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Kind of Blue
Miles Davis · 1959
The one to own first. Calm, modal, endlessly replayable.
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A Love Supreme
John Coltrane · 1965
A four-part prayer in sound. Intense, searching, unforgettable.
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The Shape of Jazz to Come
Ornette Coleman · 1959
The record that broke the rules. Confronting and thrilling.
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Saxophone Colossus
Sonny Rollins · 1956
Big, confident, joyful tenor. "St. Thomas" lives here.
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Moanin'
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers · 1959
Hard bop at full boil. Gospel-soaked and irresistible.
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Clifford Brown & Max Roach
1955
Two masters at their peak before Brown's life was cut short.
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Mingus Ah Um
Charles Mingus · 1959
Sprawling, bluesy, alive. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is here.
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Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto · 1964
Bossa nova's crossover moment. "The Girl from Ipanema" and pure ease.
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Chet Baker Sings
Chet Baker · 1954
That fragile voice and trumpet. The sound of West Coast cool.
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Jazz at Massey Hall
Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus, Roach · 1953
The bebop summit, live. The "greatest jazz concert ever."
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Genius of Modern Music
Thelonious Monk · 1952
Monk's angular, witty compositions in their first great recordings.
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Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
1954
One of the great jazz voices, perfectly matched. Warm and lush.
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Ella and Louis
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong · 1956
Two legends, easy as a Sunday morning. Pure pleasure.
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The Complete Decca Singles
Billie Holiday
Lady Day at her most distinctive. The voice that rewrote singing.
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington · 1956
The comeback concert that set the festival on fire. Big-band magic.