0013 - Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool [1957]

Who: Jazz legend Miles Davis (1926-1991, trumpet) and his nonet (i.e., 9-piece ensemble: piano, bass, drums, trumpet, tuba, trombone, French horn, and alto and baritone saxophone).

What: A collection of recordings Davis made in 1949-1950, this album is remarkable for a number of reasons. First, it features a nine-piece band (nonet)—a rare thing in jazz—which places it at a critical position between the big bands of 1940s swing and the stripped down ensembles of bebop jazz. Second, this is the foundational record of "cool jazz": while the bebop bands played fast and hot, these songs are smooth and cool, even incorporating elements of classical music into jazz. This record is the first of several that established Miles Davis as one of the most important American musicians of all time.

Where: New York, NY through and through.

The jazz clubs on 52nd St where Davis played, New York, 1948.

When: Hosting a late-night cocktail party.

Why: This record is jazz music as elegant and cool as it gets. It is a rare jazz album that manages to be both accessible, even to those who aren't jazz fans (especially given that the average track length is three minutes) and cutting-edge (it is one of the first to incorporate classical elements into jazz). 

Davis and the nonet in the recording sessions for Birth of the Cool, New York, 1949-50.

Microdose: While these songs are short by jazz standards, this is a seamless album from which there is no real "standout" track. We've chosen "Boplicity" because it is one of the few tracks on the album written by Davis (in collaboration with Gil Evans and credited to the pseudonym Cleo Henry).

Additional Dose: This 1946 recording of "A Night in Tunisia" features Davis playing trumpet in the band of the great Charlie Parker, one of the founders of bebop jazz. Davis played in Parker's band before becoming the leader of his own, immediately prior to the recordings that became Birth of the Cool. (Parker died in 1955, never making an LP album in his lifetime, and thus, not featured in our initial list of records).

0012 - Sabu - Palo Congo [1957]

 

Who: Famous conguero (conga player) Louis "Sabú" Martínez and his band.

What: One of the most important Latin jazz and world fusion albums, this record has nothing to do with the stereotypical "Latin" sound. Horns are nowhere to be found here; rather, these songs consist almost entirely of polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban drumming and chanting, with sporadic guitar flourishes. This is purely elemental, and often trance-like stuff that draws on the Afro-Cuban religion of Palo (which was brought by slaves from the Congo to Cuba) and was profoundly influential on the incorporation of Latin and Afro-Cuban elements into jazz music.

Where: Recorded in New York, NY, based on Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Sabu, ca. 1950s.

When: After hours.

Why: This is primal music that is mystical and spiritual, while also profoundly energizing. While the chanting and the complex rhythms might intially be challenging to some listeners, the songs are powerful enough to pull you in and transport you to another world. It will touch you at your core, but also get you on your feet.

A Palo Congo shrine in Cuba.

Microdose: In many ways, it is the anomaly on the album–it is instrumental (no chanting) and guitar-led–but the sparkling "Rhapsodia del Marvilloso" is simply breathtaking in its beauty.

 

Additional Dose:  An incredible Palo dance troupe from Cuba performing to Afro-Cuban music very similar to that featured on the album.

0011 - Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners [1957]

Who: Legendary jazz pianst and composer Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) and a six-piece ensemble. 

What: This is one of the most influential and important jazz records of all time. The traditional big band of swing music is pared down to the elemental essentials and while the far out experiments of free jazz are yet to come the compositions are extraordinarily complex. Indeed, this record is on the same level as some of the most important classical music of all time.

Where: New York, NY–and quintessentially so. This music moves will all the different energies of the city.

Monk (L) and others outside of legendary jazz club Minton's Playhouse, NYC, 1947.

When: You want to be moved.
 
Why: This is a stunning record of unimpeachable quality. That all but one of the songs are Monk's own compositions, rather than improvisations on existing songs, makes it even more impressive. Like classical music, this music dynamically conveys an incredible range of moods and feelings without the need of lyrics.  This is music that will take you places.

Monk and the "Jazz Baroness" Pannonica de Koenigswarter, 1964.

Microdose: "Pannonica," a moving and haunting ode to his friend Pannonica de Koenigswarter, the infamous "Jazz Baroness" (a member of the Rothschild dynasty who left her family behind to become a patroness, champion, and friend of many of the most important jazz musicians of the 20th century). Here, Monk plays the celeste instead of the piano, which greatly adds to the song's dreamlike soundscape.

Additional Dose: An incredible solo performance by drummer Max Roach. While drummers often get the least recognition, Roach played on this album as well as many others by jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis.

0010 - Count Basie & His Orchestra - Atomic Mr. Basie [1957]

Who: Pianist and bandleader Count Basie (1904-1984) and his 15-piece orchestra.

What: A mid-career album by one of the most important big band swing leaders of the 1940s. Like Duke Ellington's 1956 Newport record, this album is critical in the history of jazz as it works to revitalize swing music (which had started to fall out of fashion by the mid 1950s) by incorporating bold and innovative jazz elements and arrangements. And like Ellington's record, this album gave a fresh boost of energy to Basie's career and reminded listeners not to count out the older players.

Where: New York, NY.

Count Basie (piano) and his orchestra, ca. 1950s.

When: Starting to get into jazz.

Why: In its fusion of big band swing and improvisational jazz, this is a perfect point of entry for listeners who are new to jazz. But the album is also a must-listen for even seasoned jazz fans, if only for the flawless quality of the performances. The cover and the album title are perfectly representative: the fast numbers are explosive, red-hot, and the band plays at breakneck speeds, while the slower numbers are smooth and smoky.

Count Basie

Microdose: While during many songs, Basie is content to let his orchestra members have the spotlight with impressive solos while he keeps the pulse on the piano, the opening song of the album "The Kid from Red Bank" appropriately places Basie center stage, showing off his literally dynamite piano skills that make it sound like the piano is on fire.

Additional Dose: A live 1965 performance of the Basie Orchestra's signature song "One O'Clock Jump" (originally from 1935).

0009 - The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets [1957]

Who: Buddy Holly (1936-1959, lead vocals and guitar), Jerry Allison (drums), Joe Mauldin (1940-2015, bass), and Niki Sullivan (1937-2004, rhythm guitar).

What: This is, perhaps, the single most influential rock album of all time. While Elvis's 1956 album is a bric-à-brac of styles, this record is 12 tracks of straightforward rock and roll. This album also shows the importance of Texas in the development of the traditional rock sound: while the r&b from the South is dominated by piano and the country influences from Tennessee use acoustic guitar, this album is one of the first to feature electric guitar as the central, driving force of the music.

Where: While the songs on this album were recorded at different studios, the band formed in and is representative of Lubbock, TX.

A postcard from Lubbock, TX, ca. 1950s.

When: When learning how to play rock and roll.

Why: This is another truly surprising album that is much more hard-edged than Elvis's debut. While much of it still has a "rockabilly" sound, it may indeed be the first bona fide rock album—the country influences here are different and less apparent than the Nashville and Memphis sounds. In these guitar-driven songs, one can already hear the future sounds of bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and even punk.

The poster for Buddy Holly's concert at the Kato Ballroom in Mankato MN, January 25, 1959.

Mircodose: Though it draws heavily on Bo Diddley's pioneering use of Afro-Caribbean clave rhythms (called the "Bo Diddley beat"), "Not Fade Away" best captures the rocking spirit of Buddy Holly and his band.

Additional Doses:  On February 3, 1959—known as "the day the music died" since Don Maclean's 1971 classic "American Pie"—the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper from the show in Clear Lake, IA to Moorhead, MN crashed in a field in Iowa. Here are the most famous songs by Valens and the Big Bopper, who were only 17 and 28 when they died. Who knows what these three would've gone on to do?

0008 - Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers! [1956]

Who: Frank Sinatra, coming off of the most critcally acclaimed album of his career (1955's In the Wee Small Hours).

What: The Spring to In the Wee Small Hours's Winter, this record reinterprets beloved romantic traditional standards in a hip and fashionable way, with assertive and jazzy performances by Sinatra set to energetic and sophisticated orchestrations (arranged, like In the Wee Small Hours, by Nelson Riddle). Both this album and In the Wee Small Hours focus on one theme. This one, however, isn't an epic; rather, each song is like its own little fling.

Where: Hollywood, CA.

The famous Capitol Records building in Hollywood, where the album was recorded, ca. 1950s.

When: Hosting a dinner party.

Why: These are definitive versions of some of the most enduring songs in the Great American Songbook. This record, much like Sinatra himself, captures the optimism and exuberance of the mid-fifties U.S. While In the Wee Small Hours is Sinatra at his artistic peak, this is quintessential Sinatra—upbeat, confident, witty.

Sinatra in the studio, 1956.

Microdose: This great take on Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin," in which the orchestra and Sinatra really play off each other, is the highlight of this record and became one of his signature performances.

Another dose: The fabulous Neneh Cherry transformed "I've Got You Under My Skin" for an AIDS benefit compliation of Cole Porter songs from 1990 entitled Red Hot + Blue.

0007 - Fats Domino - This is Fats [1956]

Who: New Orleans icon and legendary r&b performer, Antoine "Fats" Domino (b. 1928).

What: One of the most influential albums of early rock and r&b that pioneered the New Orleans sound (and influences it to this day). Drawing on Afro-Caribbean rhythms and New Orleans "Dixieland" jazz, this record consists of tight, rollicking songs led by Domino's mellow vocals and driving piano, accompanied by an energetic New Orleans brass band. 

Where: New Orleans, LA.

New Orleans, 1950s.

When: Sunday brunch (with a bloody mary!).

Why: This is quintessential New Orleans music—like the city itself, it is both laid-back and lively. It creates a truly unique sound: while it is rock, it is not rockabilly or guitar-based, and while it features a brass section, it is not improvisational jazz. This is a key piece of rock history that transcends the genre and still sounds fresh today. 

Fats Domino (piano) and the Billy Diamond Orchestra at the Hideaway Club, New Orleans 1949.

Microdose: "Blueberry Hill" is the biggest hit on the album, but "What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasing You)?" is the most exciting.

Additional Dose: In late 50s Jamaica, the mix of traditional mento folk music (as exemplified by Harry Belaftone's Calypso [1956]) with New Orleans r&b (as exemplified by Fats Domino) gave rise to ska (which later lead to reggae in the late 1960s). In this early song by Bob Marley & the Wailers (a pre-reggae ska from 1965), one can easily hear the blending of the two influences: the melody and vocal style of mento with the rhythm and instrumentation of the New Orleans sound.