Someone repped asking about a Raphael Saadiq face fuckin' song. Didn't feel like searching through his albums to figure out what song alludes to blowjobs, but in this one he tells a girl he basically wants to fuck her behind some bushes or a building. Use your imagination.
For something with a little flare to it... Club des Belugas has an awesome sound. More spoilered examples: Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
I know dick all about jazz. I have seen Mediski, Martin, and Wood twice in concert and was quite impressed both times. Tight band, very relaxing sounds. Having taken German in high school and college the funky german hipsters in the bubble pictures in our workbooks always thought "Acid Jazz" was the bees knees. Sounds like a cool concept, anyone know any good bands in that genre?
If you want some music that goes well with a mellow, outdoors setting, try Antonio Carlos Jobim (the guy who wrote "Girl From Ipanema"). Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, if you want to embrace the hick in you. I'll second Jaco Pastorius. His eponymous album is fucking amazing. Joe Pass was a fucking amazing guitarist. Download all 4 of his Virtuoso albums. (Something's fucked up with his sound setup here, so it's not the best recording) Kubla, if you want to try out some acid jazz, I would recommend St. Germain's first album, Tourist. It's definitely the bee's knees when the bass comes in at 0:40. Just ignore the video.
I don't know much about jazz, but if you have an interest in Blues, you can't go wrong with John Lee Hooker.
Ella Fitzgerald, especially her collaborations with Louis Armstrong. And whoever mentioned early Billie Holiday was spot on, she is my go-to for easy listening. If you want something a little more contemporary, Christian Scott is my new favorite horn player.
I read the first reply and didn't see John Coltrane. Then I read the rest of the thread and STILL DIDN'T SEE JOHN COLTRANE. Learn somethin'. (Shout out to Bird as well. And Kind of Blue is kind of great.)
I'm not very well versed in Jazz, since I mostly just throw on Birth of Cool and call it good. Blues, though. Oh sweet, sweet blues. For easy listening, check out the Eric Clapton / JJ Cale album Road to Escondido. The whole album is great, and God I love this song. A dark room, a glass of scotch, and this playing is my solution for just drifting away from the world's ills for a time. In fact, Eric Clapton Unplugged is a great choice too. Eric's rep is as a great guitarist, but when he uses it his voice is second to none. Like honeyed whisky poured over a bed of gravel.
Though personally I prefer the version from the Talented Mr. Ripley by Guy Barker. And, for the hell of it, if you recognize that stupid house/dance type song with Italian lyrics being played in clubs that sounds like "fa fa 'mericano" being hummed over and over, this is an updated version of where that piece of shit came from. Finally, it's not quite jazz, but it's a mod classic.
Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery for some nice Jazz Guitar. Below the Bassline by Ernest Ranglin is an awesome album.
- Pat Metheny: One Quiet Night. The whole album is awesome and is exceptionally relaxing. - Cinematic Orchestra: The Man With The Movie Camera , Again, the whole album is great and a little more upbeat in some parts. There is one song, though, that has a loud, annoying foghorn for about a minute. If you choose to play the album, ditch that one song. - As Stimpson mentioned before, pretty much anything by Joe Pass is fantastic. - To throw some blues in there, Stevie Ray Vaughan. My personal favorite album is "The Sky is Crying," but you can't go wrong with anything of his. - Another great blues guy is Tab Benoit. Definitely worth checking out. Kind of a cross between Clapton and SRV. - As was mentioned before John Scofield is another great jazz guitarist with a very unique sound. When joined up with Medeski, Martin, and Wood, the group makes some seriously great music. The "A Go Go" album is one of their best collaborations. - Soulive is, by far, one of my favorite bands. Kind of a Jam/Jazz mix. A good album to start with is "Next."
A few good albums that I've found to be perfect: Wes Montgomery - Smokin' At The Half Note BB King - Live At The Regal
You can never go wrong with Ben Harper. Easy listening, mass market blues that almost everyone can relax to.
Also, since someone mentioned Frank Sinatra, can I just say: Live at the Sands. This Rat Pack album is Frank, Sammy and Dean at their absolute finest: crackin' jokes at each other, crackin' jokes at the audience, deliberately changing the lyrics to dirty innuendos, drunken rambling, and some of the finest singing this planet has ever heard. It's recorded at the Sands Hotel during dinnertime, which strikes me as particularly fitting for your purpose. "If you wanna hear me sing serious, buy an album."
I'm a big fan of She & Him. Both their albums are more folksy 60's music, but it's definitely something you could keep on in the background and relax to. In the same vein, Coconut Records has a Beatles crossed with The Beach Boys type feel to them. Amos Lee is another newer artist that does mostly slow songs. Not so much Jazz based, but still good. If you want something more upbeat, you could throw some select Black Keys songs in. Any of Feist's albums would probably fit the bill. Jaime Cullum is another good choice.
I've always been a big fan of Modern jazz Quartet for background jazz. Piano, drums, bass, and vibraphone creates a really mellow sound. I recently received a copy of this CD as a gift, and I found that I dug it a lot more than I would have expected.