Based on Len Lyons,
The 101 Best Jazz Albums (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1980, ISBN 0-688-08720-5), and Jim Determan's subsequent updates.
| 30. Charlie Parker: The Very Best of Bird (Warner Brothers 2WB 3198, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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The album is available as vinyl only. Determan recommends the alternative below. |
| 30-Alternative. Charlie Parker: The Legendary Dial Masters, Vols. 1 and 2 (Jazz Classics) |
| Amazon.com — CD | |
| 31. Charlie Parker: Bird/The Savoy Recordings (Master Takes) (Savoy SJL 2201, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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All of the cuts on this album are on "The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes" listed below. Determan remarks, "These three reissues let you choose the depth to which you want to delve into this material. These recordings are the basis of bop, so I would recommend the 3 CD Complete Master Takes set, which covers most of what was on the two double albums LL recommended. If you’re not sure and want to try out just a cross-section, then pick up the first disk. If you already know you are a serious fan, then you may be inclined to go for the Complete Recordings." |
| 31-Alternative. Charlie Parker: Best of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings (Savoy Jazz) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 31-Alternative. Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (Savoy Jazz) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 31-Alternative. Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 (Atlantic) |
| Amazon.com — CD | |
| 32. Dizzy Gillespie: In the Beginning (Prestige P-24030, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Determan recommends the alternative listed below and says that "All but maybe one cut from the double album is on this CD." |
| 32-Alternative. Dizzy Gillespie: Shaw Nuff (Discovery) |
| Amazon.com — CD | |
| 33. Dizzy Gillespie: The Original Dizzy Gillespie Big Band: In Concert (GNP Crescendo GNP-23) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | |
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Determan: "As is (with the original cover art restored). The sound has been cleaned up compared to what the old LP sounded like, and listening to this was a revelation, great stuff!" |
| 34. The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever (Prestige PR-24024, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Determan's alternatives are listed below. He notes that "The first CD has the quartet material with Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus, and Roach, and is usually filed under Parker. This is the best part of the concert, I think. The trio material with Powell, Mingus, Roach stuff, which is good as well, is on the second disc. It is usually filed under Bud Powell." |
| 34-Alternative. The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall (Original Jazz Classics) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 34-Alternative. Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 2 (Original Jazz Classics) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 35. Thelonious Monk: The Complete Genius (Blue Note BN-LA579-H2, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
Determan's alternatives are listed below: "The two CDs cover most of the material from the double album, and also add some alternate takes, etc." |
| 35-Alternative. Thelonious Monk: The Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1 (Blue Note) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 35-Alternative. Thelonious Monk: The Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2 (Blue Note) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 36. Thelonious Monk: Brilliance (Milestone M-47023, 2 LPs) |
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Unavailable in any format through Amazon.com. The album has not been reissued in CD or MP3 format, and Determan recommends the two alternatives below. Of these, he says that "The CD's are reissues of the original LPs which made up the double album. 'Brilliant Corners' is the better of the two discs." |
| 36-Alternative. Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (Riverside) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 36-Alternative. Thelonious Monk: Five by Five by Monk (Riverside) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | |
| 38. Art Blakey: A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 (Blue Note BLP-1521/BST-81521) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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The vinyl LP is not currently available through Amazon.com. Determan also recommends Volume 2. |
| 41. Clifford Brown: The Quintet, Vol. 1 (EmArcy/Mercury EMS-2-403, 2 LPs) |
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Not currently available in any format. Determan's alternatives are shown below. He says that "These have been returned to the original LP format. The first CD contains much of the best stuff, including 'Joy Spring,' 'Blues Walk,' and 'Parisian Thoroughfare;' the second CD contains most of the rest of the material from the double LP." |
| 41-Alternative. Clifford Brown: Clifford Brown and Max Roach (EmArcy/Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 41-Alternative. Clifford Brown: Study in Brown (PID/Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 42. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus and More (Prestige P-24050, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | |
The CD listed above is an import that appears not to have been available when Determan compiled his list. His alternatives are listed below. He comments that
"These have been returned to original LP format, half the double album is on the first CD which contains 'St. Thomas,' his great calypso tune, and is the best first choice purchase for Rollins. The other half is spread out on the other CDs."
The CD and MP3 versions of the three albums listed below are remastered. |
| 42-Alternative. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (Prestige) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 42-Alternative. Sonny Rollins: Rollins Plays for Bird (Original Jazz Classics/Fantasy) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 42-Alternative. Sonny Rollins: Plus 4 (Prestige) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 43. Sonny Rollins: More from the Vanguard (Blue Note BN-LA475-H2, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Not available in CD or MP3 format, and so Determan recommends the 2-CD set below: "This two CD set reissues both of the original Rollins' Vanguard albums." |
| 43-Alternative. Sonny Rollins: A Night at the Vanguard (Blue Note) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 44. Dave Brubeck: Dave Brubeck's All-Time Greatest Hits (Columbia PG-32761, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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This album has not yet been reissued on CD or MP3. Determan's suggested alternatives are shown below: "Either or both of these discs would make an appropriate substitute for the recommended LP. The first one contains 'Take Five' and the other odd time signature material, which include many of the more memorable of Brubeck's 'hits.' The Greatest Hits CD picks up some of the other material, like 'Duke,' his tribute to Ellington." |
| 44-Alternative. Dave Brubeck: Time Out (Sony) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 44-Alternative. Dave Brubeck: Greatest Hits (Columbia/Sony) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | |
| 45. The Modern Jazz Quartet: European Concert (Atlantic SD 2-603, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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The album, "considered the band's 'perfect' album for its ideal balance between structure and self-expression" (Lyons), is now available in CD and MP3 formats via import. |
| 46. Miles Davis: 'Round About Midnight (Columbia CL 949/PC 8649) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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The CD and MP3 versions have been remastered. As Lyons reminds us, Miles "dominated jazz not with blowing power or prodigious technique but with style alone." |
| 52. Joe Pass: Virtuoso (Pablo 2310 708) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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The CD and MP3 have been remastered. As Lyons points out, this album "catapulted [Pass] within one year to the top of Down Beat magazine's Readers' and Critics' Polls. |
| 53. Oscar Peterson: In Concert (Verve - England 2683 063, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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This album is not available in CD or MP3 format, and Determan offers no alternative. Lyons warns that "Good Peterson albums are abundant, but great ones are rare." Nevertheless, Lyons speaks highly of the solo album 'My Favorite Instrument,' which is listed below. |
| 53-Alternative. Oscar Peterson: My Favorite Instrument (Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | |
| 54. John Coltrane: Giant Steps (Atlantic AT-1311) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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The CD and MP3 versions are remastered. Lyons says that Giant Steps "is the earliest album to reveal the full extent of Coltrane's harmonic originality." |
| 55. Ella Fitzgerald: Mack the Knife (Verve VS-64041) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Available only as a vinyl LP, but Determan notes of the alternative below: "Some additional cuts, mostly standards of Ella's concert repertoire (not all actually from the Berlin concert), round out this set to make it an even better collection than it was." |
| 55-Alternative. Ella Fitzgerald: Mack the Knife — The Complete Ella in Berlin (Verve) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 56. Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie (Roulette SR-42018) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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Determan says that the two albums listed below "may be better first choices for Vaughan. ... [Lyons] mentions these as two of Vaughan's best albums, both were out of print at the time, but are available on CD now. The first is small group sessions and was Vaughan's personal favorite, the second is an earlier collaboration with a group from the Basie band (again without the Count). Either would make an excellent first purchase of Vaughan." |
| 56-Alternative. Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 56-Alternative. Sarah Vaughan: No Count Sarah (Mercury/Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 57. Carmen McRae: The Greatest of Carmen McRae (MCA MCA2-4111, 2 LPs) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Not reissued in CD or MP3., but according to Determan, the album listed below is a "collection of her best MCA material, which duplicates some of the material from the LP set, would make a good substitute for the recommended album." |
| 57-Alternative. Carmen McRae: I'll Be Seeing You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae (GRC) |
| Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 58. Betty Carter: Betty Carter (Bet-Car MK 1002) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
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Available in all three formats. Determan also recommends the album listed below: "This fantastic live 2 CD set won the [Penguin Jazz Guide's] highest accolade. I would certainly recommend it as the best first choice album for Betty Carter. It had not yet been recorded when [Lyons] chose the above recommended LP." |
| 58-Alternative. Betty Carter: The Audience with Betty Carter (Polygram) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 59. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: The Best of Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (Columbia C-32911 or JCS-8198) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Available in vinyl only, but see below for Determan's suggested alternative: "This CD contains all LP material, plus additional cuts, and they followed LL's suggestion of restoring a picture of the group in action for the cover." |
| 59-Alternative. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Everybody's Boppin' (Columbia Jazz Masterpieces) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
| 60. Mose Allison: Seventh Son (Prestige 10052) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | | |
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Determan: "The entire LP plus additional cuts is on [the CD listed below]. Note that this is not the same as 'The Best of Mose Allison' on Atlantic, which is also good." |
| 60-Alternative. Mose Allison: Greatest Hits (Original Jazz Classics) |
| Amazon.com — Vinyl | Amazon.com — CD | Amazon.com — MP3 |
