100 Greatest Jazz Artists!!!

[Josquin des Prez]

How about Esbjorn Svensson a Swedish Pianist, sadly no longer with us his trio (Dan Berglund double bass and  Magnus Öström drums) made some fantastic recordings.

I checked some of his youtube videos. Wasn't impressed. But then again, i rarely am with modern Jazz musicians.

[Bogey]

Nice to see Stan Getz in the top 25, but Dave Brubeck pushed to 31 is a crime.

[Bogey]

Interesting where Glenn Miller is.  I enjoy his music quite a bit, but not sure if he should be ranked lower or higher than he is.  Your thoughts?

[Josquin des Prez]

Am i the only one who thinks Monk is a tad overrated as well?

[MN Dave]

Am i the only one who thinks Monk is a tad overrated as well?

That's a good question. These days I can count my favorites within any genre on one hand. Sometimes even on one finger.

[karlhenning]

Am i the only one who thinks Monk is a tad overrated as well?

Personally, I've been on an extended Monk jag lately, and I don't consider him 'overrated' in the least.

[karlhenning]

What was the statistic I saw recently? To the effect that Monk's compositions are the most covered and recorded, second only to the Duke.  When you consider how much more Ellington composed than did Monk, the power of that statistic really sinks in.

[Szykneij]

Didn't he take a trolley to the jeweller's store?

Yes, after he left his barrow in the market place.   

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Am i the only one who thinks Monk is a tad overrated as well?

By the amount of cricket chirping heard in the background I would have to say yes.

Personally I love Monk's music. The earlier the better, though, for me. His Blue Notes and Riversides (and the one Vogue I've heard) show him at his most volatile and exploratory.

His remakes for Columbia aren't bad by any stretch but what I miss in them is that abandon I often hear earlier on. By the time of his Columbia's he's a much more settled artist and the need to break any more new ground has apparently run its course. Fine by me as he was really just updating his catalog as the stereo era blossomed - a boon for fans of high(er) fidelity.

But none of this amounts to anything like a black mark against his overall status as a visionary. By the time of his Columbia's he'd been performing for well-nigh twenty years.

(The one exception to his Columbia's is his double-CD set "Live At The It Club". Inspired stuff. "Old" Monk revisited.) 

[KevinP]

I am so not a Chet Baker fan.

There: I said it. And I'm glad, I tell you! ; )

and you're not alone. The whole west coast scene leave me a little cold.

[Josquin des Prez]

and you're not alone. The whole west coast scene leave me a little cold.

Pun intended? I prefer east cost musicians myself. In fact, i tend to prefer black Jazz musicians over white ones most of the times. Either way, for west coast cool Jazz, i always liked Art Pepper best.

[KevinP]

Definitely east coast or Chicago for me.

Speaking of Chicago, Where's Von Freeman on the list?

[MN Dave]

Calls for artists missing from the list are all people I never heard of. 

[KevinP]

Von Freeman is an excellent saxophone player whose only sin is never having moved to New York and staying in Chicago, but he is quite well known (and is Chico's father).

I can honestly put this little-known gem in my top 5 jazz recordings ever:

partly because of Freeman but equally because of the pianist, John Young, who I really wouldn't expect you to know but who committed the same sin.

[arkiv]

We should classify by instrument