10 Favorite Jazz Albums

And a book cover reveal!

On March 7, my next book is out. That’s this coming Friday. It’s called Chinatown Troubadour: A True Story, and I’m pretty excited. It’s about reconnecting with a street musician I met for about 10 minutes in Paris in the 90s.

I’m going to share the cover art over on Instagram on Tuesday morning, but paid subscribers, you can see it beyond the paywall below. You’ll also get your own free print copy of the book in the mail.

While I wait for March 7, I’m gonna share a list of favorite jazz albums. I hate lists actually, and I’ve never put one in my email newsletter. But I’ve been listening a lot privately, and I’m almost always taking stock of things that inspire me.

Plus, last Thursday night in San Francisco, I heard a fabulous little clarinet/banjo/bass jazz trio at my favorite spot in town, House of Shields. It inspired me to write a little. The genre feels like (arguably) the most wildly creative musical genre. The color palette is more extensive than anything I listen to. It really sets a vibe. I can work to it, relax to it, clean house to it, make breakfast to it… you get the idea.

So, here are ten albums in no particular order that I love. Each one’s a favorite and is heard often in my house. Put on any of these and transform your vibe.

1. We Get Requests | The Oscar Peterson Trio
   This is my gold standard for piano-based jazz trios. It’s a no-skip album. I also listen to some Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, and Frankie Carle (my grandpa was actually a trumpeter in his band early on). But I bet I listen to We Get Requests probably three times a week.
   Stand out tune: You Look Good to Me
   

   

2. Mr. New Orleans | Pete Fountain
   I’m 100% in love with jazz clarinet, especially in dixieland music. Pete’s the GOAT. This album is tight front-to-back. I also love The Best of the Phenomenal Dukes of Dixieland by the Dukes of Dixieland and Dixieland Favorites by The Firehouse 5 Plus 2. And for more jazz clarinet that’s not dixieland, I love Brubeck a la Mode by Dave Brubeck.
   Stand out tunes: Careless Love and The Darktown Strutter’s Ball
   

   

3. So It Is | The Preservation Hall Jazz Band
   Pres. Hall is probably my favorite jazz band of bands that are currently active today. While it’s known for Dixieland, this band has significant afro-cuban influence, as heard on this record. It’s super listenable and diverse. I also love their albums That’s It! and their best-of album. Their new one, For Fat Man, is a fascinating listen that will likely become a favorite of mine as well.
   Stand out tunes: Mad, So It Is, and Santiago.
   

   

4. Djangologie Vol. 15 | Django Reinhardt
   I know there are 14 other volumes before this one, but I won’t apologize for falling for this one first. Django was the most popular European jazz musician of his time, and really the first guitarist who mattered. Hearing manouche jazz live in Paris is still on my bucket list.
   Standout tune: How High the Moon and Yours and Mine
   

   

5. A Day in the Life | Wes Montgomery
   Yeah, so it’s an album of jazzified cover songs, but man it’s slick. Wes twists the well-known tunes in a way that sometimes it’s hard to hear their origins. He 100% takes ownership of the vibe, and it delivers.
   Standout tunes: A Day in the Life and Willow Weep for Me
   

   

6. Handful of Keys | Fats Waller
   The ancient version of this album that I have on vinyl is actually drastically different than the one of the same title that I can find on streaming platforms. But when I put it on, I’m transported. I wish I could play piano like this.
   Standout tunes: Handful of Keys and I’ll Dance at Your Wedding
   

   

7. Afro-Harping | Dorothy Ashby
   I’ll save the story for how I came across this album for another day. But I’m so glad I did. Jazz harp. It doesn’t get much wilder than that. I mean, maybe it does. But it takes a really creative mind to make the music heard on this record. It’s out there.
   Stand out tunes: Soul Vibrations, Action Line, and Lonely Girl
   

   

8. Ella and Louis | Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
   This album is full of so many classics that I don’t know where to start. Two giants of their genre. Undeniable chemistry, too. I have a special place in my heart for A Foggy Day since it’s the first standard I learned for my high school’s jazz band audition. But every track on this one takes me somewhere.
   Stand out tunes: Stars Fell on Alabama, A Foggy Day, and April in Paris
   

   

9. A Love Supreme | John Coltrane
   An abstract masterpiece. This is one of those jazz albums that’s so big that Target carries it. I’ve even seen them put it near the check-out line. It’s that crazy good.
   Stand out tunes: There are only four tracks on this record, and I love them all for varying reasons. But it feels weird to listen to any one without the other three, and you kinda have to go in order to get the story of it all.
   

   

10. Kind of Blue | Miles Davis
    The total package. Easily accessible to all listeners but musically so deep. Possibly carried in every record store in existence (and they probably have a poster of it on the wall as well). Coltrane plays on this record and so do giants Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans. I fell for this album when I was also into Charles Mingus’ Better Get Hit in Your Soul and Bill Evans Solo Sessions, but I have probably listened to this album more all-time than any on this list.
    Stand out tunes: All Blues, So What, and Freddie Freeloader

There you have it. It’s a diverse list. Since today’s Sunday, maybe you have a moment to give something a listen and be transported. Even if it’s not jazz, I endorse that behavior.

As promised, paid subscribers can find cover art for Chinatown Troubadour: A True Story below.

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