Do you aggree with this list?

[Hardbopjazz]

Here is a list of the 100 must have or essentials of a jazz collection as list by some Educational web site on jazz.

Who the hell is Bobby Womack?!! I never heard of him before.

Cannonball Adderley – Somethin' Else – Blue Note

Cannonball Adderley – Mercy, Mercy, Mercy – Capitol

Louis Armstrong – Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines – Columbia/Legacy

Gene Ammons – Jammin' in Hi-Fi – Prestige

Count Basie – April in Paris – Verve

Sidney Bechet – Sidney Bechet & Friends – EmArcy

Tony Bennett – Jazz – Columbia

Bobby Hackett – That Da Da Strain – Protrait

George Benson – This is Jazz, Volume 9 – Columbia/Legacy

Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers – Moanin' – Blue Note

Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers – A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 – Blue Note

Lou Donaldson – Blues Walk – Blue Note

Clifford Brown – Clifford Brown & Max Roach – Verve

Dave Brubeck – Time Out – Columbia

Ray Bryant – Here's Ray Bryant – Prestige

Benny Carter – Further Definitions – Impulse

Betty Carter – The Audience With – Verve

Ray Charles – Greatest Hits – Rhino

Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin' – Blue Note

Nat Cole – After Midnight Sessions – Capitol

Ornette Coleman – Change of the Century – Atlantic

John Coltrane – Giant Steps – Atlantic

John Coltrane – John Coltrane & John Hartman – Impulse

John Coltrane – Ken Burns' Jazz – Verve

Miles Davis – Kind of Blue – Columbia/Legacy

Miles Davis – Porgy & Bess – Columbia

Miles Davis- Tutu – Warner

Miles Davis – Birth of the Cool – Capitol

Charles Earland – Almighty Burner – 32 Jazz

Billy Eckstine – Jazzmasters 22 – Verve

Duke Ellington – At Newport – Columbia

Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges – Side by Side – Verve

Bill Evans – Jazz Showcase – Prestige

Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong – Ella and Louis – Verve

Ella Fitzgerald – Gershwin Songbook – Verve

Tommy Flanagan – Overseas – Prestige

Red Garland – Red's Blues – Prestige

Bobby Womack – I Don't Know What the World Is Coming To – United Artists

Erroll Garner – Jazzmasters 7 – Verve

Stan Getz – Ultimate – Verve

Stan Getz – Getz/Gilberto – Verve

Dizzy Gillespie – Gillespiana/Carnegie Hall – Verve

Dizzy Gillespie – Birks' Works – Verve

Benny Goodman – At Carnegie Hall – Columbia/Legacy

Dexter Gordon – One Flight Up – Blue Note

Stephane Grappelli – Jazzmasters 11 – Verve

Grant Green – Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark – Blue Note

Lionel Hampton – Swingsation – Verve

Herbie Hancock – Takin' Off – Blue Note

Herbie Hancock – Headhunters – Sony

Eddie Harris – Artist's Choice – Rhino

Johnny Hartman – Unforgettable – Impulse

Hampton Hawes – The Trio, Volume 2 – Prestige

Coleman Hawkins – Ultimate – Verve

Roy Haynes – Out of the Afternoon – Impulse

Joe Henderson – Inner Urge – Blue Note

Woody Herman – Thundering Herds – Columbia

Billie Holiday – Ken Burns' Jazz – Verve

Freddie Hubbard – Ready for Freddie – Blue Note

Milt Jackson – Bags & Trane – Atlantic

Antonio Carlos Jobim – Songbook – Verve

J.J. Johnson – J.J. Inc. – Columbia/Legacy

Quincy Jones – Pure Delight – Razor & Tie

Wynton Kelly – Kelly Blue – Prestige/OJC

Stan Kenton – West Side Story – Capitol

Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Inflated Tear – Rhino

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross – Hottest New Group in Jazz – Columbia/Legacy

Yusef Lateef – Every Village Has a Song – Rhino

Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Rhino

Carmen McRae – Here to Stay – Decca

Charles Mingus – Ah Um – Columbia

Hank Mobley – No Room for Squares – Blue Note

Thelonious Monk – The Composer – Columbia

Wes Montgomery – Bumpin' – Polygram

Wes Montgomery – Incredible Jazz Guitar – Prestige

Lee Morgan – Sidewinder – Blue Note

Gerry Mulligan – Compact Jazz – Verve

Oliver Nelson – Blues & The Abstract Truth – Impulse

Charlie Parker – Confirmation: Best of Verve Years – Verve

Oscar Peterson – Sound of the Trio – Verve

Bud Powell – Best of Blue Note – Blue Note

Tito Puente – Oye Como Va: Dance Collection – Concord

Buddy Rich – Swingin' New Big Band – Pacific

Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus – Prestige

Artie Shaw – Mixed Bag – MusicMasters

Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil – Blue Note

Horace Silver – Song for My Father – Blue Note

Frank Sinatra – At the Sands – Reprise

Jimmy Smith – Jazzmasters 29 – Verve

Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack – Blue Note

Art Tatum – 20th Century Piano Genius – Verve

Sarah Vaughan – Ken Burns' Jazz – Verve

Dinah Washington – What A Difference A Day Makes – Verve

Ben Webster – Ultimate – Verve

Joe Williams – Everyday: Best of Verve Years – Verve

Nancy Wilson – Yesterday's Love Songs, Today's Blues – Capitol

Lester Young – Ken Burns' Jazz – Verve

[John B]

Here is a list of the 100 must have or essentials of a jazz collection as list by some Educational web site on jazz

That list is one person's "100 must have or essentials." They aren't necessarily my choices or any other person's choices. There really is no one list of 100 essential discs in a genre as vast as jazz.

Personally, I define "essential" as any disc I would not want to be without, regardless of other's people's opinion of it.

Wasn't there someone trying to sell a list like this a while back?

Edited February 20, 2004 by John B

[J.A.W.]

That list is one person's "100 must have or essentials." They aren't necessarily my choices or any other person's choices. There really is no one list of 100 essential discs in a genre as vast as jazz.

Personally, I define "essential" as any disc I would not want to be without, regardless of other's people's opinion of it.

Couldn't agree more - it's all very subjective, and I'd delete a lot of the discs from the list and add even more...

[clifford_thornton]

No, no, NO! There is no Cecil, Ayler, or late Coltrane to be found. No European jazz either. Bobby Womack = "Across 110th St.", a semi-underground soul singer. He's good, but not jazz. "Ah Um" is probably Mingus' worst record. Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett, and Oscar Peterson are all, IMO, inessential if you have to pick only 100 jazz records. Vocal jazz, with maybe a couple of exceptions, shouldn't even be on the list. It is a primarily instrumental music, and therefore should be limited as far as jazz introductions go. Parker Verve? Gimme a break! Dial and Savoy all the way, G. I could go on and on. Uugh...

[Big Wheel]

Whoever made this list sure likes compilations.

[JSngry]

I don't know what Bobby Womack is doing on a jazz list (even if he did write "Breezin'"), but if you've never heard of him, you might want to consider fixing that. A great Soul singer is he.

[Dr. Rat]

Well, I'm not even going to touch the issue of whether the scope of the list is appropriate, but here's a few records I have that I think might well be replaced on this list with something as representative, but better:

Sidney Bechet – Sidney Bechet & Friends – EmArcy

Bobby Hackett – That Da Da Strain – Protrait

Ray Charles – Greatest Hits – Rhino

Duke Ellington – At Newport – Columbia

Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges – Side by Side – Verve

Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong – Ella and Louis – Verve

Ella Fitzgerald – Gershwin Songbook – Verve

Thelonious Monk – The Composer – Columbia

Charlie Parker – Confirmation: Best of Verve Years – Verve

Tito Puente – Oye Como Va: Dance Collection – Concord

[tonym]

Where do you start???

Well, they have things like 'The Essential' or 'Ultimate..'; very little thought has been put into compiling such a list IMO.

You're best off just reading stuff on sites like this where some folk really know their onions.

cheers, tonym

[Dr. Rat]

Whoever made this list sure likes compilations.

They definite like Verve and Verve-like stuff, too.

--eric

[Morganized]

Most are complilations of some of the bigggest names in jazz. A good introduction but I think you would have to leave off the compilation disc if you are really trying to pick the 100 essential. On the otherhand if you just want a list of the great jazz artist, that is another thing.

Miles Davis....Tutu ???????

[Hardbopjazz]

Miles Davis....Tutu ???????

Yeah, I would never have this on a list of the top 1000. Maybe it's to introduce the listerner to the "smooth jazz" sound. A list in general can never be gospel. My daughter is doing a report for 5th grade on American Music, this list was on a site we hit while doing some researching.

Edited February 20, 2004 by Hardbopjazz

[ralphie_boy]

Miles Davis....Tutu ???????

Yeah, I would never have this on a list of the top 1000. Maybe it's to introduce the listerner to the "smooth jazz" sound. A list in general can never be gospel. My daughter is doing a report for 5th grade on American Music, this list was on a site we hit while doing some researching.

Yeah, that's the one that struck me as being odd when I scanned the list. There's many other Miles titles that would come before this IMO.

[Rooster_Ties]

Where's Andrew Hill??

[Rooster_Ties]

By the way, personally I'd probably pick Hill's "Black Fire" for such a list, over "Point of Departure" (often "PoD" is the one most cited as being 'the' Andrew Hill album). -- but that's just me.

Here are a whole bunch of links, to a whole bunch of "top 100 jazz albums"-type lists. I think there are plenty that are better than the list presented in the first post in this thread.

Many "top 100 jazz albums" lists: CLICK HERE

[scottb]

No Django, Joe Pass, Charlie Christian, Kenny Burrell ...

but a George Benson? I love Benson's work with Lou Donaldson and Lonnie Smith but more essential than Django? I think not.

Porgy and Bess and Tutu but no Bitches Brew, Walkin', Steamin', Relaxin', Workin', Musings, Walkin'?

NO BLUE TRAIN?

Edited February 20, 2004 by scottb

[Pete C]

There are some great albums on that list, but otherwise it's ridiculous and useless, and not worthy of "negotiation."

[A Lark Ascending]

More to the point where's Django Bates?

[Jim Alfredson]

What, no Organissimo?!?!

[Chrome]

"Ah Um" is probably Mingus' worst record.

While it may be hard to pick one Mingus disc as his "best," I'm blown away to see anyone consider this as his "worst."

[Jim R]

Vocal jazz, with maybe a couple of exceptions, shouldn't even be on the list. It is a primarily instrumental music

I'll disagree (and object) slightly. Vocal jazz may be less popular in some circles (such as this board), and generally less popular than it used to be, but in terms of the entire history of the music I think it's more important than you're making it out to be. "A primarily instrumental music"... that has kind of a false ring to it. Jazz is certainly not "primarily instrumental" by definition, and even if you're simply saying that there are more instrumentalists than singers, putting it that way seems a bit unfairly exclusionary (to singers). The human voice, as an instrument, is just one category among many categories of "instruments", so of course it's in a minority compared to the whole range of instruments used.

I hope that made sense. Again, it's only a slight objection, as I do see some truth in what you said.

[RDK]

"Ah Um" is probably Mingus' worst record.

While it may be hard to pick one Mingus disc as his "best," I'm blown away to see anyone consider this as his "worst."

I agree! "Ah Um" isn't just my favorite Mingus album but one of my all time top 10 jazz albums period.

[Rimshot]

No, no, NO! There is no Cecil, Ayler, or late Coltrane to be found. No European jazz either. Bobby Womack = "Across 110th St.", a semi-underground soul singer. He's good, but not jazz. "Ah Um" is probably Mingus' worst record. Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett, and Oscar Peterson are all, IMO, inessential if you have to pick only 100 jazz records. Vocal jazz, with maybe a couple of exceptions, shouldn't even be on the list. It is a primarily instrumental music, and therefore should be limited as far as jazz introductions go. Parker Verve? Gimme a break! Dial and Savoy all the way, G. I could go on and on. Uugh...

I'm sorry, but I have to dissagree with you on Nancy Wilson and Oscar Peterson, But Tony Bennett, although a great singer could be thought of as not essential. Oscar Peterson was one of the most influential and awesome pianists of jazz. Kind of the stature of Bird or Trane among them keyboardy types.

Although I greatly admire Buddy Rich's technique, I've never really thought of him as a jazz drummer, more of an awesome chart drummer.

No Pharoah Sanders? Only one Charlie Parker? Only one Yusef Lateef?

None of the real GREAT late Trane, or any of the awesome live Miles?

Frank Sinatra?

Those wouldn't be the three Herbie Hancock recordings I would pick.

I'd like to see Kenny Garrett's "Black Hope" or "Standard of Language" on that list.

Alice Coltrane's "Ptah the El Daoud" is worthy. What a great session that must have been.

I think there is much too much diversity

in the catagory of "jazz" to put together a list that will appeal to everybody. I'm not a big fan of big band or ragtime (I admire it, but I don't listen to it that much). I think that there should be a list broken down into styles more. And no compilations; that's just Reader's Digest fodder.

[A Lark Ascending]

'Essential' is a four letter word.

Follow that logic and we all end up with the same record collections.

I like loving records that most people think are inessential. They might not reflect what someone has decided matters in the grand scheme of things.

But they certainly reflect my life and experiences. And while that life has been nothing special its been unique. I want a record collection to reflect that.Give me Django Bates over Woody Herman. Frank Bridge over Brahms. And no disrespect to either.

A pox on 'essential'.

[Jazzmoose]

Vocal Jazz shouldn't be on the list?

"Ah Um" is Mingus' worst album?

I was ready to rip into this silly list of "essential compilations", but as there's someone posting here that I would disagree with even more, I've lost my killer instinct!

(And yeah, check out Bobby Womack!)

[Jazzmoose]

I do think it's possible to compile a list of "essential jazz albums", but I think that list would be fairly short. Less than 100 even. And I think each "essential" would actually be a choice of several, rather than one particular item. This would be a list of discs that, if haven't been exposed to them, you're missing a key portion of the development of jazz. Example: It may not matter exactly which Charlie Parker disc you have, but fer cryin' out loud, ya gotta have at least one!!

Going by this theory, I'll give credit to the compiler for including the Armstrong and Hines disc rather than the Hot Fives/Hot Sevens, but I reserve the right to sneer...