Jazz's edition of Charlie Parker is amongst the most comprehensive single disc compilations you'll ever hear of an artist. It spans his entire recorded career. In my opinion Parker is the most influential soloist in the genre, or at least the most influential saxophonist.

4) Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz.........It would be a crime to yourself to build a jazz collection without exploring the music of the artist who made jazz a household name to the world.....Unless you want to acquire a boxed set of Louis Armstrongs early recordings called the Hot Five / Hot Seven......there's no way around it, you have to go for a compilation....I feel the Ken Burns series concentrates on his best recordings.

5) Dave Brubeck - Time Out........this is not one of my all time favorite CDs, but it's a classic and it's very catchy and good for a newcomer.

6) Duke Ellington - Never No Lament.....this is a 3CD set....but there's no way around it...this is the greatest big band ever assembled and it's just such a joy to listen to. Duke Ellington is Jazz's most distinguished composer and this was the band that really realized his genius.

7) Chick Corea - Return To Forever.......This is a masterpiece! This is one of the finest recorded and most wonderous albums ever made in any genre. Put this on at midnight, dim the lights and welcome to a world that you've never been!

8) Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music........The most eccentric of Jazz's major composers. This is bop's most essential writer and this is one of his best albums.

9) Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady........If you like A Love Surpeme and you like Duke Ellington's work, this is sort of a hybrid.....and it's equally brilliant to both. Black Saint makes its place to nearly every jazz fanatic's top 20 albums.

10) Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert......This is 60 minute freely improvised piano piece. Keith Jarrett has done many and most of them are on the level of supreme brilliance. The Koln Concert is the most famous and actually is amongst the 10 biggest selling jazz releases of all time.

after these 10 look into these artists further, and I'll suggest a great album to add to your collection....

Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
John Coltrane - Giant Steps or My Favorite Things
Bud Powell - Jazz Giant
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Horace Silver - Song For My Father
Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
Branford Marsalis - Contemporary Jazz
Dizzy Gillespie - Ken Burns Jazz

-enjoy the music!