Jazz & the 1970s

It has occurred to me that out of the last three decades of the twentieth century, the 1970s contained the greatest number of significant jazz releases.

Some of the albums that stand out from that decade appear below. I am making this list based on those albums that I heard during that time. There are, of course, other albums from that decade that deserve mentioning, some of which I have not yet come to appreciate, such as Kenny Wheeler’s albums—Gnu High and Deer Wan.

It’s apparent from this list that women are under-represented. The past two decades of the twentieth-first century have seen more women in jazz. A disparity, of course, still exists.

There is a decidedly European slant here, with many of these albums having been released on the ECM label.

The music on this list makes up my jazz discoveries from when I was in my twenties. Many of these albums continue to draw my attention. 

 

Gary Burton, The New Quartet, 1973

Gary Burton, Ring, 1974

Jan Garbarek, Witchi-Tai-To, 1974

Miles Davis, Big Fun, 1974

Michal Urbaniak, Fusion, 1974

Miles Davis, Get Up With It, 1974

Michal Urbaniak, Atma, 1975

Keith Jarrett, Kohn Concert, 1975

Eberhard Weber, Yellow Fields, 1975

Arif Mardin, Journey, 1975

Jan Garbarek, Dansere, 1975

John Abercrombie, Timeless, 1975

Gary Burton, Passengers, 1976

Jan Garbarek, Dis, 1976

Keith Jarett, My Song, 1977

Ralph Towner, Solstice, Sound and Shadows, 1977

Eberhard Weber, Silent Feet, 1977

Jan Garbarek, Photo with Blue Sky…, 1978

Pat Metheny Group, Pat Metheny Group, 1978

Old and New Dreams, Old and New Dreams, 1979

Miroslav Vitous, First Meeting, 1979

L. Subramaniam, Fantasy without Limits, 1979

John Surman, Upon Reflection, 1979

Urszula Dudziak, Future Talk, 1979