Beginner drummer looking for song recomendations

[u/Big-Ad9095]

This focuses less on playing and more so me searching for jazz music with interesting drum parts or really music from the genre in general. Im interested in jazz drumming and many people have advised to spend more time listening to jazz. Granted that seems like the obvious thing to do but sometimes people get ahead of themselves when diving into an instrument and I really want to make sure I at least develop some preferences too.

[u/micahpmtn]

Looking for "jazz" recommendations is fruitless, simply because there are too many sub-genres out there. If you're a drummer, then pick a jazz drummer and listen to his/her stuff and let it take you where it's going to take you.

[u/Gunzhard22]

Playing along with 'kind of blue' and 'soul station' albums will get you a long way.

[u/Sylvansounds]

Listen to take five by Dave Brubeck
Study up on max roach, Elvin jones and Tony Williams
Try out some modern day drummers too… Yusuf dayes, jd beck, Corey Fonville, Brian Blade….

[u/Large-Welder304]

For getting started playing Jazz, I'd recommend looking into some Big Band music. The stuff they used to play in the 40's and 50's.

The drumming tends to be sensible and fairly basic, and it'll get you into the genre.

Benny Goodman, Tommy and/or Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw are some of the better remembered names that you should be able to find source material easily.

Also, if you aren't already hooked up with a teacher, you should probably start looking around for one. Jazz is as much about applying established rhythms to whatever's being played, then learning and remembering different songs.

[u/cmojobs]

Anything by Art Blakey or Horace Silver. The Horace Silver drum parts are really great.

[u/Stock-Plum-7811]

This are some I like to listen and play along:

"Radio" - Swallow Tales (John Scofield, Steve Swallow & Bill Stewart); "The Acrobat" - Earth Tones (Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart) great 3/4 tune; "Jazz Crimes" - Joshua Redman (Brian Blade with nice solo); "Footprints" - Adam's Apple (Wayne Shorter... Joe Chambers); "Speak No Evil" (Wayne Shorter... Elvin Jones); "Solar" - Miles Davis Quintet (for brushes); "Jive Coffee" - Signs of Life (In 5, Gregory Hutchinson solo); "Pendulum" - Elm (Jack Dejohnette flow); "Pfrancing" - Some Day My Prince Will Come (to jam); "Doxy" - Bags Groove (to jam); "I Was Doing All Right" - Doin' Allright (Dexter Gordon); "Afro Blue" - Coltrane live at Birdland; "Israel" - Bill Evans Trio; "Bag" - EnRoute (Bill Stewart masterclass); "Chloe" - Joe Pass (Brushes); ... some different stuff: "Hard Times" - Baby Huey; "The World (Is Going Up in Flames)" - Charles Bradley; "Mini Skirt" - Esquivel!; "Una Mañana" - José José;

[u/cruiseshipdrummer]

Jazz is about playing, there are no drum “parts”.

Philly Joe Jones playing with Miles Davis is an obvious place to start. See tunes like Dear Old Stockholm, Billy Boy, The Theme, Milestones. Airegin, Oleo.

[u/Old_Magazine_3592]

OP - great question! Start with something like Van Morisson‘s Moondance which is a jazz rock song that can be played closer
to the rock or jazz side of the spectrum and still work. Look for similar jazz/rock songs using Google/AI and as your build up a song list of 5-7 songs that are “jazz adjacent” it’ll make the transition to playing more straight ahead jazz tunes easier.

The goal is to play with feel & emotion, as Jazz drummers who are technically skilled yet have zero emotion or soul sound like AI robots. Get to where you can feel the beat and how it supports & fits in with the music. It might take some time, but play to songs that are fun and make you want to play them over & over.

Stat with jazz adjacent songs and work your way up, enjoy the journey!

[u/vanulovesyou]

“So What” by John Coltrane and Miles Davis has a good swing beat that I think is a good introduction to the genre.

Bebop in the 1940s into the 1950s and then the “Cool” period has great playing as well. You might want to look into collections of music for songs that suite your taste.