Top 10 Jazz recordings ever

A great many folks would argue that any jazz education should start with Miles Davis Kind of Blue, if you were going to name just one.

My favorite jazz vocalist is still Ella Fitzgerald. I think any jazz collection worthy of the name must include some of her recordings. Two personal favorites of mine are the 40th Birthday Concert, which was recorded live in Rome, and also one called On the Sunny Side of the Street, which she recorded with the Basie band. And of course, there are all of the excellent songbook sets. Pretty much anything she did is well worth listening to.

I have to chime in here and again stick up for Wynton Marsalis. He is very well respected in the music world not just for his impeccable technique but also for his musicianship. He takes the same bad rap in the jazz world that someone like Alfred Brendel does in the classical piano world. Both of these artists have incredible depth to them, and both are among the most versatile musicians in the world. Some folks seem to feel that because they are cerebral players, that this means that they couldn't possibly have heart. I think such arguments are absurd, and usually are based in anti-intellectualism. Wynton is a very soulful player.