“Countdown” by John Coltrane
Legendary saxophonist John Coltrane released his first album, Giant Steps, in 1959; the album is to jazz saxophonists what the Rosetta Stone is to linguists. Coltrane single-handedly created a new standard for jazz saxophone, characterized by complex and pattern-based “sheets of sound,” as well as effervescent self-expression. Some jazz cognoscenti use the term “post-Coltrane” as a nod to the playing style introduced in Giant Steps.
“Man in the Green Shirt” by Weather Report
Born in Austria in 1932, Josef “Joe” Zawinul went from studying at the Vienna Conservatory at the age of seven to playing as a house keyboardist with Miles Davis in the late 1960s. With Wayne Shorter, he created the band Weather Report. Originally gravitating towards avant-garde jazz in their early years, Weather Report found a home with jazz fusion, borrowing from styles such as rock, funk, and bossa nova.
“Windows” by Chick Corea
After abandoning both Columbia University and Juilliard as a music education major, finding both schools “disappointing,” Corea quickly became a popular sideman among jazz musicians. He replaced Herbie Hancock in the Miles Davis Band and released his debut album, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, as a leader in 1968. In 1973, Corea released a compilation album titled Inner Space, in which he reworked many of his originals, including “Windows.”
“Miss Ann” by Eric Dolphy
Multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy recorded the album, Far Cry, with Booker Little in 1962. Throughout the album, Dolphy is heard playing bass clarinet, flute, and alto saxophone, using a playing style borrowed heavily from classical composers such as Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky. Despite the fact that Little’s name is on the album, Little only appears in the track “Miss Ann,” a song that served as a musical portrait of a girl Dolphy knew at the time.
“The Duke” by Miles Davis & Gil Evans
While touring with Duke Ellington in 1954, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck received note that Time Magazine had featured him on the cover of an issue. Brubeck stated, “It should have been [Ellington on the cover]” to express his disappointment with the decision, believing that his race had influenced Time’s choice. Brubeck wrote the tune “The Duke” in response to serve as a commendation for Ellington’s achievements; in 1957, pianist Gil Evans and Miles Davis created the album Miles Ahead, featuring the song.
“Your Gold Teeth II” by Herbie Hancock
Jazz saw a dwindling in the late 1960s as a result of the dominance of rock and roll, and many jazz artists saw the future of jazz with a degree of uncertainty. However, ‘70s rock group, Steely Dan, often collaborated with jazz musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, and Michael Brecker. Pianist Herbie Hancock included the Steely Dan song, “Your Gold Teeth II,” as a bonus track in his 1996 album, The New Standard, which covered popular songs from previous decades.
“Every Summer Night” by Pat Metheny
Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny hit the ground running in his career after studying at the University of Miami; he was offered a scholarship after the dean of the school heard him play at a jazz club in Kansas City. After attending the university for less than a week, Metheny received an offer to teach at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In the span of his forty-year career, Metheny has won Grammys in ten categories; he stated in an interview that his album, Letter From Home, which won a Grammy in 1990, represented an “ideal melodic durability.”
“Round Midnight” by Miles Davis Quintet
Sometimes incorrectly referred to as “Round About Midnight,” this seminal Thelonious Monk tune quickly cemented itself as a jazz standard immediately after its composition around 1940. On the 1955 Miles Davis album, Round About Midnight, Davis’ version borrows heavily from Dizzy Gillespie’s arrangement of the piece; “Round Midnight” remains the most recorded jazz tune to date.
“Speak No Evil” by Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter’s album, Speak No Evil, remains a staple in the hard bop genre. Hard bop spawned in the wake of jazz musicians becoming primarily influenced by rhythm and blues and gospel music. Stylistically, hard bop involves more relaxed tempos and a rhythmically blues-like style of improvisation. Speak No Evil went somewhat unnoticed during its original release, but later many jazz critics spoke highly of the music’s freshness and originality.
“Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie
While Latin influence in jazz was in its infant stages in the 1940s, Dizzy Gillespie’s tune, “Manteca,” established itself as a staple of the Afro-Cuban jazz style. “Manteca” utilized the clave, a key feature in many Latin rhythms, for the first time in a jazz format. The tune also marked a rise in the career of Cuban jazz percussionist Chanzo Pozo, with whom Gillespie collaborated on many live recordings.
“I Mean You” by McCoy Tyner & Michael Breaker
Although pianist McCoy Tyner gained fame for his participation in the famous John Coltrane Quartet in the 1960s, his solo career as a leader proved equally auspicious. Along with jazz giant Michael Brecker, Tyner recorded a collection of originals and covers, among them the classic hard bop tune “I Mean You.”
“Moment’s Notice” by Matt Wilson with Chris Potter
New York City drummer Matt Wilson remains in demand today both as a sideman and educator. Notably, Wilson performed at the 2011 White House State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama. Another key figure in jazz today, Chris Potter came to prominence in the early ’90s, though he first gathered attention at the age of 13 when he acquired gigs after three years of study on the saxophone. Both musicians teamed up in 2010 in Germany’s JazzBaltica festival to record the John Coltrane jazz standard, “Moment’s Notice,” from Coltrane’s 1958 album, Blue Train.
“Along Came Betty” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
If any figure attains sole responsibility for the kindling of new jazz musicians, it would unequivocally be the avuncular jazz drummer, Art Blakey. From Wayne Shorter to Wynton Marsalis, Blakey frequently employed up-and-coming jazz artists in The Jazz Messengers, defining the hard bop sound for many years to come. Art Blakey recorded the tune “Along Came Betty,” written by saxophonist Benny Golson.
“On the Sunny Side of the Street” by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong, or Satchmo or Pops, is considered a revered figure among all jazz-lovers. While he rose to popularity for his innovative soloing technique, he ultimately altered the role of jazz improvisation from a collective to a soloistic role. Beyond his notable singing and trumpet playing, Armstrong became one of the most popular black performers in the public eye whose race was deemed unimportant compared to his music. While he played many jazz standards throughout his career, “On the Sunny Side of the Street” remains his most notable and popular.
“Tell Me a Bedtime Story” by Herbie Hancock
In 1969, NBC approached a jazz pianist to compose a musical score for the animated Primetime special, Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert. Herbie Hancock later took some of the material for his album, Fat Album Rotunda, where his style was altered dramatically from jazz-based to soul-based. However, he kept the horn arrangement of flugelhorn, bass trombone, and alto flute from his earlier album, Speak Like a Child. “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” appeared on the 1978 Quincy Jones album Sounds . . . And Stuff Like That.