Six jazz albums to keep you warm through the winter

25/11/2024

Maddi O'Meara recommends six must-listen albums for the colder months, from the fifties to 2019

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By Maddi O\'Meara

Now that the hours seem to be slipping out of our grasp and the distinction between night and day gets smaller, there is no better time to obsessively attach yourself to an album that you will eventually hate but come to love again next winter. Luckily for you, I have six options, all suited to your favourite winter-time activities; whether that be working, procrastinating, falling in love; there is something here for everyone.

Undercurrent (1962), Bill Evans and Jim Hall
This undeniable classic is an album I believe everyone should listen to, no matter the time of year. It can’t be argued, however, that the scene that Evans paints in his (debatable) magnum opus, ‘Skating in Central Park’, is made all the more inviting when the leaves have fallen and the condensation of your own warm breath can be seen. Oh, what it must’ve been like to grieve the bass player of your own trio  in New York city, as one of the most renowned jazz piano players in October of 1961? I don't know. You probably don’t either. But I imagine it would sound something like Undercurrent.

Sound Sun Pleasure!! (1959), Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra
Now onto something more obscene. But not the planet-transcending obscene that is typical of Sun Ra; unlike the otherworldly sound patterns formed in New Steps (1978) and The Night of the Purple Moon (1970), Sound Sun Pleasure!! remains tethered to our macrocosm. The sound is far more palpable and the story is more human; in just six tracks, Sun Ra defines what it means to find love, to miscommunicate, to distance yourself only to return, to rejuvenate, all to find yourself reminiscing back on the beautiful and the ugly. What is so incredible about this album is that the tracks are all so independent from one another  that I find it apt for any winter-time occasion. The ponderous and misty opening of ‘Round Midnight’ makes the perfect track to close an eventful night, whereas the final track is just the right swinging, bebop sound to get it all started. Like the allegory of finding and losing love, it all comes full circle in Sound Sun Pleasure!!

Mingus Ah Um (1959), Charles Mingus
What is a jazz album recommendations list without a bit of Mingus? Amongst the shivering and wilted world of singer-songwriter winter, where all can be heard is Elliott Smith and Mojave 5, Mingus Ah Um is the dose of chaos you’ve been craving. This album will take you here, there and everywhere; a snappy, rather startling opening track, followed by ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’, a Mingus classic that will soothe you back into  sweet wintertime dissociation. A perfect, midday library companion, when it seems like there are only two hours left in the day at the young time of 4pm. You do not have the willpower and drive to finish that reading, but God knows Mingus does.

Cookin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet (1957), Miles Davis Quintet
Miles and his band of four have given us the opportunity to be Relaxin’, Workin’ and Steamin’ with them but during winter I believe there is no better time to accompany them in some Cookin’. With only four tracks and just over half an hour long, this short but savoury album makes the perfect oven timer, or even a theme-tune to whip up a pork noodle stir fry (according to BBC goodfood). With all those friendsgiving and Christmas dinner parties you regret planning, why not let the Miles Davis Quintet do all the work for you? Save the wine for the guests and instead drown out the thoughts of despair with those sweet little trumpet sounds we all know and love.

Searching (2019), Ronald Langestraat
Taking a quick break from the twentieth century and moving into the current, although this album seems to be floating within the paradox of  being both before and ahead of its time. Langestraat’s first album, Searching perfectly encapsulates the groove of a late winter night, whether you find yourself home alone or in the company of friends. The soundscape here is clear and consistent, with an aesthetic akin to that of habibi funk; the reverberation quality powerful enough to fill a large, hollow space with acidic sounds of down-beat jazz. It’s a tasteful accomplice to your winter-time gatherings.

The Line of Time and the Plane of Now (1974), Shira Small
Predictably saving the best for last, Small’s first and only album is another good reason, whatever the weather . Yet it cannot be argued that her sombre, soulful voice makes a stronger sentiment as you find yourself in an end-of-year state of reflection. ‘My Life’s All Right’ is the clear top track, stringing together the melancholic piano with tender words of complete contentment. Others , such as ‘Lights Gleam Lonely’ and ‘Eternal Life’, will speak to the poet within you. The one who cannot help but reminisce on the resolutions you promised yourself, the inevitable changes in your hair, the deepening void in your bank account that seemed to appear in the summer. Soon the frost will begin to thaw, and the mornings will become more beguiling, and before you know it you will be here once again. This sounds bad, but it’s not – it’s actually wonderful. The Line of Time and the Plane of Now will help you understand that.