The Greatest Jazz Albums You’ve Never Heard
We’ve handpicked 13 classic jazz albums that we think you’ve never heard, but certainly should have. Each one is here on merit, giving you a chance to explore the depth of amazing music that gets overlooked by the mainstream. It’s what uDiscover is all about, digging deeper to bring you the music we think you’ll love.
Gil Mellé – New Faces – New Sounds (1953)
Blue Note Records first ever session at Rudy Van Gelder’s new Jersey studio was on 31 january 1953 recording four tracks for Gil Mellé’s album, New Faces – New Sounds. The sound that Van Gelder achieves is as hip as the label and the music; he has the knack of placing you in the room with the musicians. Mellé had been playing sax in Greenwich Village clubs from the age of fifteen, and was a month past his twenty-first birthday for this session. Today, his music isn’t rated as highly by fans as perhaps it deserves, given that it is from the fountainhead of a melodic jazz style that has remained popular ever since. If all that isn’t enough he was an artist, producing some of Blue Note’s early LP sleeves.
Stan Getz – West Coast Jazz (1955)
Stan Getz recorded the album in California, where he was filming The Benny Goodman Story, and appearing for a week at Zardi’s Jazzland; the musicians that accompanied him at Zardi’s play on the album. With so many great Stan Getz albums to listen to this sadly gets overlooked, arguably Getz had not quite got into his stride but the sheer joy in the playing is delightful and ‘Summertime’ is outstanding.
Buddy Bregman – Swinging Kicks (1957)
Bregman was Verve Records first head of A&R, when he was just 25 years old. He arranged the first of Ella Fitzgerald’s Songbooks for Verve and worked with Count Basie, Anita O’ Day and Bing Crosby. The excellent Swinging Kicks is an album of big-band jazz featuring among others, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Andre Previn, Jimmy Giuffre and Maynard Ferguson. Brilliant musicians playing brilliant big band swinging jazz; impossible not to love.
Lou Donaldson – Blues Walk (1958)
Alto saxophonist, Lou Donaldson played on numerous Blue Note sessions during the 1950s, notably with Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, and Thelonious Monk. This was his seventh album as a leader for Blue Note and undoubtedly his masterpiece. It’s one of those albums that has been overshadowed by other contemporary albums by others but it is deserving of its place at the top table with Donaldson’s warm sax very much to the fore.
The Gary McFarland Orchestra (1963)
This album, recorded with pianist Bill Evans, is a remarkable record and while difficult to find it is well worth seeking out. It’s like a score for an unmade movie, only it’s better than that. It’s evocative, musically sublime and stands repeated listening. McFarland died tragically in 1971 after being poisoned in a New York City bar with liquid methadone, administered as a prank. (scroll down on the playlist below and you’ll come to the album)
Kenny Burrell – Asphalt Canyon Suite (1969)
Kenny Burrell recorded this fabulous album for Verve when jazz was having a lean time. At the album’s heart is the suite, written by Burrell which is outstanding, beautifully crafted music that deserves to be more widely heard. ‘Asphalt Canyon Blues’ is a brilliant showcase for one of the great jazz guitarists, who as a sideman or soloist, has never short changed.
Nucleus: Elastic Rock (1970)
Fronted by the late, lamented trumpeter (and acclaimed Miles Davis biographer) Ian Carr, Nucleus were arguably the finest jazz fusion band to come out of Britain – and certainly one of the only ones to understand what modal jazz was all about. Elastic Rock is a masterpiece, and scooped the band first prize when they played it live at the July 1970 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Gabor Szabo – High Contrast (1970)
Hungarian guitarist Szabo is much underrated and this album recorded by the legendary Tommy LiPuma for his Blue Thumb label is fabulous. It features songwriter and guitarist Bobby Womack, he wrote five of the seven tracks, including the original version of ‘Breezin’, that George Benson would have a major hit with in 1976. We bet you didn’t even know Womack wrote ‘Breezin’.
Archie Shepp – Attica Blues (1972)
This album recorded for impulse!, with an unusually large group of musicians, turns out to be one of Shepp’s most satisfying musical forays. It is a subtle mix of swing and blues but with Shepp involved there’s more than a hint of the avant-garde. The album’s title song is in remembrance of the inmates who died in the Attica Prison massacre.
Dave Grusin & The NY/LA Dream Band (1984)
Aside from founding GRP Records, Dave Grusin is one of the modern era’s great arrangers. This album was recorded live at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan åand features some of GRP’s stalwarts, notably, Lee Ritenour, Grusin’s keyboard playing brother, Don, and Steve Gadd on drums. The opening track, ‘Shuffle City’ with Gadd’s brilliant drumming and collective playing is GRP at its very best.
Larry Carlton – Last Nite (1986)
There are some who know Larry’s playing simply from listening to his great work with Steely Dan but he has released some brilliant jazz guitar albums over the years and none fine than this one. Recorded at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood, California. It includes two great Miles Davis covers, ‘So What’ and ‘All Blues’ along with four Carlton originals. It is easy to hear why Carlton is so well respected and in our view should be way more listened to, he is constantly inventive and always spot on.
Lyle Mays – Street Dreams (1988)
Best known as longtime Pat Metheny Group member, keyboard player, Mays, brings so much invention and sheer class to this album of modern jazz. This his second solo album, features modal jazz, big band, and an extended suite as the title track and every detail is superb. Among the stellar cast of players are Steve Gadd, Bill Frissell and Randy Brecker; it’s an album not to be missed, and nor is his self-titled debut.
Georgie Fame – Poet in New York (2000)
Georgie Fame has long been one of the UK’s great jazz interpreters, whether playing his Hammond Organ or singing – in fact it’s sometimes difficult to understand why he’s not held in higher regard as a jazz musician. On this record he adds lyrics to three Tadd Dameron numbers, which proves his great taste, and breathes new life into ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid.’ This is an outstanding record.
UK English
John Walsh
June 18, 2017 at 11:13 am
I have the Dave Grusin concert album and it’s a terrific cross section of this brilliant musician and arranger plus his film scores of course.
Christopher Mark Rose
June 18, 2017 at 12:35 pm
I want to suggest BURNIN’ by Don Menza and his ’80s Big Band. Great album, great original compositions, big sound.
Gerald Poirier
June 18, 2017 at 1:39 pm
An album changed my life… “Dear John C” by Elvin Jones, with Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Richard Davis on bass. A small jewel.
Randy
October 18, 2017 at 6:52 pm
Nice recommendation, Gerald. Enjoyed this album a lot.
Michael Burke
June 18, 2017 at 1:57 pm
The Stan Getz and Gary McFarland albums have long been favorites of mine, both for over 50 years!
Bob nasters
June 18, 2017 at 11:29 pm
Can’t say no one has heard i own 8 of them
Theodore Ellinas
October 18, 2017 at 11:46 am
I’ll bet your friends have and more than once too! Cool! Nice…yeah baby
Ed Hardiman
June 18, 2017 at 11:39 pm
I would have included anything by Baby Face Willette…
mike wesolek
June 19, 2017 at 12:08 am
don ” red menza ” is from my home town , buffalo . he still returns home from time to time and plays some local gigs . you have to hear him with the buddy rich big band ( terrific )
peter mautner
October 21, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Yeah.I think it was Don Menza Solo on More Soul from Caeser’s Palace.
Dan Fine
June 19, 2017 at 4:10 am
The title of Count Basie’s 1959 “Basie One More Time” may sound like just another compilation of past hits. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact the young Quincy Jones’s beautiful original tunes and masterful charts make this recording of the great band at its peak a masterpiece, in my opinion. It is still in print as a CD. Personnel:
THAD JONES, JOE NEWMAN, SNOOKY YOUNG, WENDELL CULLEY, trumpet
HENRY COKER, AL GREY, BENNY POWELL, trombone
MARSHALL ROYAL, clarinet, alto sax; FRANK WESS, alto & tenor sax
FRANK FOSTER, tenor sax; CHARLIE FOWLKES, baritone sax
COUNT BASIE, piano; FREDDIE GREEN, guitar; EDDIE JONES, bass
SONY PAYNE (d).
Juan Rubiales
June 19, 2017 at 12:23 pm
Hay discos mejores que estos a montones.
Solo un inculto en materia de jazz pondría esta selección!
Robert Ensell
June 19, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Contrary to to Michael Burke’s comment above, I think ‘West Coast Jazz’ shows Stan Getz at his best, particularly on ‘Shine’. This and another Verve recording ‘Focus’ are probably my two favourite Getz records.
Mike Burke
August 28, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Contrary? I said the Getz has been a favorite for over 50 years. So what’s contrary?
mike cranfield
August 29, 2017 at 10:26 am
Fairly obvious, or so I would have thought: Not yet into his stride is contrary to “at his best¨
Ian Franklin
June 19, 2017 at 6:15 pm
I have Street Dreams by Lyle Mays. I haven’t listened to it for a while but I must. A superb album that I can immerse myself in totally
Anthony Morris
June 29, 2017 at 2:34 am
This is a terrific list of overlooked recordings. I wish ‘Focus’ by Stan Getz would have made the cut.
Axel
August 28, 2017 at 11:23 am
Meredith D’Ambrosio “Beware of Spring” is ridiculously brilliant.
anthony callender
August 28, 2017 at 5:02 pm
I would add among others Albert Favero’s “Suite Trane” a very moving tribute to the great John Coltrane
Tyler Kim
August 28, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Lou Donaldson played “Blues Walk” as his theme song yesterday @ the Charlie Parker festival in Tompkins square park NYC .
Vercingetorix Rocaide
August 28, 2017 at 8:41 pm
What kind of bull shit list is this?…..no Miles Davis, no John Coltrane, no Charle Parker, no Duke Ellington, no Bill Evans, no Cannonball Adderley, no Wayne Shorter, no Horace Silver, no many-many more…..you’re really mad, stupid people
Tim Dejoneois
August 29, 2017 at 10:09 am
Can you read, Vercingetorix!?
Do you know what “you’ve never heard” means? …it means that this list is not about the most popular jazz musicians which you freely quote, but more unknown artists, as per the post above.
So take your “bullshit, mad and stupid” and keep it to yourself until you get educated. Cool?
Vercingetorix Rocaide
November 14, 2017 at 10:07 pm
From artist like Miles, Cannonball, Bird, Horace Silver, etc. there are a big number of important (important) albums that maybe (maybe) you never (never) heard, for example (only Miles Davis for the example):
Miles Davis – Birdland 1950, 1951
Miles Davis – Birdland Sessions featuring Stan Getz
Miles Davis – Bluing; Miles Davis Plays The Blues
Miles Davis – Bopping The Blues
Miles Davis – Broadcast Sessions 1958-1959
Miles Davis – Facets
Miles Davis – Festiva De Juan Pins
Miles Davis – Jazz Track
Miles Davis – Live At The Barrel (with Jimmy Forrest)
Miles Davis – Live In Den Haag
Miles Davis – Live In Europe 1967
Miles Davis – Live In Europe 1969
Miles Davis – Live In Japan Vol. 2 (w. Sam Rivers)
Miles Davis – Live In Paris 11-03-69
Miles Davis – Live In Stockholm (1960) (w. Sonny Stitt)
Miles Davis – Live In Tokyo
Miles Davis – Miles Davis Plays The Compositions Of Al Cohn
Miles Davis – Miles Davis Quintet featuring Sonny Rollins (1954)
Miles Davis – Miles Davis & Horns
Miles Davis – Miles! Miles! Miles! Live In Japan ’81
Miles Davis – Music for Brass (1956)
Miles Davis – No Blues (live in 1967)
Miles Davis & Robben Ford
Miles Davis & Stan Getz – Tune Up
…..
From various artist different than Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and many-many more, just a few records that maybe (maybe) you never heard:
Brian Charette – Alphabet City
The Night Crawlers – Down In The Bottom
Will Blades – Sketchy
Conrad Herwig – Obligation
Mike Ledonne – Keep The Faith
Akiko Tsuruga – Oriental Express
Ben Williams – Coming Of Age
Charlie Apicella And Iron City – Sparks
David Gibson – End Of The Tunnel
Deep Blue Organ Trio – Wonderful!
Ehud Asherie – Organic
Groove Collective – We The People
Gutbucket – Flock
Jacám Manricks – Trigonometry
Jared Gold – Solids & Stripes (w. Randy Napoleon)
Jermaine Landsberger – Gettin’ Blazed
Jochen Rueckert – We Make The Rules
John Patitucci – Now
Kevin Coelho – Funkengruven
Kyle Asche Organ Trio – Blues For Mel
Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts -The Scenic Route
Michael Musillami – Old Tea
Mike DiRubbo – Chronos
Mike Ledone – The Groover
Organissimo – Dedicated
Pascal Le Boeuf – Migration
Rudy Royston – 303
Scanner And The Post Modern Jazz Quartet – Blink Of An Eye
Stan Tracey – Under Milk Wood
The Claudia Quintet – I, Claudia
Brian Pareschi – Brian Pareschi And The BP Express
Bob Mintzer, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, John Patitucci – The Hudson Project
Bob Mintzer Big Band – For The Moment
Dan Wall & Jerry Bergonzi – On The Inside Looking In (w. M. Goodrick)
Dan Weiss Trio – Timshell
David Ashkenazy – Out With It
David Gibson – Boom!
Hal Galper – Speak With A Single Voice
Herbie Hancock – The New Standard
Hod O’Brien – Opalessence (w. P. Adams & T. Harrell)
Jochen Rueckert – Charm Offensive
Ken Fowser – Standing Tall
Kevin Coelho – Turn It Up
Mario Pavone – Art Suite
Next Collective – Cover Art
Pepper Adams – Encounter (w. E. Jones)
Peter Erskine – As It isPhil Markowitz – Catalysis
Ralph Towner – Solstice
The Microscopic Sextet – Friday The Thirteenth
Tony Monaco – Burnin’ Grooves
Albert Mangelsdorff – A Jazz Tune I Hope – 1978
Bobby Wellins – The Satin Album
I know what “you’ve never heard” means….do you?
James Bunnell
August 29, 2017 at 12:08 am
Okay, Vercingetorix Rocaide, name a few records by those artists that qualify as “JAZZ ALBUMS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD.”
Vercingetorix Rocaide
November 14, 2017 at 10:09 pm
From artist like Miles, Adderley, Parker, Silver, etc. there are a big number of important (important) albums that maybe (maybe) you never (never) heard, for example (only Miles Davis for the example):
Miles Davis – Birdland 1950, 1951
Miles Davis – Birdland Sessions featuring Stan Getz
Miles Davis – Bluing; Miles Davis Plays The Blues
Miles Davis – Bopping The Blues
Miles Davis – Broadcast Sessions 1958-1959
Miles Davis – Facets
Miles Davis – Festiva De Juan Pins
Miles Davis – Jazz Track
Miles Davis – Live At The Barrel (with Jimmy Forrest)
Miles Davis – Live In Den Haag
Miles Davis – Live In Europe 1967
Miles Davis – Live In Europe 1969
Miles Davis – Live In Japan Vol. 2 (w. Sam Rivers)
Miles Davis – Live In Paris 11-03-69
Miles Davis – Live In Stockholm (1960) (w. Sonny Stitt)
Miles Davis – Live In Tokyo
Miles Davis – Miles Davis Plays The Compositions Of Al Cohn
Miles Davis – Miles Davis Quintet featuring Sonny Rollins (1954)
Miles Davis – Miles Davis & Horns
Miles Davis – Miles! Miles! Miles! Live In Japan ’81
Miles Davis – Music for Brass (1956)
Miles Davis – No Blues (live in 1967)
Miles Davis & Robben Ford
Miles Davis & Stan Getz – Tune Up
…..
From various artist different than Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and many-many more, just a few records that maybe (maybe) you never heard:
Brian Charette – Alphabet City
The Night Crawlers – Down In The Bottom
Will Blades – Sketchy
Conrad Herwig – Obligation
Mike Ledonne – Keep The Faith
Akiko Tsuruga – Oriental Express
Ben Williams – Coming Of Age
Charlie Apicella And Iron City – Sparks
David Gibson – End Of The Tunnel
Deep Blue Organ Trio – Wonderful!
Ehud Asherie – Organic
Groove Collective – We The People
Gutbucket – Flock
Jacám Manricks – Trigonometry
Jared Gold – Solids & Stripes (w. Randy Napoleon)
Jermaine Landsberger – Gettin’ Blazed
Jochen Rueckert – We Make The Rules
John Patitucci – Now
Kevin Coelho – Funkengruven
Kyle Asche Organ Trio – Blues For Mel
Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts -The Scenic Route
Michael Musillami – Old Tea
Mike DiRubbo – Chronos
Mike Ledone – The Groover
Organissimo – Dedicated
Pascal Le Boeuf – Migration
Rudy Royston – 303
Scanner And The Post Modern Jazz Quartet – Blink Of An Eye
Stan Tracey – Under Milk Wood
The Claudia Quintet – I, Claudia
Brian Pareschi – Brian Pareschi And The BP Express
Bob Mintzer, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, John Patitucci – The Hudson Project
Bob Mintzer Big Band – For The Moment
Dan Wall & Jerry Bergonzi – On The Inside Looking In (w. M. Goodrick)
Dan Weiss Trio – Timshell
David Ashkenazy – Out With It
David Gibson – Boom!
Hal Galper – Speak With A Single Voice
Herbie Hancock – The New Standard
Hod O’Brien – Opalessence (w. P. Adams & T. Harrell)
Jochen Rueckert – Charm Offensive
Ken Fowser – Standing Tall
Kevin Coelho – Turn It Up
Mario Pavone – Art Suite
Next Collective – Cover Art
Pepper Adams – Encounter (w. E. Jones)
Peter Erskine – As It isPhil Markowitz – Catalysis
Ralph Towner – Solstice
The Microscopic Sextet – Friday The Thirteenth
Tony Monaco – Burnin’ Grooves
Albert Mangelsdorff – A Jazz Tune I Hope – 1978
Bobby Wellins – The Satin Album
Vercingetorix Rocaide
November 14, 2017 at 10:28 pm
Please, see the answer to Tim Dejoneois
James
July 28, 2019 at 9:49 pm
Vercingetorix Rocaide, don’t you know that there are a lot of jazz albums out there that should make the cut but don’t because of number, variety, and host of other things that have nothing to do with stupidity at all? No matter who does this list it’s obviously going to be a very relative one notwithstanding a million other choices. So smoke a doob and chillax jazz cat! It’s only a suggestion…
Chromex
August 29, 2017 at 2:33 pm
Most have likely not heard “October” by Charlie Mariano ( Inner City) but it is well worth seeking out.
Angela Levey
August 31, 2017 at 5:03 am
On that Buddy Bregman album, that swinging drummer is Stan Levey
Gus Hoodah
October 18, 2017 at 1:18 pm
I’ll go along with the McFarland and the Burrell, which are both excellent.
GB
October 18, 2017 at 1:43 pm
OK. Here’s a really talented sax player that you may not of heard: Sonny Red. Check out the combined albums of Breezin’/Imagine et al.
Luis
October 18, 2017 at 9:13 pm
Thanks for your suggestion. I am sure many of us are thinking the recommendation is not a top one and I agree , but I really appreciate to discover others Jazz musicians I have never listened before.
Isa Maturana Ossa
October 18, 2017 at 9:57 pm
Sólo algunos me gustan.
DARRYL JACOBS
October 20, 2017 at 3:16 pm
MY 2 OBSCURITIES TO ADD WOULD’VE HAVE BEEN JOHN HANDY AT MONTEREY AND MCCOY TYNER ATLANTIS WITH AZAR LAWRENCE ON SAX NAILING MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE
Nelson Hawley
January 1, 2018 at 4:38 am
thanks Darryl i will check them out…can i add McCoy’s “Sahara” to the list? w Sonny Fortune on alto…
peter mautner
October 21, 2017 at 5:59 pm
Yes I have heard many of these musicians in various context,however have not heard any of these fine looking recordings.Thank you for the research.
Matthew Fleet
January 4, 2018 at 8:50 pm
I have to say. Mr. V. Rocaide is spot on. And, not to be questioned. He has nailed it with a lot of these well-known artists and more obscure artists and recordings. It’s a truly fantastic listing.
GJ
October 27, 2018 at 7:57 pm
Wow. A lot of hostility from that Vercinhetorixenafgtfghbnnghhhhh dude.
Calm down. Breath. Listen to some music.
GJ
Fred Stark
November 9, 2018 at 8:45 pm
What about the Blue Note albums that are never played ? There are four fine recordings by Tina Brooks. Also, there are albums called “Basra” by Pete La Roca Sims and “Easterly Winds” by Jack Wilson on the Blue Note label !
Jsand
October 21, 2019 at 3:34 pm
Thanks for these will definitely look up, my addition is Joe Bonner Trio – New Life, that album touched my soul and I was looking for a place to share it, so here you go! As I’m reading the comments I notice the azzhole… why not make your own list? Is there gee wizz
Tim Bright
February 20, 2021 at 10:12 pm
Please can we have a reissue program for all the Ian Carr Nucleus on vinyl.
Roger Strong
June 9, 2021 at 6:01 am
I hate these sort of lists-mostly just pure bullsh*t from beginning to end. There are heaps of artists not even mentioned here that I would rate – people like Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Ralph Sutton and one and on. Apart from anything else ,jazz is so personal and most of the postings here are living proof that a huge number of people think jazz started with Miles Davis -whenever and however it started they know nothing an=bout anything that came before. If you don’t have the Louis Armstrong Hot Five in your collection, or the early Basie recordings or lots of other things then you haven’t a real jazz collection!