I'll kick off with some very obvious candidates:

and one not so obvious:

Jim Hall 'Concierto' (which takes its name from the atmospheric jazz version of the slow movement of Rodriguez' famous guitar concerto)

Cannonball Adderly -  Somethin' Else


And the additional 

Ahmad Jamal Trio -  Live At The Pershing Lounge 1958

Another artist to recommend is Thelonious Monk. 'Live at the IT Club' is a good start . . . When I first heard his angular, 'mis-timed', 'wrong note' playing it rather put me off, but when you submit to Monk's world you see it for sheer genius, unlike anyone else.

I'm rather obsessed with Monk's "'Round Midnight". I guess I have between 20 and 30 different versions by a range of artists all (well most) finding something different in the tune and harmony. A favourite version is by German opera singer Ute Lemper on her "Illusions" album (Decca): ultra smokey and sexy . . .

Milt Jackson's swinging vibraharp underscored by John Lewis' diffident piano lines were around for decades, reinventing themselves. This 1955 number is a good place to start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inHEiK5t1J4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inHEiK5t1J4

It doesn't sound nearly as good on CD unfortunately, but I've got a digital rip of an MFSL pressing that sounds great. I would have loved to get my hands on that issue if I still had use of my turntable.
I've already got Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely in a mono pressing on the MFSL label and it's very nice indeed. Though that is one severely uncheery record, bordering on pitch black suicidal .

Great album.

Getz/Gilberto was my first exposure to a component stereo system and started me on my audio journey in 1968.  Had a summer job delivering furniture and a customer had this album playing on a system that included a Hafler  amp and preamp, AR-3a speakers and a Thorens turntable.  It was the most amazing sound I had ever heard.  My listening reference at that time was my parents console stereo, and this just blew it away.

Saving up for a system while making $1.35/hour took quite a while, but I eventually got there.  The first album I bought was Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads & Trail songs and the second was Getz/Gilberto.  Still play both of them often.

I would start them right here, watch this and then we talk;

Unfortunately that video doesn't work for me (I get an error) . . 

Indeed it is.  I listen to it regularly.

http://thesoundofvinyl.com/*/JAZZ/ - http://thesoundofvinyl.com/*/JAZZ/

They even have a couple near the bottom on the 2 for £15 page .

( I think at least 1 is a 96 remaster, but if you don't have anyway)

http://thesoundofvinyl.com/*/2-FOR-15-VINYL/ - http://thesoundofvinyl.com/*/2-FOR-15-VINYL/

I really enjoy old time New Orleans- The Dukes of Dixieland-among many others. The Audio Fidelity releases include several volumes of "You've Got to Hear It to Believe It." The Audio Fidelity records were among the first stereo recordings in the US dating back to the late 50's. Also on Audio Fidelity-"Louie and the Dukes of Dixieland" with Louis Armstrong.

Also, an RCA recording-"The Dukes of Dixieland Featuring Pete Fountain." I dug a prisitne copy of this out of my Dad's old Magnavox cabinet

All of these are a joy to hear and never cease to bring a smile. 

Don't know about the RIAA/non-RIAA for these. I listen on vinyl but most have been released on CD and compilations are available on CD. 

Good to have your jazz recommendations . . 

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'

Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'

Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue (alternate would be Grant Green - Idle Moments)

Classic cover too! 
 

I did videos of tracks from the Grant Green and Sarah Vaughan albums you mention, with the Accession and Accession MC doing their stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-4t9JGux00" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-4t9JGux00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z76gO1kmY_E" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z76gO1kmY_E

http://https://www.discogs.com/Joe-Henderson-Black-Narcissus/master/176815" rel="nofollow - Here's one I played today that doesn't get talked about too much. Henderson's Blue Note albums are highly regarded but not everyone seems to know his early to mid 70s period on Milestone too well. IMHO this era of Henderson is every bit as awesome as his 60s work, just different. 

My first post here.  First thanks, to B. Kohl who was gracious enough to share some of his favorite music.

The Great Jazz Trio -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Jazz_Trio_at_the_Village_Vanguard" rel="nofollow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Jazz_Trio_at_the_Village_Vanguard

Some great players on that one. I'll have to hunt down a copy eventually. 

- Conversations with Myself - Bill Evans

-  Round about Midnight, Nefertiti, In a Silent Way - Miles Davis

- Soap Suds, Soap Suds - Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden

For a more contemporary take on the genre, I loved Makaya McCraven's "Universal Beings" last year. He recorded four different ensembles live, then chopped up the recordings and used pieces of them as samples. Described by the label as "organic beat music." Andrew Cyrille's "Lebroba" with Leo Wadada Smith and Bill Frisell was my other favorite jazz release last year.

The Makaya McCraven album has been on my list to check out for awhile. In general, I've really enjoyed the contemporary UK scene. Maybe not something for purists but albums from Binker & Moses, Chip Wickham, and Moses Boyd all made my list of top albums for 2018. 

My essential pick for the day. 

Released on the Black Saint label in 1982. 

Today's pick. Sam Rivers' second LP, Contours. This is the third in the Blue Note Tone Poet series which have all been superb so far. Killer lineup on this album with Hubbard, Hancock, Carter, and Chambers. Musically it's moving beyond the hard bop of the time a bit into semi-avant garde territory, but still quite accessible. Highly recommended. 

I have that one on a mid-70s 2-fer double LP. Haven't played it in awhile but it is great. I'll have to dig it out soon. 

DogBox [Steve]

I checked out a track from this album. A bit different than what I usually look for but interesting. It reminds you what a wide-ranging genre jazz is. The song I sampled made me think of something you might find on EMC, with more 80s electronic elements in the mix. In any case, I'll keep an eye out for their stuff in the used bins. 

1963 Impulse. Produced by Bob Thiele. 

A word of advice, I bought the Analogue Productions 45rpm AIPJ-35 B0014877-01 Ltd edition No. 0229 after a catastrophic accident with cigarette ash falling on my 1973 NM reissue. Silly B****** 

I would think twice before buying this if you want to play it regularly. It's so frustrating getting up to change sides. It completely interrupts enjoyment of this particular album. It was composed as a 'Ballet' piece and as an uninterrupted experience. It was cut into four principle parts for commercial reasons, to suite vinyl LP. Funny, that it's release on CD allowed listeners to experience this absolute Mingus Masterpiece as it was originally intended. Unless you make high quality recordings to listen back and save the original, then I would buy a 33rpm.

Add to the list....

1961 Produced by Creed Taylor.

Featuring, Oliver Nelson, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, George Barrow, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Roy Haynes. 

This is Essential! Truly wonderful and accessible. 

1969 Produced by Creed Taylor.

Featuring, amongst others, Ray Brown, Eric Gale, Grady Tate, Bob James, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Cleveland, Toots Thielemans, Hubert Laws, Jerome Richardson, Roland Kirk, Valerie Simpson, Maretha Stewart. 

This is super cool sixties Jazz baby 

It's worth checking out reviews on these albums, saves my waffling and besides, you'll get a proper overview. 

That Mingus album is tied with Town Hall Concert as my favorite from him. I've only ever had it on CD. I agree that 45rpm reissues can sometimes disrupt the flow of albums. I'm sure it sounds great though. I've thought of trying that pressing before. 

The Oliver Nelson album is also great, another one I've only ever had on CD. I think there was a 45rpm version of that one as well. 

I've been looking for a clean LP copy of the Quincy album but when it does show up in the used bins it's always in horrible shape with scratches. I may have to just get a decent CD version of that one too.  

Today's pick is Bobbi Humphrey's third album, originally released in 1973. Probably her most famous work and heavily sampled by hip hop artists and such. If you like jazz with funk/r&b crossover elements, give this a shot. Certainly one of the best albums I've heard in the style. This copy is a reissue from the current BN80 series, cut by Kevin Gray from analog tape and pressed at Optimal in Germany. 

Today's pick looks like a Chick Corea album, but it's not really. It's actually a reissue of a semi-obscure Pete La Roca album from 1967 called Turkish Women at the Bath. Since Chick was a lot more famous than Pete in the early 70s, the Muse label (among others) did this reissue under Corea's name so they could make more money (Pete sued them for this). Stuff like this has happened several times in the jazz world. Musically it's great though and belongs in your collection on some format. If you know Pete's Basra album on Blue Note, this one is a bit less fiery than that one most of the time, but it's every bit as good. 

I've got the recent CD reissues of both Scenery and Mellow Dreams. I like them, but I recall reading that some folks (musician types mainly) found his technique a bit amateurish. IIRC he didn't have a lot of formal training before recording these albums. I enjoy them for what they are. 

There are so many possibilities - but I'd endorse virtually everything everyone's suggested so far. If I had to start (bearing in mind you're likely to never stop....) with a dozen or so to cover many of the bases in this greatest of musics, I'd choose these - with apologies for duplications above and for stating the Bleedin' Obvious - and with the recommendation that you look out for pre-digital vinyl if it's affordable:

Louis Armstrong - Hot Fives & Sevens (JSP 4xCD set - the exception that proves the rule - there are lots of vinyl versions out there, but I've never owned any that hold a candle to the late great John R. T. Davies' remastering here. This is the cornerstone of all small-group jazz that follows after....)

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - any good anthology of the studio recordings covering 1940-1942 - The Blanton-Webster Band (RCA) is pretty complete and nicely documented, but digitally remastered - the French CBS Complete Duke Ellington twofers are unimpeachable value second-hand

Sidney Bechet - Jazz Classics Vols. 1 & 2 (Blue Note)

Billie Holiday - God Bless The Child (CBS - a twofer compilation from the great 1930s/40s period)

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (Prestige)

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Such Sweet Thunder (various Philips & CBS versions)

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Riverside)

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (CBS/Columbia - the current stereo vinyl iteration is very good IMHO - digital or no - and has the post-1992 pitch correction)

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (CBS - the 1970s Better Git It In Your Soul twofer is a great way of getting this and the almost equally wonderful Mingus Dynasty in good analogue versions)

Mal Waldron - The Quest (Prestige - again, available as half of a terrific 1970s twofer, Fire Waltz - Eric Dolphy and Mal Waldron remain two of the most underrated greats IMHO)

Oliver Nelson - The Blues And The Abstract Truth (Impulse!)

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (Blue Note)

Stan Tracey Quartet - Jazz Suite Inspired By Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood (Columbia if you can afford it/Steam) - the best UK jazz LP bar none

...and even that baker's dozen only gets us up to 1965!

Lots of great stuff in Fluddite's list including a few I'm not too familiar with. My knowledge of pre-bebop jazz is fairly thin, I'll admit. 

Today's pick is a 3xLP archival live album from Nathan Davis with the Georges Arvanitas Trio on the Sam Records label out of France. I've wanted this for a couple years now and the first run quickly sold out. Thankfully there was a second run and I was able to get a copy but that run is now almost sold out. If you want one, get it. I do not know if there will be third run or not. If you don't know Nathan Davis, check him out. I actually found out about him through social media, if you can believe that. Many of his key works are OOP and go for $$$ these days but this is one of the few somewhat affordable releases you can still buy (for now). It's not exactly cheap but considering the amount of music you get and the quality of the overall package I think it's a good deal. 

Isn't it just?  Stolen Moments is a killer opener, of course (as MM rightly says) - but the whole thing is terrific. Alas, More Blues and the Abstract Truth doesn't rekindle the magic IMHO.

For anyone not willing to punt upwards of £80 for a copy of the AP 2x45 version of TBatAT, I can thoroughly recommend this 1980 AAA Japanese pressing -  http://https://www.discogs.com/Oliver-Nelson-The-Blues-And-The-Abstract-Truth/release/6198446 - http://https://www.discogs.com/Oliver-Nelson-The-Blues-And-The-Abstract-Truth/release/6198446  - which made my 1986 US "digitally remastered from the original stereo tapes" version sound distinctly rubbish. Also, it preserves the integrity of the two LP sides - I've always felt a bit wary of the 2x45 approach to remastering classic LPs for that reason....

Looked at the prices of albums by this group, yikes! Hopefully someone will consider a reissue in the future. 

That's another sensational album, P! I came that close to putting it in my last list - but then plumped for Sarah Vaughan (same era, same studio IIRC, same great mid-50s EmArcy sound - and Brownie again!) instead.

I think I must have picked up my copy (Japanese mono repress, great sound) in this wonderful New York institution -  http://https://jazzrecordcenter.com/ - http://https://jazzrecordcenter.com/

Thankfully, the great Ms Merrill is still with us - and I've never heard a bad record from her.

f.

I've heard great things about that shop but have never been there. I do like that Sarah album and have it on CD. Verve is reissuing that in October in an AAA LP version in cooperation with Chad Kassem/QRP/AP. 

I've heard great things about that shop but have never been there. 

Put it this way - in the US, I've only ever been to New York - I've only ever been three times - and on all three visits, the two places I've had to go to have been Jazz Record Centre (for the recorded stuff) and the Village Vanguard (for the live stuff). Lighter wallet = heavier return luggage on all three occasions.... 

f.

Joe Pass is amazing. I've got a couple things by him including a CD of that album but definitely need more. 

This album has been released under a few different names with different cover art over the years. My copy is the 2019 version done by Pure Pleasure Records with Strata East. 

Just discovered this wonderful piano trio version of 'Stolen Moments' by the great Ahmad Jamal on YouTube:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lww7LQXnfoo - http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lww7LQXnfoo

Another album I'll have to shop for now.... 

f.

I haven't heard the latest LP reissue but I have this album on a double CD set with some other material (2 albums worth) from the same sessions. Great stuff, and almost anything by GG is worth checking out.