Top 20 jazzy blues tunes for the Blues music lover

It began with the blues and then came the rest. Jazz is quite hard to define and it's parameters are perceived as being flexible. Many genres of modern music, which do not fall into any specific category, are often described as being jazz oriented.

There is, fortunately a yardstick by which this nebulous definition is narrowed down. Jazz is music which has a feel of the blues inherent in it; stands to reason- after all jazz has evolved from the blues.

It's a tough decision when you've to round up twenty of the most famous jazz performances ever recorded. Each one of them are a fine example of the blues in jazz. The listing is not meant to designate any ranking. Each performance is unique and it is impossible to "rank" them.

1. Count Basie & Joe Williams: Every day I have the blues.

With the Basie Band at work, this is a regular blues workshop with fabulous vocals from Joe Williams and a great blues arrangement of the band.

2. Cannonball Adderley: Mercy, mercy, mercy!

As Cannonball says in his verbal introduction to the piece, "It sounds like what you say when things aren't going right". Summarises the mood of this piece.

3. Thelonius Monk: 'Round Midnight

A jazz classic with great melody and intricate chord changes. It sets an introspective mood. Every jazz musician has tried to capture it's ethos at some time or other. Monk wrote the piece and his is the original version.

4. Charlie Parker: Parker's Mood

A spellbinding completely improvised studio recording by arguably the finest saxophonist in the history of jazz. This is a masterful performance which sounds fresh even six decades after it was recorded.

5. Billie Holiday: Fine and Mellow

Lady Day as she was called sings in the company of a great line up of musicians for company. Saxophone legends Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster & Gerry Mulligan plus Harry Edison (trumpet) and Mal Waldron (piano) create a jazz masterpiece.

6. Jimmy Smith: Midnight Special

With Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone,  organist Jimmy Smith produces a slow blues vehicle and creates several images of slow movement in the dead of night!

7. Joe Henderson: Blue Bossa

Henderson, who wrote the piece is on tenor saxophone. Blue Bossa combines the mystique of the Brazilian Bossa Nova beat with the blues in a subtle, delicate number.

8. Miles Davis: All Blues

From his classic album, "Kind of Blue", Miles Davis with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans produces magical allure in this simple but haunting all time jazz great performance.

9. Oscar Peterson Trio: Night Train

This master of piano with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums plays a standard that has captured the imagination of jazz listeners everywhere but especially in India where the album had record sales!

10. Duke Ellington Orchestra: Don't get around much any more.

Legendary pianist, band leader and composer Duke Ellington wrote this piece with alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges in mind. Here, Hodges sounds almost as if he is making his saxophone sing the song.

11. Herbie Hancock: Watermelon Man

The very versatile Mr Hancock's first and perhaps best known offering, Watermelon Man has a languid, almost laid back touch that transports the listener to a warm, relaxed surrounding.

12. Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Compared to what?

Pianist McCann with Eddie Harris playing an electric saxophone bring the feel of the gospel  in this mesmeric offering.

13. Sonny Rollins: Blue Seven

From this master tenor man's magnum opus, 'Saxophone Colossus' comes this very suave, sophisticated offering with a brilliant, understated Max Roach on drums.

14. Horace Silver: Song for my father

Actually a Father's Day offering for Silver's father, this has become a jazz standard. Surely Mr Silver Sr. was moved!

15. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Moanin'

Bobby Timmons wrote this piece and plays piano on this number which also features Freddie Hubbard  on trumpet and Benny Golson on tenor saxophone.

16. Wes Montgomery : Blue n' Boogie

A live recording of a great improvised jam session which includes Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano and of course Wes on his guitar.

17. Dexter Gordon: Three o'clock in the morning.

Creates the feel of the desolate hour of 3A.M.! Dexter also manages to swing it and bring some virtue to this witching hour!

18. Lester Young: Back to the land

The original Mr Cool on tenor saxophone with the great Nat King Cole, not singing but playing great jazz piano on this easy going number.

19. Dizzy Gillespie: Tin tin deo

Dizzy Gillespie brought Cuban rhythms into jazz with the help of Chano Pozo, a Cuban percussionist. Here the Latin rhythm married to the blues brings a wonderful feel to the music.

20. John Coltrane: Ole

Listed last but by no means least, this long number provides plenty of space for the solos of Coltrane on soprano sax, Eric Dolphy on flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and McCoy Tyner on piano. Ole will make you think of the flamenco....or perhaps even Dervish Dancers with it's repeated, haunting rhythm. Let your imagination run free!

 

Sunil Sampat is a Contributing Editor of Rolling Stone, the co- founder of Jazz Addicts and is also one of the producers of the jazz festival, Jus Jazz in India.