Essential Jazz:: Essentially The Best

Essentially The Best

New to classic jazz? Or, looking for some jazz icons to check out? Perhaps some of these will help point you in the direction of other releases by these jazz greats. This recommendations (suggestions) on this list are only provided for information. Additions will be made to the list on an ongoing basis.

Piano

Kenny Barron: Wanton Spirit (Verve)
Bud Powell: Tempus Fugue-It (Verve)
Duke Ellington: This is Duke Ellington (RCA)
Monk's Greatest Hits (Columbia)
Monk: Monk Misterioso (Columbia)
Oscar Peterson Plays Broadway (Verve Jazz Masters)
Sun Ra: The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (Savoy)
Eric Reed: The Swing and I (Mojazz)
Stephen Scott: Renaissance (Verve)
McCoy Tyner: Big Band (Milestone)
Mary Lou Williams Quartet Featuring Don Byas (GNP Crescendo)

Saxophone

Gary Bartz: Harlem Bush Music (Milestone)
Ornette Coleman and Prime Time: Tone Dialing (Verve)
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (MCA)
John Coltrane: Live At Birdland (Impulse)
Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 1 (Prestige)
Dexter Gordon (Blue Note Re-Issue Series)
Roy Hargrove Quintet With the Tenors of Our Time (Verve)
Coleman Hawkins: Sirius (Pablo)
Joe Henderson: Double Rainbow (Verve)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk & The Vibration Society (Atlantic)
Yusef Lateef: Pyschicemototus (Impulse)
Charlie Parker: Jazz at Massey Hall,Volume 4
(Saga Records, London)
The Essential Charlie Parker (Verve)
Joshua Redman: Moodswing (Warner Brothers)
Joshua Redman Quartet: Spirit of the Moment:
Live at the Village Vanguard (Warner Brothers)
Sonny Rollins: First Recordings (Prestige)
Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins Plus 3 (Milestone)
Sonny Rollins: The Essential Sonny Rollins (Riverside)
Pharaoh Sanders: Tauhid (Impulse)
Pharaoh Sanders: Karma (Impulse)
Wayne Shorter: Super Nova (Blue Note)
World Saxophone Quartet: Steppin' (Black Saint)
Lester Young: Pres is Blue (CP Parker Records)

Trumpet

Clifford Brown: Jazz Immortal (Jazz Milestones Series)
Miles Davis: The Complete Live At the Plugged Nickel:1965 (Re-Issue CD:1995)
The Essential Miles Davis, Special Edition,
Produced in Paris (CBS)
Dizzy Gillespie: (Verve Jazz Masters)
Freddie Hubbard: Monk, Miles, Trane & Cannon (Music Masters)
Charles Lloyd: Forest Flower: Charles Lloyd At Monterey (Atlantic)
Lee Morgan: DelighfulLee Morgan (Blue Note)
Marcus Printup: Songs for the Beautiful Woman (Blue Note)

Bass

James Carter: The Real Quiet Storm (DIW/Columbia)
Ron Carter: Uptown Conversation
Christian McBride: Gettin' To It (Verve)
Charles Mingus Presents the Charles Mingus Quartet
Featuring Eric Dolphy (Barnaby)
Charles Mingus: Town Hall Concert (Jazz Workshop/Fantasy)
Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um (Columbia)

Drums

Jack DeJohnette: Special Edition (ECM)
Jack DeJohnette (and Foday Musa Suso): Music From The Hearts of Masters (Kindred Rhythm)
Billy Higgins: Soweto (Red)
Elvin Jones: Heavy Sounds (Impulse)
Tony Williams: Emergency Polydor
Leon Parker (drums): Above and Below (Epicure)

Guitar

Django Reinhardt At the Hot Club of France (RCA Victor)
Wes Montgomery: Compact Jazz (Verve)
Kenny Burrell: Kenny Burrell & the Boys Choir of Harlem, Love is the Answer (Concord Jazz)

Collaborations/Commemoration/Celebration
Gene Ammons: Goodbye (Prestige)
Kenny Burrell Quintet With John Coltrane (Prestige)
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Impulse)
Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (Impulse)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk & Al Hibbler: A Meeting of the Times (Atlantic)
Charlie Hayden and Hank Jones: Steal Away (Verve)
John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet: Collaborations (Atlantic)
John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet: The Last Concert (Atlantic)
VSOP-The Quintet (Columbia)

Vocals

Lorez Alexandria: More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse)
Betty Carter: Round Midnight (Roulette)
Nat King Cole: Forever Yours (Capitol)
Ella Fitzgerald: The Best of the Songbooks-The Ballads (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald: The Rogers & Hart Song Book (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald: Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irvin Berlin Song Book (Verve)
Billy Holiday: Billy's Best (Verve)
Lena Horne: We'll Be Together Again (Blue Note)
Lena Horne: Live On Broadway-The Lady and Her Music (Warner Brothers/QWest)
Lena Horne: Stormy Weather-The Legendary Lena (1941-1958) (RCA)
Etta James: Mystery Lady: Songs of Billy Holiday (Private Music)
Abbey Lincoln: Turtle's Dream (Verve)
Carmen McRae: Yesterdays (Harmony)
Lou Rawls: For My Love (Blue Note)
Nina Simone At Town Hall (Colpix Records)
Nina Simone: Wild is the Wind (Phillips)
Nina Simone: Live at Berkeley (Stroud)
Leon Thomas: Spirits Known and Unknown (Flying Dutchman)
Sarah Vaughan: The Jazz Sides (Verve Jazz Masters)
Dinah Washington: (Verve Jazz Masters)