[otherone101]

Blues and the Abstract Truth -- Oliver Nelson

Oliver Nelson is one of the all time great jazz arrangers, and this album is incredible. The first track alone is worth the price of admission.


Also, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is considered a great introduction to jazz, but not many casual jazz listeners realize that the album Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderly was not only recorded around the time of kind of blue, but also features many of the same players. You can almost view the two albums as companion pieces.

Everyone talks up Coltrane, and with good reason -- however if there could only be one album to introduce him by it would have to be Live at Birdland. It is entrenched in melodic beauty and pure soul from beginning to end -- very accessible.

 

[eric0531]

Quote:

I'll also throw out a rather left-field suggestion: Anna Maria Jopek. She's a Polish jazz singer and has always had superb players as band-members and they are definitely all about coherent structures instead of just focusing on improv. Farat is one of the best live albums I've ever heard. Barefoot is probably her best album overall.

 
Farat is a great album. I also like Niebo. Never heard Barefoot, i'll have to keep my eye out for that one.

 

[Jimmy24]

The one and only, exceptional vocalist and pianist,

Nina Simone: I Put a Spell On You

 
 
One of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. Her piano playing is very Bach influenced so she might be exactly what you're looking for. 

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

 
Farat is a great album. I also like Niebo. Never heard Barefoot, i'll have to keep my eye out for that one.

Barefoot is the international version of Bosa, which was her breakthrough album in Poland. Niebo is quite good as well, though I need to give her newer ones some more spins. I recently noticed on Amazon that she released 3 new albums in 2011 (Haiku, Sobremesa, and Polanna) which I have on order.

 

[W0lfd0g]