This is the first of many feature articles that I plan to provide for 5DollarMusic.com! This feature was a bit of an undertaking and I hope you all find it useful and informative. I am a huge fan of Jazz music and often get asked by friends and family what are the top Jazz albums they should own. Jazz, like any music genre, is very subjective to personal taste. It is impossible to nail down a definitive list that all would agree on. So I hit the web and found a few good "Top 100" jazz album lists. I decided to use the AllAboutJazz.com "Jazz-L Top 100+ list" for this feature. Their list is the most representative of the type of list I would put together myself.
My goal was to take the list of 100 jazz albums and document where you get each one for around $5. To accomplish this I looked in 3 places for each album on the list: Amazon.com (MP3), eMusic.com (MP3), and Half.com (CDs/MP3). In most cases the list I have compiled will feature the best price I could find. In some cases I provide 2 options where the price was similar at different sites. There are some albums that don't have links because I could not find a price close enough to $5. These particular albums may be boxed sets are just hard-to-find titles. I will keep looking and update the list when I can.
There are a few other notes about this list I would like to make before we jump in. Half.com shows up the most on this list because used CDs still offer the best price for music ownership. I am still a fan of CDs because you can rip the music in DRM-Free MP3 format to your iTunes library, and you get to keep the physical disk! You do have to pay for shipping but the prices I feature are still very low even with shipping cost added. I also feature eMusic.com which is a subscription music service. I did a rough calculation of the per-album cost at eMusic.com and it came out to be about $3 per album with a basic subscription. The cool thing about eMusic.com is that you actually own the music even if you cancel your subscription. All of their tracks are DRM-Free MP3! Not bad at all and it is worth the money. If you don't have a subscription please sign-up using the link below:
Now, on to the list sponsored by:
Top 100 Jazz Albums and How To Get Them Online For Around $5 Each
| Rank | Artist | Album | Type | Price | Store |
1 | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | Used CD | $2.75 +Ship |  |
2 | John Coltrane | Giant Steps | Used CD | $2.86 +Ship | |
3 | Miles Davis | Birth of the Cool | Used CD | $1.96 +Ship | |
4 | Charles Mingus | Ah Um | Used CD | $2.00 +Ship | |
5 | Oliver Nelson | Blues and Abstract Truth | MP3 | $5.94 |  |
6 | John Coltrane | Love Supreme | Used CD | $2.99 +Ship | |
7 | Sonny Rollins | Saxophone Colossus | MP3 | $3* |  |
or ---> | Used CD | $3.97 +Ship | | ||
8 | Eric Dolphy | Out to Lunch | Used CD | $2.89 +Ship | |
9 | Louis Armstrong | Hot Fives and Sevens | Used CD | $4.99 +Ship | |
or ---> | MP3 | $3* | | ||
10 | Dave Brubeck | Time Out | Used CD | $1.55 +Ship | |
11 | Miles Davis | Sketches of Spain | Used CD | $1.00 +Ship | |
12 | Thelonious Monk | Brilliant Corners | MP3 | $3* | |
or ---> | Used CD | $4.75 +Ship | | ||
13 | Wayne Shorter | Speak No Evil | MP3 | $5.99 | |
14 | Henry Threadgill | Too Much Sugar for a Dime | NA | NA | NA |
15 | John Zorn | Masada – Alef | NA | NA | NA |
16 | Ornette Coleman | Shape of Jazz To Come | MP3 | $5.94 | |
or ---> | Used CD | $2.99 +Ship | | ||
17 | Miles Davis | Porgy And Bess | Used CD | $3.29 +Ship | |
18 | Duke Ellington | Duke Ellington and his Orchestra At Newport | Used CD | $5.89 +Ship | |
19 | Dave Holland | Conference of the Birds | MP3 | $5.94 | |
20 | Charles Mingus | Black Saint & the Sinner Lady | NA | NA | NA |
21 | Charles Mingus | Live At Antibes | MP3 | $5.99 | |
22 | Thelonious Monk | Monk's Music | MP3 | $3* | |
23 | Sonny Sharrock | Ask the Ages | NA | NA | NA |
24 | Cannonball Adderly | Somethin' Else | Used CD | $4.95 +Ship | |
25 | Benny Carter | Further Definitions | Used CD | $5.00 +Ship | |
26 | Ornette Coleman | Change of The Century | NA | NA | NA |
27 | John Coltrane | Blue Trane | Used CD | $3.88 +Ship | |
28 | Duke Ellington | The Far East Suite | NA | NA | NA |
29 | Duke Ellington | Blanton/Webster Band | NA | NA | NA |
30 | Bill Evans | Waltz for Debby | Used CD | $3.22 +Ship | |
31 | Gil Evans | Out of the Cool | MP3 | $5.94 +Ship | |
32 | Dexter Gordon | Our Man in Paris | Used CD | $4.99 +Ship | |
33 | Herbie Hancock | Maiden Voyage | MP3 | $5.99 | |
34 | Joe Lovano | From the Soul | Used CD | $5.99 +Ship | |
35 | Mahavishnu Orchestra | The Inner Mounting Flame | Used CD | $4.95 +Ship | |
36 | David Murray | Ming | MP3 | $3* | |
37 | Charlie Parker | The Dial Sessions | NA | NA | NA |
38 | Charlie Parker | Massey Hall | MP3 | $5.99 | |
39 | Art Pepper | Meets the Rhythm Section | MP3 | $3* | |
40 | World Saxophone Quartet | Plays Duke Ellington | Used CD | $5.95 +Ship | |
41 | Count Basie | Atomic Basie | Used CD | $5.95 +Ship | |
42 | Art Blakey | Moanin' | Used CD | $1.99 +Ship | |
43 | Don Byron | Tuskegee Experiments | Used CD | $2.99 +Ship | |
44 | Ornette Coleman | Dancing in Your Head | NA | NA | NA |
45 | Miles Davis | Miles Ahead | Used CD | $2.50 +Ship | |
46 | Miles Davis | In a Silent Way | MP3 | $1.98 | |
47 | Miles Davis | Nefertiti | Used CD | $2.99 +Ship | |
48 | Jack DeJohnette | Album Album | NA | NA | NA |
49 | Eric Dolphy | Outward Bound | MP3 | $3* | |
50 | Eric Dolphy | At the Five Spot , vol 1 | MP3 | $3* | |
51 | Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong | Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong | NA | NA | NA |
52 | Stan Getz | Getz/Gilberto | Used CD | $3.44 +Ship | |
53 | Stan Getz | Jazz Samba | MP3 | $7.99 | |
54 | Charlie Haden | Ballad of the Fallen | NA | NA | NA |
55 | Charlie Haden | Liberation Music Orchestra | NA | NA | NA |
56 | Coleman Hawkins | Body and Soul | NA | NA | NA |
57 | Joe Henderson | Inner Urge | Used CD | $3.99 +Ship | |
58 | Joe Lovano | Rush Hour | Used CD | $3.47 +Ship | |
59 | John Mclaughlin | Extrapolations | Used CD | $6.49 +Ship | |
60 | Charles Mingus | Blues And Roots | Used CD | $5.00 +Ship | |
61 | Max Roach | Freedom Now Suite | MP3 | $4.45 | |
62 | Horace Silver | Song for my Father | Used CD | $4.74 +Ship | |
63 | Horace Silver | Blowin' the Blues Away | MP3 | $7.97 | |
64 | Weather Report | Heavy Weather | Used CD | $4.75 +Ship | |
or ---> | MP3 | $7.92 | | ||
65 | Weston, Randy | Spirits of Our Ancestors | NA | NA | NA |
66 | George Adams/Don Pullen | Breakthrough | NA | NA | NA |
67 | George Adams/Don Pullen | Live at the Village Vanguard | NA | NA | NA |
68 | Cannonball Adderley | (Sextet) Live in New York | MP3 | $3* | |
69 | Louis Armstrong | And Earl Hines | NA | NA | NA |
70 | Art Ensemble of Chicago | Nice Guys | NA | NA | NA |
71 | Albert Ayler | Live At Greenwhich Village | Used CD | $6.47 +Ship | |
72 | Count Basie | The Compete Decca Recordings | NA | NA | NA |
73 | Arthur Blythe | Lenox Avenue Breakdown | NA | NA | NA |
74 | Anthony Braxton | New York Fall 1974 | NA | NA | NA |
75 | Don Cherry | El Corazon (with Ed Blackwell) | NA | NA | NA |
76 | Ornette Coleman | Free Jazz | NA | NA | NA |
77 | John Coltrane | Afro Blue Impressions | MP3 | $3* | |
78 | John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman | John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman | MP3 | $5.94 +Ship | |
79 | John Coltrane | My Favorite Things | NA | NA | NA |
80 | John Coltrane | Ole Coltrane | Used CD | $4.98 +Ship | |
81 | Miles Davis | Miles Smiles | MP3 | $5.94 +Ship | |
82 | Miles Davis | Walkin' | MP3 | $3* | |
83 | Miles Davis | Milestones | Used CD | $5.00 +Ship | |
84 | Miles Davis | A Tribute to Jack Johnson | Used CD | $.75 +Ship | |
85 | Duke Ellington | Money Jungle | Used CD | $4.70 +Ship | |
86 | Don Ellis | Electric Bath | MP3 | $6.93 | |
87 | Bill Evans | Portrait in Jazz | MP3 | $3* | |
88 | Ella Fitzgerald | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook | NA | NA | NA |
89 | Errol Garner | Concert by the Sea | Used CD | 3 +Ship | |
90 | Stan Getz | Focus | MP3 | $8.99 | |
91 | Jimmy Giuffre | The Jimmy Giuffre 3 | Used CD | 8.65 +Ship | |
92 | Benny Goodman | Carnegie Hall Concert | MP3 | $3*+ | |
93 | Grant Green | Feelin' the Spirit | Used CD | 8.5 +Ship | |
or ---> | MP3 | $9.49 | | ||
94 | John Handy | Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1965 | NA | NA | NA |
95 | Joe Henderson | So Near, So Far | Used CD | $2.45 +Ship | |
96 | Woody Herman | The Thundering Herds | MP3 | $3* | |
| Used CD | 2.75 +Ship | | |||
97 | Andrew Hill | Point of Departure | Used CD | $5.99 +Ship | |
or ---> | MP3 | $7.97 | | ||
98 | Billie Holiday | The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Volume 4 | Used CD | $4.57 +Ship | |
99 | Dave Holland | Razors Edge | MP3 | $7.99 | |
100 | Bobby Hutcherson | Dialogue | Used CD | $4.99 +Ship | |
or ---> | MP3 | $7.97 | |
