V.S.O.P. by Herbie Hancock (Columbia, 1976)
The second track on Disc 1, “Maiden Voyage”, is an ultimate performance that surpasses the original version, with the playing of the five great players (Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams) meshing together, and you will be blown away by the incredible solos of Shorter and Hubbard and the explosive drumming of Tony in response. The fourth track, “Eye of the Hurricane”, is also a superior performance to the original. Disc 2, the fourth track, “Hang Your Hang Ups”, is a famous performance that has been called “the bible of funk guitar (or cutting guitar)”, and the groove created by the bass of Paul Jackson intertwining with the cutting guitars of Ray Parker Jr. and War War Watson is the coolest.
Empyrean Isles by Herbie Hancock (Blue Note, 1964)
This album is famous as the album that heralded the new mainstream school of jazz, and it is also famous for the funky jazz classic “Cantaloupe Island”, which was sampled by US3. I particularly like the first track “One Finger Snap”, which features a solo by Freddie Hubbard that is one of the best solos of his life, and is also one of the coolest, most powerful and most beautiful solos in jazz.
Coltrane’s A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam by Branford Marsalis (2015)
This is a live recording of “A Love Supreme” by Branford Marsalis, the greatest saxophonist of our time who has inherited Coltrane’s style, and it is a phenomenal, mysterious, and passionate performance that is beyond the original, as if a god had descended from the heavens.
Bright Size Life by Pat Metheny (ECM, 1976)
This is Pat Metheny’s major label debut album, recorded with Jaco Pastorius. Here you can find an original jazz sound that is neither jazz nor jazz, but which evokes the fantastic yet realistic landscapes of the southern and central United States, with its “forest music” created by the tones of the bass guitar of Jaco and the compositions of Pat Metheny.
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (Columbia, 1959)
This is the world’s best-selling jazz record/CD, and one of the ultimate recordings in the history of jazz, a unique, experimental yet cool and simple recording that marked the completion of modal jazz by Miles. There is nothing else like this recording, nothing else that can compare. It is a combination of relaxed yet tense and deeply understanding, and every single improvised phrase by Miles and Cannonball Adderley, Coltrane and Evans in every song is beautiful and precious, the best music.
Go by Dexter Gordon (Blue Note, 1962)
The first track, “Cheese Cake”, is a superb performance by Dexter, with his thick tenor solo that is the most jazz-like, dandy, moody and cool. I think it is one of the ultimate solos in the history of jazz.
Portrait in Jazz by Bill Evans Trio (Riverside Records, 1959)
This is one of Bill Evans’s most famous works, and it is a superb album of jazz piano and modal jazz that captures the exceptional performances of the trio he formed with Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Potts on drums. The album features a collection of familiar standards such as “Autumn Leaves”, “Witchcraft”, “What Is Love?”, and “Someday My Prince Will Come”, and is performed with sophisticated interpretation and arrangements that transcend the original songs, as well as techniques, improvisation, and ensemble playing, including the highly advanced interplay between Evans and Rapallo and modal playing.
Bugs’ Groove by Miles Davis (Prestige, 1954)
A classic hard bop album from the period of Miles’s peak, featuring some of the coolest, most minimal solos from Miles, Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk.
Head Hunters bu Herbie Hancock (Columbia, 1973)
This is the album in which Herbie Hancock first fully introduced electric pianos and synthesizers, and established the jazz-funk style. The arrangements and mixing, which focus on Herbie’s synthesizer and electric piano ideas and the groove of Ball Jackson’s bass, and include the performances of the other members, are still astonishing even today.
Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly Trio (Vaughn, 1965)
Jazz guitar pioneer Wes Montgomery plays a solo that uses the octave technique and goes in all directions, backed by the rhythm section from Miles’ “Milestones” and “Kind of Blue”.
Interstellar Space by John Coltrane (Impulse! 1974)
This is a free jazz piece featuring only the drums and Coltrane’s tenor solo. Because it is so simple, you can really appreciate Coltrane’s performance and tone, and feel his passion and madness.
The Scene Changes by Bud Powell (Blue Note, 1958)
This is one of the greatest jazz piano albums of all time, and it established the Bird-Bop piano trio performance style, in which the right hand plays the melody and the left hand plays the backing. You can hear the hard, exhilarating and simple performance of Powell, who had recovered from his drug-induced illness.
Something Else by Cannonball Adderley (Blue Note, 1958)
This is an album credited to Cannonball’s name, but it is actually a classic album by Miles, who recorded it at Blue Note in order to perform with Art Blakey. The cover of “Autumn Leaves” is very famous, but I like the title track “Something Else” and Cannonball’s solo, which is soft and high-pitched with beautiful phrasing.