Greatest Jazz Albums

Jazz has had the broadest perspective of all genre's in music since it's first note to the present day. It is for that reason that this list is presented in the same manner, with respect to all the myriad forms & interpretations of Jazz that exist today.

Criteria: - These Jazz Albums were chosen to showcase the artists musical vision through their originality, influence, instrumental quality and creative inspiration. This list does not include 'compilations', 'greatest hits', or 'live' albums... or albums by those artists who were primarily jazz vocalists.

List compiled by and Editor: Rick Varner

Link: http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_jazz/best_jazzalbums.html

1. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
2. A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
3. Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus
4. Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk
5. Time Out - Dave Brubeck
6. The Blues & The Abstract Truth - Oliver Nelson
7. The Incredible Jazz Guitar - Wes Montgomery
8. Song For My Father - Horace Silver
9. Out To Lunch - Eric Dolphy
10. The Shape Of Jazz To Come - Ornette Coleman
11. Virtuoso - Joe Pass
12. Giant Steps - John Coltrane
13. In A Silent Way - Miles Davis
14. Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderley
15. Idle Moments - Grant Green
16. Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
17. Sax Colossus - Sonny Rollins
18. Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter
19. Inner Mounting Flame - Mahavishnu Orchestra
20. Sidewinder - Lee Morgan
21. Birth Of The Cool - Miles Davis
22. Black Codes (From The Underground) - Wynton Marsalis
23. Conference Of The Birds - Dave Holland
24. Monk's Dream - Thelonius Monk
25. Bright Size Life - Pat Metheny
26. Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
27. My Favorite Things - John Coltrane
28. Milestones - Miles Davis
29. Percussion Bitter Sweet - Max Roach
30. Return To Forever - Chick Corea
31. Midnight Blue - Kenny Burrell
32. Birds Of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra
33. Go - Dexter Gordon
34. Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto
35. And His Mother Called Him Bill - Duke Ellington
36. The Real McCoy - McCoy Tyner
37. Romantic Warrior - Return To Forever
38. Elegant Gypsy - Al DiMeola
39. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
40. Moanin - Art Blakey
41. Night Hawk - Coleman Hawkins
42. Django - Modern Jazz Quartet
43. Now He Sings, Now He Sobs - Chick Corea
44. Bass On Top - Paul Chambers
45. Supersonic Jazz - Sun Ra
46. Bird & Diz - Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie
47. Blue Train - John Coltrane
48. The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus
49. Mister Magic - Grover Washington Jr.
50. Spectrum - Billy Cobham
51. Bumpin' - Wes Montgomery
52. Miles Ahead - Miles Davis
53. Heavy Weather - Weather Report
54. Headhunters - Herbie Hancock
55. Where Have I Known You Before - Return To Forever
56. Empyrean Isles - Herbie Hancock
57. Cool Struttin' - Sonny Clark
58. The Great Summit - Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong
59. Blues & Roots - Charles Mingus
60. Invitation To Openness - Les McCann
61. Rip, Rig & Panic - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
62. Soul Station - Hank Mobley
63. For Django - Joe Pass
64. Open Sesame - Freddie Hubbard
65. Pure Desmond - Paul Desmond
66. Ezz-thetics - George Russell
67. Point Of Departure - Andrew Hill
68. Living Legend - Art Pepper
69. Byrd In Flight - Donald Byrd
70. Life Time - Tony Williams
71. Solo Flight - Charlie Christian
72. Takin' Off - Herbie Hancock
73. Karma - Pharoah Sanders
74. Back At The Chicken Shack - Jimmy Smith
75. Study In Brown - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
76. Black Unity - Pharoah Sanders
77. Breezin' - George Benson
78. Solo Guitar - Ted Greene
79. Gateway - Dave Holland
80. Electric Guitarist - John McLaughlin
81. Infinity - McCoy Tyner
82. Play - Mike Stern
83. The Far East Suite - Duke Ellington
84. We Free Kings - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
85. Timeless - John Abercrombie
86. Secret Story - Pat Metheny
87. Out Of The Cool - Gil Evans
88. Swing, Swang, Swingin' - Jackie McClean
89. Upfront - David Sanborn
90. Hand Jive - John Scofield
91. Blues Dream - Bill Frisell
92. Return - Bill Connors
93. Mosaic - Art Blakey
94. Unit Structure - Cecil Taylor
95. Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section - Art Pepper
96. Snide Remarks - Bill Stewart
97. Thembi - Pharoah Sanders
98. Plays W. C. Handy - Louis Armstrong
99. Spaces - Larry Coryell
100. Unity - Larry Young

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101. Blowin' Session - Johnny Griffin
102. The Elektric Band - Chick Corea
103. 1+1 - Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock
104. Hub Tones - Freddie Hubbard
105. A Fickle Sonance - Jackie McLean
106. This One's For Blanton - Duke Ellington & Ray Brown
107. Our Man In Paris - Dexter Gordon
108. I Can See Your House From Here - Pat Metheny & John Scofield
109. Straight No Chaser - Thelonious Monk
110. Chet - Chet Baker
111. Moonlighting - The Rippingtons
112. Sketches Of Spain - Miles Davis
113. Extrapolation - John McLaughlin
114. Caliente - Gato Barbieri
115. Aurora - Jean-Luc Ponty
116. The Next Step - Kurt Rosenwinkel
117. Ascension - John Coltrane
118. The Akoustic Band - Chick Corea
119. Green Street - Grant Green
120. Zawinul - Joe Zawinul
121. Jazz In Silhouette - Sun Ra
122. Undercurrents - Bill Evans & Jim Hall
123. Thrust - Herbie Hancock
124. Soapsuds - Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden
125. School Days - Stanley Clarke
126. Workout - Hank Mobley
127. Crossing - Oregon
128. Matador - Grant Green
129. El Hombre - Pat Martino
130. No Mystery - Return To Forever
131. Quiet - John Scofield
132. As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls - Pat Metheny
133. Out There - Eric Dolphy
134. Cabin Fever - Lenny Breau
135. Room For Squares - Hank Mobley
136. Characters - John Abercrombie
137. Arbour Zena - Keith Jarrett
138. You Must Believe In Spring - Bill Evans
139. Quartet - Gerry Mulligan
140. If Summer Had It's Ghosts - Bill Bruford
141. Letter From Home - Pat Metheny
142. Joes Blues - Joe Pass & Herb Ellis
143. Gateway - John Abercrombie & Dave Holland
144. Tenor Madness - Sonny Rollins
145. Trio 99-00 - Pat Metheny
146. Starfish & The Moon - Bill Evans
147. Tales From The Hudson - Michael Brecker
148. The Clown - Charles Mingus
149. Crossings - Tom Saviano
150. The Sixteen Men Of Tain - Allan Holdsworth
151. Oh! - John Scofield
152. Prime Directive - Dave Holland
153. Avenue Blue - Jeff Golub
154. Time Is Of The Essence - Michael Brecker
155. Two Of A Mind - Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond
156. Magic Touch - Stanley Jordon
157. Seven & Seven - George Van Eps & Howard Alden
158. One Of A Kind - Bill Bruford
159. Their Time Was The Greatest - Louis Bellson
160. Whims Of Chambers - Paul Chambers
161. Sketchbook - John Patitucci
162. Stolen Moments - Lee Ritenour
163. Night Dreamer - Wayne Shorter
164. Barefoot Boy - Larry Coryell
165. Offramp -Pat Metheny
166. Hearsay - David Sanborn
167. Tom Cat - Tom Scott
168. Gateway 2 - John Abercrombie & Dave Holland
169. A Go Go - John Scofield
170. Enigmatic Ocean - Jean-Luc Ponty
171. Sonny Side Up - Sonny Rollins
172. Is What It Is - Mike Stern
173. Blowin' The Blues Away - Horace Silver
174. Step It - Bill Connors
175. Eastern Sounds - Yusef Lateef
176. Configuration - Sam Rivers
177. Round Midnight - Kenny Burrell
178. Hawk Flies High - Coleman Hawkins
179. Party Time - Arnett Cobb
180. Soliloquy - George Van Eps
181. Third Floor Richard - Ed Bickert
182. Inner Urge - Joe Henderson & McCoy Tyner
183. Left of Cool - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
184. Feels Good To Me - Bill Bruford
185. Alone Together - Joseph Patrick Moore
186. King Of The Tenors - Ben Webster
187. Captain Fingers - Lee Ritenour
188. Haunted Heart - Charlie Haden
189. Multikulti - Don Cherry
190. Freedom Book - Booker Ervin
191. Between The Lines - Mike Stern
192. Nocturnal - Charlie Haden
193. A Show Of Hands - Victor Wooten
194. Page One - Joe Henderson
195. Ju Ju - Wayne Shorter
196. Combustication - Medeski, Martin & Wood
197. Blue & Sentimental - Ike Quebec
198. Thonk - Michael Manring
199. Journey To Love - Stanley Clarke
200. Plectrist - Billy Bauer

a beauty from "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman"...





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I'm not sure if I like that album yet... I mean the songs are great, but oh boy does Hartman layer on the cheese.

I was watching how I met your mother, and Ted Mosby was wearing a Miles Davis shirt with the record cover Kind of Blue. Don't know why, but it made me happy.

Can someone recommend me a Jazz album that heavily features flute? Something along similar lines to Wes Montgomery's "Movin' Along".

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - I Talk With The Spirits.

All flute not at all like Wes.

Thank you kindly, Rick. Damn fine album.

Hi Rick,

First off, I just want to thank you for putting this list together. It's already given me many good hours of listening. I used to play jazz a good deal on the South Florida scene and listened prolifically then. Though a lot of these are old favorites that I've happily listened over, a lot are new and intriguing listens.

I had a couple of comments/suggestions:

As to your selection of Bill Evans (the pianist) albums, have you considered putting some of his work with Scott Lafaro on there? I played primarily in trios and all through college and on the jobs, a lot of people I played with went to those years as the apex of "simultaneous improvisation" piano trio playing. Explorations, Portrait in Jazz are such wonderful albums; it's a shame that neither of them are on here. If I needed to choose one, it'd definitely be Explorations, but both are worth exploring.

With there being a whole other list devoted to fusion albums, it might be worth cutting down on some of the fusion entries here.

What is up with all of the guitar albums? :-p Soft spot for the instrument? These have been some of the best discoveries for me on the list so I'm glad you included them.



Ok, thanks again for putting the list together. It's been getting me through the work day for a little while now. Take care.

-Tim

Sorry to harp on Evans but... another wonderful and innovative album to consider is Conversations with Myself.

Hey guru,
As for the fusion lists.......the listmaker is not yours truly so any changes there would need to be directed to him. His name is Tom and you can shoot him a PM.
I'd be happy to check out anything by Evans so thanks for the suggestion.

Hey Rick,

Just some Ellington stuff to check out:
Money Jungle and First Time! The Count Meets the Duke