TOP 100 Jazz Albums

**Dirk** · 12-01-2009, 03:28 PM

Update: view the final list on the blog: Top 100 Jazz Albums

Remember how we made a "Top 100" of jazz guitar albums a while ago?
(TOP 100 Jazz Guitar Albums | TOP 10 Jazz Guitarists).

I want to do the same for non-guitar jazz albums. Please post the jazz
albums that you think need to be included the Top 100 list.
Remember, no albums that have a guitarist as leader.

Don't take this too serious please, it's just a list with a lot of
great records that we can show to jazz beginners as recommended
listening.

Here's my list:

*Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
*John Coltrane - Giant Steps
*Joshua Redman - Wish
*Michael Brecker - Tales from the Hudson
*Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser
*Charlie Parker - Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Collection
*The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
*Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
*Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert
*João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto

**randalljazz** · 12-01-2009, 03:44 PM

okay, i'll play:

stan getz---serenity
manhattan transfer---vocalese
herbie hancock---maiden voyage
wayne shorter---speak no evil
curtis counce---landslide
count basie---complete atomic basie
zoot sims---if i'm lucky
horace silver---horacescope
bill evans---intuition
adderley brothers---summer of '55

(uhhh...joao is a guitarist...)

**heycheckit** · 12-01-2009, 05:05 PM

I'll chime in:

Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones
Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
Stan Getz/Gilberto/Jobim - Getz/Gilberto

**brad4d8** · 12-01-2009, 05:31 PM

John Coltrane:A Love Supreme
Roland Kirk: Rip, Rig and Panic
Louis Armstrong: I don't know what's currently available, but I have a 2 LP set of hot five and seven recordings that belongs in any jazz collection.
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew
Charlie Parker: Complete Savoy Sessions
Ornette Coleman: Change of the Century
Johnny Hodges: Three Shades of Blue
Again, I don't know current available titles, but Duke Ellington and Count Basie belong in there somewhere.
Brad

**FatJeff** · 12-01-2009, 05:35 PM

Here's a couple off the top of my head:

Cannonball Adderley - Them Dirty Blues
Larry Young - Unity
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay
Joe Henderson - Page One
Count Basie - Straight Ahead
Hank Mobley - Another Workout
J.J. Johnson - Trombone Master
Charles Mingus - Ah Um
Miles Davis - Milestones
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Charles Lloyd - Forest Flower (Live At Monterey)
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
Lee Morgan - Cornbread
Lester Young - Lester Young Trio

**flankman** · 12-01-2009, 05:42 PM

1 Oliver Nelson--Sound Pieces
2 John Coltrane---A Love Supreme

**TomG** · 12-01-2009, 05:51 PM

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Charlie Mingus - Tijuana Moods
Billie Holiday - Body and Soul
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Roy Hargrove - Habana
Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Les McCann Trio - Swiss Movement

List seems to be in a state of flux, albums keep moving in and out, will need to stop at some point and submit.

**siliconbronze** · 12-01-2009, 05:54 PM

Clifford Brown - Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Ella Fitzgerald - almost anything
Swingle Swingers - Jean-Sebastien BACH
Thelonius Monk

**funkendub** · 12-01-2009, 05:57 PM

Pretty much anything by Weather Report, in particular:
Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Herbie Hancock - Dis Is Da Drum

Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel - Nuclear Tiger

Stephane Grappelli - Sunday in Paris

**fileas** · 12-01-2009, 06:01 PM

Brad Mehldau - The Art of Trio
Joshua Redman - Elastic
Megashira - At Last
Shirley Scott - Oasis
Sonny Rollins - Rollin Round Midnight

**John_Horne** · 12-01-2009, 06:10 PM

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz to Come

My collection consists of greatest hits-type records for the following 3 artists but I feel strongly that they need to be represented.

Louis Armstrong
Count Basie
Duke Ellington

**flankman** · 12-01-2009, 06:22 PM

3 Joe Sample--Invitation
4 Chick Corea Quartet---Time Warp
5 Sun Ra---Sun Song
6 Oliver Nelson/Eric Dolphy---Blues And The Abstract Truth
7 Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane
8 John Coltrane--Ballads
9 Coltrane Plays the blues
10 Charles Lloyd--Voice In The Night sorry ( John Abrecrombie) Great!!
11 Grover Washington Jr.---Breath Of Heaven

**TZMS&P** · 12-01-2009, 06:29 PM

Sonny Rollins- The Bridge
Herbie Hancock- Manchild
Max Roach, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus Trio-Money Jungle
Thelonius Monk- Alone In San Francisco
Red Garland, Ron Carter & Philly Joe Jones- Crossings

to name a few special favorites. Great list so far.

Randal Robledo
Austin TX

**guitarjam** · 12-01-2009, 07:01 PM

In no particular order:
The Italian Sessions - Chet Baker
Ballads and Blues - Milt Jackson
Live at Basin Street - Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Like a Lover - Gene Harris Trio
Jazz Giant - Benny Carter
My Fair Lady - Shelly Manne
Sweets - Harry "Sweets" Edison
West Coast Jazz - Stan Getz
Sidewinder - Lee Morgan

**racine09** · 12-01-2009, 07:03 PM

My fave jazz albums (not primarily guitar)
Herbie Mann- Standing Ovation at Newport

Jimmy Smith- The Cat with Lalo Schifrin
(OK, Kenny Burrell is in there too!)

The Other Side of Dudley Moore (UK - maybe different US title)
-The Dudley Moore Trio

Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds

Francois Rabbath _ The Sound of a Bass

Roland Kirk - I talk With the Spirits

Don Ellis- Electric Bath and Live in 3 2/3 4 Time

**kenjames** · 12-01-2009, 07:05 PM

Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
Jazz Samba - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
Benny Goodman - Live at Carnegie Hall
Charlie Parker - Complete Savoy Sessions
Charlie Parker with Strings
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Louis Armstrong - Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Billie Holiday - The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944)
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks
Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings

**Bluesguy** · 12-01-2009, 07:12 PM

There are jazz albums not led by guitarists? Who woulda known?

Stan Getz/Gilberto/Jobim - Getz/Gilberto
Milestones-- Miles
Duke Ellington -- Duke Ellington
Billie's Best -- Billie Holiday
Time Out -- Brubeck
Time Further Out -- Brubeck
Straight Ahead -- Count Basie

**Mercury-Prog** · 12-01-2009, 07:17 PM

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch
Ornette - Live at the Golden Circle
Thelonious Monk - and John Coltrane
Stan Getz-Live At Storyville
Parker - Complete Savoy & Dial Sessions
Rollins - Night at Vanguard
Larry Young - Unity
Coltrane - My Fav Things
Miles - Relaxin
Clifford Brown - Memorial Album

**ggElardo** · 12-01-2009, 07:19 PM

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Branford Marsalis - Trio Jeepy
Joe Henderson - Double Rainbow
Al DiMeola - Orange and Blue
Herbie Hancock - The River
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
Roy Hargrove - With the Tenors of Our Time

**hvysoul17** · 12-01-2009, 07:29 PM

John Coltrane Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard
Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Bud Powell Trio; Bouncing with Bud Powell
Jimmy Smith: The Difinitive
Hank Mobley: Dippin'
Bill Evans: Everybody digs...
Dexter Gordon: Our Man In Paris
Eric Dolphy Quintet: Outward Bound
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: A NIght In Tunisia
Milt Jackson: Late Night Jazz
...I could go on forever.

**John castelo** · 12-01-2009, 07:35 PM

In no particular order>

Big Phat Band (Gordon Goodwin)- Swingin for the fences
Voice (south african jazz, this is amazing no 4\4) - Quintet Legacy
Earth Works (Bill Bruford)- The sound of surprise
We get requests (Oscar Peterson trio)

**bbcoz** · 12-01-2009, 07:37 PM

Dave Brubeck Time out
Miles Davis In a Silent Way
Anything by Weather report up to and including Mr Gone but more so Mysterious Traveller
Jean Luc Ponty Upon the Wings of Music
Oscar Peterson Trio Live and at it's best

**pallopenna** · 12-01-2009, 08:07 PM

I'll duplicate some other's suggestions, no doubt. With all of the repackaging of older sides, I cannot be sure of which of specific album to choose in some cases...

Kind of Blue - Miles (not just the best jazz album - the best album period)
Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins
Shape of Jazz To Come - Ornette Coleman
Any compilation of the Hot Club of France, or anything by Django
A Love Supreme - Coltrane
Bird's Savoy Recordings
Monk's Blue Note Recordings
At least two Duke Ellington Recordings (one early, one later & possibly one of the Carnegie Hall concerts)
Mingus-Ah-Uhm (at least)
Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Something by Jelly Roll Morton (I don't know the reissues so well)
" Fats Waller
At least two by Louis Armstrong from different periods
One of the solo & one of the small group sides by Art Tatum
Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert
Something by Coleman Hawkins (again, I'm not sure about the reissues)
One Lester Young with Count Basie
One Lester Young small group setting
Les Stance a Sophie - Art Ensemble of Chicago (this is my favorite, but take your pick)
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett
Smack Up - Art Pepper (or Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section)
Ella Fitzgerald - The Duke Ellington Songbook
Stan Getz - (I'm baffled here; pick one!)
The Complete Blue Note Recordings - Herbie Nichols
The Book Cooks - Booker Ervin
Conference of the Birds - Dave Holland et. all (I like so many of Holland's recordings, it's hard to choose)
In The Tradition - Vols I & II - Anthony Braxton (also Birth & Rebirth w/ Max Roach)
Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Sonny Side Up - Dizzy et. al
Cool Struttin' - Sonny Clark
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Escalator Over the Hill - Carla Bley
Places We've Been - Bunky Green (an amazing, amazing sax player & musician)
King Pleasure Sings (not really a greatest, but a pleasure for sure)
Out There - Eric Dolphy
Further Definitions - Benny Carter

...there's so many more - 100 seems like too small a number!

**philipjkim** · 12-01-2009, 08:15 PM

Count Basie - Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
Bill Evans - Interplay
Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley
Diana Krall - Live in Paris
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Bill Evans - Time Remembered
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave

(Sorted by album title

)

**mcniac** · 12-01-2009, 08:28 PM

i'll just add a few that comes to my mind

power of three (Michel Pretruccianni, Jim Hal, Wayne Shorter)
play (Chick Corea , Bobby McFerrin)
school days (Stanley Clarke)

Esteban