Top 10 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

John Coltrane's 1964 spiritual masterpiece recorded in one session on December 9, 1964. Considered one of the greatest jazz recordings ever made, it sold over 500,000 copies and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1959 album was the first jazz record to sell over one million copies. Its unconventional time signatures — including the famous 5/4 beat of Take Five — broke every rule and became the best-selling jazz single in history.

Charles Mingus's 1959 Columbia Records debut blended hard bop, gospel, and blues into one of jazz's most emotionally rich recordings. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a tribute to Lester Young written on the day of Young's death, remains one of jazz's most performed ballads.

Recorded in a single day on June 22, 1956, Sonny Rollins's Prestige Records landmark established the tenor saxophone as jazz's defining voice. St. Thomas, based on a Virgin Islands calypso, became one of the most covered standards in jazz history.

John Coltrane's 1960 Atlantic Records album introduced "Coltrane Changes" — a harmonic substitution system so complex it took other musicians years to master. The title track cycles through three key centers a major third apart, revolutionising jazz harmony forever.

Herbie Hancock's 1973 Columbia Records album became the best-selling jazz album of its decade, fusing jazz with funk and R&B. Chameleon, its opening 15-minute track, reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and changed the sound of jazz forever.

Herbie Hancock's 1965 Blue Note Records album is the definitive post-bop album, with all five tracks evoking the sea through suspended harmonics and gentle rhythmic motion. It featured a legendary quintet including Freddie Hubbard and Tony Williams.

John Coltrane's only album as a leader for Blue Note Records, recorded on September 15, 1957. The hard bop classic features one of Coltrane's most celebrated solos on the title track, widely cited as a model of jazz improvisation technique.

Miles Davis's 1970 double album on Columbia Records pioneered jazz fusion and won two Grammy Awards. Recorded over three days in August 1969, it sold 400,000 copies in its first year — extraordinary for a jazz album — and influenced rock, funk, and electronic music.

John Coltrane's 1964 spiritual masterpiece recorded in one session on December 9, 1964. Considered one of the greatest jazz recordings ever made, it sold over 500,000 copies and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1959 album was the first jazz record to sell over one million copies. Its unconventional time signatures — including the famous 5/4 beat of Take Five — broke every rule and became the best-selling jazz single in history.

Charles Mingus's 1959 Columbia Records debut blended hard bop, gospel, and blues into one of jazz's most emotionally rich recordings. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a tribute to Lester Young written on the day of Young's death, remains one of jazz's most performed ballads.

Recorded in a single day on June 22, 1956, Sonny Rollins's Prestige Records landmark established the tenor saxophone as jazz's defining voice. St. Thomas, based on a Virgin Islands calypso, became one of the most covered standards in jazz history.

John Coltrane's 1960 Atlantic Records album introduced "Coltrane Changes" — a harmonic substitution system so complex it took other musicians years to master. The title track cycles through three key centers a major third apart, revolutionising jazz harmony forever.

Herbie Hancock's 1973 Columbia Records album became the best-selling jazz album of its decade, fusing jazz with funk and R&B. Chameleon, its opening 15-minute track, reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and changed the sound of jazz forever.

Herbie Hancock's 1965 Blue Note Records album is the definitive post-bop album, with all five tracks evoking the sea through suspended harmonics and gentle rhythmic motion. It featured a legendary quintet including Freddie Hubbard and Tony Williams.

John Coltrane's only album as a leader for Blue Note Records, recorded on September 15, 1957. The hard bop classic features one of Coltrane's most celebrated solos on the title track, widely cited as a model of jazz improvisation technique.

Miles Davis's 1970 double album on Columbia Records pioneered jazz fusion and won two Grammy Awards. Recorded over three days in August 1969, it sold 400,000 copies in its first year — extraordinary for a jazz album — and influenced rock, funk, and electronic music.