100 Greatest Live Jazz Albums

Criteria: These 'live' jazz albums were chosen for the influence, originality, impact, and song choice for their recorded gig they gave us. Some of the best jazz albums were live albums, so I recommend all of these. This list does not include compliations, "greatest hits", or live jazz 'vocal' albums.

Jazz has had the broadest perspective of all genre's in music since it's first note to the present day. It is for that reason that this list is presented in the same manner, with respect to all the myriad forms & interpretations of Jazz that exist today.


Last Updated: 2005-03-07
Newly added names are in  Red 
Greatest Live Jazz Albums
  1. Ellington At Newport 1956 - Duke Ellington
  2. The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett
  3. Smokin' at the Half Note - Wes Montgomery / Wynton Kelly
  4. Live in Lausanne 1962 - Bud Powell
  5. Bird at Birdland - Charlie Parker
  6. My Funny Valentine 1964 - Miles Davis
  7. Live at Birdland - John Coltrane
  8. Sunday at the Village Vanguard - Bill Evans
  9. Diz and Bird at Carnegie Hall - Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker
10. At Newport - Dizzy Gillespie
11. In Person at the Blackhawk Vol. 1 - Miles Davis
12. Live at the Lighthouse - Lee Morgan
13. Miles and Monk at Newport - Miles Davis / Thelonious Monk
14. Night in Tunisia - Dizzy Gillespie
15. At the Montreux Jazz Festival - Bill Evans
16. Thelonious in Action - Thelonious Monk
17. Live at the Plugged Nickel - Miles Davis
18. A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 - Art Blakey / Clifford Brown
19. In Washington, D.C. 1956 Vol. 4 - Lester Young
20. Take Five - Dave Brubeck
21. Mercy Mercy Mercy! : Live at "The Club" - Cannonball Adderly
22. At the Village Vanguard - Sonny Rollins
23. Live at the Lighthouse 1966 - The Jazz Crusaders
24. Complete Jazz at Massey Hall - Charlie Parker / Dizzy Gillespie
25. Live at the Jazz Workshop - Thelonious Monk
26. At the Kosei Nenkin - Milt Jackson
27. Between Nothingness and Eternity - Mahavishnu Orchestra
28. Live at Filmore : It's About that Time - Miles Davis
29. Live! At the Five Spot - Eric Dolphy
30. A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 - Art Blakey / Clifford Brown
31. Live at the Village Vanguard - John Coltrane
32. Footprints Live - Wayne Shorter
33. European Concert - Modern Jazz Quartet
34. Mingus at Antibes - Charles Mingus
35. Live-Evil - Miles Davis
36. Live at the Golden Circle - Ornette Coleman
37. New Oreleans Jazz Heritage - Lee Dorsey
38. Quartet Plus 2 Live at the Blackhawk - Thelonious Monk
39. A Love Supreme Live in Concert - John Coltrane
40. At Newport - Ray Charles
41. Newport Rebels - Eric Dolphy / Roy Eldridge
42. Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux - Miles Davis / Quincy Jones
43. The Hague Live at the Northsea Jazz Festival - Oscar Peterson
44. Live at Carnegie Hall - Dexter Gordon
45. Friday Night at San Francisco - John McLaughlin
46. Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall - Herbie Hancock / Micheal Brecker / Roy Hargrove
47. Trio Live - Pat Metheny
48. Live in Tokyo - Weather Report
49. Quintergy: Live at the Village Vanguard - Jay Jay Johnson
50. Live at Yoshi's - Pat Martino
51. Last Nite - Larry Carlton
52. Live at Donte's - Lenny Breau
53. Vienna Concert - Keith Jarrett
54. Right Now Live at the Jazz Workshop - Charles Mingus
55. Live in Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra / Wynton Marsalis
56. At Newport - Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Labratory / Cecil Taylor Quartet
57. After the Riot at Newport - The Nashville All-Stars
58. Jazz at the Oberlin - Dave Brubeck
59. Jam Gems : Live at the Left Bank - Freddie Hubbard / Jimmy Heath
60. The Great Chicago Concert - Duke Ellington Orchestra / Django Reinhardt
61. Newport in New York '72 - Herbie Mann / Les McCann
62. Take 8 - The Concord All-Stars
63. Live at the Connecticut Jazz Party - Bobby Timmons
64. Live at the Blue Note - Lionel Hampton
65. Live at the Lighthouse - Grant Green
66. At the Opera House - Jay Jay Johnson / Stan Getz
67. Live at the Sands - Count Basie
68. Live at the Club - Thelonious Monk
69. People Time - Stan Getz / Kenny Barron
70. Live and Unreleased - Weather Report
71. Very Live at Buddy's Place - Buddy Rich
72. Plays John Coltrane: Live at the Village Vanguard - McCoy Tyner
73. Live at the Montreux - Bobby Hutcherson
74. Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall - Dave Brubeck
75. Friends and Neighbors : Live at Prince Street - Ornette Coleman
76. Vsop : Live Under the Sky - Herbie Hancock
77. Live 1976-1977 - Stanley Clarke
78. Sonny, Sweets, and Jaws: Live at Bubba's
       - Sonny Stitt/Harry "Sweets" Edison / Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
79. Live in Montreux - Chick Corea / Joe Henderson
80. 10-4 at the 5 Spot - Pepper Adams
81. Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival - Roy Ayers
82. Live at Sweet Basil - Art Farmer
83. This Time the Dreams On Me - Chet Baker
84. Live from the Cafe Rouge 1940 - Glenn Miller
85. Live at Mintons - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Johnny Griffin
86. Extended Play/Live at Birdland - Dave Holland
87. All the Way Live - Jimmy Smith / Eddie Harris
88. Live-Montreux '77 - Tommy Flanagan
89. Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival - John Handy
90. Live Around the World - Miles Davis
91. At Minton's Playhouse - Charlie Christian
92. Live at the Whitney - Duke Ellington
93. Smokin' in the Pit - Steps Ahead
94. Live in Europe - Kenny Drew
95. Doin' the Thing: At the Village Gate - Horace Silver
96. At Montreux - Stan Getz
97. At the New York Jazz Festival - Django Reinhardt
98. Live at the Berlin Philharmonie - Gerry Mulligan / Dave Brubeck
99. The Early Years - George Benson
100. Live in Stuttgart 1964 - Charles Mingus

101. Live from San Fransisco - Maynard Ferguson
102. At the Tallinn Jazz Festival In the Soviet Union - Charles Lloyd
103. Centerpiece : At the Kosei Nenkin Vol. 2 - Milt Jackson
104. Standards : Live at the Village Vanguard - JJ Johnson
105. Honestly Solo - Jaco Pastorius
106. Concert by the Sea - Errol Garner
107. The Great Paris Concert - Duke Ellington
108. All Star Road Band Vol. 1 - Duke Ellington

album covers Ellington At Newport 1956 and The Köln Concert




Ellington At Newport 1956 - Duke Ellington
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett
Smokin' at the Half Note - Wes Montgomery, Wynton Kelly
Live in Lausanne 1962 - Bud Powell
Bird at Birdland - Charlie Parker
My Funny Valentine 1964 - Miles Davis













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