All that Jazz

I like jazz. Well, at least, I think I do. I have pretty catholic tastes in music - I wouldn't say there was any particular style I dislike although I do have my favourites. And that's not to say that there are particular artists that I don't care for - in fact there are whole swathes of recordings that I regard as a cruel and unusual assault on my eardrums. But I like jazz - it's just that I don't know where to start.

I think the problem is that I have never really lived in a jazz rich environment. When I was growing up, my parent's record collection, for what it was worth, consisted of folk, classical and rock and roll - in that order. The radio was restricted to the 4 main BBC channels and local commercial radio which concentrated on contemporary pop music. Delving into the short wave bands would produce a smorgasbord of hissy, half-heard foreign exotica - or Radio Moscow. The only Jazz album I can recall was Dave Brubeck's Time Out - which I loved - and a couple of Acker Bilk singles which were pleasant - if not exactly my thing. When I was at college I used to wind up at the Jazz Cafe in Newcastle's Pink Lane and heard a whole variety of jazz without really knowing much about the history of the genre.

And that seems to be the problem. Jazz encompasses a huge body of diverse works spanning over 100 years. However, when asking anyone to make a recommendation they concentrate on the particular narrow field which appeals to them and will, no doubt, miss out a whole raft of artists that I may well like. Then there are those dreaded bores, the jazz aficionados, who will poo-poo anything that slips from the norm or dares to appeal to the masses. And, of course, there is always Jazz Club:



I suppose the answer is to start with a period and a group of artists I like and work from there. I have a couple of Dave Brubeck CDs which I love and I was given Miles Davies Kind of Blue as a present which I like and often listen to. Interestingly, both were recorded in 1959. Both artists worked with a great number of collaborators who have become major stars in their own right. So, I suppose the answer is to pick some anthologies from these musicians and work my way from there. I've just been given an Amazon token for my birthday so I'll take a stab at that - possibly Amazon's "customers who bought this item also bought..." feature will be a help.

And just in case it all goes Pete Tong I'll buy a Jonny Cash CD as well...