Compiling a list of 50 best jazz albums is, as reader Derick put it, like "walking blindfolded through a mine field." Proceeding on the principle that rules are made to be broken, I made rules and broke them. But it has been fun and it has led me to go back and do a lot of listening that I otherwise might have neglected. I also found myself frequently entering an album only to replace it with another. Discipline, please!
I wanted to get some multi-disc collections in, if only to cheat on the limit of fifty recordings. That's a little like being limited to three books on a desert island, and putting the Harvard Classics as number one. So here is 26-33 on my list:
| Coltrane | John | Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings |
| Coltrane | John | Complete Africa/Brass Sessions |
| Davis | Miles | Legendary Prestige Recordings |
| Davis | Miles | Live at the Plugged Nickel |
| Davis | Miles | Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall |
| Dolphy | Eric | At the Five Spot Vols. 1 & 2 /Memorial Album |
| Manne | Shelly | Shelly Manne and His Men @ Blackhawk |
| Rollins | Sonny | A Night at the Village Vanguard |
Obviously Miles Davis and John Coltrane are overrepresented. But that reflects the importance I place on those two giants. Davis's Prestige Recordings include his incomparable Workin', Relaxin', Cookin', and Steamin' albums. How could I leave them out, and how else could I fit them in? I first listed the Blackhawk recordings, but the Plugged Nickel set is a better example of the distance Miles crosses in the period I concentrate on. Trane's Vanguard recording are, in my mind, his greatest achievement. Dolphy's Five Spot recordings aren't really a single set (I cheated again), but put 'em in a single bag. They might be the best display of Dolphy's brilliance. Manne's Blackhawk recordings are West Coast jazz at its best. Rollins' Vanguard set needs no defense.
Here is the rest of the list:
| Ayler | Albert | Spiritual Unity |
| Blakey | Art | Moanin' |
| Dolphy | Eric | Out to Lunch |
| Ellington | Duke | Ellington at Newport |
| Ervin | Booker | The Trance |
| Hawes | Hampton | Hampton Hawes Trio Vol. 2. |
| Holland | Dave | Conference of the Birds |
| Jarrett | Keith | The Köln Concert |
| Kirk | Roland | Rip, Rig, and Panic |
| Lovano | Joe | From the Soul |
| Mobley | Hank | Soul Station |
| Montgomery | Wes | The Incredible Guitar |
| Morgan | Lee | Search for the New Land |
| Murray | David | The Hill |
| Russel | George | Ezz-Thetics |
| Silver | Horace | Blown' the Blues Away |
| Sun Ra | Jazz In Silhouette |
When in doubt, look at what everyone else is doing. I consulted several "top 100" lists on the web. Most of them are pretty much like mine for the first ten or so. Past 25, there is a lot of divergence. But most of the items in my list show up somewhere on other lists. Some exceptions include Booker Ervin's Trance. I am deeply in love with Booker Ervin. Trance is not his best known work, but think it is the purest example of his genius. Lee Morgan's Sidewinder was his best seller, while Search for the New Land rarely shows up on best jazz lists. But great as the former is, I think the later is the more serious recording.
I got a couple of big band recordings in, by Ellington and Sun Ra. I don't like big band jazz generally, but I think these are superb albums. Some of the items are recorded much later than my target period (1950-1970). Holland, Murray, and Lovano, for example, though Holland Conference of the Birds doesn't miss it by much. But these recordings fit right into the mold.
Anyway, I think this top 50 list would be the core of a very good jazz library. Here are some samples.
David Murray/Santa Barbara and Crenshaw Follie/The Hill
Lee Morgan/Morgan the Pirate/Search for the New Land
Miles Davis/Milestones/Live at the Plugged Nickel
