“Bands” weren’t really a thing until the 1960s, which is why the Top 100 Albums of the 1950s are stuffed to the brim with solo artists like Frank Sinatra and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Then again, groups like Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the Thelonious Monk Orchestra and, especially, Clifford Brown & Max Roach showed that collaborative ensembles were the way of the future.
50. Study in Brown
Artist: Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Genre: Hard Bop
While not as immediate as its predecessor, Study in Brown remains one of the defining works of early ‘50s jazz. It proves that Clifford Brown & Max Roach were one of the greatest musical duos of all time. Continue reading…
49. The Art Tatum-Ben Webster Quartet
Artist: Art Tatum & Ben Webster
Genre: Stride
This posthumous collection — commonly available as The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Volume Eight — is Art Tatum at his most accessible.
Ben Webster provides a steady anchor with his casual, melodic saxophone; meanwhile, Tatum strides away on piano, playing at least nine or ten notes to every one of Webster’s. This unlikely combo works wonders — a slow foreground mixing perfectly with a non-stop commentary in the background. In fact, Tatum has very little regard for what’s going on around him. He just keeps soloing and soloing as if the rest of the quartet isn’t even there. Credit to producer Norman Granz for somehow making it work. Continue reading…
48. Moanin’
Artist: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Genre: Hard Bop
It wouldn’t be a stretch to rank Moanin’ as one of the best performed jazz albums of all time. These six songs, recorded in a single session on October 30, 1958, showcase a quintet on absolute fire. It certainly wouldn’t be a stretch to rank this as Art Blakey’s best album. Continue reading…
47. The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall
Artist: Thelonious Monk
Genre: Bebop
The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall is the definitive live Monk LP, even more so than Misterioso. It features five of his greatest tunes — “Monk’s Mood,” “Little Rootie Tootie,” “Off Minor,” “Crepuscule with Nellie” and “Friday the 13th” — performed in some of his most uncharacteristic arrangements.
Although most jazz critics would recommend Thelonious Monk Trio, Genius of Modern Music or even Brilliant Corners as the optimal starting points for listeners seeking the full Monk experience, I’d say that Town Hall provides the best initiation. Continue reading…
46. Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street
Artist: Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Genre: Hard Bop
Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street is the sound of things ending too soon, and it’s almost as if the musicians themselves can somehow realize it too. As a result, this electrifying LP is a fitting end to the greatest partnership in hard-bop history. Continue reading…
45. Close to You
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Genre: Traditional Pop
Musically, Close to You is Frank Sinatra’s most interesting LP — a somber orchestral affair that harkens back to the magical, late-night qualities of Songs for Young Lovers. Lyrically, it’s Sinatra’s funniest. The songs are full of self-deprecating humor that paint Sinatra as a romantic fool and a sucker for love, which stands in perfect contrast to the vintage violins that color every verse. Continue reading…
44. Here’s Little Richard
Artist: Little Richard
Genre: Rhythm and Blues
My favorite moments from Little Richard’s energetic debut brought hip-hopping beats, saxophone rave-ups and an immeasurable amount of R&B electricity to an unsuspecting, white audience. Here’s Little Richard is everything a rock & roll album should be, and then some. Continue reading…
43. Lightnin’ Hopkins
Artist: Lightnin’ Hopkins
Genre: Country Blues
The origin of Lightnin Hopkins’ self-titled 1959 debut album is the stuff of blues legend. By the late ’50s, the once-legendary performer had all but disappeared from public sight. Music historian Samuel Charters tracked Hopkins down to a one-room apartment in Houston and asked him to record a couple songs. In return, Hopkins only asked for a bottle of gin.
With only one microphone, an acoustic guitar and a liquor-soaked voice, Lightnin’ Hopkins features some of the rawest blues ever put to record. The reclusive artist made a daring comeback five feet from the foot of his bed. Continue reading…
42. Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2
Artist: Sonny Rollins
Genre: Hard Bop
Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 features one of my all-time favorite jazz moments — the opening stanza of Thelonious Monk’s “Misterioso,” featuring dizzying interplay between Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, J.J. Johnson and Monk himself. It’s a high point of hard bop. Continue reading…
41. Bo Diddley
Artist: Bo Diddley
Genre: Rock and Roll
“Bo Diddley” the song is one of the most influential singles in rock and roll history, especially when paired with its legendary B-side, “I’m a Man,” both of which sound fresh even today. Likewise, Bo Diddley the album is a landmark collection of raw R&B powered by the influential Bo Diddley beat, a chugging 3/2 clave rhythm that features fuzz guitar and maracas. Meanwhile, Bo Diddley the musician is less of a man and more of a myth. Self-obsessed to the point of self-parody, he remains the model persona for every rock star that followed. Continue reading…