The 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time

The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Our editors put their stamp of approval on the 100 best-ever albums from the ever-changing world of jazz.

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The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Out To Lunch (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition)

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Customer Discussions: 100 Greatest Jazz Albums

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Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No Sinatra Really?	7	1 month ago
Benny Goodman?	1	2 months ago
100 Greatest Jazz Albums	1	2 months ago
Are You Guys Nuts?	105	May 2010
How many albums were considered? 15,000? 25000?	0	May 2010
Surprised by the Coleman #1 - Shockingly Correct for Once	0	May 2010
Really?	1	May 2010
An Insult to Jazz Fans	1	May 2010
Define Jazz...please, as we have different views	2	May 2010
Who chose these? Ornette Coleman at the top? This is crazy!	0	May 2010
100 best jazz recordings	19	March 2010
Landmarks: Jazz is Jazz - Blues is Blues	4	February 2010

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Browse More of the Greatest

Explore more definitive 100 Greatest of All Time album lists in a variety of categories, including:
• 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time
• 100 Greatest Live Albums of All Time

Selection Criteria

Because of its long, storied history, jazz has existed in recorded form longer than the format, or even concept of the album has, which certainly complicates making a list of the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time. There were many incredible, influential, and vital jazz musicians who never released a single album--many, if not most of those who created and shaped the genre in its early days are included in that group. However, this is a list of the greatest jazz albums of all time, not the most influential or innovative jazz musicians of all time. Here are the rules we used to compile our list:

• Legitimate album releases only: no collections, compilations, singles, or EPs.
• Reissues, even those with tacked-on bonus tracks, qualify for inclusion.
• While we typically only allow one album per artist, due to the collaborative nature of jazz as an art form, and the drastically different styles played by single artists within one career, we will allow multiple albums by the same artists.

Don't agree with our list? Think we hit the right note? Let us know in our message board below.

More Jazz Heavyweights

Some incredible jazz musicians never released a single album, others didn't quite fit the genre, and still more just didn't make the cut. Rather than totally exclude them, here are some of our favorites who didn't survive our criteria:
• Jelly Roll Morton
• Django Reinhardt
• Glenn Miller
• Scott Joplin
• Annette Hanshaw
• Bix Beiderbecke
• King Oliver
• Nina Simone
• Anita O'Day
• Cab Calloway

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