Jazz-L Top "100" list

Many people seem to want to know about recordings they should have. This is one attempt to answer this sort of question. I don't think it is at all satisfactory, since there are thousands of recordings that are necessary. This list was generated by some of the subscribers to the Jazz-L mailing list, compiled by Eric Saidel, and I have added links. The links are selected quasi-randomly. Look around on the web for much more on these and many other artists. There are other lists like this one, for instance pianist Ramsey Lewis has one, and there's the Penguin Guide one!

Numbers above each group represent the number of votes records in that group received.

    14

  1. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

    2. 12

  2. John Coltrane: Giant Steps

    3. 9 (3)

  3. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
  4. Charles Mingus: Ah Um
  5. Oliver Nelson: Blues and Abstract Truth

    6. 8 (2)

  6. John Coltrane: Love Supreme
  7. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus

    8. 7

  8. Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch

    9. 6 (7)

  9. Louis Armstrong: Hot Fives and Sevens
  10. Dave Brubeck: Time Out
  11. Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain
  12. Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners
  13. Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil
  14. Henry Threadgill: Too Much Sugar for a Dime
  15. John Zorn: Masada - Alef

    16. 5 (8)

  16. Ornette Coleman: Shape of Jazz To Come
  17. Miles Davis: Porgy And Bess
  18. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra At Newport
  19. Dave Holland: Conference of the Birds
  20. Charles Mingus: Black Saint & the Sinner Lady
  21. Charles Mingus: Live At Antibes
  22. Thelonious Monk: Monk's Music
  23. Sonny Sharrock: Ask the Ages

    24. 4 (17)

  24. Cannonball Adderly: Somethin' Else
  25. Benny Carter: Further Definitions
  26. Ornette Coleman: Change of The Century
  27. John Coltrane: Blue Trane
  28. Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite
  29. Duke Ellington: Blanton/Webster Band
  30. Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby
  31. Gil Evans: Out of the Cool
  32. Dexter Gordon: Our Man in Paris
  33. Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage
  34. Joe Lovano: From the Soul
  35. Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame
  36. David Murray: Ming
  37. Charlie Parker: The Dial Sessions
  38. Charlie Parker: Massey Hall
  39. Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section
  40. World Saxophone Quartet: Plays Duke Ellington

    41. 3 (25)

  41. Count Basie: Atomic Basie
  42. Art Blakey: Moanin'
  43. Don Byron: Tuskegee Experiments
  44. Ornette Coleman: Dancing in Your Head
  45. Miles Davis: Miles Ahead
  46. Miles Davis: In a Silent Way
  47. Miles Davis: Nefertiti
  48. Jack DeJohnette: Album Album
  49. Eric Dolphy: Outward Bound
  50. Eric Dolphy: At the Five Spot, vol. 1
  51. Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong
  52. Stan Getz: Getz/Gilberto
  53. Stan Getz: Jazz Samba
  54. Charlie Haden: Ballad of the Fallen
  55. Charlie Haden: Liberation Music Orchestra
  56. Coleman Hawkins: Body and Soul
  57. Joe Henderson: Inner Urge
  58. Joe Lovano: Rush Hour
  59. John Mclaughlin: Extrapolations
  60. Charles Mingus: Blues And Roots
  61. Max Roach: Freedom Now Suite
  62. Horace Silver: Song for my Father
  63. Horace Silver: Blowin' the Blues Away
  64. Weather Report: Heavy Weather
  65. Weston, Randy: Spirits of Our Ancestors

    66. 2 (79)

  66. George Adams/Don Pullen: Breakthrough
  67. George Adams/Don Pullen: Live at the Village Vanguard
  68. Cannonball Adderley: (Sextet) Live in New York
  69. Louis Armstrong: And Earl Hines
  70. Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys
  71. Albert Ayler: Live At Greenwhich Village
  72. Count Basie: The Compete Decca Recordings
  73. Arthur Blythe: Lenox Avenue Breakdown
  74. Anthony Braxton: New York Fall 1974
  75. Don Cherry: El Corazon (with Ed Blackwell)
  76. Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz
  77. John Coltrane: Afro Blue Impressions
  78. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
  79. John Coltrane: My Favorite Things
  80. John Coltrane: Ole Coltrane
  81. Miles Davis: Miles Smiles
  82. Miles Davis: Walkin'
  83. Miles Davis: Milestones
  84. Miles Davis: A Tribute to Jack Johnson
  85. Duke Ellington: MONEY JUNGLE
  86. Don Ellis: Electric Bath
  87. Bill Evans: Portrait in Jazz
  88. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook
  89. Errol Garner: Concert by the Sea
  90. Stan Getz: Focus
  91. Jimmy Giuffre: The Jimmy Giuffre 3
  92. Benny Goodman: Carnegie Hall Concert
  93. Grant Green: Feelin' the Spirit
  94. John Handy: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1965
  95. Joe Henderson: So Near, So Far
  96. Woody Herman: The Thundering Herds
  97. Andrew Hill: Point of Departure
  98. The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Volume 4
  99. Dave Holland: Razors Edge
  100. Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
  101. Abdullah Ibrahim: Water from an Ancient Well
  102. Elvin Jones: Mr. Jones
  103. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Everybody's Boppin
  104. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Sing A Song of Basie
  105. Yusef Lateef: Eastern Sounds
  106. Wynton Marsalis: Citi Movement
  107. John Mclaughlin: My Goal's Beyond
  108. Jackie McLean: Let Freedom Ring
  109. Carmen McRae: Sings Monk
  110. Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music
  111. Charles Mingus: Presents Charles Mingus
  112. Charles Mingus: The Great Paris Concert of 1964
  113. Charles Mingus: Changes I & II
  114. Hank Mobley: Soul Station
  115. Modern Jazz Quartet: Django
  116. Wes Montgomery: Incredible Jazz Guitar
  117. Lee Morgan: The Sidewinder
  118. David Murray: The Hill
  119. David Murray: Big Band
  120. Fats Navarro and Tadd Dameron: The Complete on Blue Note
  121. Bird and Diz
  122. Charlie Parker: The Complete Dial Masters
  123. Charlie Parker: The Savoy Sessions
  124. Joe Pass: Virtuoso
  125. Art Pepper: Modern Jazz Classics
  126. Bud Powell: Genius of Bud Powell
  127. Don Pullen: Ode To Life
  128. Freddie Redd Quartet: THE MUSIC FROM 'THE CONNECTION'
  129. Dewey Redman: The Ear of the Behearer
  130. George Russell: Ezz-thetics
  131. Maria Schneider: Evanescence
  132. Archie Shepp: Fire Music
  133. Jimmy Smith: The Sermon
  134. Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures
  135. Cecil Taylor: Silent Tongues
  136. Henry Threadgill: You Know the Number
  137. Cal Tjader: Soul Sauce
  138. Lennie Tristano: Lennie Tristano/The New Tristano
  139. Steve Turre: Sanctified Shells
  140. McCoy Tyner: Sahara
  141. Sarah Vaughan: Sassy Swings the Tivoli
  142. World Saxophone Quartet: Dances & Ballads
  143. World Saxophone Quartet: Revue
Date created: Summer 1996
Originally compiled by Eric Saidel, based on input from mailing list subscribers
Last modified: 12 December 2005
Maintained by: Alan Saul

alan@adale.org