What is the most influential jazz album in history?

Certain jazz albums didn't just define a moment — they changed music history forever. These recordings influenced generations of musicians across every genre, from rock to hip-hop to classical.

1

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis's 1959 album — the single most influential jazz recording ever made.

2

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane's 1964 spiritual suite — inspired generations across every musical boundary.

3

The Shape of Jazz to Come

Ornette Coleman's 1959 album — the moment free jazz was born.

4

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis's 1970 double-LP — the birth of jazz fusion.

5

Giant Steps

John Coltrane's 1960 harmonic innovation — saxophone playing permanently changed.

6

Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis's 1949-50 sessions — cool jazz emerges and influences pop music.

7

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock's 1973 album — the template for funk and hip-hop sampling.

8

The Inner Mounting Flame

Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1971 debut — progressive rock and fusion's Big Bang.

9

Charlie Parker with Strings

Bird's 1950 orchestral album — the legitimization of bebop as art music.

10

Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1

Thelonious Monk's late-1940s Blue Note sessions — the birth of his unique idiom.

11

Sketches of Spain

Miles Davis and Gil Evans's 1960 orchestral masterwork — jazz as serious concert music.

12

Hot Fives and Sevens

Louis Armstrong's late-1920s recordings — the recordings that invented jazz as we know it.