50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.12

George Benson. Pacific Fire

This great bit of CTI fusion funk is from a (relatively) obscure George Benson album but really cooks. A good example of what Creed Taylor was doing when he moved to make jazz more accessible but without loosing the musicianship and improvisational core of jazz. This low tempo groove showcases Benson's impressive chops in a sparse backing (with JBs stalwart Fred Wesley on a fab trombone solo).

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.11

Lee Morgan. Caramba

This great modal groove is form Lee Morgan's later period & is a lovely bit of mid-tempo jazz grooviness. Morgan is a masterful trumpet player & is ably supported here by Bennie Maupin & Cedar Walton. The repeated piano figure making the groove is hypnotic & the solos are funky. I could listen to this all day.

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.10

Oliver Nelson. Stolen Moments

Blues & the Abstract Truth is Nelson's career defining album, and Stolen Moments is perhaps is best known track (becoming a jazz standard & the version you'll want to hear). This lovely mid-tempo shuffle combines wonderful soloing & instrumentation with Nelson's brilliant arrangement of his large ensemble (including Freddie Hubbard & Eric Dolphy, whose flute solo is sublime). Just great!

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.9

Ahmad Jamal. Patterns

Often referred to as Miles Davis favourite pianist (although they never worked together) Ahmad Jamal had a long career almost always performing in a piano trio format. The percussive playing on Patterns is a good example of his approach to modern jazz. Ever inventive & interesting in his playing, his work is always engaging, combining great rhythmic sensibility with a wonderful ear for melody.

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.8

Bob James. Nautilus

This Bob James (much sampled) classic of jazz fusion is a great example of where Creed Taylor's CTI label took jazz in the 1970s. This lush fusion of jazz & soul showcases some great musicianship & has now been rehabilitated from an earlier critical dismissal. Taylor (and James') view was that great jazz playing didn't have to have to be difficult to listen to, and this track sort of proves the point!

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.7

Thelonius Monk. 'Round Midnight

This jazz classic has been recorded so many times its easy to forget what an original composition it was. Its a wonderful ballad with the potential to go in so many directions; so you might start with Monk's original 1947 version then listen to the George Russell/Eric Dolphy version to hear it reworked. Its malleability makes it a great tune to cover, but Monk's genius doesn't fade either!

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.6

John Coltrane. Blue Trane

This great long form Coltrane blues is a jazz classic that summarises where cutting edge jazz was in the late 1950s, stretching some of rules of the blues but not as yet really breaking them. Some great playing over a great groove, it also shows how a Blue Note records session often elevated players work to new heights. Its long but holds your attention.

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.5

Freddie Hubbard. Return of the Prodigal Son

This driving classic from Hubbard is a great bit of late period hard bop, a driving soul-like rhythm showcasing some powerful solos from Hubbard's band. At this point, there was a clear distinction between experimental 'loft jazz' building on free experiments, and a powerful soul-jazz movement still packing out clubs down-town. The rest of the LP, Backlash, is pretty good too!

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.4

Gerry Mulligan, Barbara's Theme

This piece by Mulligan's large ensemble is a testament to how jazz was (quietly) influenced by modern classical music; the swirly, repetitive arrangement for his Concert Band offers a mesmeric and compelling mid-tempo joy. It showcases some great solos but also some great riffing, all recorded live. A wonderful bit on music

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.3

Stanley Turrentine. Walk on By

There's a long tradition of jazz players covering popular songs, so here's the great saxophonist Stanley Turrentine playing the Burt Bacharach classic in a large ensemble setting. It captures the mournful tone of the original really well & is a great example of how Blue Note Records were working in the 1960s to broaden the base of their jazz audience. A lovely bit of down-tempo modern jazz.

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.2

Art Blakey. Ping Pong

Blakey's band was the incubator for a wide range of jazz talent from the 50's to 70's, and was a great example of how bop drove the development of jazz in the 1950s (and into the 1960s). This track is typical of Blakey's format; a great rhythm & melody offering a structure for a series of exploratory solos.

[The version I like is from Roots & Herbs, but there are also some great live versions]

50 jazz tracks for your streaming shuffle, no.1

Dave Brubeck. Take Five

While, well known beyond jazz circles, this is a classic which offers a great introduction to how jazz can be both avant-garde & accessible. Linking up an idiosyncratic rhythm with percussive piano & great solos, this is a good place to start our exploration of what jazz has to offer.

Today a new series of recommendations for your streaming shuffle starts.

After the vote of Easter weekend, I will be sharing 50 tracks to help you explore jazz music if you're not familiar with it & want to see what the genre entails.

the posts will appear under #JazzIntro. which you can follow for a daily recommendation

There may be some (slight) crossover with #KillerCuts but I'm aiming for a shuffle that will be a good introduction to what jazz encompasses - enjoy.

ProfDJ's killer cuts for your streaming shuffle, bonus track (no. 101)

Junior Parker. Taxman

Tomorrow #JazzIntro gets under way, but while you're waiting how about grooving to a funky Beatles cover. Not sure this is how George Harrison imagined this would sound, but it a masterclass in taking a song & injecting bluesy funkiness into it to give it a different feel altogether - enjoy your bonus track!

Thanks to all who voted in the recent poll to decide which should be the next themed set of music posts.... Jazz Intro beat Funky50 by 62% to 38%, so Jazz intro it will be starting on Wednesday 22nd April.

Given a number of you suggested I should do both, the likelihood is that the Funky50 will follow on from Jazzintro.

Watch out for the first #JazzIntro track on Wednesday & then daily for the next 50 days (well 49 actually!)