I spent a few weeks trying to come up with a list of recommended recordings so I'd have some suggestions to go along with my listening guide. These recommendations primarly focus on the hard bop period (mid 1955-65), as that's the period that I like best.

I tried to organize each album in order of preference, however I decided it would be best to simply put them in ranked groups. So, within each group, there is no specific order.

GROUP 1

• Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
• John Coltrane - Blue Train
• Dexter Gordon - Doin' Allright
• Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land
• John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
• Miles Davis - Round About Midnight
• Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Collosus
• Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
• Clifford Borwn - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
• Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe
• John Coltrane - Giant Steps
• Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream

GROUP 2

• Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
• Miles Davis - Seven Steps To Heaven
• Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
• Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come
• Joe Henderson - Page One
• Miles Davis - Relaxin'
• Clifford Brown - Study in Brown
• Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
• Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues
• Miles Davis - Miles Smiles
• Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
• Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert or Tokyo '96
• Sonny Rollins - The Bridge

GROUP 3

• Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
• Wayne Shorter - Juju
• Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
• Horace Silver - The Jody Grind
• Horace Silver - Song For My Father
• Miles Davis - Miles Ahead
• Miles Davis - Any of: Cookin', Steamin', Workin', or Relaxin'
• Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots
• Bill Evans - Waltz For Debbie (Live)
• Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
• Chick Corea - Now He Speaks, Now He Sobs
• Hank Mobley - Dippin'
• Jackie McLean - Vertigo
• Donald Byrd - Free Form
• Larry Young - Unity
• John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard

GROUP 4

• Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack
• Nina Simone - Anthology
• Horace Silver - Finger Poppin'
• Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley (self titled)
• Betty Carter - The Modern Sound Of Betty Carter
• John Coltrane - Crescent
• Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
• Booker Ervin - TexBook Tenor
• Johnny Griffin - A Blowin' Session
• Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer
• Hank Mobley - No Room For Squares
• Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
• Donald Byrd - Byrd In The Hand
• Blue Mitchell - The Thing To Do
• Carmen McRae - Bittersweet
• Don Ellis - Live At Monterey

RECENT/MODERN RECORDINGS

Here are some great recordings from the past 10-20 years. Most (if not all) of these artists are still in their prime and tour regularly. Catch them if you can!

Note: I *really* need to update this list...

• Dave Douglas - Soul On Soul
• Kenny Garrett - Introducing Kenny Garrett or Songbook
• Chris Potter - Lift: Live At The Village Vanguard
• Brad Mehldau - Day Is Done
• Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play - Live At Birdland
• Nicholas Payton - Gumbo Nouveau
• Masada - Live At Sevilla 2000 or Live At Tonic 2001
• Mingus Big Band - The Essential Mingus Big Band
• Tim Warfield - Jazz Is
• Roy Hargrove - Nothing Serious
• Joshua Redman - Spirit Of The Moment: Live At The Village Vanguard

FOUNDATION RECORDINGS

Some people believe you need to start listening to early jazz before you should listen to later periods. I think you should start by listening to whatever period interests you the most. Give early jazz a listen, but there's no need to force it upon yourself if you don't like it. I do believe, however, that once you develop a solid appreciation for jazz, you'll gradually listen to more periods and likely find that the old recordings don't sound so old anymore...

• Sidney Bechet - The Legendary Sidney Bechet
• Sidney Bechet - The Best Of Sidney Bechet
• Louis Armstrong - The Best Of The Hot 5 & 7 Recordings
• Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit, Master Takes
• Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
• Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald - Ella & Louis
• Bix Beiderbecke - Vol. 1: Singin' The Blues
• Jelly Roll Morton - Birth Of The Hot
• An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955
• Fletcher Henderson - A Study in Frustration: Thesaurus of Classic Jazz
• Duke Ellington - The Best of the Duke Ellington Centennial Edition
• Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
• Charlie Parker - The Complete Charlie Parker On Verve
• Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie At Newport
• Dizzy Gillespie - Verve Jazz Masters 10: Dizzy Gillespie
• Fats Navarro and Tadd Dameron: The Complete Blue Note and Capitol Recordings
• Lester Young - With The Oscar Peterson Trio
• Art Tatum - The Complete Capitol Recording

Be sure to check out The Red Hot Jazz Archive for audio clips and historical information pertaining to pre-1930's jazz.

COMMENTS?

I turned off comments for this thread because I want to avoid a situation where people debate my ordering or my inclusion/exclusion of a particular album. This is my list, if you don't like it, go make your own ;-)