Famous Western jazz classics. Recommended popular songs.

Watermelon ManHerbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock – Watermelon Man (1962)

Herbie Hancock, whose innovative ideas and playing style greatly expanded the possibilities of jazz and freely leapt across genre boundaries, continues to exert a profound influence on subsequent artists.

Among the many classic albums and songs he has left in jazz history, this time we’re focusing on the renowned Watermelon Man from his debut leader album, Takin’ Off.

Released in 1962 when Hancock was 22, the album consists entirely of his original compositions and offers a pure jazz performance from Hancock before he ventured into more crossover sounds.

In addition to the light, blues-tinged piano woven from its chord progression, standout moments include Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet solo and Dexter Gordon’s tenor solo.

UnforgettableNatalie Cole

Unforgettable (Duet with Nat King Cole)

Here’s a song composed by Irving Gordon in 1951.

The version sung by Nat King Cole became a huge hit and turned into a standard number.

In 1991, his daughter Natalie Cole released the same song as a duet with her late father, using his archival vocal recording, and it won at the 34th Grammy Awards.

It remains a favorite among jazz vocalists today—an enduring ballad that makes you feel warm inside.

Street Fighter MasKamasi Washington

Kamasi Washington – Street Fighter Mas

Since the 2000s, many jazz musicians with unique talent and sensibility have emerged, and Kamasi Washington, a jazz saxophonist from California, is certainly one of them.

Raised in a musical family, the very fact that Kamasi released his breakthrough 2015 solo work “V” on the label of the genius beatmaker Flying Lotus sets him apart from so-called conventional jazz musicians, making him a symbolic figure of the borderless jazz artists born in the 2000s–2010s.

The track featured here is “Street Fighter Mas,” whose spiritual choral work creates a vast sonic universe.

It appears on the 2018 album “Heaven & Earth,” and he performed it as the opening number during his set at Summer Sonic 2018.

As the title suggests, some listeners will catch the reference: the piece is inspired by the classic video game Street Fighter, which Kamasi was obsessed with in his youth.

The fact that he even describes it as a “theme song” for himself when he plays the game shows his charming side.

Be sure to check out the music video too!

Days Of Wine & RosesOscar Peterson Trio

Days Of Wine & Roses / Oscar Peterson Trio

Days of Wine and Roses by the Oscar Peterson Trio is renowned as a masterful piano trio performance.

Composed as the theme for the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses, the song won several Grammy Awards.

The lyrics, written by Johnny Mercer—the founder of Capitol Records—reflect the film’s story about a couple descending into alcoholism.

Recorded soon after the song became a hit, Oscar Peterson’s rendition is a technically brilliant, bluesy masterpiece—be sure to give it a listen!

Take TenPaul Desmond

Paul Desmond – Take Ten

Speaking of Paul Desmond, his most famous piece is Take Five, which he composed and released with the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959.

This track, however, was written by him as a follow-up and included on an album released in 1963.

Despite being in the unusual meter of 5/4, the melody flows so naturally that you hardly notice it—classic Desmond.

The witty theme, which further develops the ideas of Take Five, is likely to bring a sly smile to your face.

Feel Like Making LoveMarlena Shaw

Marlena Shaw – Feel Like Makin’ Love

With its moist, refined sensuality and chic flavor, this is a true masterpiece of adult-oriented vocal music.

Known in Japan under the title “Ai no Tameiki” (“Sigh of Love”), the song was written by Eugene McDaniels, who also had success as a singer-songwriter.

The first to perform it was popular soul singer Roberta Flack, whose 1975 album of the same name was also a hit.

The version introduced here is sung by Marlena Shaw, a singer beloved both for her blend of jazz and soul sensibilities and as a frequent source for samples in later hip-hop.

Beyond Shaw’s superb vocals, the sound—featuring two superstar fusion guitarists, David T.

Walker and Larry Carlton—offers a mellow yet irresistibly funky groove that feels absolutely sublime.

Maiden VoyageRobert Glasper

Robert Glasper – Maiden Voyage

Many people might assume that jazz is old music and has nothing to do with them, right? But jazz, with its long history, is a genre that continues to evolve in real time, and many outstanding musicians have emerged since the 2000s.

Robert Glasper, whom we’re introducing here, is one of the most famous jazz pianists to have risen to prominence in that decade.

His style, which moves freely not only through jazz but also hip-hop and R&B, has earned high praise both at home and abroad.

On his 2004 album “Mood,” Glasper included an unconventional cover of “Maiden Voyage,” mashing up Herbie Hancock’s classic with a song by the hugely popular British band Radiohead.

The sheer taste on display is astonishing, and it’s a must-hear for anyone who loves alternative rock and is curious about jazz!