Bop isn’t always the easiest jazz to approach. It moves fast, demands attention, and rarely slows down. But once you give it time, it becomes one of the most thrilling chapters in jazz history, a moment when musicians stopped playing for the dance floor and started playing for themselves. So here are 10 essential bebop jazz albums, plus one extra, as an invitation to listen closely and let the music pull you into its fast-moving, uncompromising world.
1959 was without a doubt the best year in jazz history. Even if we were to add “so far” to the end of that statement, it still wouldn’t make sense, as the revolution to come will be grounded in the roots of 1959 anyway—or it will get a new name, other than “jazz.”
John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Blue Mitchell, and Lee Morgan were just amazing. These names alone should give you an idea of how important the records of 1959 were when you think that they are not even the leading musicians of the following releases. These albums were made for eternity, and their creators even more so.
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