Here are a four of my favorites from the golden age of jazz:
MILES DAVIS
Miles Davis: 'Round Midnight
[purchase]
Mile Davis is a true jazz giant and the only jazz trumpeter who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Louis Armstrong in the hall of jazz imortals. This recording of Thelonious Monk's 'Round Midnight (with John Coltrane on Tenor Sax) is stunning.
[Read Miles Davis Bio]
FREDDIE HUBBARD
Freddie Hubbard: Delphia
[purchase]
Freddie Hubbard may not be as well known as the other jazz icons featured in this post, but he certainly qualifies as one of the all-time greats. Before his solo career he played on such seminal albums as Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch and Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage. This one comes from my favoite Freddie Hubbard album, Red Clay (1970). It's nice and funky.
[Read Freddie Hubbard Bio]
LEE MORGAN
Lee Morgan: Since I Fell For You
[purchase]
Lee Morgan is maybe the most accessible jazz trumpeter for those new the genre. He started playing as a professional while still a teenager. Tragically, Lee Morgan was murdered by his common-law wife at the young age of 33.
[Read Lee Morgan Bio]
CLIFFORD BROWN
Clifford Brown: Joy Spring
[purchase]
Clifford Brown was another brilliant trumpeter who tragically passed away at a young age. He was only 25 years old when killed in a traffic accident. His recorded work is wonderful but who knows what might have been...
[Read Clifford Brown Bio]