1001 Albums Summary

Pretty groovy. Familiar with title track but only as single version. Alfonso Johnson played on this one

One note samba is a classic. Def sets standards but a little too laid back. Almost cliche but those things started here. Might need a few listens but got burned out

Absolute madness

A little too laid back for me.

A few really good songs, some kinda lame songs. Great production and arrangements.

Pretty good but a couple stinkers. Great arrangements and solos

Fantastic album. Great bass work.

So ubiquitous in american culture it's stupid

It's not for me, too sad and laid back, but this is an important album as a concept album and vocal pop album. Vocal performance is fantastic.

Great blend of pop songs, big band jazz, and rock n roll. Good energy and mix of fast and slow songs.

Hits all the funk fusion I like, some straight ahead. Lots of great playing, especially the keys. Everything I'm looking for in a jazz album.

3 hours?1?

I don't understand why this is on the list. It doesn't feel special or significant enough. Its a vibe but feels like an attempt for Gilberto to stay relevant after Girl From Ipanema and the far superior Getz/Gilberto album. Feels like campy over commercialized crap to me and not even close to her best work. Is this included solely to try to showcase her career outside Getz/Gilbert? Really no new ground broken here and not a significant album in any space. Does not belong on the list, so it's a 1. Also, Parade is one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard.

There is some really cool stuff on here. These are the seeds of neo soul and rap. Not exactly something I would listen to on a regular basis, but I really dig pieces of it.

It's not for me, but it's crazy how much of this I recognize. Seems like this modernized production of traditional Cuban music and brought it to a larger audience. Mostly standards but in some ways the definitive versions.

Absolutely fantastic big band jazz. Incredible percussion and kick ass arrangements.

Doesn't even need an introduction. Probably the most known jazz album ever, and for a good reason.

This was a weird one. Very unique, incredible vocal performance. I would not have given it the jazz tag- much closer to modernist orchestral music, though with modern arrangements. Not something I would listen to regularly but an interesting idea to take old German compositions and turn them into something new.

The arrangements and sings were food but I really don't like Nina's voice. Very distinct sounding but kind of grating

One of the best albums of all time.

This is ok. Vocal jazz, end of Billie Holiday's career. Her voice isn't what it used to be but conveys a lot of emotion. Songs are much more emotional and sentimental, which in the realm of jazz to me is on the boring side. Not for me, but a well crafted album and a good reflection of the end of Billie Holiday's life.

It's Alright. First cut is a great take on a classic. Unfortunately the rest kind of stays low tempo and mid dynamic and never really grabbed me. Its nice to hear a different side to Sinatra though. But maybe what I'm learning is I just don't like Sinatra. He's fine, but just not interesting.

This is the Sinatra I've been waiting for. Decidedly not lame like the other selections. Still not exactly my jam but a good time.

Pretty experimental, lots of cool stuff going on.

Strong performances, but the compositions aren't really my thing

Definitely white people soul, some cool arrangements and some cool songs, but not blue enough for me

Interesting arrangement, cool voice. A little too polished production for me though

One of the coolest albums I've ever heard.

Pretty standard swing. I enjoyed it but liked his other albums more

Pretty forgettable. Steely Dan is always hit or miss for me. There are some cool arrangements here and there and couple songs are almost good, but some of these songs are just bad songs. Also the synths are really bad 80s cheesy synths.

Hard listen, but as someone who loves thrash, punk and hardcore AND jazz, this one worked for me. Cool experiment. Worth listening to. Probably won't come back to it but I enjoyed it.

Cool concept, experimental and improved like bitches brew but more put together. Pretty cool but not not as ground breaking as bitches brew or put together as Kind of Blue

It's Alright. Calling it jazz is a stretch. Definitely latin. Great conga work. But it mostly just a lot of conga and not a ton of variation. Not for me.

Interesting vocal world music. Not a huge fan of the vocal pop kitch songs, but liked the other stuff. Probably not another listen for me but good to know this exists.

2.98 is the current rating as of Feb 2025. What the hell is wrong with you people? This is a landmark album and group in Jazz Fusion. The compositions, instrumentation, and performances are absolutely outstanding. This was cutting edge in the 70s and still holds up. Sure the synths sound a little cheesy thanks to getting overused in the 80s, but man, you got Jaco ripping it up on bass, Shorter on sax, and Zawinul on synth- these dudes are literally legends of jazz. Why does Headhunters have a higher rating? Is it because people recognize Herbie Hancock? More accessible? If the "I dont like jazz" crowd doesn't get it, then maybe we need to just give up on you trying to understand it. But this is the backbone for all the best popular music.

This is a bossa vibe I can dig. A lot of cool arrangements and stuff going on. Might revisit this one.

It was ok. Some interesting compositions but pretty straight ahead. Didn't feel like much special here.

Damn right! One of the best albums ever.

Pretty cool stuff

Hotel lobby music. Was a 2 but they did Zappa so it's a 3

A lot of really great moments, but also a lot of self indulgent crap. Still gets a 4 because the good outweighs the bad.

Steely Dan's magnum opus. No bad tracks. No filler. Every song works. This band is very hit or miss for me. But this one is all hit. Other albums by the band and their members' solo releases have ranged from 2-4 for me. This one is a 5.

I normally despise singer songwriters unless they come from a punk or emo background. This is more jazz infused and it works. She's got a great voice for this style. Nothing too special here other than the production and the accessibility.

Big band classic. Pretty much the essential swing big band album.

Pretty killer trio work. Legendary pianist.

I can't believe this was improvised.

It's a fun album. Cool moments, but ultimately not one I'll come back to.

Quality live big band