RECOMMENDED LISTENING LIST

This list is obviously not a comprehensive listening list. It is intended to be a starting point for the
student’s discovery, education and enjoyment.

(Jazz Albums, except for big bands, are categorized by the instrument played by the leader. All other
albums are listed by artist in each category)

JAZZ

PIANO
Bud Powell:

• The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1

• Jazz Giant
• Bud Powell Trio

Thelonious Monk:

• Misterioso
• Live at the Five Spot
• Monk’s Mood
• Brilliant Corners
• Monk’s Music
• Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins
• Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane: Live At Carnegie Hall

Oscar Peterson Trio:

• We Get Requests
• Oscar Peterson Trio + 1
• Stan Getz and The Oscar Peterson Trio
• Ben Webster meets Oscar Peterson
• The Jazz Soul of Oscar Peterson
• Night Train

Red Garland:

• Groovy

Ahmad Jamal:
 • Live At The Pershing
• Ahmad’s Blues

Bill Evans

• Waltz for Debby

• Live at the Village Vanguard
• You Must Believe In Spring
• Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Horace Silver:
 Song For My Father
 Horace-Scope
 Blowin’ The Blues Away
 Finger Poppin’
 Horace Silver And The Jazz Messengers

Herbie Hancock:

• Maiden Voyage
• Empyrean Isles
• Speak Like A Child
• Inventions and Dimensions
• Headhunters
• Thrust
• Fat Albert Rotunda

Chick Corea:

 Now He Sings Now He Sobs

 Three Quartets
 Friends
 The Leprechaun
 The Elektric Band
 Tones for Joan’s Bones

McCoy Tyner:

• The Real McCoy

• Fly With the Wind
• Enlightenment
• Sahara
• Inception
• Reaching Fourth
Dave Brubeck:

• Time Out

Geri Allen:

• In The Year of The Dragon

• The Nurturer
• Open On All Sides
• Flying Toward the Sound

Keith Jarrett:

• Standards Volume 1 and 2

• Changes
• Standards Live
• Tribute
• Belonging
• My Song
• The Survivor Suite
• Personal Mountains
• The Cure
• Treasure Island

Myra Melford:

• The Image of Your Body

• The Whole Tree Gone
• The Guest House
• The Other Side of Air

Michel Camilo:

• Michel Camilo
• Triangulo
• Live At The Blue Note
• Spirit of The Moment

Brad Mehldau:

• Any of the "Art of the Trio" recordings

• Brad Mehldau Trio Live
• Where Do You Start
• Ode

Jean Michel-Pilc:
 • Cardinal Points
• Together: Live At Sweet Basil

Kenny Werner:

• Beat Degeneration
• Beauty Secrets
• Lawn Chair Society

Steve Kuhn

• Steve Kuhn Trio-Life’s Magic

Ellis Marsalis

• The Classic Ellis Marsalis

Robert Glasper:

• In My Element
• Double Booked
• Black Radio

Vijay Iyer:

• Panoptic Modes
• Reimagining
• Blood Sutra

Tigran Hamasyan:

• Red Hall
• New Era

Gerald Clayton:

 Two Shade
 Tributary Tales

Luis Perdomo:

 The Infancia Project

SAXOPHONE
Charlie Parker:

• The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall

• The Complete Savoy Sessions Master Takes
• The Very Best of the Dial Years
• The Complete Verve Master Takes

Sonny Rollins:

• Live at the Village Vanguard

• Saxophone Colossus
• Way Out West
• Newk’s Time
• East Broadway Rundown
• The Bridge
• Freedom Suite

Dexter Gordon:

 Ballads
 Our Man In Paris
 Getting’ Around
 Go
 Dexter Calling
 A Swingin’ Affair

Joe Henderson:

 Page One
 In ‘n Out
 Inner Urge
 The Kicker
 Multiple
 Power To The People
 In Pursuit of Blackness/Black is the Color
 The State Of The Tenor
 The Standard Joe
 Lush Life

Wayne Shorter:
 • Speak No Evil
• Ju-Ju
• Night Dreamer
• The Soothsayer
• Native Dancer
• Footprints Live

Oliver Nelson:

• Blues and The Abstract Truth

Eric Dolphy

• Out To Lunch
• With Booker Little: Live at the Five Spot, Volume 1
• With Booker Little: Live at the Five Spot, Volume 2

Cannonball Adderley:

• Somethin’ Else

Ornette Coleman:

• The Shape of Jazz To Come

• This is Our Music
• Ornette
• Change of the Century

Hank Mobley

• Soul Station
• Roll Call

John Coltrane

• Blue Trane
• Giant Steps
• Crescent
• A Love Supreme
• Ballads
• With Johnny Hartman
• Live at Birdland
• Live at the Village Vanguard
• Transition
• Interstellar Space
Albert Ayler:

• Live At Greenwich Village

• Love Cry

Michael Brecker

• Michael Brecker (First self-titled Album)

• Pilgrimage
• Two Blocks from The Edge
• Wide Angles

Kenny Garrett:

• Songbook
• Happy People
• Beyond the Wall

Joe Lovano:

• From The Soul

• Sounds Of Joy
• Trio Fascination
• Landmarks

David Binney:

• South
• Afinidad
• Barefooted Town
• Bastion of Sanity
• Lifted Land

Dick Oatts:

• Southpaw
• Meru

Branford Marsalis:

• Requiem
• The Dark Keys
• Crazy People Music
• Trio Jeepy

Jan Garbarek:
 • I Took Up The Runes

Joshua Redman:

• Elastic
• Ya Ya 3
• Back East
• Compass
• Wish
• Momentum
• Walking Shadows

Jon Ellis:

• Roots, Branches & Leaves

• Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow

Melissa Aldana:
 Visions
 Free Fall

Dewey Redman:

• Red & Black In Willisau

• In London
• The Struggle Continues

Yusef Lateef

• Jazz Mood
• Live at Pep’s
• 1984
• Other Sounds
• Eastern Sounds
• The Doctor is In ..And Out

Chris Potter:

• Lift
• Underground
• Follow the Red Line
• Ultrahang

Steve Coleman:
 • Rhythm People
• M-Base Collective-Anatomy of a Groove
• Sine Die

Craig Handy:

• Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith

Jerry Bergonzi:

 Standard Gonz
 Wiggy
 Just Within
 By Any Other Name

Rudresh Mahanthappa:

 Gamak
 Bird Calls
 Apti

TRUMPET
Dizzy Gillespie:

• Sonny Side Up
• The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
• Dizzy's Diamonds-Best of the Verve Years
• Odyssey: 1945-1952 (could be some overlap with the RCA collection above)
• Have Trumpet, Will Excite!

Clifford Brown:

• Study in Brown
• Live at Basin Street.

Lee Morgan:

 Search For the New Land

 Little T
 DelightfuLee
 The Sidewinder
  Infinity

Miles Davis:

 Kind of Blue
 Workin’
 Relaxin’
 Steamin’
 Milestones
 Round About Midnight
 Someday My Prince Will Come
 My Funny Valentine/Four and More (2 CD set)
 ESP
 The Sorcerer
 Miles Smiles
 Nefertiti
 Files De Kilamanjaro
 In A Silent Way
 Bitches Brew
 Live Evil
 We Want Miles

Freddie Hubbard:

 Red Clay
 Blue Spirits
 Ready For Freddie
 Hub-Tones

Dave Douglas:

• The Infinite
• Meaning And Mystery
• Moonshine
• Spirit Moves

Kenny Wheeler:

• Gnu High
• Double, Double You
• The Widow In The Window
• Six for Six

Wynton Marsalis:
 • Black Codes From The Underground
• Standard Time Volume One
• J Mood
• Joe Cool’s Blues

Cuong Vu:

• It's Mostly Residual

Ingrid Jensen:

 Spirals
 Nordic Connect-“Flurry”
 Project O

Ambrose Akinmusire:
 Prelude To Cora
 The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint
 When The Heart Emerges Glistening

BASS

Charles Mingus:

• Ah Um
• Blues & Roots
• The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
• Oh. Yeah!
• Tijuana Moods

Ray Brown:

• Don’t Get Sassy

Dave Holland:

 Conference of The Birds

 Triplicate
 Seeds of Time
 The Razor’s Edge
 Jumpin’ In
  Extensions
 Prime Directive
 Not for Nothin'

Jaco Pastorious:

• Word of Mouth
• Jaco Pastorious

Eberhard Weber:

• Later That Evening

Drew Gress:

• Spin & Drift

• Irrational Numbers

Mark Helias:

• Verbs of Will
• Atomic Clock

Ben Allison:

• Cowboy Justice

GUITAR

Grant Green:

• Talkin’ About

Allan Holdsworth:

• Heavy Metal Fatigue

• Secrets
• The Sixteen Men of Tain
• Wardenclyffe Tower

Wes Montgomery:
  The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
 Smokin’ At The Half Note

John Scofield:

• Still Warm
• Hand Jive
• En Route
• Time On My Hands
• Blue Matter

Pat Metheny:

• Pat Metheny Group

• 80/81
• Question And Answer
• Song X
• Still Life Talking
• Unity Band
• Trio Live

Frank Zappa:

 Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar

 Joe’s Garage

John Abercrombie:

 Gateway
 John Abercrombie Trio-Live
 While We’re Young
 Open Land

John McLaughlin:

• Live At The Royal Festival Hall

• Tokyo Live

Kurt Rosenwinkel:

• The Next Step

• The Remedy-Live

Adam Rogers:
 • Art of the Invisible
• Apparitions

Peter Bernstein:
 Monk

David Gilmore:

• Numerology
• Ritualism

Jonathan Kreisberg:

• New For Now

• Shadowless

Tony MacAlpine (with Dennis Chambers and Bunny Brunel)

• CAB
• CAB 2

Rez Abbasi:

• Suno Suno
• Things To Come
• Snake Charmer
• Unfiltered Universe

ORGAN:
Jimmy Smith:

• Back at the Chicken Shack

• Home Cookin'
• The Sermon

Melvin Rhyne:

• Boss Organ

Larry Goldings:
 • Live at Smalls
• As One

Gary Versace:

• Outside In

Alice Coltrane:

• Transfiguration

Larry Young:

• Unity

GROUPS

Weather Report:

• Weather Report
• Sweetnighter
• Mysterious Traveler
• Heavy Weather
• Black Market
• Domino Theory

Brecker Brothers:

 Back to Back
 Heavy Metal Be-Bop
 The Brecker Bros.

Steps Ahead:

 Steps Ahead
 Smokin’ In The Pit

The Jazz Crusaders:

• Southern Comfort

Old And New Dreams:

 • Playing

Return to Forever:

• Light as a Feather
• Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy
• Romantic Warrior

Mahavishnu Orchestra:

• Birds of Fire
• The Inner Mounting Flame

Fly:

• Sky and Country

• Fly

DRUMS

Jo Jones (as in Papa Jo Jones):

• The Everest Years

Max Roach:

• Drums Unlimited
• We Insist! Freedom Now Suite
• Deeds Not Words

Art Blakey:

 A Night At Birdland, Volumes 1 and 2

 Moanin’
 The Big Beat
 A Night In Tunisia
 Caravan
 Ugetsu
 Free For All
 Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk

Elvin Jones:
 • Live At The Lighthouse, Volumes 1 and 2

Tony Williams:

• Emergency
• Turn It Over
• Believe It

Jack Dejohnette:

• Album Album
• Special Edition
• New Directions
• New Directions In Europe

Paul Motian:

 On Broadway, Volume 1
 Sound of Love
 It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago
 One Time Out

Matt Wilson:

• Smile
• Arts and Crafts
• The Scenic Route

Roy Haynes:

• We Three
• Out of The Afternoon
• Roy Haynes Trio With Danilo Perez and John Patitucci

Billy Cobham:

• Spectrum
• A Funky Side of Things

Brian Blade

• Brian Blade Fellowship-Perceptual

Ed Blackwell:

• Walls-Bridges
• Ed Blackwell Project, Volume 1-What it Is?
• What It Be Like

Ralph Peterson Jr.:

 Presents the Fo’tet

 Ornettology
 The Fo’Tet Augmented

Jeff “Tain” Watts:

• Citizen Tain
• Bar Talk
• Folk's Songs

Dafnis Prieto:

• About the Monks

• Absolute Quintet
• Proverb Trio
• Triangles and Circles

Terri Lyne Carrington:

 The Mosaic Project
 The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul
 Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue

Allison Miller:
 Otis Was a Polar Bear
 Glitter Wolf
 Parlour (with Jenny Scheinman)

Jeff Hamilton:

• The Best Things Happen

Vinnie Colaiuta:

• Vinnie Colaiuata
Ari Hoenig:

• Bert's Playground
• Inversations
• Lines of Oppression
• The Painter
• Punk Bop

Peter Erskine:

• Sweet Soul
• You Never Know

Chad Wackerman:

• Scream
• Forty Reasons
• Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations

BIG BANDS

Chick Webb:

• Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb

Buddy Rich:

• Big Swing Face

• Swinging New Big Band

Duke Ellington:

• The Duke At Fargo

• Ellington At Newport
• Blues In Orbit
• Black, Brown and Beige
• New Orleans Suite
• Such Sweet Thunder
• And His Mother Called Him Bill
• Far East Suite

Count Basie:
 • The Complete Decca Recordings
• Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings
• Straight Ahead
• Atomic Basie
• This Time by Basie
• Chairman of the Board

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis:

• Central Park North

• Consumation
• Live At The Village Vanguard

Clarke/Boland Big Band:

• Now Hear Our Meanin'

• Change if Scenes
• Handle With Care
• More Smiles

Jim McNeely:

 Lickety Split (listed under the Vanguard Orchestra playing the music of Jim McNeely)
 Dedication Suite
 Group Therapy

Maria Schneider:

• Evanescence
• Allegresse
• Concert In The Garden
• Sky Blue

Bob Brookmeyer:

• New Works
• Spirit Music
• Waltzing With Zoe
• Get Well Soon

WDR Big Band:

• Prism

Bob Mintzer Big Band:

 • Incredible Journey
• Art of the Big Band

Django Bates:

• Like Life

Christine Jensen:

• Habitat

VOCALISTS:

Joe Williams:

• Count Basie Swings and Joe Williams Sings

Sarah Vaughn:

 Sarah Vaughn
 Swingin’ Easy

Billie Holiday:

• Lady In Satin
• Lady Sings the Blues

Ella Fitzgerald:

• Anything by Ella…

Frank Sinatra:

 Songs for Swingin’ Lovers

 Come Dance With Me
 Sinatra at the Sands (with Count Basie)

Al Jarreau:

• We Got By
• Glow
• This Time

Sheila Jordan:
 • Portrait of Sheila
• Sheila
• Confirmation

Carmen McRae:

• I’m Coming Home Again

• Carmen Sings Monk
• Any Old Time
• After Glow

Nina Simone:
 Sings the Blues
 In Concert
 Little Girl Blue

Cassandra Wilson:

• Blue Skies

Dee Dee Bridgewater:

 Love and Peace

 Keeping Tradition
 Dear Ella
 Live at Yoshi's (1998)

ROCK, POP, FUNK AND R&B

Aretha Franklin:

• Live At Filmore West

• Aretha Now
• I Never Loved A Man The Way That I Love You
• Young Gifted And Black

Bettye LaVette:

 I've Got My Own Hell To Raise

 The Scene of The Crime
  Child of the Seventies
Ann Peebles:
 Straight from The Heart
 I Can’t Stand The Rain
O.V. Wright:
 Memphis Unlimited
The Meters:

 The Meters
 Look-Ka Py Py
 Struttin’
 Rejuvenation
 Fire on the Bayou

Dr. John, with the Meters:

• In the Right Place

Rufus (sometimes listed as Rufus with Chaka Kahn):

 Stomping At The Savoy

 Rags to Rufus
 Rufusized

Allen Toussaint:

• Life, Love and Faith

Me’Shell Ndegeocello

• Peace Beyond Passion

• Comfort Woman

Parliament/Funkadelic:

 Standing on the Verge of Getting It On

 Cosmic Slop
 Funkadelic
 Mothership Connection
 Up For the Down Stroke
Earth Wind And Fire:

• Greatest Hits Volume 1

• I Am

Tower of Power:

• What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology

James Brown:

• Star Time (Boxed Set) (SERIOUSLY…JUST LISTEN TO THIS!)

Marvin Gaye:

 What’s Going On
 Here, My Dear
 Let’s Get It On

Diana Ross:
 Diana
 Where Did Our Love Go (The Supremes)
 A’Go Go

Smokey Robinson:
 Hi..We’re The Miracles
 Going to a Go-Go
 Make It Happen

Martha Reeves &The Vandellas

 Dance Party
 Heat Wave

Gladys Knight and The Pips:

• The Ultimate Collection

The Temptations:

 Puzzle People
 Meet The Temptations
 Gettin’ Ready
 All Directions
  The Temptations Sing Smokey

Al Green:

• Al Green’s Greatest Hits

The O’Jays:
 Super Bad
 Back Stabbers
 Ship Ahoy
 Survival

Donny Hathaway:

• These Songs For You

• Everything is Everything
• Donny Hathaway

Sly And The Family Stone:

 Dance to The Music

 There’s A Riot Going On
 Stand
 Fresh

Stevie Wonder:

• Fullfillingess’ First Finale

• Talking Book
• Innervisions
• Songs In The Key Of Life
• Signed Sealed and Delivered

Rickie Lee Jones:

 Rickie Lee Jones

 Pirates

Led Zeppelin:

• Led Zeppelin I
• Led Zeppelin II
• Led Zeppelin IV

Pink Floyd:
  Dark Side of The Moon
 Wish You Were Here
 Animals

Santana:

 Santana

Radiohead:

 OK Computer
 Kid A
 Amnesiac

Steely Dan:

• Katy Lied
• Aja
• Gaucho

The Beatles:

• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

• Revolver
• The Beatles (The White Album)
• Rubber Soul
• Please Please Me
• Abbey Road

The Beach Boys:

• Pet Sounds

Blood, Sweat and Tears:

• Blood Sweat and Tears

The Staples Singers:

• Stax Profiles-The Staples Singers

Mavis Staples:

 Only For The Lonely

  We’ll Never Turn Back

Ohio Players:

• Fire

Yes:

• Fragile
• Yes

King Crimson:
 Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
 Red

Crosby Stills and Nash:

• Crosby,, Stills and Nash

Bill Bruford:

• Feels Good to Me

The Who:

• Who’s Next

The Band:

• The Band
• Music from the Big Pink

Paul Simon:

• Still Crazy After All These Years

John Mayer:

• Try

John Fogerty:

• The Long Road Home

Jimi Hendrix:
 • Band of Gypsies
• Are You Experienced

Billy Joel:

• The Stranger
• Turnstiles

Sting:

 Bring On The Night

 Dream Of The Blue Turtles
 The Soul Cages
 Ten Summoner’s Tales

Peter Gabriel:

• So
• Us

The Police:

• Zenyatta Mondatta
• Ghost In The Machine
• Synchronicity
• Reggata de Blanc

Chicago:

• Chicago III
• Chicago II
• Chicago Transit Authority

Bill Withers:

• Still Bill
• Just As I Am
• Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall

Otis Redding:
 • Live in London and Paris
• The Very Best of Otis Redding

Sam Cooke:

• Night Beat
• Live at the Harlem Square Club
• At the Copa

Los Lobotomys:

• Los Lobotomys

REGGAE

Bob Marley:

 To Catch A Fire
 Burnin’
 Legend (greatest hits package)
 African Herbsman

Peter Tosh:

• Legalize It
• Equal Rights

Junior Byles:

• Beat Down Babylon

The Skatalites:

• Foundation Ska

AFRO-CUBAN
Cachao:

• Cuba Linda
• Master Sessions Volume 1

Buena Vista Social Club:

• Buena Vista Social Club

• Presents Ibrahim Ferrer

Afro-Cuban All Stars:

• A Toda Cuba La Gusta

Ismael Rivera:
 Controversia
 Lo Ultimo en la Avenida

Willie Colon:
 Metiendo Mano
 Cosa Nuestra
 El Malo

Fania All-Stars:
 Live at The Red Garter Vol. 1
 Live at the Red Garter Vol. 2

Tito Puente:

• Cuban Carnival
• Puente In Percussion
• TOP Percussion
• Dance Mania Vol. 1 and 2
• Vaya Puente

Celia Cruz

 Celia and Johnny

 Son Con Guaguanco
 La Dinamica!

Jimmy Bosch:

• Salsa Dura
• Soneando Trombon
Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band:

• Rumba Para Monk

Hilario Duran:

• New Danzon
• Habana Nocturna
• From The Heart
• Contumbao

Brazil

Sambalanco Trio:

• Sambalanco Trio (available on YouTube)

Sambrasa Trio:
 Em Som Maier

Os Ipanemas:
 Os Ipanemas
 Return of the Ipanemas

Wilson das Neves:

 Som Quente É O Das Neves
 O Som Sagrado de Wilson das Neves

Raul De Souza
 A Vontade Mesmo

Djavan
• Alumbramento OR Seduzir

Milton Banana
• Milton Banana Trio

Hermeto Pascoal
 • Só Não Toca Quem Não Quer
• Ao Vivo

Edison Machado
• Edison Machado é Samba Novo

Egberto Gismonti

• Sanfona

Elis Regina

• Como & Porque

• Elis & Tom

João Donato

• Sambou Sambou

Jorge Bem

• Samba Esquema Novo

Nosso Trio:
 Vento Bravo

Milton Nascimento

• Clube Da Esquina

Moacir Santos

• Coisas

Quarteto Novo

• Quarteto Novo

Sergio Mendes e Bossa Rio

• Voce Ainda Nao Ouviu Nada!

 INDIA TABLA RECORDINGS

Zakir Hussain:

 Magical Moments of Rhythm

 Sangeet Sartaj

Anindo Chatterjee:

 Dreams on Dreams
 Anindo and His Tabla

Bickram Ghosh

 Back to the Classics