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...

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