The Best Jazz Albums of the 1950's

Selected by piero scaruffi | Best albums of all time | Musicians | Back to music

An appendix to my book "A History of Jazz Music"

1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
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TM, ®, Copyright © 2002 Piero Scaruffi

1950


    8/10
  1. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (1950)
    7.5/10
  2. Stan Kenton: Presents (1950)
    7/10
  3. Stan Getz: Quartets (1950)
  4. Ralph Sutton: Ralph Sutton (1950)
  5. Lennie Tristano: Wow (1950)

1951


    8/10
  1. Stan Kenton: City of Glass (1951)
    7/10
  2. Oscar Peterson: 1951 (1951)
  3. Shorty Rogers: Modern Sounds (1951)

1952


    7.5/10
  1. Gerry Mulligan: Mulligan Quartet (1952)

1953


    7.5/10
  1. Duke Ellington: Piano Reflections (1953)
  2. Shorty Rogers: Cool And Crazy (1953)
  3. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus & Max Roach: Jazz At The Massey Hall
    7/10
  4. Modern Jazz Quartet: Django (1953)
  5. Ben Webster: King Of The Tenors (1953)
  6. Jay Jay Johnson: Four Trombones (1953)
  7. Frank Sinatra: Songs for Young Lovers (1953)

1954


    7/10
  1. Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan (1954)
  2. Chet Baker: Sextet (1954)

1955


    7.5/10
  1. Herbie Nichols: The Third World (1955)
  2. Horace Silver: Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1955)
    7/10
  3. Ahmad Jamal: Poinciana (1955)
  4. Erroll Garner: Concert by the Sea (1955)
  5. George Shearing: Spell (1955)
  6. Lennie Tristano: Lennie Tristano (1955)
  7. Oscar Peterson: At Zardi's (1955)
  8. Frank Morgan: Frank Morgan (1955)
  9. Herbie Nichols: Herbie Nichols Trio (1955)

1956


    8/10
  1. Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)
  2. Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa (1956)
  3. Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (1956)
  4. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (1956)
  5. George Russell: Jazz Workshop (1956)
    7.5/10
  6. Lennie Tristano: Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations (1956)
    7/10
  7. Max Roach: Plus Four (1956)
  8. John Lewis: Grand Encounter (1956)
  9. Horace Silver: Six Pieces of Silver (1956)
  10. Kenny Burrell: All Night Long (1956)
  11. Lucky Thompson: Tricotism (1956)
  12. Phineas Newborn: Piano Artistry (1956)
  13. Miles Davis: Round About Midnight (1956)
  14. Zoot Sims: Tonite's Music Today (1956)
  15. Mel Torme`: Touch (1956)
  16. Quincy Jones: This Is How I Feel About Jazz (1956)
  17. Stan Kenton: Cuban Fire (1956)
  18. Jimmy Giuffre: The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (1956)
  19. Jimmy Smith: A New Star A New Sound (1956)

1957


    7.5/10
  1. Charles Mingus: Tijuana Moods (1957)
  2. Art Blakey: Orgy In Rhythm (1957)
  3. Yusef Lateef: Jazz Mood (1957)
    7/10
  4. John Coltrane: Blue Train (1957)
  5. John Lewis: Piano (1957)
  6. Milt Jackson: Soul Brothers (1957)
  7. Miles Davis: Miles Ahead (1957)
  8. Kenny Burrell: All Day Long (1956)
  9. Ben Webster: Soulville (1957)
  10. Sonny Rollins: Way Out West (1957)
  11. Ben Webster: Tenor Giants (1957)
  12. Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section (1957)
  13. Art Taylor: Wailers (1957)
  14. Max Roach: Jazz in 3/4 time (1957)
  15. Jay Jay Johnson: Blue Trombone (1957)
  16. Hank Mobley: Quintet (1957)
  17. Herbie Mann: Flute Souffle (1957)
  18. Tito Puente: Top Percussion (1957)

1958


    8/10
  1. Sonny Rollins: Freedom Suite (1958)
    7.5/10
  2. Jimmy Giuffre: Western Suite (1958)
  3. Sun Ra: Jazz in Silhouette (1958)
  4. Art Blakey: Moanin' (1958)
  5. Cecil Taylor: Looking Ahead (1958)
    7/10
  6. Jimmy Smith: The Sermon (1958)
  7. Blue Mitchell: Big Six (1958)
  8. Max Roach: Deeds Not Words (1958)
  9. Clark Terry: In Orbit (1958)
  10. Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else (1958)
  11. Chico Hamilton: Gongs East (1958)
  12. Hank Mobley: Peckin' Time (1958)
  13. Mongo Santamaria: Yambu (1958)
  14. Cal Tjader: Latin Concert (1958)
  15. Toots Thielemans: Man Bites Harmonica (1958)
  16. Thelonious Monk: Misterioso (1958)
  17. Jimmy Giuffre: The Four Brothers Sound (1958).

1959


    8/10
  1. Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz To Come (1959)
  2. George Russell: New York New York (1959)
  3. Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue (1959)
  4. Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um (1959)
  5. John Coltrane: Giant Steps (1959)
    7.5/10
  6. Art Pepper: Plus Eleven (1959)
  7. Billy Taylor: And Four Flutes (1959)
  8. Charles Mingus: Blues and Roots (1959)
    7/10
  9. Gerry Mulligan: What Is There To Say (1959)
  10. Horace Silver: Blowin; the Blues Away (1959)
  11. Horace Silver: Finger Poppin' (1959)
  12. Illinois Jacquet: Flies Again (1959)
  13. Ira Sullivan: Blue Stroll (1959)
  14. Jimmy Heath: The Thumper (1959)
  15. Milt Jackson: Bags And Trane (1959)
  16. Dave Brubeck: Time Out (1959)
  17. Mongo Santamaria: Mongo (1959)
  18. Jimmy Giuffre: Seven Pieces (1959)

The best of the decade

  1. Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)
  2. Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz To Come (1959)
  3. Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa (1956)
  4. George Russell: New York New York (1959)
  5. Stan Kenton: City of Glass (1951)
  6. Sonny Rollins: Freedom Suite (1958)
  7. Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (1956)
  8. Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue (1959)
  9. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (1950)
  10. Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (1956)
  11. Charles Mingus: Tijuana Moods (1957)
  12. Herbie Nichols: The Third World (1955)
  13. Jimmy Giuffre: Western Suite (1958)
  14. George Russell: Jazz Workshop (1956)
  15. Art Blakey: Orgy In Rhythm (1957)
  16. Sun Ra: Jazz in Silhouette (1958)
  17. Lennie Tristano: Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations (1956)
  18. Yusef Lateef: Jazz Mood (1957)
  19. Gerry Mulligan: Mulligan Quartet (1952)
  20. Ahmad Jamal: Poinciana (1955)
TM, ®, Copyright © 2002 Piero Scaruffi