What's your top 15 jazz albums of all time

I'm no expert here, one of those guys with 100 or so jazz albums by only 10 different artists so here goes in no particular order

Mingus - Ah Um & Oh Yeah
Coltrane - Giant Steps & My Favorite Things
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue & ESP
Pat Metheny - Offramp, Travels, Pat Metheny Group '78 & Imaginary Day
Mehldau/Metheny Quartet
Brad Mehldau - Where Do You Start
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
Don Ellis - Soaring (thanks to the movie Whiplash)
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage

 

Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um
Oscar Peterson Night Train
Miles Davis Kind Of Blue
Kamasi Washington The Epic
Patricia Barber Cafe Blue
Return To Forever Romantic Warrior
Diana Krall Live In Paris
Grover Washington Jr. Winelight
Thelonius Monk Straight No Chaser
Joe Pass Virtuoso
Miles Davis Seven Steps To Heaven
Miles Davis Sketches Of Spain
Oscar Peterson We Get Requests
David Grisman and Stephane Grappelli Live

 

As of right now::

1) Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
2) Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
3) Bill Evans - Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard/Waltz for Debby
4) Horace Silver - The Jody Grind
5) John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
6) Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine/Four and More
7) Clifford Brown & Max Roach
8) Art Blakey - Like Someone In Love
9) Weather Report - 8:30
10) Pat Metheny Group - Travels
11) Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
12) Miles Davis - Nefertiti
13) Lyle Mays - Lyle Mays
14) Keith Jarrett - My Song
15) John Coltrane - Crescent

 

I've had this one for some 20 years and I've never given it a proper listen. On now, and it's swingin'. Thanks!

 

Genius of Modern Music Vol 1 & 2 - Theloniuos Monk
Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus
Somethin' Else - Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis
Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter
Go! - Dexter Gordon
Sidewinder - Lee Morgan
Moanin' - Art Blakey
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto
Boss Tenor - Gene Ammons
Monk's Dream - Thelonious Monk
Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Time Out - Dave Brubeck Quartet
Always Know - Thelonious Monk

 

Wayne Shorter - Juju
Wayne Shorter - Soothsayer
Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique
Bobby Hutcherson - Stick-Up!
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Free For All
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Tina Brooks - True Blue
Freddie Hubbard - Here to Stay
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Joe Henderson - Inner Urge
Hank Mobley - No Room For Squares
Horace Silver - Song For My Father

 

Strange how tastes differ. I just can't get to like ragtime or trad.

 

Funnily enough I'm really into Wayne Shorter at the moment particularly Juju, Soothsayer, Adam's Apple and Night Dreamer.
My favourite 15 would always have KoB first but after that would change depending on who I've just discovered. Also listening to Donald Byrd just now.
As said previously there's so much out there. In the '60s/'70s I was too much into other stuff and missed out on jazz and when I did I was totally alone (no internet remember) and made some bad choices.

 

This thread is great reference material. Keep them coming if you can.
Have some of these on list, and checking on others.

 

Agreed. I've gotten into lots of truly fantastic stuff that I might have missed out on otherwise.

 

Charles Mingus-Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus-Ah Um
John Coltrane-Giant Steps
John Coltrane-Blue Train
John Coltrane-A Love Supreme
John Coltrane-My Favorite Things
Miles Davis-Birth of the Cool
Miles Davis-Kind of Blue
Hank Mobley-Soul Station
George Benson-The New Boss Guitar of George Benson
T.J. Kirk-T.J. Kirk
The Dave Brubeck Quartet-Time Out
Sonny Rollins-Saxophone Colossus
Sonny Rollins-The Bridge
Ornette Coleman Trio-At the Golden Circle Stockholm

 

Been listening to this one a lot recently. It's so engrossing to me, & I think Mingus was firing on all cylinders as a composer.

 

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
George Benson - Breezin'
Yellowjackets - Four Corners
Crusaders - Free As the Wind
Joe Sample - Carmel
Grover Washington, Jr. - Winelight
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
John Scofield - Still Warm
Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home
Bob Berg - Short Stories
Mike Stern - Odds Or Evens
John Scofield - Time On My Hands
Jimmy Haslip - Arc
Lee Ritenour - Festival
David Sanborn - Straight from the Heart

 

It seems this thread has taken over from the Music Matters thread
I hope everybody's happy with that because I am. We definitely needed one.

 

In no particular order:

Miles Davis - Porgy & Bess
Jackie McLean - Destination Out
Grachan Moncur - Evolution
Maria Schneider Orchestra - Sky Blue
Chet Baker - Chet's Choice
Ingrid Jensen - At Sea
Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961
John Coltrane - My Favourite Things
Duke Ellington - Blues In Orbit
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles
Gretchen Parlato - The Lost & Found
Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots
Thelonius Monk - Monk's Music
Tineke Postma - The Dawn Of Light
Kenny Wheeler Quintet - The Widow In The Window

 

John Coltrane "Blue Train"
Miles Davis "Agharta"
Dave Brubeck "Red Hot and Cool"
Luis Gasca "For Those Who Chant"
Ray Brown Trio "Soular Energy"
Cannonball Adderley "Mercy Mercy Mercy"
Miles Davis "In Person: Friday Night at the Blackhawk"
Milt Jackson/John Coltrane "Bags and Trane"
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd "Jazz Samba"
David Grisman "Acousticity"
Milt Jackson, Joe Pass, Ray Brown "The Big 3"
Dave Brubeck Trio and Gerry Mulligan "Blues Roots"
Bela Fleck "Deviation"
Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson "Reunion Blues"
Henry Mancini "The Blues and the Beat"

 

Lots of stuff here I'm not familiar with. I can't to dive in, thanks for sharing

 

Straight Ahead - great album.

 

1) Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
2) Dave Brubeck- Time Out
3) Oscar Peterson- We Get Requests
4)Fourplay- Fourplay
5)Chick Corea- Elektric Band
6)Chick Corea -Akoustic Band
7) McCoy Tyner- NY Reunion
8)John Sharp - Better than Dreams
9) Jim Brock- Tropic Affair
10)Pat Coil -Steps
11) Miles Davis - Someday My Prince Will Come
12)Brian Bromberg- Bassically Speaking
13)Mike Garson - The Oxnard Sessions Vol 1
14) Chet Baker- Chet
15)Bill Evans- Sunday at the Village Vanguard

 

Im going to be the old grouch and say it. Folks, yall need to listen to something in jazz besides blue notes, miles and coltrane.

 

Yep. More Ellington & Mingus asap!

 

More people who still play

 

I started listening to jazz at around 16. I remember thinking the first time I heard Mingus, "This is even better than the theme from Courageous Cat!" I have all the warhorses, including 400 plus Blue Notes that I rarely play any more--does one really need that much hard bop? I still play some older stuff from time to time, particularly electric Miles, but I'm primarily interested in what's going on now. It's difficult to find any information on newer acts that aren't among the NPR/Downbeat approved brown rice acts out there that are so "tasteful," it's no wonder jazz is the least listened to contemporary music. When I was a teenager to young adult, there was Strata East, India Navigation, Soul Note/Black Saint, and there were countless 1970's albums on Freedom/Arista that could be yours for a buck in cut out bins. The music that pushes the envelope today is so far in the margins, I'm completely out of the loop. Cadence and the Jazz Loft are no longer with us. I used to read Cadencemagazine from time to time--I should see if it's still being published. There have been releases that have completely passed me by as of late--William Parker's Wood Flute Songs and Barry Guy's New Orchestra's Mad Dogs were probably available for 15 minutes. By the time I caught wind of them, they were gone. I keep looking for affordable copies on Discogs and eBay, but no luck so far. Now there is the annoying trend of vinyl only releases. I won't be hearing any of those unless they show up on YouTube. There's a great idea--let's limit the way you can listen to something that's dying a quick death.
I bought a live Davis S Ware vinyl album a few years ago, but that was an exception, as the whole "vinyl revival" that made 3 dollar Led Zeppelin albums cost a weeks pay wasn't yet in full force.

I'm thankful for the "Avant garde/new music" on this board, since it is the only way I hear about the music I love any more.

Sorry for the long whiney intro-- here are 15 20th century album I love in no order except the first

Schlippenbach Trio - Swinging the Bim
Cecil Taylor - Willasau
Barry Guy New Orchestra - Inscape- Tableau
William Parker - O'Neal's Porch
Jameel Moondoc - New World Pygmies
Fred Anderson - Two Days In April
David S Ware - Go See The World
Triptych Myth - The Beautiful
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Hot 'n Heavy; Live At the Ascension Loft
Tony Malaby - Scorpion Eater
McPhee/Brotzmann/Kessler/Zerang - Gut
Black Host - Live In the Sugar Cane Mines
Henry Threadgill - This Brings Us To vols 1 & 2
Parker/Guy/Lyton/Crispell - After Appleby
Powerhouse Sound - Oslo/Chicago Breaks

I find these as good and sometimes better than the music of the 60's.

There are dozens from the past 10- 15 years that are just as good. I can only hope I'll
hear about others I have missed before they go out of print.

 

Thank you for picking Marcin Wasilewski - January and Keith Jarrett - Bremen/Lausanne.

 

What album is Cecil Taylor's?