[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-listen album selection (41–50)

I’ve Got RhythmGeorge Gershwin

Gershwin plays I Got Rhythm (1931, 3 camera views)

I've Got RhythmGeorge Gershwin

George Gershwin is also a composer who left many jazz standards.

In jazz, there’s a term called “rhythm changes,” which means using the same chord changes as Gershwin’s song “I’ve Got Rhythm.” It’s a piece that revolutionized jazz compositions.

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Lullaby Of BirdlandBud Powell

Bud Powell – Lullaby Of Birdland

Lullaby Of BirdlandBud Powell

Jazz after Charlie Parker is called modern jazz, but when further subdivided, their music is called bebop.

The progressive leap in bebop harmony owed a great deal to the contributions of pianist Bud Powell.

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What Difference A Day MakesDinah Washington

Dinah Washington: What Difference A Day Makes

What Difference A Day MakesDinah Washington

A song written in 1934 by María Grever, the first Mexican songwriter to achieve success.

Its original title was “Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado,” and Stanley Adams gave it the English title “What a Difference a Day Makes.” This version by Dinah Washington won a Grammy Award.

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Lilac WineEartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt – Lilac Wine

Lilac WineEartha Kitt

A song written by James Alan Shelton.

This version was released in 1953 by Eartha Kitt, who was an actress and cabaret star in the 1950s.

The song has been covered by many artists, including Jeff Buckley and Katie Melua.

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Study in Brown

CherokeeClifford Brown and Max Roach

Clifford Brown – Cherokee

CherokeeClifford Brown and Max Roach

Despite being recognized by many top-tier musicians for his talent and having a brilliant future ahead of him, Clifford Brown tragically died in an accident at the young age of 25.

In the history of jazz, he was a trumpeter of the so-called hard bop era, and although his active career lasted only about five years, the many outstanding performances he left behind are all highly regarded and continue to be loved by jazz fans around the world.

The album introduced here is Study in Brown, released in 1954, in which Clifford teamed up with the legendary drummer Max Roach.

Even just the opening track, Cherokee—with its intensely charged drum and piano runs and a trumpet line that weaves in electrifyingly—is so incredibly cool that you can savor the essence of hard bop, where melodicism, emotional expression, and improvisational flair coexist at a very high level.

The jazz-blues gem Sandu, penned by Clifford himself, is also deeply satisfying, making this a thoroughly compelling work from start to finish.

Experience the radiant talent of a brilliant, short-lived genius with this one album!

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Strange FruitBillie Holiday

Billie Holiday-Strange fruit- HD

Strange FruitBillie Holiday

A song written by Abel Meeropol, a white Jewish New Yorker who was a teacher and union activist, after he saw a photograph of two Black men lynched and hanging from a tree in Marion, Indiana, on August 7, 1930.

Its original title was “Bitter Fruit.”

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StardustHoagy Carmichael

Stardust (vocal Version)

StardustHoagy Carmichael

Jazz’s first golden age fell between the two World Wars, coinciding with a period when the United States prospered without suffering the ravages of war.

This era is even sometimes called the Jazz Age, and one of the era’s most popular composers was Hoagy Carmichael.

Stardust has since become a major jazz standard.

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