"Jazz is the big brother of Revolution. Revolution follows it around."
Miles Davis
Originating in New Orleans' African-American communities in the late 1800s, the jazz genre has been influencing music for over a century, with no signs of slowing down. A bold counter-culture movement standing for freedom of expression, the earliest written record of the word 'jazz' is in a 1912 article in the L.A. Times, where a minor league baseball pitcher described a catch as a "jazz ball", because it wobbles and you simply can't do anything with it.
Whether it's infused in rock, sampled in hip-hop or blended in electronics, the rhythms and harmonies of jazz permeate the genres we love today. From the revered jazz cats of old to the bold new innovators reimagining jazz in today's climate, we are happy to boast an expansive selection of essential jazz albums within our Rough Trade Essential, incorporating some of the best jazz albums of all time.
We highlight some of our favourite jazz titles from classic to contemporary, examining their timeless influence through sampling, collaboration, covers and more.
Chet Baker - Sings (1954)
Another classic of the 1950s, Sings decontextualised Chet Baker as a vocal talent
that is able to match the same fragility and sweetness he has as a trumpeter. As
important to jazz’s shift to The Cool as Miles Davis, Chet Baker Sings provides a
methodical and melancholic foil to Kind of Blue’s improvisational flair, firmly
asserting himself in the history of jazz with classic, My Funny Valentine, which has
gone on to be covered by Etta James.
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (1957)
“if you’re a jazz musician and you think you’re not influenced by Thelonious Monk, either you’re not a jazz musician or you are influenced by Thelonious Monk.”
Kamasi Washington, Root Magazine
Soulful and agile, haphazard and dexterous. Impossible to define but easy to
recognise, Thelonius Monk’s skill as a pianist and composer is most refined on
Brilliant Corners. The impact of the 1957 release can be seen across genres today,
with artists like Kamasi Washington citing Monk as an irreplaceable influence on his artistic expression, whilst hip hop giants Wu-Tang Clan have sampled the album on tracks like Clan In The Front.
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (1959)
Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is right at the top of the list of any jazz collector's must-have. This seminal album arrived in the vacuum left by the slow departure of Bebop into a new, ‘cooler’, a more experimental period of jazz. A new era of jazz that put improvisations and experimentation at the forefront. Boasting a line up of some of the greatest musicians of the era including John Coltrane and Bill Evans, more than 50 years on from its release, it’s still the best selling jazz album of all time with its influences seen in artists albums such as Erykah Badu, who samples Davis’ So What on Baduizm. Kind Of Blue isn’t just a Rough Trade Essential, it’s an essential in the canon of contemporary music.
Etta James - At Last (1960)
With silken vocals and swelling instrumentation, Etta James’ At Last, stands as one of the most iconic debuts from any blues singer of her generation. James’ ability to flip her vocal performance between classic blues standards to gospel riffs to rhythm and blues and back again allows At Last to flow with ease between tracks like the cool and romantic, Sunday Kind Of Love to impassioned and soulful Stormy Weather. With covers of the title track by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Beyonce, Eva Cassidy and more, At Last is a vital listen.
Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby (1962)
Another one of Miles Davis’ collaborators on Kind of Blue, Evans’ sensitivity to tone and texture is on full display on Waltz for Debby. An intimate affair, this live album is prototypical Sunday listening stuff, at times leaving you awash with the cascade of crystal notes coming from his piano.
Duke Ellington - Money Jungle (1962)
Duke Ellington. Charles Mingus. Max Roach. Need we say more? When three of the most innovative instrumentalists of their generation make a record together, how could it be anything other than essential? Daring, disorientating and yet somehow still as smooth as the jazz records of the same era, Money Jungle still proves to be a template on how to walk.
Badbadnotgood - IV (2016)
A record that cements BBNG as the crossover jazz act of their generation. As
comfortable creating the boom bap tinged beats on Mick Jenkins collaboration
Hyssop of Love as they are reaching back and creating blues-y bangers like Time
Moves Slow, the 4-piece are chameleon-like in their instrumentation and scholarly in their references, embodying Coltrane and Morricone across its 50-minute run time.
Various - We Out Here (2018)
This Brownswood compilation is a must-have for those dipping their toe into the sea of talent across London’s jazz scene (as is their annual and excellent festival of the same name). Boasting songs from Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Mansur Brown, Ezra Collective and a warming balm of a track in Abusey Junction by Kokoroko, We Out Here is a one-stop shop of some of the best talent coming out of the country.
Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes - What Kinda Music.
A masterful collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines. Moving fluidly through sleek electronica, avant-garde jazz, vintage, hip hop, What Kinda Music is a seamless project, gorgeously atmospheric, joyful and compelling.
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises (2021)
On first glance, Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points seems an unexpected pairing. A pioneer of mid-century free jazz and a producer and DJ equally known for his experiments as his electronic offerings. But on Promises, where conflict seems like it should arise, music flows - and the spirited cries of Pharoah Sanders saxophone slowly, beautifully collide with the humming ambience of Shepherd’s production. A wholly unforeseen masterpiece and a deserving Albums of the Year 2021 Top 10 album.
Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 (2021)
You don't have to be a jazz aficionado to realise the instant power of Nala Sinephro. Space 1.8 was composed, produced, performed, engineered, recorded, and mixed by Sinephro, aged just 22. The young artist's sound has qualities reminiscent of great bandleader Sun Ra, weightless music, transcendent, meditational, a dreamy ambience which mixes traditional elements with the avant-garde, fusing minimalistic drone-y sounds. Following Space 1.8, the debut full-length with Warp Records, Sinephro returned in 2024 with Endlessness, further cementing the quietly successful star's position at the forefront of our modern jazz world.
Yuseff Dayes - Black Classical Music (2024)
An opening statement but not an introduction, Yussef Dayes' phenomenal debut solidifies what we already knew about the talented multi-instrumentalist: his art derives from raw individuality. Building on the already solid foundations of his acclaimed releases so far, Black Classical Music sees Dayes create with renewed purpose, inspired by his growing family (fatherhood, both new and old musical partnerships), his eclectic music taste and traditional cultural jazz flavours.
IN PROFILE: Yuseff Dayes' Black Classical Music
Further Listening...
The unique afro-beat blend of Kokoroko, the experimental jazz and prog-rock of Black Midi pre-band dissolution, jazz-rock and Brazilian-inspired Geordie Greep, producer, bandleader, DJ and Brownswood signee Emma Jean Thackray, the spiritual sound of Kamasi Washington, American Jazz drummer Makaya McCraven, up-and-coming London fusion quartet Oreglo, Pakistani-American singer, composer, producer and minimalist jazz maestro Arooj Aftab and more.