# Name your top favorite 10 jazz musicians/bands/combos



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

A quick short list:

1) Miles Davis Quintet with John Coltrane
2) Miles Davis session players for On the Corner
3) Bill Evans Trio
4) Andrew Hill (or Lee Morgan interchangably)
5) Hank Mobley
6) Bobby Hutcherson
7) Diana Krall (early stuff preferred)
8) Ella Fitzgerald
9) Cecil Taylor
10) Dexter Gordon

and yours? This would be a tough list to break .


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I'd put Miles' second quintet above his first. 

Ellington had some great bands at various times. Mingus. 

Really, this is hard to answer.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

I'll play... even though TEN is IMPOSSIBLE! 

Off the top of my head...

1 Duke Ellington
2 Bobby Hutcherson
3 Richie Beirach
4 Charles Mingus
5 Mal Waldron
6 Martial Solal
7 Phil Woods
8 Sir Roland Hanna
9 Lee Konitz
10 Jim Hall


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Andrew Hill
Wayne Shorter
Sun Ra
Herbie Nichols
Pee Wee Russell
Booker Little
Ellington, Strayhorn (I really like Strayhorn) and band
Thelonious Monk
John Coltrane
Albert Ayler

Shorter and Hill are my favorite composers. Pee Wee Russell is my favorite improviser without a question. And obviously I love the others.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

JACE said:


> I'll play... even though TEN is IMPOSSIBLE!
> 
> Off the top of my head...
> 
> ...


I have to listen much better to Beirach and Hanna (but I love Perugia!) and I know next to nothing of Solal. Suggestions?


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I wasn't able to put up Thelonious Monk or Charles Mingus sadly enough but I love their music a lot. I went for breadth over depth on my list.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

norman bates said:


> Andrew Hill
> Wayne Shorter
> Sun Ra
> Herbie Nichols
> ...


Yeah man! Fantastic list!

Pee Wee is stinkin' awesome!!! I went on a big Pee Wee bender a few years back. He made so many great records.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

norman bates said:


> I have to listen much better to Beirach and Hanna (but I love Perugia!) and I know next to nothing of Solal. Suggestions?


Sure thing!

For Beirach, I'd recommend any of his duo records with David Liebman. The best of them, by far, is _Forgotten Fantasies_ (A&M/Horizon). Unfortunately, it's never been issued on CD, so you'd have track down the vinyl. I'd also point you to Beirach's trio record with George Mraz and Jack DeJohnette _Elm_ (ECM).

For Solal, I'd recommend his trio record called _NY-1: Live at the Village Vanguard_ (Blue Note). The bassist is Francois Moutin and the drummer is Bill Stewart. Tremendous music. Solal's duo record with Lee Konitz called _Star Eyes_ (Hatology) is also superb.

For Sir Roland, I'd suggest _Free Spirit_, a 2-CD set issued on Storyville that collects a couple LPs that were issued on indie labels back in the 70s. I also LOVE Hanna's album _Sir Elf Plus 1_, which features him solo and in duets with George Mraz.

Happy listening.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

As with all lists of this sort, if you asked me again tomorrow, the list would most likely be different.


No particular order.

Chic Corea
John Coltrane
John McLauglin/Mahavishnu Orchestra
Keith Jarrett
Weather Report
Wayne Shorter
Eberhard Weber
Gonzalo Rubalcaba 
Steve Coleman/5 Elements
Terje Rypdal


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Al di Meola
Vince Giraldi
Joe Pass
Buddy Rich
Satchmo
Bill Evans
Stan Getz
Lionel Hampton
Louis Prima 
Brubeck


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Sun Ra (and Arkestra, etc.)
Art Ensemble of Chicago
John Coltrane
Eric Dolphy
Ornette Coleman
Pharoah Sanders
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Thelonious Monk
Cannonball Adderley
Gene Ammons


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I'm not very knowledgeable on jazz, but do listen to a little, probably the usual suspects. Or mostly what some would call fusion (sometimes with an ever so slight dismissive sneer).

Miles Davis 
John McLaughlin / The Mahavishnu Orchestra
Weather Report 
Chick Corea
Al di Meola
so of course Return to Forever
Herbie Hancock
Jack DeJohnette (sp?)
does Claude Bolling / Jean-Pierre Rampal count?
Dave Brubeck / Stan Getz

Oh - and Flora Purim!


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

JACE said:


> Sure thing!
> 
> For Beirach, I'd recommend any of his duo records with David Liebman. The best of them, by far, is _Forgotten Fantasies_ (A&M/Horizon). Unfortunately, it's never been issued on CD, so you'd have track down the vinyl.


it's one of the few things I've listened of him, only on mp3 because I have no turntable. It would be great to see it on cd!


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## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

1. Sonny Rollins
2. Gerry Mulligan
3. Cannonball Adderley
4. Charlie Parker
5. Clifford Brown
7. Bud Powell
8. Zoot Sims
6. Joshua Redman
7. Branford Marsalis
8. Sonny Stitt
9. Benny Golson
10. Dexter Gordon

This list might reveal a slight bias towards a certain instrument I used to play.

I forgot Stan Getz


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

in no particular order:

Duke Ellington 
Wild Bill Davis
Chet Baker
Shirley Scott
Count Basie
Dinah Washington
J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding
Nina Simone
Sara Vaughn
Gerry Mulligan

/ptr


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

10 is impossible.

Miles 60s quintet
Mingus
Gerry Mulligan
Eric Dolphy
Jackie McLean
George Russell
Roland Kirk
Yusef Lateef
Herbie Hancock
Charlie Haden
Don Cherry
John McLaughlin
Weather Report
Dave Holland
Bobby Hutcherson
Allan Holdsworth
John Scofield
Pat Metheny
Tribal Tech
Either/Orchestra
Pierre Dorge & New Jungle Orchestra
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
Ben Monder
Patricia Barber


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

1/ Miles Davis (especially with the 64-68 quintet)
2/ Charles Mingus
3/ Ornette Coleman (Atlantic era)
4/ Thelonius Monk
5/ Duke Ellington
6/ Herbie Hancock
7/ Soft Machine (from the 2nd album onwards, if they're allowed)
8/ John Coltrane
9/ Andrew Hill
10/ McCoy Tyner

Leaving out great musicians like Elvin Jones, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter and Horace Silver really hurt, but I thought I should mainly focus on frontmen whose output I have the most of.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> 7/ Soft Machine (from the 2nd album onwards, if they're allowed)


Why not! There is a lot of great British jazz. I'm a big fan of John Surman, and Graham Collier. And the early Nucleus albums with Ian Carr. Carr was also quite an authority on Miles Davis's music and career.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

starthrower said:


> Why not! There is a lot of great British jazz. I'm a big fan of John Surman, and Graham Collier. And the early Nucleus albums with Ian Carr. Carr was also quite an authority on Miles Davis's music and career.


I haven't heard all that much of John Surman apart from the stuff he did with The Trio - any recommendations?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Tribal Tech is great too. Good call, starthrower!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> I haven't heard all that much of John Surman apart from the stuff he did with The Trio - any recommendations?


Cunieform has an excellent archival release entitled Way Back When. Recorded in '69 for a small label that folded before the record could be released. I don't know how Steve F. at Cuneiform finds this stuff, but he does!

http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Surman-John-Way-Back-When__RUNE200.aspx

He also has the excellent Soft Machine, and Surman DVD/CDs.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

starthrower said:


> Cunieform has an excellent archival release entitled Way Back When. Recorded in '69 for a small label that folded before the record could be released. I don't know how Steve F. at Cuneiform finds this stuff, but he does!
> 
> http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Surman-John-Way-Back-When__RUNE200.aspx
> 
> He also has the excellent Soft Machine, and Surman DVD/CDs.


Nice one - thanks, S.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> Nice one - thanks, S.


I think you'll love Way Back When, especially since you're a Softs fan. It features a quartet with electric piano and bass, and there are two excellent quintet pieces w/ Mike Osborne on alto sax.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> Tribal Tech


what's your favorite album/tracks of them?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> what's your favorite album/tracks of them?


The title track from their first album Spears, made me an instant fan. It's electric, but it has a big band swing feel to it with a catchy melody, and the drums and guitars are great!

Their early albums feature a larger ensemble playing excellent compositions with nice arrangements, but unfortunately these albums are extremely rare. In 1991 they scaled down to a quartet, but their self titled CD from that year is excellent. Signal Path; Dense Dance; and Jakarta are probably my favorite pieces from that album.

Other favorite tracks:

Dr. Hee
Mango Prom
Black Cherry
Nomad
Robot Immigrants
No, No, No
Worlds Waiting

Check out the live video of Black Cherry on YouTube. The first half of the composition features some beautiful and delicate volume swelled chordal playing by Henderson, and some great synth lines by Scott Kinsey. And then Henderson plays a fantastic solo on the second half.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> I haven't heard all that much of John Surman apart from the stuff he did with The Trio - any recommendations?


Surman's playing on John McLaughlin's first record, _Extrapolation_, is BRILLIANT. Here's "Arjen's Bag":






I also love his contribution to John Abercrombie's record _November_, especially "Right Brain Patrol."


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Extrapolation has to be one of the most remarkable debuts of the past 50 years.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

JACE said:


> Surman's playing on John McLaughlin's first record, _Extrapolation_, is BRILLIANT. Here's "Arjen's Bag":
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Quite right - I forgot Surman was on Extrapolation as I haven't heard it for years.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I haven't been into jazz for a while. But to throw out a list off the top of my head of musicians/groups I'm still always up for, not in any order:
1. Phil Woods
2. Benny Carter
3. Johnny Hodges
4. Count Basie
5. Eric Dolphy
6. Woody Herman's Herds
7. Any of the Quincy Jones bands
8. Cannonball Adderly

Only 8? I could throw in two more, but they wouldn't come to me as easily, so I'll leave them off.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Here's my Top Tier, eight soloists, bandleaders or composers, and the role(s) which got them on my list.

Alphabetical:
Louis Armstrong - soloist/trumpet
Count Basie - bandleader, piano
Miles Davis - trumpet, bandleader
Duke Ellington - composer, bandleader, piano
Charles Mingus - composer, bassist, bandleader
Thelonious Monk - piano, composer
Charlie Parker - soloist/sax
Sonny Rollins - soloist/sax

Second Tier
Sidney Bechet - soloist/sax-clarinet
Bill Evans - soloist/pianist, bandleader
Herbie Hancock - soloist/piano
Coleman Hawkins - soloist/sax
Joe Henderson - soloist/sax
Andrew Hill - soloist/piano, composer
Johnny Hodges - soloist/sax
Wynton Marsalis - soloist/trumpet, bandleader, composer
Gary McFarland - composer, arranger
Jelly Roll Morton - composer, bandleader, piano
Wayne Shorter - soloist/sax, composer
Ben Webster - soloist/sax
Lester Young - soloist/sax


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

An impromptu list...

*Keith Jarrett
Thelonious Monk
John Coltrane*
Dexter Gordon
Miles Davis
Brad Mehldau
Dave Brubeck
Paul Bley
Bobo Stenson
Ketil Bjornstad

but there are many more...

Chick Corea
Charles Mingus
Sonny Rollins
Herbie Hancock
Art Blakey
Max Roach
Bill Evans
Michel Petrucciani
Enrico Pieranunzi
Francois Couturier
Marcin Wasilewski
Uri Caine


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## Bill Schuster (Oct 22, 2019)

Duke Ellington and associates is far and away my top pick. So many great compositions, players and recordings. Then Mingus, who is clearly my number two band leader/composer. After that, it is less clear, but includes Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Carla Bley, Miles Davis, Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, etc. I like many modern artists, too, such as, Carla Bley (


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## Bill Schuster (Oct 22, 2019)

Apparently, I am having technical difficulties, getting my entire comment to appear. I'll worry about it later. Gotta get sleep before work.


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