Help me build up a jazz album collection. Can you suggest a must have album?

I love threads like this. I use them to create playlists on my Amazon Music account. I already have a lot of these on vinyl, but new vinyl is way too expensive for me to load up on. Fortunately, I built most of my LP collection in the early CD days, when I could buy 20 good used records for $100. Those were they days!

So instead, I just copy the album name off the thread, paste it into the search box on Amazon Music and add it to the playlist. The one I've built off this thread is 35 hours long, all curated by Audiogon jazz fans. Thanks everybody for introducing me to a lot of great music...a lot of it in higher resolution than CDs.

You've got a lot of great recommendations so I won't give you another list, but when you're shopping don't overlook the Concord Jazz label. The are usually excellent LP's and they have a lot of very high quality musicians often not appearing elsewhere.  

Anything from Johnny Hodges  (Dukes first sax), Stanley Turrentine, George Benson-Giblet Gravy (early years), Count Basie, Lavay Smith and the Red hot skillet lickers (excellent vocals and masters of jazz instruments ensemble). Anything from Duke Ellington. Julian Cannon ball Adderley. Grover Washington Jr. (one of the smoothest sax's)  Kenny G! ...Im totally kidding :-)

Matt M

Hiatus Kaiyote  Choose Your Weapon

Is this a jazz album? To be jazz does it have to be on 60  to 70 year old structures?

I guess I'm asking what is jazz?

Dexter Gordon “One Flight Up”.