With the advent of cool jazz and hard bop, you could argue that 1954 marked the beginning of modern jazz. Modern pop was also at a crossroads, as Frank Sinatra entered into his mature period and Bill Haley & the Comets put rock’n’roll on record. A sign of great things to come.
Jazz
- Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Louis Armstrong) A
- A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 (The Art Blakey Quintet) A
- Clifford Brown & Max Roach (Clifford Brown & Max Roach) A+
- Jazz Goes to College (Dave Brubeck Quartet) A-
- Birth of the Cool (Miles Davis) A+
- Al Haig Trio (Esoteric) (Al Haig) A
- Thelonious Monk Trio (Thelonious Monk) A
- The Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 2 (Bud Powell) A-
- Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio (Lester Young) A-
Swing/Pop
- Chet Baker Sings (Chet Baker) A-
- Something Cool (June Christy) A-
- Songs in a Mellow Mood (Ella Fitzgerald) B+
- Songs for Young Lovers (Frank Sinatra) A
- Swing Easy! (Frank Sinatra) A-
- After Hours with Miss D (Dinah Washington) A
Rock and Roll
- Rock with Bill Haley and the Comets (Bill Haley & His Comets) B+
Folk/Blues
- The Tin Angel (Odetta & Larry) A-
Classical
- Classical Check-Up
- Benjamin Britten
- Witold Lutoslawski
- Edgard Varèse
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
Foreign
- Grand Jacques (Jacques Brel) A
