U-Discover Mag Lists The 50 Greatest Jazz Albums


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U-Discover magazine just issued their list of the 50 greatest jazz albums of all time. Well, everbody's got an opinion, and I don't totally agree with their list..but at least they've got a list. I checked their list and I own 15 of the albums on the list.

How many albums on the list do you own?

What albums do you feel are glaring omissions from the list?
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Here's what I would substitute for the fusion choices on the list -- Tony William's Lifetime "Emergency!", Miles Davis "Tribute to Jack Johnson" and Chick Corea "Light As A Feather". Of course keep "Bitches Brew".

Just pickin' nits.
Undoubtedly great recordings, but with the possible exception of "Light As A Feather", imo they don't have the historical relevance of the ones in question. When there are so many "greats" to choose from, I think that "greatest" should be reserved for those that are not only great performances, but are also very important bynbeing landmark recordings in the evolution of the music. "Headhunters" was a masterpiece of the genre and incredibly influential with funk grooves that are still being sampled today. For better or for worse, hip-hop as we know it today would be very different had there been no "Headhunters". The addition of Jaco Pastorious to Weather Report's lineup would forever change the way that the electric bass was played and its role in a rhythm section. The influence of Jaco, not to mention the band, cannot be overstated. I like the choice of "Light As A Feather" for bringing the "Spanish" flavor to fusion-jazz; something that would become very prevalent.
Being influential should not be a major criteria when critiquing the performance of a recording. It is irrelevant if "Head Hunters" influenced hip hop or that "Bitches Brew" helped create a genre know as fusion jazz. I think Miles is still laughing at the praise this incoherent recording receives. Freddie Hubbard-Joe Sample-Chuck Mangione-Earl Klugh and many others have all made better fusion jazz recordings. There is also a serious neglect of jazz vocalists, and finally omitting Black Codes(Wynton Marsalis)is almost as ridiculous as this list!