Though I enjoy all genres of music, jazz is what I always come home to and enjoy the most. I have a blog dedicated to sax players Sax Appeal. This blog is for all the of the other jazz musicians I enjoy listening to that can not be left out of being mentioned.
My CD recommendation would be Victor Wooten's CD that was released at the beginning of this month, Palmystery. If you know of Victor Wooten you know he's a great bass guitarist. If you don't know, you better ask somebody! Take a listen and when you get to the page the sample on the CD are down at towards the bottom on the page.
Whenever you enter the realm of jazz one of the names guaranteed to be seen or heard is pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. From his biography on http://www.monkzon.com"
With the arrival Thelonious Sphere Monk, modern music—let alone modern culture--simply hasn’t been the same. Recognized as one of the most inventive pianists of any musical genre, Monk achieved a startlingly original sound that even his most devoted followers have been unable to successfully imitate. His musical vision was both ahead of its time and deeply rooted in tradition, spanning the entire history of the music from the “stride” masters of James P. Johnson and Willie “the Lion” Smith to the tonal freedom and kinetics of the “avant garde.” And he shares with Edward “Duke” Ellington the distinction of being one of the century’s greatest American composers. At the same time, his commitment to originality in all aspects of life—in fashion, in his creative use of language and economy of words, in his biting humor, even in the way he danced away from the piano—has led fans and detractors alike to call him “eccentric,” “mad” or even “taciturn.” Consequently, Monk has become perhaps the most talked about and least understood artist in the history of jazz.
I love this first clip because it shows what a great pianist he was. Again, I take nothing away from his talent. The man was damn good. Take a listen and
I'm an advocate for buying what you listen to. Show an artist you like them by buying their music. Here's how I see it. You like an actor. A movie comes out and you go see the movie or you rent it, buy it or all of the above. They know they are a success by ticket sales. How does a musician or singer know they're a success? By record sales. Sure, maybe by the sold out concerts, but how often do we get to see them in concert compared to how often we see movies? If you can spend $18.00 to go see a movie (ticket, popcorn & drink), I think you can pay $15-18 for a cd.... can't you? And now you can pay for and download just one or two of your favorite songs. A couple of bucks for music that lasts a lifetime.
