Good various artist compilation recommendations?

[awesome_welles]

I used to own and really enjoyed a compilation called "Great Trumpet Legends". And was wondering if anyone can suggest any other various artist compilations. I'm especially interested in expanding my knowledge of early jazz. I've not really heard much besides Louis' Hot Fives and Sevens and this Duke Ellington box but any era/style of jazz is fair game.

I don't know why I wrote "good" in the topic title by the way!

[A Lark Ascending]

You can't do much better than Allen Lowe's 'That Devilin' Tune' series (he of this board) - 4 boxed sets of 9 CDs each. A wonderful miscellany of tracks in four broad time periods up to the very early 50s.

Search the title on the board search engine and you'll find a lengthy thread full of enthusiasm (actually, you'll find rather a lot of threads on the topic!).

Edited March 25, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[mikelz777]

Check out the 9-CD series titled "Hip Jazz Bop" on 1201 Music. It culls the vaults of the Black Lion label and from what I can see just from checking on Amazon, the discs can be had pretty cheap. Amazon will also let you listen to samples.

I'd 2nd "That Devlin' Tune" series.

[colinmce]

Anything by Smithsonian is great and always incredibly cheap. I especially recommend their two vocal compilations Swing That Music (4 CDs of big band and swing vocalists) and American Popular Song (5xCD). Jazz Piano (4xCD) is also fantastic and the Big Band set (6xCD) is quite serviceable. Needless to say they also contain extensive and brilliant notes by the likes of Gunther Schuller and Dick Katz.

Edited March 26, 2014 by colinmce

[GA Russell]

This is a favorite of mine from EMI/Blue Note.

60 Great Jazz Classics for Lovers (used - $7.45)

http://www.amazon.com/60-Great-Jazz-Classics-Lovers/dp/B00008ES6Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=11THRBMFZMWGGPMZHKQR

These are probably just as good.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Jazz-Classics-Various-Artists/dp/B00008ES6X/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NCKQND5C8D8XZ2X06F8

http://www.amazon.com/60-Great-Jazz-Classics-Movies/dp/B00008ES6Z/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J7KV7TZJNSDPFB185M5

[JSngry]

[mjzee]

This may be the only collection you'd need for early jazz:

It's a 100-CD box set that Amazon is currently selling for $99.99. A detailed track listing of the first 35 CDs can be found at Amazon UK (see the customer reviews section).

[Milestones]

If you're at all a fan of guitar, I recommend the 4-CD set Progressions: 100 years of Jazz Guitar. The first disc (26 tracks) goes up to Tiny Grimes, good stuff to hear since I've never been much up on jazz guitar prior to Charlie Christian. These are interesting and entertaining tracks.

By the end of the 4th disc you'll be hearing Ribot, Stern, and Frisell.

[GA Russell]

mjee, that's a Membran box. Do you have it, and if so, how is the sound? Don't most people here look down on Membran?

[mjzee]

This is a fun series of compilations (with great covers!). They were put out by a European label named Disky, but tracks are from the Blue Note/EMI stables. Still readily available on Amazon.

mjee, that's a Membran box. Do you have it, and if so, how is the sound? Don't most people here look down on Membran?

It is a Membran box. I don't have it (I have a lot of the material in other ways), but I wouldn't be reflexively against it. Most of the negativity here towards Membran (aside from the usual anti-P.D. stuff) has to do with the degree of noise reduction they use. Not having heard the box, I can't say in this case. But it's a great bargain for the money, and some people like noise reduction. I'd encourage the OP to try to hear some of the box for themselves.

[BeBop]

No discography available right now, but Savoy put out some great two-LP sets. Black California, Brothers and Other Mothers, Modern Jazz Piano, Tenor Sax Album

[king ubu]

but brunch is breakfast ...

[Head Man]

This is very good compilation of Bethlehem artistes:

..and it's very cheap on Amazon at the moment.

[ArtSalt]

Compilations are great port of entries and have been instrumental for turning me onto a lot of good music over the years, these particularly resonate with me:

• The West Coast Jazz Box: An Anthology of California Jazz, the 4 CD set from Fantasy. A good overview and introduction to west coast cool jazz from 1950 - 1960.
• More Than Mambo: The Introduction to Afro Cuban Jazz, the Verve compilation from 1995, still available.
• California Cool, presenting the hip jazz sounds of the West Coast on Blue Note.
• Jazz Juice Vol. 1, 2, 3 on Street Sounds, a jazz DJ's delight.

[A Lark Ascending]

I suspect these are no longer available but as single disc compilations they're a great intro for the years up to 1941. I bought a lot of other records on the back of them:

[mjzee]

A second thumb's up for the 2 RCA Victor anthologies pictured above.

[mjzee]

This was a very nice sampler series from Concord/OJC, appearing around 2002. Most can still be found at great prices.

and...

there's one for Jazzland too (I reached the limit for posting images here).

[king ubu]

Compilations are great port of entries and have been instrumental for turning me onto a lot of good music over the years, these particularly resonate with me:

• More Than Mambo: The Introduction to Afro Cuban Jazz, the Verve compilation from 1995, still available.

also this one (though I'm not sure of overlap):

a classic:

classic stuff:

some weird sh*t and some rarities:

classic? maybe ... classical? not quite, but:

lotsa classics and then some:

blastin' fun:

some rare sh*t:

in addition - too lazy to look for more covers ... three Vols. of Continental sessions and one of Wax sessions on Storyville, several great ones on Hep (2 vols. of Sounds of Harlem, NY Jazz Combos, They All Had Rhythm and Groovin' in L.A. ...)

[king ubu]

a few more ... first of these is better, I find, second goes more towards groovy stuff - but ultimately, both are great:

these belong in every household:

the final one from the late great Reel Recordings label:

if you only want the jazzy stuff, get Vol. 3:

[colinmce]

Another good one for very early jazz is The Riverside History of Classic Jazz-- 3 CDs.

[duaneiac]

The Fantasy label put out a nice series of various artists discs focused on different composers, such as

This 4 CD boxed set has some good tarditional jazz both from "originalists" like Kid Ory and Willie "The Lion" Smith and "revivalists" like Turk Murphy and Clancy Hayes.

[awesome_welles]

Thank's for all of the responses guys! Just pulled the trigger on this one as I found a fairly cheap reissue on discogs:

I am definitely going to look out for some of the others as well. Looks like I've got a lot of listening ahead of me!

[danasgoodstuff]

Thank's for all of the responses guys! Just pulled the trigger on this one as I found a fairly cheap reissue on discogs:

I am definitely going to look out for some of the others as well. Looks like I've got a lot of listening ahead of me!

and there's a different album that's the actual soundtrack from the show, rather than the 'soundtrack album' which was recorded separately.

[JSngry]

That one may be the best Zoot Sims on record, I think. I've heard a lot of Zoot over the years and have gotten kind of..."blase" about hearing him these days, even the really good stuff, but this one made me stop and listen, involuntarily.

When they talk about Zoot being a true jammer, this is what they mean. The dude is unfettered, unenclosed, and unstoppable, and all with good cause.

[romualdo]

Many of my favourite various artists comps come from the Savoy 2000 Series (mostly double LPs) from the late 70's - unfortunately a lot of this material has not made it to CD

Savoy Reissue 2200 series (12 inch LP)

• SJL 2208 V.A. - The Changing Face Of Harlem
• SJL 2210 V.A. - Brothers And Other Mothers
• SJL 2215 V.A. - Black California
• SJL 2218 V.A. - All Star Swing Groups
• SJL 2220 V.A. - The Tenor Sax Album
• SJL 2221 V.A. - The Roots Of Rock' N' Roll
• SJL 2223 Have No Fear, Big Joe Turner Is Here: The Roots Of Rock' N' Roll, Vol. 2
• SJL 2224 V.A. - An Anthology: The Changing Face Of Harlem, Vol. 2
• SJL 2225 V.A. - The Be Bop Boys
• SJL 2233 V.A. - Ladies Sing The Blues
• SJL 2234 V.A. - Honkers And Screamers
• SJL 2235 V.A. - New Music: 2nd Wave
• SJL 2236 V.A. - Brothers And Other Mothers, Vol. 2
• SJL 2242 V.A. - Black California, Vol. 2: Anthology
• SJL 2246 V.A. - Black Swing Tradition
• SJL 2247 V.A. - The Modern Jazz Piano Album
• SJL 2256 V.A. - Ladies Sing The Blues

Edited March 28, 2014 by romualdo