10 A finger-popping soul jazz masterpiece, and another favorite album introduced to me by my wife, Ako. Bailey clearly had a talent as a bandleader, making great song selections and surrounding himself with talented musicians. “Comin’ Home Baby”, “Two Feet in the Gutter”, “Shiny Stockings” |
9 As a highly undervalued album that has never been reissued in the U.S. in any format, the Japanese’s all-inclusive approach to reissuing Blue Note has made it more accessible. This frontline triumvirate sounds especially aggressive here, and Mobley’s songwriting features some particularly foreboding, haunting harmonies. |
8 This is another album recommended to me by way of It’s a Raggy Waltz, and another rare appearance of a ’70s album in my list. This is the only Tjader album I own and it showcases just how fun and easy his music was. I wish I knew more bop albums that used electric piano. “Leyte”, “Cubano Chant”, “Manteca” |
7 My most favorite albums are all highly listenable start to finish. This album is no exception, and it falls into the category of “so seamless that I have a hard time remembering the song titles”. Baritone sax can sometime sound a little too aggressive for me, but Mellé manages to make it fit perfectly into a cooler setting like this. |
6 Despite this version of “‘Round Midnight” never being a favorite of mine, and despite the album lacking a degree of cohesion due to being recorded over three dates spanning close to a year, the music is so good that it still manages to rank very high on my list. “Ah-Leu-Cha”, “All Of You”, “Bye Bye Blackbird” |
5 I was introduced to this album by a jazz musician friend and it was an early favorite Blue Note of mine. Technically falling under “experimental” due to a lack of traditional songwriting, Hancock’s percussive style and use of refrain are key ingredients that keep things very accessible. “Triangle” |
4 Morgan shines with inventiveness in this unique quartet-with-trumpet setting. The focus is on standards but the leader manages to make the material sound fresh and engaging regardless. Sonny Clark and Art Taylor backing Morgan is a rare and most welcome combination. “Since I Fell for You”, “All the Way” |
3 Some may be surprised to see an obscure album like this ranked so high on my list. If so, I remind you that this is merely a list of favorites. This album is very close to perfection for me. Patton’s band never take themselves too seriously and maintain a relaxed, playful vibe throughout. “The Rock”, “The Way I Feel”, “Jerry”, “Just 3/4” |
2 Most jazz classics aren’t personal favorites of mine; this album is an exception. I feel both its popularity and “gateway” status are warranted. Coltrane struggles to fit in at times and “Flamenco Sketches” sounds a tad redundant following “Blue in Green”, otherwise I think it’s perfect. “So What”, “Blue in Green”, “All Blues” |
1 Though it doesn’t have as many trophy songs as the rest of the albums in my top five, I have probably listened to this album the most. There is nothing I would change about it. It is a perfect album by my standards, and I can easily play it start to finish every time I listen. “The Natives are Restless Tonight”, “Lonely Woman” |
Thank you for sharing your all time favorites! This has me relistening to/rediscovering records I already have, as well has sent me off to Discogs/eBay, etc. for new additions to my collection.
This is exactly what I was hoping for, Matt! 🙂
Great list! Many on this list I’ll have to explore