With the advent of cool jazz and hard bop, you could say that 1954 was the turning point that 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.

<<Link to the Top 10 Albums of 1954>>

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)

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 Briel) A