[Start Here] Jazz Masterpieces: A Must-Listen Album Selection

Old Devil MoonAnita O’Day

Anita O’ Day & O. Peterson Quartet – Old Devil Moon

She is a singer who is even more popular than Helen Merrill among white female jazz vocalists.

Jazz, in contrast to the beauty of ballads, is also captivating for the comfort of its up-tempo numbers, and Anita O’Day—considered a model of jazz singing—delivers one of the finest performances conveying that appeal in her rendition of “Old Devil Moon.”

Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)Benny Goodman

Sing Sing Sing – Carnegie Hall 1938

If you want to explore “swing jazz,” which sparked a boom from the 1930s to the early 1940s and is sometimes called prewar jazz, a must-know artist is Benny Goodman, the American clarinetist and famed bandleader.

His life was depicted in the 1955 film The Benny Goodman Story, and Goodman is indispensable when discussing the history of jazz.

Pieces performed by his orchestra—such as Sing, Sing, Sing, whose drum intro leaves a powerful impact—continue to be beloved as quintessential works in wind ensembles today.

The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, as its title suggests, documents Goodman’s orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall in 1938.

It was a historic event: the first jazz concert ever held at Carnegie Hall, the hallowed hall of classical music.

Admittedly, the recording is old and retains some surface noise, but that, too, adds to its charm.

If you want to enjoy good old jazz, this is a must-listen.

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What’s NewHelen Merrill

Helen Merrill & Clifford Brown – 1954 – 03 What’s New

Helen Merrill is a jazz singer who has been active from the 1950s to the present day.

Known for her cool, sophisticated vocal style, she is beloved by many jazz fans.

Released in 1954, “With Clifford Brown” is celebrated as a masterpiece from the early part of her career.

This album, which brought her together with Clifford Brown, is highly regarded as a work that symbolizes the golden age of jazz.

Centered on jazz standards, it showcases the exquisite harmony between Merrill’s lustrous vocals and Brown’s virtuosic trumpet.

It’s a highly recommended album for everyone from jazz beginners to seasoned listeners.

Moonlight SerenadeGlenn Miller & His Orchestra

Moonlight Serenade

Big band jazz has the power and impact of a large ensemble, and among the white big bands, some produced elegant ensembles influenced by classical music.

Glenn Miller’s big band performance of “Moonlight Serenade” is a representative example.

Someday My Prince Will ComeBill Evans

Bill Evans　”Someday My Prince Will Come”

Bill Evans, a master of classical piano who also absorbed Bud Powell’s revolutionary jazz piano techniques, further evolved the harmony of jazz improvisation, and his harmonic approach has become the prototype for modern jazz piano.

Even this theme song from a Disney film turns into jazz when Bill plays it.

Lush LifeBilly Strayhorn

BILLY STRAYHORN sings and plays LUSH LIFE!

A jazz standard originally called “Life is Lonely.” Billy Strayhorn was 16 when he worked on this piece.

Having been drilled in books and sheet music by his mother from an early age, Strayhorn was not a typical teenager; there’s an anecdote that his classmates nicknamed him “Dictionary.”

Night And DayCole Porter

Night And Day – Cole Porter

Cole Porter also lived through the Jazz Age and left behind numerous standard numbers.

He created so many masterpieces of vocal music that many of jazz’s greatest singers have recorded albums devoted to his works.

“Night and Day” is a song that depicts his own forbidden love.