Jazz 'Compilation' album

I have just recently been introduced to Jazz music, just a couple by John Coltrane and Miles Davis and am enjoying it immensely.

Can anyone recommend a great Jazz 'Compilation' album that would showcase the best Jazz has to offer, so that i can then decide what musicians i'd prefer to invest in.

Thanks.

 

I'm not a fan of jazz compilations. But this album can give you an idea of Blue Note. All the themes are extraordinary. Various - The Best Of Blue Note

Also the recent Impulse 60th anniv. box set: Impulse 60! Box set

If you like Miles and Trane, I would recommend:
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

You will love them.

 

One other approach is to branch out from the two albums you already like, sampling more by Miles and Coltrane, and other albums with their sidemen. As Ken said, streaming services and YT are very helpful in this regard. Allmusic has a "Similar Albums" tab for each album they review (here's the one for "Kind of Blue"). While folks may quibble on which albums really are "similar", you should get some good leads. Good luck!

 

The Smithsonian collection was earlier and better.

 

This is a great compilation series:

Spiritual Jazz

 

It may well be, but the OP is looking for overviews not sub-niche collections.

 

I couldn't possibly discourage this mode of investigation more.

IMO a book would be more helpful than a compilation; the book's primary purpose being to point you in the direction of some jazz artists whose albums you can listen to on Youtube or, if you have one, streaming service of choice.

There are some good "compilations" available, but they are typically multi-disc sets that cost a lot of money.

There aren't any single or double disc jazz compilations by multiple artists that are worth your time, for the purpose that you are looking for.

Basically, you are looking for a physical media-example of something that physical media was never particularly good at (where jazz is concerned) for the purpose of accomplishing something that streaming/Youtube is pretty much perfect for.

 

Might I also suggest your local library as a resource?

 

Might help if we know what John Coltrane and Miles Davis you heard.

 

Coltrane (1962), Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

 

Some of these are pretty mainstream. I have them all. And I think they all "showcase the best Jazz has to offer."

 

thanks to all of you, i have taken note of several of your suggestions,

 

Compact Jazz titles might be something for you.....you can find them pretty cheap....

 

Thought of this, but because of Covid, their is no access to Music section for foreseeable future.

 

Just saying, but consider your favorite kind of music and the one that you know deeply. Does there exist a single compilation album of that music you would recommend for a newcomer to decide which artists to invest in? Jazz as a musical form is well into its second century so as you can imagine it is a highly diverse field of expression with lots of development, and its beginnings precede the advent of good sound recording technology. You happen to have picked two of the best middle to three quarter mark of the century jazz creators and an iconic album from which to start. The Smithsonian collection was good for its time, I have a copy myself, but unless they’ve added to it it’s fairly dated. When I was learning about jazz I simply bought more albums by musicians whose work I already liked and looked for albums by the supporting musicians on those albums.

 

Yes.. this is a conundrum, because jazz went through so many different phases in the 20th Century.

Based on the 2 albums you mention, though... you might want to try to find the following:

The Jazz Masters - 27 Classic Performances From The Columbia Jazz Masterpieces Series (1989, CD)

Spiritual Jazz XII - Impulse! (Esoteric, Modal & Progressive Jazz From The Impulse! Label 1962-75) (2020, CD)

 

I'm no jazz expert, but it is such a broad field of music.
From traditional jazz to John Zorn's more opaque recordings there is a lot of variety.

I reckon go with some names, and use youtube as a resource for trying stuff out.
Be fairly specific though. For example, if you like Kind Of Blue, you may well like Round About Midnight, and perhaps even the orchestral arrangements with Gill Evans, but you may not move into something like Agharta or Dark Magus as smoothly.

 

Enjoy your Jazz journey. I promise you'll find something you'll like.

 

The Smithsonian set can be found for a very reasonable price.

 

I had the original Smithsonian LP set out from the library in the 80's when I was starting to listen to jazz, and recently found it in a dollar bin. Listening to it now there is some objectionable sound quality (rechanneled stereo and such) and I could quibble with some of the track selection and liner note comments, but it's still a good overview of jazz up through the first wave of "free" music in the 60's.

 

Don't they do holds via the internet and pickup?