What are the essential Jazz albums?

repeating an answer that I provided for another question earlier today...

here's a baker's dozen of stand-alone goodies that immediately come to mind for me (no "best of"-type compilations or "complete" recordings or sessions-sort box sets included), with the albums picked largely (although not entirely) corresponding with my favorite artists:

1. Albert Ayler's "Live In Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings" (not a "best of" or a box set, so it's o.k. here).

2. Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come."

3. Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew."

4. Charlie Haden's "Liberation Music Orchestra."

5. Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, and Egberto Gismonti's "Magico."

6. Joe Henderson's "Joe Henderson in Japan."

7. Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds."

8. Keith Jarrett's "Expectations."

9. John McLaughlin's "Extrapolation."

10. Pat Metheny's "80/81."

11. Charles Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music."

12. Archie Shepp's "Attica Blues."

13. Weather Report's "Weather Report" (their self-titled debut, not the self-titled release of a decade or so later).

It's good that you provided some stuff you currently have heard and enjoyed. People blindly asking for recommendations often don't get what they want or expect because it's very important to start at the right place specific to your taste in music.

So, with that in mind and given that you seem to have dabbled in funk/fusion I've thrown in some fusion albums to this list of what I think are the very important albums to be starting out your jazz discography with. And of course there are plenty more great albums that you will get to enjoy all in good time too.

Because I am assuming you don't crap money, I'll put asterisks (*****) beside the albums you should be looking at purchasing at the very very beginning.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin

Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby

Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else

Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots *****

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady

Dave Brubeck - Time Out

Dexter Gordon - Clubhouse

Duke Ellington - Money Jungle

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Grant Green - Idle Moments

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters *****

Horace Silver - Song For My Father

Jan Johansson - Jazz pa Svenska

John Coltrane - Giant Steps *****

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

Krzysztof Komeda - Astigmatic

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue ******

Miles Davis - In A Silent Way

Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool

Oliver Nelson - The Blues & The Abstract Truth

Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear

Ron Carter - Where?

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk Quartet & John Coltrane

Wayne Shorter - JuJu

Weather Report - Black Market *****

Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds

Good luck.

Duke Ellington - At Newport (big band) The Quintet - Jazz at Massey Hall (bebop) Max Roach - Jazz in ¾ Time (bebop) Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (cool jazz) Dave Brubeck - Time Out (cool jazz) Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (hardbop) John Coltrane - Blue Train (hardbop) Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (hardbop) Sun Ra - Space Is The Place (avant-garde) Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch (avant-garde) Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (fusion) Billy Cobham - Spectrum (fusion) Tito Puente - Dance Mania (latin) Machito - Kenya (latin) Cachao Lopez - Master Sessions Volume I (latin) or any collection you can get by Louis Armstrong Cab Calloway or Django Reinhardt oh yea and Ella Fitzgerald if you want some good vocal jazz. (or if you wanna hear some awesome scat singing)

Duke Ellington / Count Basie " First time Count Meets the Duke "

Stan Kenton "New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm"

Dave Brubeck "Time Out "

Count Basie " April in Paris" The high note trumpet player is Thad Jones Quincy's older brother.

Stan Kenton " Cuban Fire "

Duke Ellington " A drum is a Woman "

instead of listening to only certain recordings-its better to listen to ANY record done by the following:

piano=Bill Evans & Oscar Peterson

trumpet= Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie

ten sax= John Coltrane & sonny Rollins

Drums= Buddy Rich, art Blakey,max Roach

alto sax= Charlie parker & phil woods

Bari sax= Gerry Mulligan

trombone=JJ Johnson

bass= Ray brown& Ron Carter

guitar=Wes Montgomery & Joe Pass

this is a good list to start with !!!!!!!!

Hot Fives and Sevens -- Louis Armstrong

Kind of Blue -- Miles Davis