The Best of 60s Jazz Music

Looking for the best of 60s Jazz Music? Check out our top picks for the greatest Jazz hits from the 1960s!

The Birth of Jazz

Jazz is a music genre that was born in the early 20th century in the African-American community in New Orleans, Louisiana. The style of music was a fusion of African and European music traditions. Jazz became popular in the 1920s and by the 1930s, it had spread to Europe and the rest of the world. Jazz music has been described as “the sound of America”

The New Orleans Sound

The New Orleans jazz sound is characterized by a free and easy approach, a focus on collective improvisation, and a feel for swing. It developed in the early 20th century in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and was heavily influenced by the diverse musical traditions of its West African, French, Spanish, and Creole residents. The sound of New Orleans jazz is often compared to that of a conversation among good friends; it is full of life, energy, and excitement.

Some of the most famous New Orleans jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, King Oliver, and Bix Beiderbecke. Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans and is considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. His soaring trumpet playing and extroverted personality helped to popularize jazz around the world. Jelly Roll Morton was a highly innovative pianist and composer who helped to shape the direction of early jazz. Sidney Bechet was one of the first great clarinetists in jazz and was known for his distinctive vibrato-laden style. King Oliver was an influential bandleader who helped to develop the New Orleans sound. Bix Beiderbecke was a white cornetist who became one of the most respected Jazz Age musicians despite his relatively short career.

The New Orleans sound continued to evolve in the 1930s with the help of artists like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Fletcher Henderson, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, Andy Kirkl>

The Chicago Scene

During the 1960s, jazz began to enjoy a resurgence in popularity. In particular, the Chicago scene was home to a number of up-and-coming jazz musicians. Some of the most popular artists associated with the Chicago scene include saxophonist Sonny Stitt, trumpeter Miles Davis, and pianist Ramsey Lewis.

The Chicago scene was also home to a number of well-known jazz clubs, including the Gate of Horn and the Jazz Showcase. These clubs provided musicians with a place to showcase their talents and develop their skills. In addition, they helped to create a supportive community for jazz musicians in Chicago.

The Jazz Giants

The Jazz Giants is a studio album by jazz musician Wes Montgomery, released in 1966. The album features Montgomery’s interpretations of twelve standards, including “Body and Soul”, “Days of Wine and Roses”, and “Stairway to the Stars”.

Miles Davis

Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musical styles throughout his career that encompassed the history of jazz: bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and fusion.

In 1955 he recorded one of his best-known compositions “Round Midnight”. Other notable works from this period include the highly influential 1959 album Kind of Blue, recorded with band members Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, Paul Chambers and John Coltrane; “So What”, the first tune on that album; “All Blues”; and “Nefertiti”. Many of Davis’s musicians from this decade went on to form their own bands and have successful careers. In 1963 he collaborated with arranger Gil Evans on the seminalPORGY AND BESS.

John Coltrane

One of the most important and influential jazz saxophonists of all time, John Coltrane helped to pave the way for the development of jazz in the 1960s. A major force in both the bebop and hard bop movements, Coltrane’s style was marked by his use of extended harmonic improvisation, known as “sheets of sound.” Born in North Carolina in 1926, Coltrane began playing piano and saxophone at an early age. After stints with the U.S. Navy and Miles Davis’s band, he began leading his own groups in the mid-1950s. Over the next decade, he recorded a series of influential albums for Atlantic Records, including “Giant Steps” (1960), “My Favorite Things” (1961), “A Love Supreme” (1965), and “Meditations” (1966). In his final years, Coltrane embraced the avant-garde, recording such landmark albums as “Crescent” (1964) and “Ascension” (1965) before his untimely death from liver cancer in 1967.

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his distinctive style, which combined elements of European classical music with the bebop jazz idiom. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of jazz, and his contributions to the genre are widely recognized. Born and raised in New York City, Monk began playing piano at an early age and quickly developed a unique style that incorporated both European and African influences. He rose to prominence in the 1940s as a member of the house band at Minton’s Playhouse, a legendary New York City nightclub that was a hotbed for emerging bebop talent. In the 1950s, Monk made a series of groundbreaking recordings for Blue Note Records that showcased his idiosyncratic approach to composition and improvisation. He also toured extensively with his own quartet, which featured saxophonist Johnny Griffin and bassist Larry Gales. Monk’s later years were marked by declining health and increasing financial difficulties, but he continued to perform and record until his death in 1982. His influence on subsequent generations of jazz musicians is incalculable, and his legacy remains one of the most enduring in jazz history.

The Legacy of 60s Jazz

The 1960s was a decade of social and political upheaval, and the music of the time reflected that. Jazz was no exception. The best of 60s jazz features some of the most innovative and creative musicians of all time. Let’s take a look at some of the best of 60s jazz.

The Free Jazz Movement

The free jazz movement was a period of time in the 1960s when jazz musicians began to experiment with ways to break from the traditional constraints of the genre. This included playing with unusual time signatures, extended improvisation, and a more avant-garde approach to composition. While some purists felt that this style of music was a corruption of the genre, others felt that it was a natural evolution that allowed the music to remain fresh and relevant.

One of the most important figures in the free jazz movement was saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Coleman’s 1961 album “Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation” is often cited as one of the most important and influential jazz albums of all time. Other notable free jazz musicians include John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, and Archie Shepp.

The Avant-Garde Scene

The Avant-garde scene of the 60s was bustling with talented musicians who pushed the boundaries of jazz, paving the way for new genres and styles. Some of the most influential avant-garde artists of the time includedOrnette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Pharaoh Sanders, and John Coltrane. These musicians were not afraid to experiment with new sounds and techniques, resulting in some of the most groundbreaking and innovative music of the era. Thanks to their groundbreaking work, jazz is now a much richer and more diverse genre than it was before.