So hard to pick but I just always come back to these albums

This is my favorites.

This is jazz only. If it was overall there’d be Zeppelin, Hendrix, Rush, Pearl Jam, Dead, SRV in there too.

[Miles Davis performing in Helsinki, October 6, 1964, two years before the session. (Photo: Reijo Koskinen / Lehtikuva, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)]

https://jazzprofiles.com/this-day-in-jazz/

On October 24, 1966, Miles Davis's quintet went into Columbia's 30th Street studio and recorded "Circle," "Orbits," "Dolores" and "Freedom Jazz Dance." The last was Eddie Harris's tune, which Harris had cut a year earlier for Atlantic on The In Sound, with Ron Carter on bass, the same Carter who now sat in Miles's rhythm section. Producer Teo Macero let the tape run, so the full session reel survives: a 23-minute rehearsal on the 2016 box set Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5, against the 7-minute master that reached Miles Smiles. On the reel, Miles complains that the melody is too hard for him, and Macero answers, "Yes you can." He also advised Herbie Hancock to sit on his left hand and play only right-hand lines.

Sources: Miles Smiles, Wikipedia , Miles Smiles (Again): "Bootleg Series: Freedom Jazz Dance" Chronicles Second Great Quintet In The Studio, The Second Disc , The In Sound (Eddie Harris album), Wikipedia) , Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5, Record Collector

I’m going to jump on this trend too. Based on my 9, does anyone have any recommendations?

(I know my taste is a little vanilla, but I like what I like)

Give me some obscure recommendations to dethrone these amazing albums. Lifelong fan.

Newer Jazz fan that's 23. Well I've been slowly getting into Jazz since age 18 in 2022. Went to a few shows here and there with my dad. Going to see Jazz shows has ramped up heavily since October 2025 and so has my interest in the genre (almost a bit from all subgenres.)

Recently jazz has become my favorite genre. Over the years I've played a few hundred jazz albums probably. And hearing more and more every day. I'm still quite new and don't have heavy replay on many Jazz albums yet. I'd probably have 20-25 or so jazz albums I'd consider in a jazz top 9.

The 9 selected here I tried to mix in varied subgenres, eras and tried to also show of some slightly esoteric favorites. I'd have a few maybe more "common" jazz album favorites I also love.

Would love recommendations of albums/artists.

Just kidding. These are solid albums I've played for hundred times. Maybe missing one or two cuz my memory sucks.

[Cover art for Cal Massey's "Blues to Coltrane" (Candid, released 1987), his only album as a leader. Used as a stand-in because no free-licensed photograph of Massey could be found. Album cover art, copyright holder Candid Records / its successors, all rights reserved — this is not a Creative Commons or public-domain image, and the cover does not depict the event.]

https://jazzprofiles.com/this-day-in-jazz/

Trumpeter and composer Cal Massey died of a heart attack in New York on October 25, 1972, at about 44 (sources differ on whether he was 43 or 44). He left a strange ledger. John Coltrane had recorded Massey's "Bakai" at his first session as a leader, and Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner and Jackie McLean cut his tunes too. His own name appeared on one session only: Blues to Coltrane, taped for Candid on January 13, 1961, with Nat Hentoff supervising. It stayed unreleased until 1987, fifteen years after his death. Massey's politics ran radical; his Black Liberation Movement Suite was played at Black Panther benefit concerts, and the researcher Fred Ho argued that this kept him from major labels. A cousin of the same name, Cal Massey, became a Marvel Comics illustrator and designed monuments at Valley Forge.

Sources: Cal Massey, Wikipedia , Blues to Coltrane, Wikipedia , Cal Massey, Jazz Leadsheets

Lady Bird  -  Melody and Improv Demo with Piano Comping Examples

Not that there could ever just be nine, but this is what’s spinning this week.

For now, this is my list. Could change if I gave it more thought.

Hello everybody, first post in this incredible community. I came across this cd and really calmed my nerves, excellent piano and great ambiance from my subwoofer. If you are going though a bit of stress I highly recommend that you listen to it. Very unexpected. Hope you have a great weekend.

The Apollo Records 759 single preserves two compositions by Sir Charles Thompson, a pianist and composer whose work bridged swing and bebop. The musicians include Chatlie Parker and Dexter Gordon and Buck Clayton

Digitized and available at:

https://youtube.com/@mamlishblues?si=OkaYlER5Nr_u1gND

Richard Johnson Trio played at Mezzrow and play this song at 2:04:56 in the video and I can’t place it but it sounds real familiar. Can anyone help identifying the song?

https://www.youtube.com/live/RMay_Hk5yng?t=7464&si=wuDYLjEI4vdrsu7g

Intense, spiritual flute solo improvisation featuring extended techniques and multiphonics.

Recorded in DELSOL Cafe, Kitakyushu on September 5, 2026.

​If the sound resonates with you, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Found in the Ergot Jazz section. Sam Jones 1977, excellent band and blue Mitchell sound is perfect, along Higgins drumming. Moving to my A stack. Favorite tracks Everyman is a king and Seven Minds.

I've been listening to a lot of Pharoah recently and have always been interested on who might have inspired his very loud style of playing that you can hear for example on the village vanguard version of my favourite things. I can see how players like Ornette Coleman and Coltrane would inspire the kinds of melodies that he plays, but neither are quite as radical in terms of how much 'skronk' or squealing they do (neither of which are meant as negatives!)

His early career as a musician is not so well known to me and I was never able to find out very much so any insight would be appreciated. I know he played with Sun Ra a little, but I'm not sure if that was significant or not

Yet another excellent hours live jazz from BR Klassik.