By D. J. McAdam.
This list is designed to provide guidance in building your own personal jazz library. Are the albums listed below absolutely, positively, unquestionably, the one hundred albums that all jazz aficionados will agree are the greatest? No. Are there albums not on the list that could easily be substituted for some of the albums on the list? Yes. Are new (remastered or otherwise) great jazz albums possible in the future? I sure hope so.
But here's the bottom line: do all of the albums listed below belong in the library of any true jazz enthusiast? In my humble opinion, yes. Regarding the ordering system (or lack thereof) - you don't really have to pay attention to it. I'm not saying that number ten on the list is somehow "better" than number twenty. But I'm pretty sure that I've listed one hundred albums.
A couple of other things. I didn't put every "historically important" jazz album on the list, and I didn't completely shy away from compilations. Basically, I pretty much went with, "What album would I buy if someone handed me money and told me to go purchase a hundred jazz albums by the end of the day?" Anyway, the main thing to keep in mind is that this is a list to have fun with, you cool cats, so have fun . . .
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Best of the Nat King Cole Trio: Vocal Classics 42-46
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music 1 and 2
Charles Mingus - AH UM
John Coltrane - Blue Train
Stan Getz & The Oscar Peterson Trio: The Silver Collection
Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings (1937-1939)
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
Art Blakey - A Night in Tunisia
Bird: the Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
Complete Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert 1938
Chick Webb - Stomping at the Savoy
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
Art Blakey - Moanin'
Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Paris
Miles Davis - The Complete Birth of the Cool
Hampton & Getz
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
Gerry Mulligan - The Original Quartet With Chet Baker
Dizzy Gillespie - Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945
Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
Billie Holliday - Lady Day: The Master Takes & Singles
Dexter Gordon - Go
Bill Evans - Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961
Wes Montgomery - Echoes of Indiana Avenue
Hank Mobley - Soul Station
Charlie Christian - The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
Charlie Parker - Jazz at Massey Hall
Teddy Wilson - Pres & Teddy
Louis Armstrong - Hot Fives & Sevens
Duke Ellington - Ellington At Newport 1956
Jelly Roll Morton: 1926-1930
Oliver Nelson - Blues & The Abstract Truth
Portrait of Art Farmer
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius
Art of Bix Beiderbecke
Artie Shaw Story
Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto
Django Reinhardt - Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order
The Incomparable Ethel Waters
Wynton Marsalis - Standards & Ballads
Fats Waller - Complete Recorded Works
Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton
Fabulous Sidney Bechet
The Complete Lionel Hampton Quartets And Quintets With Oscar Peterson
Definitive Vince Guaraldi
Essential Tito Puente
Fletcher Henderson - Wrappin' It Up
Helen Merrill - Complete Recordings
Benny Carter - Music Master
Gene Krupa Story [Box Set]
Eddie Condon - Jam Session: Coast to Coast Jammin' At Condon's
Grant Green - Idle Moments
Herb Ellis - 4 Classic Albums - Nothing But the Blues
Herb Alpert - Whipped Cream & Other Delights
Hank Mobley - Turnaround!
Wayne Shorter: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge
Al Haig - One Day Session
Lester Young with Oscar Peterson Trio
Gil Evans - Out of the Cool
Jimmy Smith - Cool Blues
Clifford Brown & Max Roach: VME Series
Eminent J.J. Johnson
Paul Chambers - We Three
Ron Carter - All Blues
The Amazing Bud Powell
Errol Garner - Concert By the Sea
Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra
Ben Webster - Soulville
Tommy Dorsey - Complete Recordings 1935-1939
Very Best of Julie London
Nina: The Essential Nina Simone
George Benson - Give Me the Night
Buddy Rich - Mercy Mercy - Live at Caesars Palace 1968
Coleman Hawkins - Essential Sides 1929-1939
The Jazz Messengers - At the Cafe Bohemia
Serge Chaloff - Blue Serge
Art Pepper + Eleven
Etta James - Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions
Jimmy Rushing - Complete Goin' to Chicago & Listen to the Blues
Bob Brookmeyer - Recorded Fall 1961/Brookmeyer/Tonight's Music Today/Blues Hot & Cold
At The Jazz Band Ball With Pee Wee Russell
Charlie Barnet - Drop Me Off in Harlem
Joe Henderson - Inner Urge
Jimmie Lunceford - Jukebox Hits 1935-1947
Mary Lou Williams - The Zodiac Suite
George Lewis at the Beverly Caverns Session
Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond
Woody Herman - The Thundering Herds (1945-1947)
Stan Kenton - Portraits on Standards
Lee Morgan - Sidewinder
The Fabulous Fats Navarro
Frank Sinatra - With Red Norvo Quintet - Live in Australia 1959
Jack Teagarden - Meet Me Where They Play the Blues
Copyright © D. J. McAdam· All Rights Reserved