Top jazz records of all time

Jazz music has been called the only true American art form. Whether that is entirely true or not, a look at some of the top jazz records of all time certainly demonstrates just how enthralling jazz can be. Below, in no particular order, are three of the top jazz records of all time. These albums may not necessarily have been the top selling jazz records of all time, but they are at the top of the heap in the profound effect they had on the jazz music industry and in the way that they demonstrate the true essence of jazz music.

• Giant Steps, by John Coltrane. Giant Steps was released in 1960 by Atlantic records. This was the first John Coltrane album where everything on the album had been composed by Coltrane. This album is where we first see Coltrane's "sheets of sound," which is Coltrane's signature approach to improvisation and phrasing. This is most profoundly demonstrated in the "Countdown" solo. Giant Steps is, more than any other album, the quintessential John Coltrane.
• Bird & Diz, by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Really, this album should also mention Thelonious Monk, Curly Russell and Buddy Rich. This powerful quintet recorded this album in New York in 1950. This was the last collaborative effort between Gillespie and Parker. In addition, it is the only time that the two recorded an album with Monk. This version of the recording includes every bit of dialogue that occurred in the recording session, from false starts to mistakes to studio chatter. This album provides an insight into Jazz music that just listening to the music itself can't provide.
• E.S.P. by Davis, Miles. Miles Davis recorded E.S.P. in January of 1965. Really, E.S.P. featured the Miles Davis Quintet, which included Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and future Jazz soloist Herbie Hancock. E.S.P. was composed entirely by the Miles Davis Quintet, and only one of the songs, Agitation, appears on any of the Miles Davis Quintet's live albums. E.S.P. was one of the longest of all of the jazz albums of its days, coming in at 48 minutes. This would signal a change, as later Miles Davis recordings would surpass this number. E.S.P. proved to be a bellwether album, as well as a harbinger of things to come.