An audiophile who doesn’t like jazz music? That’s a bit like a gourmet who’s allergic to restaurants! Any true connoisseur of sound must surely have at least some liking for Jazz. But Jazz is a massive ocean with a huge variation of moods and styles. Where do you commence? Who do you begin with?

For me, appreciating music always starts with liking the sound it makes - it doesn’t matter what kind of music it is. Fundamentally you have to be partial to the sound of the instruments and/or voices to enjoy what you hear. And since we’re talking about audiophiles, it’s also about great-sounding recordings that highlight the qualities of our hi-fi systems – material that demonstrates its capabilities.

More often than not, audiophiles enjoy listening to music they don’t especially like or understand, providing the sound is good. Conversely, many may find it difficult to enjoy a piece of music they really like if it isn’t well-recorded. Like a favourite dish that’s been badly cooked or poorly prepared, the faults and limitations spoil our enjoyment. That said, when you’re really hungry, you’ll eat anything…

If you watch any of those hi-fi system videos on YouTube, where people play music to demonstrate the sound of their equipment, they nearly always choose a simple jazz piece that consists of drums and a solo saxophone with double bass – nothing too complicated. Such music is undemanding and easy on the ear. It has little intellectual depth or complexity but demonstrates crisp transient attack, a deep full bass, and holographic soundstaging. It’s the sound rather than the music itself that captures your interest and holds your attention – and perhaps that’s the key to understanding jazz? It’s the sound and way it evokes a particular mood that lets it cast its spell…

SEVEN STARS

My initiation to Jazz came with Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. This album, recorded in 1959, has become the must-have jazz recording to add to your music collection, even if you have no other jazz titles. It’s an album that’s grown in stature over the years. It’s so great because it works on two levels. It’s enjoyable and entertaining when you first encounter it but reveals greater depth and subtlety with repeated plays. The Columbia stereo recording is superb for the period and sounds impressively holographic in places.

Also from 1959 and Columbia is Dave Brubeck’s Time Out. This famous album ushered in the so-called cool jazz era of the nineteen sixties. And although the music itself has since become timeless, it does capture the feeling of relaxed confidence of the post-war years. Great sound too.

John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (recorded December 1964) is often included in many starter collections of great jazz albums. Yet, I am sad to say that I have never quite grasped it musically. A friend who loves the album told me that you just have to keep playing it until it sinks in…

Oscar Peterson’s Night Train on Verve is another seminal album featuring piano, bass, and drums. It’s very well-recorded and just keeps sounding better and better as your hi-fi improves. Produced by Norman Granz, it was recorded in December 1962 and is definitely a classic.

Another must-have album is Keith Jarrett’s The Koln Concert on ECM, from 1975. Sixty-six minutes of solo piano improvisations might not sound too promising, but the effect is really rather mesmerising. Yet apparently, Jarrett originally didn’t want to play the concert because he didn’t like the sound of the piano!

However, it’s the sound of the piano with its airy pearly treble that we all loved! You can hear Jarrett kicking the piano frame at one point… had anyone ever done that on records before? The Koln Concert established ECM as one of the most interesting and innovative record labels, ever.

Keith Jarrett has made a huge amount of albums, but another on ECM that’s highly recommended is Standards Vol 1 with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack deJohnette. The final track God Bless the Child is an amazing hypnotic tour de force...

Another classic audiophile staple is Jazz at the Pawnshop from the Swedish label Proprius. A live recording made at the Stampen club in Stockholm in 1976, it features vibes, piano, trumpet, sax, and drums in highly enjoyable performances of jazz standards.

The analogue recording sounds remarkably atmospheric and three dimensional, especially on vinyl, and has been used to demonstrate the capabilities of the finest equipment for the best part of fifty years. It’s also available on CD and SACD.

All the above recommendations are good, solid choices that have proven hugely popular over the years. While not particularly adventurous or the least bit avant-garde, they represent a good starting point from which to explore further. Now it’s up to you!

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