How Do You Start A Jazz CD Collection?
The word “jazz” has always been a bugbear among aficionados of this music: How can you assign a single word to a genre that encompasses everything from swing to bebop to free form improvisation? Because of this confusion, many would be jazz collectors are stymied by their preconceptions, investing heavily in hardcore bebop, say, when they might be more attuned to the relaxed West Coast sound. If you’re a complete beginner, here’s a disappointment proof way to go about starting your jazz collection. Learn your genres. As mentioned above, there’s a huge difference-harmonically, melodically and rhythmically-between the jazz of the 1930s and the jazz of today. In addition to consulting reference books, you can get a taste for these genres by picking up budget priced big band or bebop anthologies and seeing what suits your taste. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t “get” hard bop. Some folks are wired to like certain types of jazz and some aren’t. Play the big names. Just as it’s per
