Advice needed. Any jazz fans around?

[PaulB]

It's my uncle's 80th birthday next week and he is a great man who used to take me to loads of places when I was a kid so I wanted to mark his 80th with a special gift.

He's a huge fan of jazz music and I know Stan Getz, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Mingus and jazzers of that era were high on his list of likes.

The thing is, I never got in to it myself so I'd be lost in knowing what to go for so could someone recommend a 'must have' album or DVD of that sort of era? Maybe some compilation or recently-released tribute thing of a jazzer of high calibre?

Over to you jazz fans to guide me here. If you would!

 

[HertzvanRental]

It's my uncle's 80th birthday next week and he is a great man who used to take me to loads of places when I was a kid so I wanted to mark his 80th with a special gift.

He's a huge fan of jazz music and I know Stan Getz, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Mingus and jazzers of that era were high on his list of likes.

The thing is, I never got in to it myself so I'd be lost in knowing what to go for so could someone recommend a 'must have' album or DVD of that sort of era? Maybe some compilation or recently-released tribute thing of a jazzer of high calibre?

Over to you jazz fans to guide me here. If you would!

Classic jazz album? "Kind of Blue" Miles Davis.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Classic jazz album? "Kind of Blue" Miles Davis.

A true classic but if he doesn't have it already, then that would have been his choice. Would Thelonius Monk be too offbeat?

 

[Tim Hall]

Does he have a vinyl collection? If so, what about some kind of rare LP, as opposed to a CD?

 

[PaulB]

Sorry everyone, he does have a vinyl collection and also has CDs and DVDs so all those can be considered. Maybe even a newly released book (although no Kindle or electronic reader so it would have to be papyrus!) Even though he's 80, he's very fit and active and mentally alert.

 

[ufkacbln]

Also not a jazz fan, but ......

Jazz has a long history

Can you find an album from the year of his birth, or even better a track released on the date of his birth

Often it is the thought and effort that is important

 

[slowmotion]

You could do a lot worse than Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.
[media]

]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze-3pE3vSjc[/media]

 

[Biff600]

As said, Miles Davis - Kind of Blue, Birth of the Cool or Bitches Brew

or

John Coltrane - Blue Train, Love Supreme, Giant Steps
Charlie Parker - Birdland
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream, Brilliant Corners

 

[Hill Wimp]

Or take him to see Herbie Hancock in Ghent on 7th July. He too is in his 80s I think.

Myself and @Fab Foodie Will be there.

 

[Ian H]

Jazz fans can be rather tribal in their tastes. For instance my late father, a trad jazz fan, hated bebop. So you might need to know what kind of jazz.

 

[Profpointy]

Not wishing to put the kybosh on this, but there's a big risk he'll have most of the classic albums that anyone on here will have heard of, unless you can take a sneaky peek.

That said, there are a lot of stonking value box sets around these days, including 6 or 8 CDs from various artists if you can see a big name artist missing from his shelves. Suggestions on this vane could include Louis Armstrong hot 5 or hot 7 box, or a rather good Mingus set, or Monk if he likes more modern stuff.

Or a trip to a gig somewhere

 

[Stephen Piper]

If he has all the classic albums get him something by a new(ish) artist, ie Kamazi Washington.

 

[EatSleepRideRepeat]

You can't beat live music. Make a day of it, you don't need objects like records to remember a great time...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

How about a Mosaic CD set, they're pretty special.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Or take him to see Herbie Hancock in Ghent on 7th July. He too is in his 80s I think.

Myself and @Fab Foodie Will be there.

I saw Herbie Hancock once, gawd it was a struggle, a kind of avantgarde jazz naval gazing session.