I second the observations that Concord and Blue Note products tend to be very well recorded. I'm not familiar with the ECM label but, given the other comments, I'm certainly going to check it out. Two labels not yet mentioned are MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) and FIM (First Impressions Music). Neither is a a jazz label per se, but there are jazz recordings on both. However, expect anything from MFSL or FIM to be pricey, particularly the former.
If you like jazz trio (piano, bass, and drums), you can't go wrong with any of FIM's recordings by the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio (Midnight Sugar, Misty, What a Wonderful Trio, and Autumn in Seattle). Yamamoto's stuff is all instrumental, no vocals. Sound and performmnce are exquisite.
A "bargain" label you might want to check out is one that's no longer around: DMP (Digital Music Products). Circa the early - mid 80s, they put out several all instrumental recordings by a group called Flim and the BB's, any of which can be had for a couple of bucks in used CD stores. The sound is a knockout.
For jazz that features both the vocal and instrumental, you can't go wrong with Patricia Barber's work which shows up on several different labels (Blue Note, Premonition Records, FIM, and MFSL). I have three of her recordings on MFSL hybrid SACD, and their sound is superior to anything else I own. But very pricey. I parted company with about $160 for just those three CDs. Though out of print, the three I purchased (Companion, Verse, and Modern Cool) are actually still available new and sealed from musicdirect.com (musicdirect.com bought MFSL after it went bankrupt some years ago). One of three I purchased, Modern Cool, was $60 when I got it about 6 weeks ago. It's now $100 on musicdirect.com. Go figure. But in the event Patricia Barber does interest you, you don't have to totally break the bank. The least expensive place to start is The Cole Porter Mix on Blue Note which runs around $13 at Amazon. Sound is excellent. Cafe Blue and Nighclub are available on the Koch label in the $14-$15 range but I haven't heard those so I can't vouch for them. Up another notch in the price ladder are the Cafe Blue and Nighclub HDCDs on the Premonition label (which I think were both previously released on FIM). The Premonition HDCDs are in the $28-$30 range, and the sound is top drawer.
There's a reason why Patricia Barber is often used to demo speakers in higher end audio shops. When I heard her FIM recording of A Taste of Honey on B&W 804 Diamonds, I left the shop with a pair!
If you like jazz trio (piano, bass, and drums), you can't go wrong with any of FIM's recordings by the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio (Midnight Sugar, Misty, What a Wonderful Trio, and Autumn in Seattle). Yamamoto's stuff is all instrumental, no vocals. Sound and performmnce are exquisite.
A "bargain" label you might want to check out is one that's no longer around: DMP (Digital Music Products). Circa the early - mid 80s, they put out several all instrumental recordings by a group called Flim and the BB's, any of which can be had for a couple of bucks in used CD stores. The sound is a knockout.
For jazz that features both the vocal and instrumental, you can't go wrong with Patricia Barber's work which shows up on several different labels (Blue Note, Premonition Records, FIM, and MFSL). I have three of her recordings on MFSL hybrid SACD, and their sound is superior to anything else I own. But very pricey. I parted company with about $160 for just those three CDs. Though out of print, the three I purchased (Companion, Verse, and Modern Cool) are actually still available new and sealed from musicdirect.com (musicdirect.com bought MFSL after it went bankrupt some years ago). One of three I purchased, Modern Cool, was $60 when I got it about 6 weeks ago. It's now $100 on musicdirect.com. Go figure. But in the event Patricia Barber does interest you, you don't have to totally break the bank. The least expensive place to start is The Cole Porter Mix on Blue Note which runs around $13 at Amazon. Sound is excellent. Cafe Blue and Nighclub are available on the Koch label in the $14-$15 range but I haven't heard those so I can't vouch for them. Up another notch in the price ladder are the Cafe Blue and Nighclub HDCDs on the Premonition label (which I think were both previously released on FIM). The Premonition HDCDs are in the $28-$30 range, and the sound is top drawer.
There's a reason why Patricia Barber is often used to demo speakers in higher end audio shops. When I heard her FIM recording of A Taste of Honey on B&W 804 Diamonds, I left the shop with a pair!