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Jazz Lovers Top 100+ List

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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.

  1. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
  2. John Coltrane: Giant Steps
  3. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
  4. Charles Mingus: Ah Um
  5. Oliver Nelson: Blues and Abstract Truth
  6. John Coltrane: Love Supreme
  7. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus
  8. Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch
  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. 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. 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. 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. 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


Other noteworthy recordings...

  1. Abdullah Ibrahim: Water from an Ancient Well
  2. Elvin Jones: Mr. Jones
  3. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Everybody's Boppin
  4. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Sing A Song of Basie
  5. Yusef Lateef: Eastern Sounds
  6. Wynton Marsalis: Citi Movement
  7. John Mclaughlin: My Goal's Beyond
  8. Jackie McLean: Let Freedom Ring
  9. Carmen McRae: Sings Monk
  10. Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music
  11. Charles Mingus: Presents Charles Mingus
  12. Charles Mingus: The Great Paris Concert of 1964
  13. Charles Mingus: Changes I & II
  14. Hank Mobley: Soul Station
  15. Modern Jazz Quartet: Django
  16. Wes Montgomery: Incredible Jazz Guitar
  17. Lee Morgan: The Sidewinder
  18. David Murray: The Hill
  19. David Murray: Big Band
  20. Fats Navarro and Tadd Dameron: The Complete on Blue Note
  21. Bird and Diz
  22. Charlie Parker: The Complete Dial Masters
  23. Charlie Parker: The Savoy Sessions
  24. Joe Pass: Virtuoso
  25. Art Pepper: Modern Jazz Classics
  26. Bud Powell: Genius of Bud Powell
  27. Don Pullen: Ode To Life
  28. Freddie Redd Quartet: The Music from 'The Connection'
  29. Dewey Redman: The Ear of the Behearer
  30. George Russell: Ezz-thetics
  31. Maria Schneider: Evanescence
  32. Archie Shepp: Fire Music
  33. Jimmy Smith: The Sermon
  34. Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures
  35. Cecil Taylor: Silent Tongues
  36. Henry Threadgill: You Know the Number
  37. Cal Tjader: Soul Sauce
  38. Lennie Tristano: Lennie Tristano/The New Tristano
  39. Steve Turre: Sanctified Shells
  40. McCoy Tyner: Sahara
  41. Sarah Vaughan: Sassy Swings the Tivoli
  42. World Saxophone Quartet: Dances & Ballads
  43. World Saxophone Quartet: Revue

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