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. 1
   Kind of Blue

   Miles Davis's 1959 album — the single most influential jazz recording ever made.
2. 2
   A Love Supreme

   John Coltrane's 1964 spiritual suite — inspired generations across every musical boundary.
3. 3
   The Shape of Jazz to Come

   Ornette Coleman's 1959 album — the moment free jazz was born.
4. 4
   Bitches Brew

   Miles Davis's 1970 double-LP — the birth of jazz fusion.
5. 5
   Giant Steps

   John Coltrane's 1960 harmonic innovation — saxophone playing permanently changed.
6. 6
   Birth of the Cool

   Miles Davis's 1949-50 sessions — cool jazz emerges and influences pop music.
7. 7
   Head Hunters

   Herbie Hancock's 1973 album — the template for funk and hip-hop sampling.
8. 8
   The Inner Mounting Flame

   Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1971 debut — progressive rock and fusion's Big Bang.
9. 9
   Charlie Parker with Strings

   Bird's 1950 orchestral album — the legitimization of bebop as art music.
10. 10
    Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1

    Thelonious Monk's late-1940s Blue Note sessions — the birth of his unique idiom.
11. 11
    Sketches of Spain

    Miles Davis and Gil Evans's 1960 orchestral masterwork — jazz as serious concert music.
12. 12
    Hot Fives and Sevens

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