for my own purposes

[raybear]

According to Marshall Bowden, an uncomprehensice list of essential jazz albums. For future collection builing and educational purposes only. (But if you have any contentions with the choices, feel free to educate in the comments section.)


From jazzitude.com.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Cannonball Adderley
Somethin' Else [Remaster] Cannonball Adderley
Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings Louis Armstrong
Great Chicago Concert 1956 Louis Armstrong
The Original Quartet With Chet Baker Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Chet Baker
Chet Baker Quartet Featuring Russ Freeman Russ Freeman, Chet Baker
Cherokee 1939-40 Charlie Barnet
Straight Ahead Count Basie
April In Paris Count Basie
Complete Decca Recordings --1937 Count Basie
The Complete Sidney Bechet Vol. 1 & 2 (1932-1941) Sidney Bechet
Runnin' Wild [Remastered] Sidney Bechet
Singin' The Blues Bix Beiderbecke
Memories Of You Eubie Blake
Big Beat Art Blakey
Moanin' Art Blakey
Study In Brown Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown & Max Roach [Extra Tracks] Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Time Out Dave Brubeck
Free Jazz Ornette Coleman
The Shape of Jazz to Come Ornette Coleman
A Love Supreme John Coltrane
Blue Train John Coltrane
The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings John Coltrane Quartet
Giant Steps [Remaster] John Coltrane
Kind Of Blue [Remaster] Miles Davis
Birth of the Cool [Remaster] Miles Davis
Bitches Brew [Remaster] Miles Davis
Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quintet Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Ahead [Remaster] Miles Davis
Miles Smiles [ Remaster] Miles Davis
The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings Duke Ellington
The Centennial Edition: HIGHLIGHTS Duke Ellington
Black Brown & Beige Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson
The Blanton-Webster BandDuke Ellington
Sunday at the Village Vanguard Bill Evans
Conversations With Myself [Remaster] Bill Evans
The Tokyo Concert Bill Evans
Complete Riverside Recordings Bill Evans
Getz/Gilberto [Remaster] Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim
Best Of The West Coast Sessions Stan Getz
Birks Works: The Verve Big-Band Sessions Dizzy Gillespie
Groovin' High (Savoy 20-Bit) [Remaster] Dizzy Gillespie
Live At Carnegie Hall 1938 Benny Goodman
The Complete Small Group Recordings Benny Goodman
Complete Blue Note 60's Sessions Herbie Hancock
Headhunters Herbie Hancock
Maiden Voyage [Remaster] Herbie Hancock
Body & Soul Coleman Hawkins
Hawk In Hi-Fi Coleman Hawkins
Second Herd 1948 Woody Herman & His Orchestra
1928-1932 Earl Hines
The Complete Decca Recordings Billie Holiday
Billie and Lester Billie Holiday & Lester Young
Artistry In Rhythm Stan Kenton
Mingus Ah Um [Remaster] Charles Mingus
New Tijuana Moods Charles Mingus
Mingus Dynasty [Remaster] Charles Mingus
Let My Children Hear Music Charles Mingus
Brilliant Corners Thelonious Monk
The Complete Blue Note Recordings Thelonious Monk
The Columbia Years: 1962-1968 Thelonious Monk
Complete Riverside Recordings Thelonious Monk
Misterioso Thelonious Monk
Birth Of The Hot Jelly Roll Morton
Night Lights Gerry Mulligan
The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 Charlie Parker
Confirmation: Best Of The Verve Years Charlie Parker
Jazz At Massey Hall Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
At Zardi's Oscar Peterson
Night Train [Remaster] Oscar Peterson
The Complete Blue Note And Roost Recordings Bud Powell
The Genius Of Bud Powell Bud Powell
The Best Of Django Reinhardt Reinhardt & Grappelli
Saxophone Colossus [Remaster] Sonny Rollins
The Bridge Sonny Rollins
Tenor Madness Sonny Rollins
Newk's Time Sonny Rollins
Speak No Evil [Remaster] Wayne Shorter
Al & Zoot Zoot Sims, Al Cohn
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 Bessie Smith
The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces Art Tatum (OR any of the 7 volumes available individually)
The Complete Pablo Group Masterpieces Art Tatum
Jack Teagarden Chronological: 1930-1934 Jack Teagarden
A Portrait of Fats Waller Fats Waller
King Of The Tenors Ben Webster
There Is No Greater Love [Remaster] Ben Webster
Music for Loving: Ben Webster with Strings Ben Webster
Pres and Teddy Lester Young/Teddy Wilson
The Lester Young Story Lester Young
Lester Young Trio Lester Young

Comments

[freakysparks.livejournal.com]

Some of my favorites:

The albums Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recorded together, as well as their solo stuff
Charlie Parker - Blue Bird, I think (or anything with Parker's Mood on it)
Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
Ella Fitzgerald - the 'Round Midnight compilations

And a favorite of mine...

Julie London - Julie is Her Name

[raybear.livejournal.com]

Funny you should mentiont Ella/Louis -- I also have a bad taste in my mouth regarding those albums for the same reason I've never read "Possession". I swear, I don't have very many bad associations with my ex, but you managed to hit on two of them today -- you ARE psychic.

[cruelnails.livejournal.com]

Good list, but it needs Sketches of Spain by Miles, My Favorite Things by Coltrane and Future Shock by Herbie Hancock.

OK ... I'm kidding about that last one (although Rockit was the shit back in the day)

BTW, I dig the icon.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

Sketches of Spain

I was actually listening to that album while posting this! And I agree about My Favorite Things. I would personall add Cecil Taylor's Unit Structures.

And actually I just found a greatest hits album of Herbie's for three dollars but got mad because Rockit wasn't on there.

[jadegirl.livejournal.com]

Keith Jarrett-The Koln Concert
Duke Ellington-Live at Newport
Chet Baker-Night Birds and Broken Wings (may be an acquired taste, though)

A (possible) warning about Bill Evans-Conversations With Myself, it's a very experimental album, and maybe I've just not developed to where I can understand where he was at yet, but it's hard to listen to.

Oh! Lee Kontiz and Gerry Mulligan-Kontiz Meets Mulligan
Almost 40 years ago, this began my father's love affair with jazz. 10 years ago, it began mine.

Jade

[raybear.livejournal.com]

thanks for the recommendations! I'm still sorely needing more jazz education, so every little bit helps.

And thanks for the tip on the Bill Evans album, I'll probably be more likely to track it down now (I love experimental stuff an inordiante amount).

[archanglrobriel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Talk about great synchronicities...I was just thinking today that I wanted to round out my Jazz collection.
I fond of Nina Simone personally and think she belongs on the list and where oh where is Jacques Brel?
But beyond that this list is pretty darn comprehensive to me. Yay, now I can round out my collection.