[Blue_Phoenix]

I went to the Chicago Jazz Festival last night and it got me really interested in jazz music. Does anyone here know anything about jazz? Anyone know a good album I could start with?

[MasterONaniFiqh]

Miles Davis & John Coltrane

YouTube - Miles Davis & John Coltrane- SO WHAT

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five

YouTube - Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Billy Bang

YouTube - Jin Hi Kim／Billy Bang／William Parker Trio

YouTube - Billy Bang

YouTube - 50 violins for Leroy Jenkins

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

YouTube - Rhapsody in Blue -- Part 1

[Liam_Saiful_Din]

Afro Blue Impressions by John Coltrane

And as the bro suggested above Dave Brubeck Quartet Take Five: this is a must for any jazz collector.

Mile Davis- Live Evil is an awesome live album. The piece called 'Little Church' is eerie.

Miles Davis- Kind of Blue: This album is all improv. Unless you've played music with a group, you'll never know how hard it is to improvise with them.

Thelnoius Monk: Brilliant Corners (one of my favs)

There are many others, but these are the ones that come to mind first.

[MasterONaniFiqh]

the opening song to the hit anime cowboy bebop has an incredible example of modern jazz music behind it, a piece called Tank!. it's awesome. the band leader is the woman behind bebop's music in general. the show's phenomenal soundtrack is laced with jazz stuff throughout, as well.

here's the original (turn it up):

YouTube - cowboy bebop opening
YouTube - Cowboy Bebop カウボーイビバップ - Opening and Ending

and here's the band rocking out live, :

YouTube - Tank! - Cowboy Bebop

[Purple_alien]

My parents took me to the Chicago Jazz festival when I was little. I fell asleep.
These days, I listen to jazz a lot because it is so soothing. I love take 5, but it has been done over SO many times. They all sound different. Like, there is the original, then somebody, I think Grover Washington Jr. did it with a saxaphone. It was neat, but these weirdo chicks were singing in the back which was annoying. but he has like albums of stuff I love to relax too. Mr. Magic being the best.
Miles Davis is inspiring too. He has to be my favorite trumpeter.

[Bluestar]

Louis Armstrong
Harry Belafonte
Santana he has over 50 albums!

The best jazz is improvised jazz. I remember when i went to see a jazz quartet play and most of it was pre written. At the end though the guy with the cello was in competition to produce a more extravagant ending with the guy playing the sax. It was very awesome!

[Blue_Phoenix]

Yeah, I learned that the improvised stuff tends to be more creative myself.