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Essential jazz artists/albums of all time?

post #1 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:10am
Thread Starter 
I recently realized that my jazz collection is nothing when I recently scoured the CD collection of a local audio dealer. There was so much music there that I never knew existed and now I'm compelled to buy more music!

For now I'm looking to get only artists (or albums as the case might be) that would be considered "essential" in the genre since the time it was created. Feel free to throw out as many suggestions as possible, the more the better actually (as I intend to cross-reference everyone's lists for the most recommended artists or albums).

This is what I already have, it's really a paltry list but it's a great example of the kind of varied selection I'm trying to achieve:

Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi
Anthony Wilson - Jack of Hearts
Arne Domnerus - Jazz at the Pawnshop
Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Waltz for Debby
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
Christian McBride - Kind of Brown
Diana Krall
Dinah Washington
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Jane Monheit - Surrender
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Blue Train
Julie London
Madeleine Peyroux
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Oscar Peterson - Night Train
Patricia Barber
Steve Kuhn - Mostly Coltrane
Thelonious Monk

And all the new Blue Note XRCDs released this year: Blue Note - elusivedisc

Edit: Thanks for the link scytheavatar but I'd like to also get some responses in this thread.
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post #2 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:12am
Custom chart - Rate Your Music
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post #3 of 25
4/5/10 at 5:22am
Sonny Rollins? Saxophone Colossus..
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post #4 of 25
4/5/10 at 5:57am
- Charles Mingus "Ah-Um"

- Wes Montgomery. His most famous album is probably "The Incredible Guitar Of..." but I'd recommend another : "Full House", an amazing live recordings with Johnny Griffin.

- Sonny Rollins - "Saxophone Colossus" indeed

- John Coltrane - "Giant Steps" - "Blue Train" - "Lush Life" - "One Down, One Up"

- Any Horace Silver ("Song For My Father" is probably is most famous disc)

- Hank Mobley "Workout"

- Stanley Turrentine "Sugar"

- Jimmy Smith "The Sermon"

and the list goes on...

This is a great list although I disagree with the order : http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/p...azzalbums.html
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post #5 of 25
4/5/10 at 8:41am
Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan
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post #6 of 25
4/5/10 at 11:04am
You might wanna check earlier jazz threads…there's a ton of 'em.

Without mentioning too much that's already been mentioned…


Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus…
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come

Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings

Bill Evans - Portrait In Jazz

Stan Getz - Sweet Rain

Grachan Moncur III - Evolution

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch

Clifford Brown and Max Roach - Clifford Brown and Max Roach

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - The Big Beat


Sonny Rollins
Saxophone Colossus
The Bridge


Thelonious Monk
Genius Of Modern Music, Vols. 1 and 2
Monk's Music


Duke Ellington
Such Sweet Thunder
The Far East Suite
…And His Mother Called Him Bill


Miles Davis (just about everything, but…)
Filles de Kilimanjaro
In A Silent Way
Porgy And Bess
Nefertiti


John Coltrane
Giant Steps
Crescent


Billie Holiday - Billie Holiday + Lester Young: A Musical Romance

Carmen McRae - …Sings Lover Man and Other Billie Holiday Classics

Lester Young - The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio

Lucky Thompson
Lucky Strikes
…meets Oscar Pettiford, Vols. 1 and 2


Believe me, this is just scratching the surface…
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post #7 of 25
4/5/10 at 12:00pm
Mingus: The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
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post #8 of 25
4/5/10 at 1:59pm
All good suggestions:

100 Greatest Jazz Albums

If you take a look at the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (not that I put much stock to their reviews, and the Penguin Guide to Classical is even worst), the list is overwhelming.
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post #9 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:06pm
Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew' and according to some 'In A Silent Way' should be part of the list.

Don't forget the early Jazz from Ragtime to Big Band...
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post #10 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:08pm
To add to what has been said already

Sonny Rollins - Night at the Village Vanguard
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin Else
Cannonball Adderley - Cannonball's Bossa Nova
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
Chic Corea and Return to Forever - Light as a Feather

Too lazy to think of more right now


Quote:
Originally Posted by Lex2 View Post
All good suggestions:

100 Greatest Jazz Albums

If you take a look at the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (not that I put much stock to their reviews, and the Penguin Guide to Classical is even worst), the list is overwhelming.
lol @ the shape of jazz to come being higher as the "greatest" than Kind of blue. They were essentially rival albums, being released not too far apart, and Kind of Blue was the "victor", if you will, at least in terms of influence. I get the feeling that whoever made the list was trying to offer something different in order to say "I have an opinion".
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post #11 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGreen View Post
To add to what has been said already

lol @ the shape of jazz to come being higher as the "greatest" than Kind of blue. They were essentially rival albums, being released not too far apart, and Kind of Blue was the "victor", if you will, at least in terms of influence. I get the feeling that whoever made the list was trying to offer something different in order to say "I have an opinion".
That's the only way the guy can make his list "special." These lists are a dime a dozen but still useful nonetheless.
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post #12 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGreen View Post
lol @ the shape of jazz to come being higher as the "greatest" than Kind of blue. They were essentially rival albums, being released not too far apart, and Kind of Blue was the "victor", if you will, at least in terms of influence. I get the feeling that whoever made the list was trying to offer something different in order to say "I have an opinion".
Good idea to take those rankings with a grain of salt, but hey, it's quite possible to love both Kind Of Blue and The Shape Of Jazz To Come. I know this because that's kinda how I feel. Also, Ornette Coleman's tune "Lonely Woman" has rightfully become a standard among musicians and audiences.
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post #13 of 25
4/5/10 at 2:35pm
Creating a big music library really hurts your wallet. If you want the best sound you want the LPs, otherwise remasters on CD. Jazz is 'genre' of music that really extends in all directions. 'Kind Of Blue' classic, yet I prefer James Brown & The JB's, especially their work bordering on Jazz like 'Funky Drummer.'
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post #14 of 25
4/5/10 at 3:10pm
Stan Getz (But Beautiful), Charlie Parker (Complete Savoy Sessions with Miles Davis), Chet Baker (The Route), and Dexter Gordon (The Other Side of Round Midnight) are all great artists and albums worth checking out...anything with a great horn player or drummer and I'm set.
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post #15 of 25
4/5/10 at 7:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tru blu View Post
You might wanna check earlier jazz threads…there's a ton of 'em.

Without mentioning too much that's already been mentioned…


Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus…
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come

Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings

Bill Evans - Portrait In Jazz

Stan Getz - Sweet Rain

Grachan Moncur III - Evolution

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch

Clifford Brown and Max Roach - Clifford Brown and Max Roach

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - The Big Beat


Sonny Rollins
Saxophone Colossus
The Bridge


Thelonious Monk
Genius Of Modern Music, Vols. 1 and 2
Monk's Music


Duke Ellington
Such Sweet Thunder
The Far East Suite
…And His Mother Called Him Bill


Miles Davis (just about everything, but…)
Filles de Kilimanjaro
In A Silent Way
Porgy And Bess
Nefertiti


John Coltrane
Giant Steps
Crescent


Billie Holiday - Billie Holiday + Lester Young: A Musical Romance

Carmen McRae - …Sings Lover Man and Other Billie Holiday Classics

Lester Young - The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio

Lucky Thompson
Lucky Strikes
…meets Oscar Pettiford, Vols. 1 and 2


Believe me, this is just scratching the surface…
This is an outstanding list

I'd also like to add Lee Morgan's 'Search for the New Land'
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