[Start Here] Jazz Masterpieces: A Must-Listen Album Selection

Pop music writer/editorKEI
A style that keeps updating my favorites while loving mainstream and hit songs. I have experience writing articles for outlets like Utaten. Since I discovered music as a student, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. 2000s J-POP and 2010s K-POP were my youth, and I’m also loosely into jazz and R&B. I enjoy good music across genres with a “good is good” mindset. Thanks to my past work environment (and its influence), I listened to a lot of classic rock and kayōkyoku, which may have broadened my tastes. At RAG MUSIC, I mainly cover K-POP. I focus on reviews that emphasize feelings people can relate to, and on editing aligned with local pride and hit potential. Thank you!
music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and have been contributing to music magazines and web media for over 15 years. Although Western music is my main field, I always strive to stay curious with the motto, “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in a band, where I was a bassist responsible for songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve performed on include bass, guitar, and piano. I resumed piano lessons after turning 40 and have been continuing ever since!

What kind of impression do you have of the musical genre known as jazz?

You might think of it as somewhat stylish, or perhaps a bit intimidating and highbrow.

The history of jazz, which includes many subgenres, can’t be summed up easily—and of course, it’s not just music from a bygone era.

This time, for those who are interested but don’t know where to start, we’ve picked out a selection of classic, standard albums that have gone down in jazz history—perfect as your first listen.

Be sure to check them out!

[Start with this one] Jazz masterpieces: a must-hear album selection (31–40)

You’d Be So Nice to Come Home toArt Pepper

You’d Be so Nice to Come Home To (Remastered 2017)

You'd Be So Nice to Come Home toArt Pepper

Alongside Chet Baker, alto saxophonist Art Pepper became an idol of West Coast jazz.

Possessing the intellectual elegance of the West Coast while mastering the evolved improvisational solo techniques of East Coast jazz, Pepper rose to stardom on the West Coast.

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Night And DayCole Porter

Night And Day – Cole Porter

Night And DayCole Porter

Cole Porter also lived through the Jazz Age and left behind numerous standard numbers.

He created so many masterpieces of vocal music that many of jazz’s greatest singers have recorded albums devoted to his works.

“Night and Day” is a song that depicts his own forbidden love.

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Left Alone

Left AloneMal Waldron

Left Alone

Left AloneMal Waldron

Known as a classic of jazz, this album is Mal Waldron’s tribute to Billie Holiday.

Recorded in New York on February 24, 1959, the title track stands out for Waldron’s delicate piano touch and Jackie McLean’s wistful alto saxophone.

Steeped in memories of Holiday, the piece sinks deeply into the listener’s heart.

Widely cherished in the jazz world and covered by many artists, it can rightly be called a landmark in jazz history.

It’s perfect for those seeking a subdued, intimate album to enjoy alone on a quiet night.

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FeverPeggy Lee

Fever

FeverPeggy Lee

An impassioned love song originally recorded by the singer Little Willie John.

His songs have been covered by many artists, including The Beatles.

The most well-known version of Fever is by jazz singer Peggy Lee, who was influenced by the blues.

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What a wonderful worldLouis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World (Official Video)

What a wonderful worldLouis Armstrong

A standard song loved around the world, written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss.

First released in 1968, it was later used about 20 years on in the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam starring Robin Williams.

In the UK, it was the best-selling song of 1968.

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[Start with this one] Jazz masterpieces: A must-listen album selection (41–50)

I’ve got you under my skinFrank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra- I’ve got you under my skin

I’ve got you under my skinFrank Sinatra

A song written by Cole Porter in 1936.

It was first performed by actress Virginia Bruce in the MGM musical Born to Dance, which starred Eleanor Powell and James Stewart.

This Frank Sinatra version has become one of his signature songs.

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Giant Steps LiveJohn Coltrane

Branford Marsalis Quartet – Giant Steps (1988)

Giant Steps LiveJohn Coltrane

Saxophonist John Coltrane is the greatest jazzman of modern jazz, beginning with bebop, passing through modal jazz, and ultimately arriving at free jazz.

Giant Steps is a landmark 20th-century composition that employed chord progressions previously thought impossible—and even made improvisation over them feasible.

The progression used in this piece is known as the Coltrane changes.

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