KUER's Suggested Jazz Music List by Steve Williams
KUER has been bringing award-winning jazz music to Utah since the 1970s. Each weeknight from 8 to midnight, host Steve Williamsplays classic jazz from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis and beyond as well as interviews with up-and-coming jazz artists. Hosts Mike Anderson and Chuck Waagen keep the mix of jazz coming your way on the weekends.
Building a Jazz Library
Below you will find Steve Williams' lists of jazz music and recommended jazz record companies. Printable Version It's intended to be a listing of artists and recordings deemed essential to a basic jazz library. Some of the recordings are simply a best of recording, so as to introduce a collector to an overall composite of the artist's work, not necessarily the most historic recording. Order doesn't determine importance of one recording over the other.
ARTIST |
ALBUM |
LABEL |
| Miles Davis |
Kind of Blue |
Columbia |
| Dave Brubeck |
Time Out |
Columbia |
| Count Basie |
April in Paris |
Verve |
| Bill Evans |
Portrait of Jazz |
Fantasy |
| Stan Getz/Joao |
Getz and Giberto |
Verve |
| Duke Ellington |
Blues in Orbit |
Columbia |
| Oscar Peterson |
The Lost Tapes |
Verve |
| Ella Fitzgerald |
Sings the Blues |
Pablo |
| Sarah Vaughn |
The Best of |
Pablo |
| Nat King Cole |
After Midnight |
Capitol |
| Stan Kenton |
Retrosepctive-4 |
Capitol |
| Erroll Garner |
Magician & Gersh. |
TelArcive |
| Hi-Lo's |
Columbia Years |
Koch |
| Mose Allison |
Allison Wonder |
Atlantic |
| Louis Armstrong |
Decca Highlight |
Decca |
| Ben Webster |
Jaz Round Midnight |
Verve |
| John Coltrane |
Gentle Side of... |
Impulse |
| Clifford Brown/Max |
And Max Roach |
EmArcy |
| Billie Holiday |
Billie Songbook |
Verve |
| Benny Goodman |
Slipped Disc 1945 |
Columbia |
| George Shearing |
Best of 1960-69 |
CapitolCD |
| Modern Jazz Quartet |
Dedicated to Connie |
Atlantic |
| Gerry Mulligan |
Concert Jazz Band |
Verve |
| Gill Evans/Miles Davis |
Porgy & Bess |
Columbia |
| Lester Young |
Blue Lester |
Savoy |
| Johnny Hartman |
With Coltrane |
MCA/Impulse |
| Nancy Wilson |
Swingin's Mutual |
Capitol |
| Herbie Mann |
Evolution of Mann |
Atlantic |
| Woody Herman |
Thundering Herds |
Columbia |
| Shirley Horn |
Here's to Life |
Verve |
| Lionel Hampton |
Reunion Newport |
RCA/BlueBird |
| Art Blkey |
Best of Messengers |
BlueNote |
| Art Tatum |
Best of Tatum |
Pablo |
| Coleman Hawkins |
In a Mello Tone |
Prestige |
| Ella & Duke Ellington |
Ella & Duke |
Verve |
| Maynard Ferguson |
Chris Connor 2s |
Capitol |
| Keith Jarrett Trio |
Standards Live |
ECM |
| Red Garland Trio |
Groovy |
Prestige |
| Art Pepper |
No Limit |
Contemporary |
| Milt Jackson |
Reverence & Compass |
Qwest |
| Charlie Parker |
Bird-Origin Recs |
Verve |
| Chet Baker |
Chet |
Riverside |
| Dizzy & Bird |
Jazz at Massey Hall |
Fantasy |
| Thelonious Monk |
Best of |
BlueNote |
| Bud Powell |
Best of |
BlueNote |
| Horace Silver |
Song for Father |
BlueNote |
| Wes Montgomery |
Plays the Blues |
Verve |
| Joe Pass |
Appassionato |
Pablo |
| Basie & Williams |
Swings/Sings |
Verve |
| Sonny Rollins |
Best of BlueNote |
Capitol |
| Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong |
Verve |
Recommended Jazz Record Companies
The best Jazz CDs come from the best jazz labels. Here is a list compiled by Steve Williams.
Atlantic
BlueBird Records
Bluenote
BMG Records
Capital Records
Columbia
Concord
Denon
ECM Records
Fantasy
Fedora
Highnote
Narada
RCA Records
Reference
Rhino Records
Riverside (now distributed by Fantasy)
Savant
Stinky Boy Records
Summit
Telarc
Town Crier
Verve
Warner Brothers | 
