make your head spin with their time changes; and yet, they still manage to be pretty damn catchy and easy to digest overall.

The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady (1963) by Charles Mingus When it comes to the mythical career of bassist/composer extraordinaire Charles Mingus, this is the cream of the crop. Composed as a ballet, which Mingus himself describes as “ethnic folk-dance music”, the record-length piece tap dances on the thin line between listenable and experimental. At times, it’s subtle and haunting; at others, your senses are drowned in a thick, sticky layer of cacophony. The fact that the album sounds entirely improvisational is

no accident; this record is

the best example of Charles Mingus being Charles Mingus. In meticulously composing and recording an album, from start to finish, not a note off from his vision of the album that would be remembered as challenging and emotionally draining, yet ultimately gorgeous and a worthwhile work of art. If I were giving out an award for best of the list, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady would take the cake.

Pastel Blues (1965) by Nina Simone

If this album didn’t exist, I’m not quite sure there would be room for vocal jazz on this list. Consisting of 35 minutes of jazz, blues, and folk, this easily digestible gem doesn’t overstay its welcome. Whether it’s an original tune or a superior version of a Billie Holiday number, when Nina Simone brings her husky voice to the table, it sounds like doves weeping tears of unfiltered joy. The stand-out track is the epic gospel standard “Sinnerman,” taken to a whole new level

by Simone’s aggressive piano playing. “Strange Fruit” doesn’t put Holiday’s original to shame, but it is the definitive arrangement of the protest song.

Headhunters (1973) by Herbie Hancock

By the 1970s, a big chunk of the old guard jazz musicians that hadn't succumbed to substance abuse were experimenting with electric instruments. The result was a spacey, funky version

of jazz, born of greats such as Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, and Herbie Hancock. Davis missed the mark with On the Corner the same year, and Zappa was still finding himself,

but Hancock

a 4

came in and set the bar toa height that still hasn’t been reached in the world of electric jazz. Two of Hancock’s finest compositions grace

the first side of the record;

a 15-minute-long electric synth jam through time and space called “Chameleon,”

and “Watermelon Man,’ a modern do-over of one of his old standards. Over the course of just four tracks, Hancock solidified his place as the king of jazz fusion and a massive influence of funk music.

Last time I checked, the libraries at both campuses

of Douglas College had all

of these CDs, along with

about two dozen more fine albums to represent a genre I’m passionate about. I do think that these five albums are a perfect place to start

for anyone who wants to step their jazz game up a tad. Who knows; maybe you'll be like me and find that jazz music makes you feel a little bit cooler.