The 10 Best Albums of 1950
In 1950, the Korean War began, Jackson Pollock painted Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), the New York Yankees won the World Series, and Charlie Parker made the best album of the year.
When it comes to the Top 10 Albums of 1950 (the year, not the decade), we must first establish that “albums” as we know them today essentially didn’t exist back then. Although the 12-inch LP was first introduced by RCA Victor in 1948, the most common form of music mass production was still the 78rpm record. Most of the “albums” on this list were originally released on 10-inch vinyl, typically lasting no longer than 20 to 25 minutes.
Even the simple task of finding 10 albums from 1950 was pretty tough. As a result, this probably goes down as one of the most diverse Best Of lists in Colin’s Review history. Where else are you going to find Peruvian mambo and a posthumous release from Dixieland legend Bunk Johnson side by side?
The rest of the Top 10 — including the number one spot — is rounded out by already-established veterans from the previous decade (Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald and Stan Kenton) and soon-to-be legends that will shape the course of the decade to come (Les Paul, Bud Powell and Frank Sinatra). All are deserving of inclusion, despite the unprecedented dearth of actual “albums” to choose from.
And so, without further ado, here are the 10 best albums of 1950.
10. Ella Sings Gershwin
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Swing
Even though Ella Sings Gershwin is only a minor entry in Fitzgerald’s vast discography (overshadowed by her 1940s Decca recordings and her late-’50s Songbooks), the album still captures the First Lady of Song at the peak of her powers. It’s always a pleasure to hear one of the greatest singers of all time, especially when she’s singing the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. Continue reading…
9. Piano Solos
Artist: Bud Powell
Genre: Bebop
Not as good as the sequel, yet Bud Powell’s Piano Solos #1 is a good reason why he should be credited as one of the primary progenitors of modern jazz. He is a very underrated artist, and this is a very underrated album. A terrific showcase of a completely new piano style. Continue reading…
8. Stan Kenton Presents
Artist: Stan Kenton
Genre: Avant-Garde Jazz
Ever since the 1940s, Stan Kenton’s signature brand of progressive big band had always been trending toward intellectual, avant-garde, art music. The radical sounds of Stan Kenton Presents shouldn’t come as a surprise. Throughout the album, Kenton envisions modernist classical through an eclectic jazz orchestra, a never-before-heard sound that still resonates today. Continue reading…
7. Swing and Dance with Frank Sinatra
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Genre: Swing
Swing and Dance with Frank Sinatra features some of the 35-year-old crooner’s most underrated tunes. For example, his lively interpretation of Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart’s “Lover” is both a vocal tour de force and a showcase of stunning musicianship. His final album for Columbia Records, four years before the start of his legendary run with Capitol, Swing and Dance proves that Sinatra was a superstar in the making. Continue reading…
6. Voice of the Xtabay
Artist: Yma Sumac
Genre: Exotica
The voice of Yma Sumac is one of the most impressive musical instruments of all time, something that truly must be heard to be believed. Her voice is ancient and timeless and is a perfect match for Les Baxter’s lush, ostentatious, South-America-via-Hollywood orchestrations. Sumac’s authentic Incan influences transcend the cheesy fanfare, thus making Voice of the Xtabay an essential exotica record. Continue reading…
5. The New Sound
Artist: Les Paul
Genre: Avant-Garde Jazz
Is this album jazz? Country? Folk? Avant-Garde? Maybe rock and roll? It’s a New Sound, whatever it is. Les Paul, a household name for his signature brand of electric guitars, owns an impressive recorded legacy that remains severely underrated. This early, experimental 10-inch LP is among his best works: an innovative, instrumental exploration of electronic sound. Continue reading…
4. The Last Testament of a Great New Orleans Jazzman
Artist: Bunk Johnson
Genre: Dixieland
An influence upon a young Louis Armstrong, Bunk Johnson was one of jazz music’s original inventors in the early 1900s. He played trumpet throughout Louisiana until he got his teeth knocked out in 1931, prompting an early retirement. Recorded at Carnegie Hall in December of 1947, after a critical rediscovery prompted Johnson to give it one last go, The Last Testament of a New Orleans Jazzman is a joyous celebration of high-stepping Dixieland and primitive ragtime blues, posthumously released after Johnson’s death in 1948. He was 69 years old. Continue reading…
3. Piano Solos #2
Artist: Bud Powell
Genre: Bebop
Bud Powell’s playing style is energetic yet soothing, pointing the way toward hard bop while remaining firmly rooted in bebop ballad tradition. Making use of chromaticism and frequent arpeggios, Powell perfectly translates the musical language of Charlie Parker from alto saxophone to piano. Piano Solos #2 is a great album — one of Powell’s best. Continue reading…
2. Innovations in Modern Music
Artist: Stan Kenton
Genre: Avant-Garde Jazz
Stan Kenton utilizes the full range of his big band “orchestra” like no other jazz musician before or since. From classical tone clusters that take modernist influence from Charles Ives, to off-kilter piano chords that predict the atonal experiments of Eric Dolphy, Innovations in Modern Music is one of the most daring jazz releases of all time. Continue reading…
1. Charlie Parker with Strings
Artist: Charlie Parker
Genre: Jazz
Charlie Parker had always been interested in classical music, particularly the innovations of Igor Stravinsky, and it had always been his longtime desire to record in an orchestral setting. As one of the first bebop artists to perform with a full symphony, Charlie Parker with String is an album that seamlessly bridges genres and cultures — jazz mixes with elements of classical, and the contrast of the string ensemble against Parker’s standalone solos remains timeless. Continue reading…
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A definitive list of the 10 best albums of 1950