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Mar 25, 2024 · Whether a beginner jazz fan or seasoned pro, we've ranked the 50 most famous jazz albums in an essential list for your record collection.
- Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue (Columbia) Topping our list of the 50 best jazz albums ever is this timeless, transcendent classic from the great Miles Davis.
- John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (Impulse!) Released in 1965, jazz mystic and saxophonist/composer John Coltrane’s four-part hymn to God remains deeply influential and is regarded as the album that birthed what became known as spiritual jazz.
- Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out (Columbia) Released in 1959 – the year that Ornette Coleman produced his game-changing free jazz manifesto, The Shape Of Jazz To Come – California pianist Dave Brubeck proved that jazz didn’t have to be wild and way out to be revolutionary and innovative.
- Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um (Columbia) One of jazz’s most colorful characters, renowned for his volcanic temper, Charles Mingus – a bass player and composer originally from Arizona but raised in Los Angeles – created a unique style that melded driving hard bop with plaintive blues cries and sanctified gospel cadences.
- Louis Armstrong: Satchmo At Symphony Hall (Decca, 1951) If you’re looking for the best albums for jazz beginners, you need to start with Louis Armstrong.
- Thelonious Monk: Genius Of Modern Music Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1952) Thelonious Sphere Monk’s advanced musical language – featuring angular melodies and unusual dissonances – was deemed controversial when he first emerged on the New York jazz scene during the late 40s.
- Billie Holiday: Billie Holiday Sings (Clef, 1952) Born Eleanora Fagan, in Baltimore, Billie Holiday possessed one of the most recognizable voices in jazz: languid and imbued with an inherent sadness and a naked emotional honesty that resulted from her tough upbringing and romantic disappointments.
- The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall (Debut, 1953) Want a quick intro to some jazz giants? The Quintet was a modern jazz supergroup that formed specifically for a one-off gig in Canada, at Toronto’s Massey Hall, on May 15, 1953.
- Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis. While it is one of the top-selling jazz albums of all time, many consider this to be THE best jazz album of all time. This may be because this unrehearsed recording session from 1959 marks a great turning point in jazz history as well as showcasing the top form of some legendary musicians.
- Time Out - Dave Brubeck. Dave Brubeck created a masterpiece that became the first instrumental jazz album to sell over a million copies. The single, "Take Five" was a #1 hit on music charts which is outstanding for a jazz song, especially a song with a 5/4 time signature.
- Ellington At Newport - Duke Ellington. This historic concert was a triumphant moment for Ellington's band... It was 1956 and many big bands were struggling due to the rise of bebop and modern small group format.
- Jazz At Massey Hall - The Quintet. This album appears reissued under the name "The Greatest Concert Ever". It is an all-star lineup of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach; all whom were prominent in the development of bebop about 15 years beforehand (1953) and thus were all seasoned veterans by the time of the concert.
- Somethin’ Else – Cannonball Adderley. Autumn Leaves. Saxophonist Cannonball Adderley was everywhere during the mid-century as a sideman for Miles Davis and other leaders; but the 1958 album Somethin’ Else is the rare opportunity to hear Adderley as a frontman.
- Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto. Desafinado. Brazilian bossa nova meets American jazz in 1963’s Getz/Gilberto. Bossa nova was becoming increasingly popular at the time, but a collaboration like this had never been attempted.
- Mingus Ah Um – Charles Mingus. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. 1959 was a great year for jazz, as evidenced partly by Charles Mingus’ legendary album. It showcased Mingus’ classic desire for concept; he often chose themes for his works as a tribute to a certain person, place, or even emotion.
- Afro – Dizzy Gillespie. Caravan. Dizzy Gillespie played a major role in popularizing Afro-Cuban music in the wider genre of jazz. His 1954 album Afro went down in history as one of Gillespie’s most influential albums.
Jan 1, 2024 · We have now taken the concept much further with a new publication – The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World – a 100-page definitive guide to the most important and influential jazz albums that have gone on to change and shape the course of the music from the 1920s to the present day.
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With many artists and extensive catalogues of music, a new jazz listener can feel intimidated. We’re here to help! Check out our list of 10 albums to get you started on your jazz journey and introduce you to some of jazz’s great artists. 1. Time Out. Artist: Dave Brubeck | Release Year: 1959.
