Giving the gift of jazz is always a good idea – but how do you know if the recipient will actually like it? The EJ team have picked the records they’d most like to receive, as well as the albums they’ll be giving to their loved ones.

Ale

Personal Pick: McCoy Tyner – Today and Tomorrow

This album is one of my favourite jazz piano albums. I particularly like the track “When Sunny Gets Blue”, which is the perfect song to listen to at the end of a stressful day before going to bed. Tyner’s soothing piano phrasing never fails to calm your nerves.

Gift Pick –  Donald Byrd: Places and Spaces

For: A jazz curious friend

The perfect gift for the friend who’s curious about jazz but doesn’t know where to start. Your friend is a charismatic individual who loves to dance and throw barbecues in their garden in the summer. 

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Freya

Personal Pick: Immanuel Wilkins – The 7th Hand

The members of Blue Note’s latest young supergroup Out Of / Into are everywhere at the moment, and it’s no wonder: Joel Ross (vibes) Gerald Clayton (piano) Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), Matt Brewer (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums) are all prodigiously talented in their own right. Collectively, they’ve appeared on many of the most imaginative jazz albums of the last few years, and there’s one I really want in my collection. Immanuel Wilkins’ 2022 record “The 7th Hand” is a multi dimensional and electrifying link in the Out Of / Into story. The music has a loose, rangey quality that wears its sophisticated jazz roots lightly. If you want to hear the future of jazz, just dial back 3 years to this classic young album. 

Gift Pick: Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’

For – A sonically adventurous teenager

Teenagers are weird, but they can also be brilliantly adventurous in their listening. Apparently the music we listen to in our teens stays with us for the rest of our lives, so I’m taking this opportunity to infiltrate my kid’s listening with some seriously cool classic jazz. Each of the players in this top notch line up – Art Farmer (trumpet) Jackie McLean (alto sax) Sonny Clark (piano) Paul Chambers (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums) could send a curious newcomer into multiple musical gold mines. Then there’s that super hip cover that deserves to be displayed on record stands owned by any age.

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Hector

Personal Pick: Grant Green – The Latin Bit

I’m late to the party when it comes to Grant Green, but The Latin Bit brings a funky joy with a legendary line-up featuring Ike Quebec and Willie Bobo alongside the incredible guitar chops of Green himself. This compliments other favourites of mine which tend to lean toward the infectious grooves of the Hammond organ. Perfectly paired with a Caipirinha whilst sat in the sun foot-tapping the day away.

Gift Pick – Stan Getz & João Gilberto – Getz / Gilberto

For: literally anyone!

Who wouldn’t love the album which birthed Bossa Nova as a genre? This timeless record is a must-have for any jazz fan and one which both classic jazzers and cutting-edge musos alike. Perfect to play as spring starts to take hold and thoughts of summer days on the horizon, or if you’re clinging on to those ever shortening days in Autumn or dreaming of spending Christmas on Ipanema beach, it’s a year-round classic.

Mark

Personal Pick: Verve Remixed

I’m loving this album for its reinterpretation of jazz classics, reminding me of the great recordings from the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone in remixes that sound fresh even 20+ years later. 

Gift Pick: Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else

For: A jazz newbie

This is the perfect gift for the family member embarking on self-professed journey into jazz. Someone who is a bit of a musical explorer but who would appreciate the masterful playing from all musicians on this legendary Blue Note record. Who wouldn’t be inspired by a recording featuring Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley among others? 

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Paul

Personal Pick: Bobbi Humphrey – Blacks and Blues

When I have friends over, I want this on my Now Playing stand, with the wonderful picture of Bobbi alone giving off the perfect cool-happy vibe. Then the guests will discover how funky jazz can be when the Mizell brothers are involved, and that there’s more to jazz flute than Anchorman. Perfect groovy music for any kind of hang.

Gift Pick: Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

For: Lovers of millennial nostalgia

It will make anyone over the age of 35 feel ancient, but there are now many adults who have not heard this album, and will almost certainly be unaware of its cultural ubiquity in the noughties. I would give this as a wonderful throwback discovery for my younger family and friends who are listening to Dodie and Laufey.

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Stephan

Personal Pick: Grachan Moncur III – Evolution (UHQCD)

First of all, a confession: I’m not a vinyl person. I respect it as an audiophile’s choice, but personally, I just still really like CDs. They’re practical and durable, and these imported Japanese UHQCDs sound brilliant. This 1964 album by avant-garde trombonist Grachan Moncur III is a necessary deep Blue Note catalogue addition to my collection, right from that post-bop era when the musical possibilities still seemed endless. The album creates a mystical, slightly uncanny soundscape – I’m currently rewatching the Twin Peaks series, so this definitely fits my autumnal mood.

Gift Pick: John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (Monophonic Edition)

For: Audiophiles

Just the perfect gift for almost anyone, but especially my non-jazz expert friends with general good taste in music. This is just a stone cold classic at this point, one of the greatest musical achievements of the 20th century which turned 60 at the beginning of this year. This new monophonic edition sounds as authentic as it gets, so even if the receiver already has a copy, this version still adds merit to your collection. With its deeply spiritual sound, it’s also the perfect soundtrack to those calm, reflective days between the years.

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Tina

Personal Pick: The Legacy of Quincy Jones – 20 CD boxset

These box sets are super-smart and special.  I would love someone very kind and special to get this one for me … the opportunity to explore the exceptional musical archive of Quincy Jones’ genius in this limited set is a treat that will be long-lasting.  Spanning big band, funk, hip-hop and screen there’s such a breadth of music within, so rare from a single musician.

Gift Pick: Nina Simone – I Put A Spell On You – 60th Anniversary Splatter Edition

For: God-Daughter (music-mad 20-something, think Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, does have a turntable)

I am a bit of a magpie and this limited edition is pure gold!  It’s an incredible album, the perfect entry into the power and timeless appeal of Nina Simone’s craft … and jazz. There is almost no-one that I wouldn’t recommend this to, of any generation. Grab one of these while you can. 

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Verity

Personal Pick: Yusef Lateef – Eastern Sounds

I tend to be drawn to albums that take inspiration from different cultural influences or nature in some way. Eastern Sounds feels like a great match. Yusef Lateef plays a bamboo flute and a Chinese xun (ancient globular flute, on opening track “The Plum Blossom”), mixed in with some very catchy accessible jazz. You’ll have the tune of that xun stuck in your head for days (in a great way). This is a top album for being on the move with on a leisurely Sunday stroll.

Gift Pick: Samara Joy – Linger Awhile

For: my Grandma

I asked my grandma what her favourite jazz albums are. She listed Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone records and said all her choices were women because they “had a very hard time getting heard”. In the spirit of this, I thought Samara Joy would be a perfect recommendation as a young woman in jazz today, who is receiving the recognition she deserves.

Extra Gift Pick: For a free jazz loving Mum

The perfect gift for a free-jazz fan who is looking to add the classics to their vinyl collection. Recently given the Tone Poet treatment, Don Cherry’s Complete Communion is a perfect audiophile Christmas gift.

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