Call me old fashioned, but The Dave Brubeck Quartet :3

And otherwise, the Keith Jarrett Trio are one of my favourites, though they've already been mentioned.

 

Here's another great Bill Evans piece: Come Rain or Come Shine. It starts at 0:47. I love the thematic statement at 1:02 and it's all around a great performance. The ending is brilliant too.

 

Hm, I'd recommend Blue Train by Coltrane. It goes without saying that he's quality... but that particular album captures some of the best parts of his act. I haven't listened, like really listened, to Jazz since I put down my sax - but I still get flashbacks to some of the highlights of that album.

Brazilian Jazz also has a certain special something that, I think, is hard to find elsewhere. Live acts in the genre tend to blow you away a little bit imo.

 

This is such a pretty piece, "Emily" from the 1960s film The Americanization of Emily:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvxD3LgD4yk

Bill Evans yet again, but someone else too: Eddie Gomez, the bassist. I hadn't understood the double bass, but I do now. What an extraordinarily beautiful instrument.

Song starts at 2:50.

 

Forgive me if any of this is stuff everyone has heard and I'm not sharing anything new, but I just started listing to and learning about Jazz.

Herbie Hancock - Dolphin Dance

Charles Mingus - Moanin'

Clifford Brown - George's Dilemma

La Nevada - Gil Evans

EDIT: If anyone has any really basic recs (the classics) besides the ones already mentioned, that would be awesome.

 

We have overlooked someone huge: Stan Getz, The Sound. What a great saxophonist, for me more pleasurable to listen to than Coltrane.

He has the most heart-achingly warm sound in the world.

Stan Getz & Bill Evans - Emily

 

Echoing the others' recommendation - I'm a huge fan of Kind of Blue, Miles Davis is incredible. Definitely check it out.

My favorite song on the album is easily So What.

Also was just about to suggest Stan Getz, but you got to that already Andro. You're absolutely right, his sax sounds nicer than Coltrane at times.

 

6 month necro...but who cares.

Personally I prefer Charlie Parker over Getz or Coltraine. If you listen to Get's version of the song "La Fiesta" I posted earlier in this topic done by Maynard Ferguson it just doesn't come out right. Something tells me while saxes are nice they just don't play Latin as well

 

That's fine, I don't really listen to Latin, so haven't ever noticed that. It doesn't define my criteria of liking one saxophonist over another.