The Adam Reid Griffith Music Library

Here I have tried to select some of my truly favorite albums from each genre. Some of them are selected because they are really good, others are selected because they are important albums that changed the course of the genre. Naturally, I'll start with Jazz. Be aware that I may list several albums together, so pay attention to the links.

Jazz

Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport, 1957; Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) -- These are two albums from two of the biggest band leaders from the big band era. Each album was recorded at the Newport Jazz Fesival, the quintessential jazz music festival. Incidentally, both were recorded in a time when many were declaring that "jazz is dead". People are still declaring it to be dead, and it's still not true. (As a tangent, check out Wynton Marsalis - Majesty of the Blues for some commentary on this issue.) Back on topic: These are two very good albums of each group playing at their peak. They are bursting with energy, as you can tell by the crowd's response. During the Ellington concert the fans started rioting when the band tried to leave the stage.

Dave Brubeck - Time Out -- This is one of the most popular jazz albums ever, almost as big as Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. You have almost without a doubt heard the song "Take Five" from this album, as it has been used everywhere in mainstream media. It is a very smooth album and a casual listener should enjoy it. It is also very sophisticated, for those who might wish to take a closer look at it.

John Coltrane - Giant Steps; My Favorite Things; A Love Supreme -- John Coltrane is a giant of jazz and was perhaps the most famous tenor sax player. He started out in bebop (Giant Steps, My Favorite Things) and progressed into avant garde (A Love Supreme). I'd suspect that the first two albums are much more accessible to a casual listener.

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue; In a Silent Way -- The important albums of Miles Davis are too numerous to list here. He probably did more to advance jazz than any other musician. Kind of Blue is one of the most influential albums in jazz and also happens to be one of the best albums that I own. You will find that it is owned by people who have virtually no interest in jazz, and you will find it as one of the most highly rated albums in the collection of an aficionado. Quite simply, you cannot have a jazz collection without Kind of Blue. In a Silent Way is a less influential album than Kind of Blue, and it is much less accessible to casual listeners. However, it was one of my first jazz albums and is still one of my favorites. I'd highly recommend checking it out.

Stan Getz/João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto -- This is the quintessential bossa nova album, and is a requirement for any jazz collection. The album combines the smooth sax of Stan Getz, the guitar mastery of João Gilberto, and the composing genius of Antonio Carlos Jobim. "The Girl From Ipanema" is a classic with which you are probably familiar; you might not recognize the name, but you'd probably recall hearing the song. Allmusic.com puts it quite well, "This music has nearly universal appeal; it's one of those rare jazz records about which the purist elite and the buying public are in total agreement." So what are you waiting for? Buy this album!

Medeski, Martin, & Wood - Combustication, Last Chance to Dance Trance (perhaps): Best of 1991-1996, Tonic, The Dropper -- This jazz trio can most easily be described as avant garde, but the easy route is not always the correct one. Under the heading of avant garde they cover a large variety of styles ranging from almost traditional jazz, to groove, funk, psychadelic trip-hop, and even things that I'm inclined not to even call music. The four albums that I've listed above have fairly distinctive styles and each is quite good. However, I'm listing them here because they are my favorite group, not because everone else will like them. Combustication is perhaps MMW's best album; although, comparing one MMW album to another is like comparing apples to bowling balls, so I'm not sure that the term "best" really applies. I'm not sure how to describe the style. It's somewhat of a groove album, but that term isn't quite right. But whatever it is, it's very good. Last Chance to Dance Trance is a compilation of some of their best tracks from the pre-Combustication albums. Since most of MMW's work is good, a compilation of their best should be amazing, and this album certainly lives up to expectations. It is most definitely a groove album and should be about as easy to listen to as any of their albums (which doesn't necessarily tell you much). I would say that Last Chance is probably the best album to pick as an introduction to MMW. Tonic has the unique distinction of being the only acoustic recording of MMW other than their debut album. However, unlike their debut (Notes From the Underground), Tonic is much more avant garde. Since it lacks the typical MMW electronics it is probably an easier album to listen to than much of their other works. The Dropper, recorded after Tonic, not only returns to typical MMW electronic avant garde, but keeps going into psychedelic acid jazz. It is a haunting, almost disturbing, album that will not appeal to most listeners, but it is true-blue MMW and a good and unique representative of their more recent works.

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady; Mingus Big Band - Mingus Big Band 93: Nostalgia in Times Square-- Charles Mingus was a creative genius who, like many musicians of all genres, died well before his time. The styles played and composed by Mingus were quite varied, but in my experience all have been rich with depth, intricate, and sophisticated. A true jazz collection should have many works by Charles Mingus. To describe The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, I will defer again to Allmusic.com. "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history. Charles Mingus consciously designed the six-part ballet as his magnum opus..." Check out the link for more. The review of the album by Allmusic is exactly right. After the death of Charles Mingus, the band Mingus Dynasty was formed by some former Mingus players. The Mingus Big Band grew out of Mingus Dynasty to continue the great legacy of Charles Mingus. Nostalgia in Times Square is a fitting testament to the genius of Charles Mingus.

Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack; Root Down; Peter & The Wolf -- Jimmy Smith brought the Hammond organ out of churches and into jazz, blues, and rock. He was a true master of the organ but was unfortunately taken from us earlier this year (d. Feb 8, 2005). Back at the Chicken Shack and Root Down are classic Jimmy Smith soul-blues-funk, at times mellow and at others very energetic. My preference is for Root Down, but the general consensus is that Back at the Chicken Shack is the better album. Those familiar with the Beastie Boys Ill Communication should note that the track "Root Down" contains samples from the Jimmy Smith album. Peter & The Wolf, however, is a completely different story. Although based on it, this is not your grandmother's version of Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf. The outstanding arrangement was done by Oliver Nelson (The Blues and the Abstract Truth), and is even funkier than your typical Jimmy Smith recording. Think of the funkiest thing you've ever heard and then double it. No, that's still not funky enough to describe this album. My guess is that it's a bit too funky for most people, but I absolutely love it and wish that it were twice as long.

Rock

Blood, Sweat & Tears - What Goes Up: The Best of Blood, Sweat & Tears -- Warning: This band is certainly not for everyone. However, for those that like jazz-rock fusion, you'll probably enjoy the album.

The Doors - The Best of the Doors -- Anyone familiar with late 1960's - early 1970's rock should be familiar with The Doors. This "best of" collection contains most of their best tracks and would be a good addition to anyone's collection. However, there is a newer "best of" that I haven't checked out yet that might be better.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots -- I've just recently started listening to the Flaming Lips. I remember listening to this album when it came out in 2002 and thinking that it was terrible. Since then I've listened to a whole lot of Medeski, Martin, & Wood, and I now appreciate this album a whole lot more. The songwriting is absolute genius and the songs range from hopeful to bittersweet to depressing, but very moving on the whole. Check it out if you're feeling adventurous.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? -- Jimi Hendrix. The pinnacle of psychedelic rock. If you're not familiar with Hendrix already, I'll just let the album do the talking.

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I; II; III; IV; How the West Was Won -- Zeppelin was the quentessential classic rock band, yet it was also a lot more. More than writing songs about anger, angst, defying the man, etc., their songs had a depth of sound and sophistication that is rarely found in this genre. All four of their self-titled albums are worth having. III is the only somewhat weak one, and IV is probably their most famous one. However, I'd really recommend getting How the West Was Won, because it not only contains the best songs from their albums, many of the renditions are better than the original recordings. It is a live album, but the sound is very rich and not washed out by the crowd noise. It contains the full force of their emotion and their passion for the music. Without a doubt, Zeppelin is my favorite rock group, and How the West Was Won is my favorite Zeppelin album.

Blues, R&B, and Funk

B.B. King - Anthology; Live at the Apollo -- B.B. King, "The King of the Blues", is not exactly a traditional blues singer/guitarist, but that doesn't matter to me. To me, he is simply one of the best. Anthology is a great album that is what it says, an anthology of his career. However, it is not a "best of" album. It contains songs from his entire career, and while most of these songs are classics, there are a few from times that are best forgotten. Overall, it is a great B.B. King and a great blues album. My preference, on the other hand, is for Live at the Apollo, which is unfortunately out of print. Live at the Apollo contains classic B.B. songs with the addition of the Phillip Morris Super Band. I disagree with Allmusic.com's review and feel that it's a very good album. The Super Band provides a depth of sound that most B.B. King albums lack. The combination of B.B. in top form with the added depth of the Phillip Morris Super Band results in one of my favorite albums in my collection (of all genres).

James Brown - Star Time -- This is the reason that box sets were invented. It is a must-have for any fan of James Brown, R&B, Soul, and/or Funk. Not only does it cover the classic James Brown hits, it has some alternate versions that are amazing and some lesser-known songs that should be heard more. Buy it!

Parliament - 20th Century Masters - The Best of Parliament -- There are certainly better P-Funk albums out there; however, this is a good introduction if you're not quite sure where to start (a common problem with P-Funk). I intend to look for better albums, but this was a good start. Also, it has "Flashlight", one of my favorite Parliament tracks and a quintessential party song.

Tower of Power - Live and in Living Color -- Tower of Power is more of a Fusion band than a Funk band, incorporating funk with a bit of jazz. This album may not be their best or most famous, but it is a live album that captures all of their funky energy. I've been listening to it for about a decade and still can't get enough of it.