The Ronnie Scott's Jazz 60

posted Wednesday 30th January

The Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60 is comprised of the 60 most important, most brilliant, most innovative and most significant jazz albums that have been recorded over the last 60 years.

Artists who have shared their personal jazz favourites include the likes of Soweto Kinch, Nubya Garcia, Courtney Pine, Pee Wee Ellis, Billy Cobham, Claire Martin, Alex Garnett, Natalie Williams, Moses Boyd, and Monty Alexander.

Broadcasters and journalists such as Gilles Peterson, Cerys Matthews, Robert Elms, Helen Mayhew, Mike Hobart, Rosie Hanley, David Freeman, Jane Cornwell, Mike Vitti and Jez Nelson have also provided their top albums. Additionally, industry expert and resident Ronnie Scott’s Music Bookings Coordinator Paul Pace also shared a list of the Jazz albums which have inspired him.

Now that all of the submissions are in, the team at Ronnie Scott’s has been able to reveal which albums have proven the most popular with the panellists and most importantly, which albums have made the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60.

The list is not a best-seller list or a best-of : it's a collection of albums which, in the opinion of the panellists, represents the last 60 years of jazz, and the depth and breadth of the genre.  It shows jazz in the past, present and future.

Scroll down to play selected tracks from each album in Spotify.

 THE RONNIE SCOTT'S JAZZ 60

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda

 

Archie Shepp -  Attica Blues

Art Blakey - Moanin’

Betty Carter -  The Audience with Betty Carter

Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Cannonball Adderley - Somethin’ Else

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

Charles Mingus  - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

Courtney Pine - Journey to the Urge Within

The Dave Brubeck Quartet  - Time Out

Dave Holland - Extensions

Dexter Gordon  - Go

Ella Fitzgerald  - Ella In Berlin: Mack the Knife

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch!

Esbjörn Svensson Trio  - Seven Days of Falling

Esperanza Spalding  - Emily's D+Evolution

Frank Sinatra  - Sinatra at the Sands

Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay

George Benson - Breezin’

Gregory Porter - Water

Hank Mobley - Soul Station

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

Horace Silver - Song for My Father

Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius

Joe Henderson - Page One<

John Coltrane  - A Love Supreme

John Coltrane  - Giant Steps

Kamasi Washington - The Epic

Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert

Kurt Elling - The Messenger

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder

Loose Tubes -  Loose Tubes

The Mahavishnu Orchestra  - Birds of Fire

Mark Murphy - Stolen Moments

Mary Lou Williams - Black Christ of the Andes

Michael Brecker - Tales of the Hudson

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Miles Davis - In a Silent Way

Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley   -Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley

Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come

Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train

Pat Metheny Group - Still Life (Talking)

Robert Glasper - Black Radio

Roy Hargrove  - Earfood

Sarah Vaughan - Ronnie Scott’s Presents Sarah Vaughan Live

Shirley Horn  - Here’s to Life

Stan Getz & João Gilberto  - Getz/Gilberto

Sonny Rollins - The Bridge

Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile

Stan Tracey  - Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas’s “Under Milk Wood”

Sun Ra  - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One

Tubby Hayes  - Tubbs in N.Y.

Wayne Shorter  - Speak No Evil

Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Wes Montgomery -  The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery

Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From the Underground)

Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus

 

Play the list 

 

THE PANEL 

Alex Garnett (musician, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars)

Andy Davies (musician)

Billy Cobham (musician)

Catherine Mayer (agent)

Cerys Matthews (musician and broadcaster, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music)

Chris Higginbottom (musician, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars)

Claire Martin (musician)

Clive Davis (journalist)

Courtney Pine (musician)

Curtis Stigers (musician)

David Freeman (historian)

Gary Crosby (musician and co-founder of Tomorrow’s Warriors)

Georgie Fame (musician)

Gilles Peterson (Broadcaster, Worldwide FM and BBC Radio 6 Music)

Guy Barker (musician)

Helen Mayhew (Broadcaster, Jazz FM)

Ian Shaw (musician)

Ina Dittke (agent)

James Pearson (musician, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars)

Jane Cornwell (journalist, Evening Standard)

Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick (musician)

Jez Nelson (broadcaster, Jazz FM)

John Cummings (ex-director of London Jazz Festival)

John Fordham (journalist, the Guardian)

Jon Newey (editor, Jazzwise)

Joseph Paice (Pizza Express Jazz Club)

Mike Hobart (journalist, Financial Times)

Mike Vitti (presenter and producer, Jazz FM and Mi-Soul)

Monty Alexander (musician)

Moses Boyd (musician and broadcaster, BBC Radio 1 Extra)

MR JUKES (Jack Steadman aka Bombay Bicycle Club) (musician)

Natalie Williams (musician)

Nick Lewis (Head of Music and Promotions, Ronnie Scott’s)

Nubya Garcia (musician)

Paul Pace (Ronnie Scott’s music team)

Pee Wee Ellis (musician)

Pete Long (musician and leader of the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra)

Ray Gelato (musician)

Robert Elms (Broadcaster, BBC Radio London)

Rosie Hanley (journalist, Time Out and Jazzwise)

Sam Burgess (musician, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars)

Sarah Weller (Ronnie Scott’s music team)

Simon Cooke (Managing Director, Ronnie Scott’s)

Soweto Kinch (musician)

Tina Edwards (broadcaster, Worldwide FM)