Best Foreign Jazz Music Albums
Contents
Check out our list of the best Foreign Jazz Music Albums and find something new to add to your collection!
Introduction
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States. It originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as “America’s classical music”. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression.It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime.
Best Foreign Jazz Music Albums
If you’re a fan of jazz music, you’ll want to check out these foreign jazz albums that are some of the best in the genre. From Brazil to France, these albums represent the best of what international jazz has to offer.
“The Call” by Ibrahim Maalouf
Ibrahim Maalouf is a French-Lebanese trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon and grew up in Paris, France. He is best known for his incorporation of Arabic music into jazz and for his use of the quarter-tone trumpet.
“The Call” is Maalouf’s fourth studio album, and was released in 2013. The album was recorded in Paris and New York, and features guest appearances from bassist Avishai Cohen and pianist Lionel Loueke.
“The Call” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2014.
“The Dreamer” by Youn Sun Nah
This Korean-born, French-based vocalist knocked it out of the park with her 2010 Blue Note debut, which melded bossa nova, bop, and Korean pop into a intoxicating brew. Setting poems by e.e. cummings to music may not seem like the most obvious vehicle for a vocal jazz album, but Nah’s impeccable phrasing and formidable scatting chops make it sound like the most natural thing in the world. Her band is equally adept at shifting gears from one style to another, making The Dreamer one of the most diverse and rewarding albums in recent memory.
“Emanon” by Thelonious Monk
“Emanon” is a 1956 studio album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. It is a 3-LP set containing 3 original compositions and 3 standards, recorded at three different sessions in 1956.
The album was released in mono only and was not reissued on CD until 2002, when it was released by Blue Note Records as a 2-CD set containing the original album plus alternate takes and outtakes from the sessions.
The album was ranked #4 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1950s.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the best foreign jazz music albums are those that offer a unique perspective on the genre. While there are many great albums from the United States and other countries, the best foreign jazz music albums are those that offer a different take on the genre. Whether it’s a different approach to composition or instrumentation, or simply a different cultural perspective, these albums offer something special that is worth checking out.
