Jazz and Blues Lounge

And Now…a Jazz List

by balaspa on August 23rd, 2007

Well, I apologize for the day off yesterday. I had a lovely bout of the stomach flu and, trust me, that is as much as you really want to know.

I found that list of supposedly greatest blues albums earlier this week. I felt it was only appropriate to give jazz its due as well. People love lists. Lists are great fr blogs, too, because they can cause debate. People can add their own suggestions or fight over the placement of beloved albums.

For jazz, it turns out, it’s much harder to find such a list. Whereas the blues list had an interesting pedigree I could not find a magazine that sponsored a jazz list. I did manage to find out, however.

This is the list of “100 Greatest Jazz Albums” from a website called “Digital Dream Door.” According to wording written on their website, about the list: “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.”

I am glad to note, however, that my personal favorite made the top of the list. So, here is the list in all of its argumentative glory:

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. Inner Mounting Flame - Mahavishnu Orchestra
17. Sax Colossus - Sonny Rollins
18. Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter
19. Heavy Weather - Weather Report
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. Spectrum - Billy Cobham
29. Percussion Bitter Sweet - Max Roach
30. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
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. Milestones - Miles Davis
39. Hand Jive - John Scofield
40. Moanin - Art Blakey
41. Night Hawk - Coleman Hawkins
42. Django - Modern Jazz Quartet
43. Now He Sings, Now He Sobs - Chick Corea
44. Time Is Of The Essence - Michael Brecker
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. One Of A Kind - Bill Bruford
51. Bumpin’ - Wes Montgomery
52. Miles Ahead - Miles Davis
53. Elegant Gypsy - Al DiMeola
54. Headhunters - Herbie Hancock
55. Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
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. Play - Mike Stern
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. Upfront - David Sanborn
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. The Elektric Band - Chick Corea
81. Infinity - McCoy Tyner
82. Money Jungle - Duke Ellington
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. Pure Desmond - Paul Desmond
89. Moonlighting - The Rippingtons
90. Arbour Zena - Keith Jarrett
91. Blues Dream - Bill Frisell
92. Return - Bill Connors
93. Mosaic - Art Blakey
94. Unit Structure - Cecil Taylor
95. Crossing - Oregon
96. Snide Remarks - Bill Stewart
97. Thembi - Pharoah Sanders
98. Plays W. C. Handy - Louis Armstrong
99. Spaces - Larry Coryell
100. Unity - Larry Young

POSTED IN: Chicago, jazz, records