jazz attack!

July 8, 2008 8:34 AM

Some time ago The New Yorker published a list of 100 essential jazz albums. What is the most expedient and economical way I can buy all 100 albums?

I am not looking for a critique of this list. I like jazz but I've never seriously gotten into it, so I figured this would be a good start. But, typical male that I am, I hate spending time shopping for stuff. I hope there is a package deal sold online somewhere that covers most or all of the albums on that list. Can anyone point something out to me?

posted by randomstriker to media & arts (10 comments total)

Get a subscription to Rhapsody unlimited for a month, and use tunebite or something similar. So far, they've had everything I've searched for on the list,

Fats Waller - A Handful Of Keys
King Oliver - The Complete Set
Fletcher Henderson - Tidal Wave
Bessie Smith - Essential
...
Bill Charlap Trio - Live At The Village Vanguard
posted by nomisxid at 9:40 AM on July 8

Typical lazy solution to something. Why not buy TEN albums and see what you think? If you go and buy 100 albums at once (which even a huge jazz fan wouldn't do), how will you listen to and learn them all, and what's the point?

Only saying this because I'm a musician, and if you bought Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, that's more than enough listening material for a couple months, it's that deep. But if you bought 99 albums next to it, how would you ever give Kind of Blue the attention it deserves? You'll be overwhelmed and everything will get a nanosecond of your attention.
posted by ChickenringNYC at 10:19 AM on July 8 [2 favorites]

I'm going to critique one thing about the list: it includes a lot of box set complete compilations, as kind of a cheat around their 100 album limit. Maybe dabble a bit before you spend $150 for 10 CDs containing the complete output of Charlie Parker.
posted by smackfu at 10:40 AM on July 8

I agree with the above -- it makes no sense to buy 100 CDs at once in a genre you're only just getting interested in.

Sign up for emusic.com, get the most expensive subscription (best value), and buy a bunch of jazz, using the list as a guide, not a bible. Or print out the list (again, as only a rough guide) and go to a used CD store.
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:35 AM on July 8

I don't know where you are, but you might check with your local public library. In that those are considered to be definitive recordings, they are likely to also feature at the core of a good library's jazz collection. With the list in one browser tab, your library's online catalog in another, and liberal use of the hold button, Bob shall be your uncle. Then you have 2 weeks (or however long) to listen and decide if you'd be interested in owning them or not. Spending > $1000 (just assuming > $10/album) on CDs, potentially for many that you would discover you don't care for... well, I wouldn't do it. For one thing, I don't need nearly that much Miles in my life (Kind of Blue is enough, really), but require vastly more Ella, Jobim, Django and Zoot.

A much more compact overview can be found in the 5-disc Smithsonian Collection of Classical Jazz, which is excellent, but appears to currently be out of print, and consequently priced rather dear. I still cherish the discs I bought for a college jazz history course I took fifteen years ago. Look for it used for cheap, and perhaps it will help you to pick which artists you want to explore further.
posted by mumkin at 1:14 PM on July 8 [2 favorites]

If you really need to buy all those albums at once, the most expedient way would be to click on the links to Amazon that are included in the list itself.
posted by gyusan at 2:18 PM on July 8

Whatever you do, don't buy the Ken Burns series. In my experience they are poorly selected and poorly engineered. I was dissapointed, severely. Also the series sucked.

Back to your question, Emusic.com has a lot of good jazz. I don't think they have Impulse and I know they don't have Columbia, but they have all of Riverside and so so much good classic old stuff, and historical recordings.

Really I think starting with a few choice recordings and branching out from there would be better for you.
posted by sully75 at 2:25 PM on July 8

I agree with mumkin, Check out your Public Library. Most libraries have inter-library loan programs
with other libraries in your area, so you will be able to listen to a good number of the albums that are on your list. I don't know where you live,but the New York City and New Jersey Public Libraries have very good jazz collections. Listen first and then you can go and buy the ones that you like for your own collection.
Also have a look at stores that sell used cd's. This may also help you save a bit if you want to buy 100 CD's right away.
posted by blast at 3:10 PM on July 8

Whatever you do, don't buy the Ken Burns series. In my experience they are poorly selected and poorly engineered.

I disagree. Each album is a separate issue, and some of them (Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins) are extremely well chosen.
posted by languagehat at 3:48 PM on July 8

If you are buying into the possibility of getting into all this music gradually then LastFM is another way of being able to listen to some or all of the tracks from most of these albums for free.

If you really want to buy all of the albums then I would look out for an old fashioned jazz specialist record shop and take them your list. They might cost a little more than the other options but they will give you further pointers and they need your business these days.
posted by rongorongo at 4:05 AM on July 9