Top Ten Gateway Jazz Albums
Every music fan has to start somewhere. That’s what I tell myself when I see that someone hasn’t heard of an artist or an album; not every music fan needs to have heard every classic album, song, or artist to be considered a “real fan,” and I hate that term because of that reason. There are a lot of albums I found through word of mouth, looking at best of lists, and just finding in stores, whether it was FYE or an indie record store, and that doesn’t make me any less of a music fan. Hell, when I was younger, I would have loved to have someone give me a list of some classic albums to get into, especially for a genre that’s very vast and time consuming. I’m gonna be doing that today, and who knows, this might help someone get into this genre.
With that said, I’ve talked a lot about how I’ve become a big fan of jazz lately, as well as celebrating the genre through my top 20 jazz albums list, but I wanted to talk about some great jazz albums to get into if you’re new to the genre. Jazz is a daunting genre, especially if you’re new, because there are so many artists to sink your teeth into, but where do you start? That’s where I want to help out, as I’ve been able to really spend some time with the genre over the past few years, and I’ve gotten a lot of really awesome albums, so I wanted to pass my knowledge onto someone that might want to get into the genre, only they don’t know where they should begin. These are ten “gateway” albums that I think everyone should listen to if they want a good and accessible experience getting into the genre. That’s the key — accessible. All of these albums are going to be accessible in some way, so don’t expect to find the 93-minute jazz fusion maestro that’s 1970’s Bitches Brew from Miles Davis. That’s not a record that will ease someone into the genre, but these other ten albums (hopefully) will! Starting with…
Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
This past year marked the 60th anniversary of the first Peanuts special, and the soundtrack to it remains one of my favorite soundtracks, as well as favorite jazz albums. A Charlie Brown Christmas may be best played during a few months of the year, but it has some iconic songs that people know, whether it’s from the special or from the Christmas canon of music. It’s one of the first jazz albums I ever heard, and it’s still one that I go back to all these years later.
Jon Batiste - Chronology Of A Dream (2019)
One of the best modern jazz musicians is pianist Jon Batiste, and you may know his work from the Pixar movie Soul, but he was also the bandleader for Stephen Colbert’s show for a long time. He left the show in 2022 to continue on with his own career, but he’s put out some wonderful albums. I really like 2021’s We Are, which combines jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and pop to make an album that’s both diverse and homogenous at the same time; it has so many influences, but it doesn’t fold under its own weight. That isn’t really a jazz album, although it has a lot of jazz influence, but my favorite of his is 2019’s Chronology Of A Dream. He recorded a pair of albums in 2019 live at the Village Vanguard, and this is the one that’s more fun, energetic, and shorter. This album is very playful, fun, and lively, ultimately showcasing a soul-jazz type of sound that is very accessible to people that may not really be familiar with this sound.
Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me
A great type of jazz for someone new to get into the genre for the first time is vocal jazz, and that’s what most people think of when they think of jazz. This includes crooner type of singers, like Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. If there’s one artist that people associate with that vocal jazz style, it’s Sinatra. I could have put a bunch of Sinatra albums here, but I wanted to include one — 1958’s Come Fly With Me. I decided on this one for a couple of reasons, namely because it’s my favorite of his, but it’s also a fun, catchy, and easygoing album about traveling and the act thereof. There isn’t anything hard to understand here, and that’s why I’m putting it here, because it’s an accessible and catchy vacation that doesn’t require you to leave your house.
Billy Joel - 52nd Street
A perfect way to introduce people to jazz that may only have a passing familiarity with it would be to show them a jazz-rock album. During the 1970s, rock music and jazz really had a moment together, as artists were being influenced by the genre, and jazz fusion was becoming a thing. I’ll be talking about another jazz-rock classic later, but for now, let’s briefly talk about 1978’s 52nd Street by Billy Joel. By this point, Joel had his breakthrough with 1977’s The Stranger, but 52nd Street was his first number one album, and he enlisted the help of jazz musicians to give the album a different feel, and it definitely works. It has a lot of iconic songs on it, albeit with a jazzy bent that doesn’t feel too overwhelming.
Cautious Clay - Karpeh (2023)
The newest album here is the latest album from R&B / pop artist Cautious Clay, but this album counts for a couple of reasons: this album was released on acclaimed jazz label, Blue Note, and the album has a lot of esteemed jazz players, such as Julian Lage, so it counts. It’s more so an R&B and soul album that takes on elements of jazz, but when the jazzy sounds hit, it’s great. Clay, real name Joshua Karpeh (the title is based on his last name and it’s about his family history), is a multi-instrumentalist that plays with a lot of genres, and it’s great for pop and R&B fans that might want something to get into that will be a small step.
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin’ (1958)
I wanted to include a few lesser known artists on the list, and one of them is Sonny Clark’s 1958 masterpiece, Cool Struttin’. Clark lived a very short life, only living until he was 31, but in that short time (as well as his short career), he put out some fantastic stuff. Cool Struttin’ is more of an album with a cult following, but this is a hard bop masterpiece. Clocking in at only 34 minutes, and only having four songs, this album is a quick exercise in how you can make a jazz album fun, energetic, and so lively. It’s really the performers coming together that makes each and every one of these albums work, and this album features trumpeter Art Farmer, as well as some of Miles Davis’ rhythm section from the time. That’s important, because they would go onto play on another album, which is…
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (1959)
I could have put this at one, but this gateway list isn’t ranked, or in any type of order, so we need to talk about one of the most important jazz albums of all time, if not the most important jazz album. Kind Of Blue is one of the first jazz albums I ever got into, and for good reason. It’s the jazz album that everyone tells you to check out. There’s a reason for it: it’s a classic album that revolutionized the genre. It experimented with modes, especially in favor of his typical hard bop sounds, but this record became an instant classic. This is the first jazz album, minus A Charlie Brown Christmas, that I ever heard, and it was because of it being an influential album that’s also the highest selling jazz album of all time. I always knew it as being this album that everyone recommends if you want to get into the genre. It’s a great record for that, as it’s both melodic and energetic, but it’s the main album I would recommend out of all of these. Miles Davis is the ultimate jazz performer, and this is the record to check out if you want to get into the genre.
Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
If there’s one jazz-rock album that I would recommend for newcomers to the genre, it would be Steely Dan’s Aja, but this record is truly something special. It sits between yacht-rock, jazz-rock, soul, and pop, but it’s such a wonderful album that encapsulates an easy listening experience. Steely Dan is one of those bands that a lot of rock fans know, but they might not be a fan. Now your dad, on the other hand, might be a diehard fan of these guys. This is an essential classic rock album, but it’s also a great jazz rock album, especially with its use of horns and brass instrumentation. The harmonies and hooks on this thing are utterly impeccable, but regardless of whether or both it’s a jazz or rock album, it’s just a great album overall.
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (1956)
This album isn’t necessarily one of the first albums I’d recommend to listen to if you’re new to jazz, but it’s an album I put here because it’s one of my favorites, and it was a solid cult classic to throw on. I wanted to throw on a few cult classics, and more underrated albums, versus the typical classics and albums people recommend, but that would still be accessible. Sonny Rollins is a saxophone player from the 1940s and 1950s that was huge in that scene, and he played with a lot of the big players of that time. The album right before the one I’ll be talking about today, 1956’s Tenor Madness, featured the only recording with John Coltrane. The album we’ll be talking about today is 1956’s Saxophone Colossus, and it’s a masterclass in the saxophone. I’m a huge fan of Rollins, and this was one of the first jazz albums I got into, but it’s a solid hard bop album that has a great balance between being energetic and melodic.
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1965)
Last but not least, let’s talk about an album that’s most often considered the best jazz album of all time — John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. This album, released 60 years ago last year, is a beautiful demonstration in multiple styles of jazz, as well as having a beautiful concept that is broken down into four parts. It’s essentially one long song, but it’s a four-part suite. This is a great album that shows a lot of different styles and sides to the genre, and while it’s got a more experimental and avant-garde side to it, it’s still really accessible. I just really love this album, too, and it’s a great album to get into if you want something to start your jazz journey.
