The Most Influential Jazz Songs

Here are some of the most influential jazz songs throughout the history according to me:

1. Kind of Blue
By: Miles Davis
Recorded in 1959 (New York)
Style: hard bop, post-bop, cool jazz

2. West End Blues
By: “the new hot 5″
Armstrong – trumpet n scat
Fred Robinson – trombone
Jimmy Strong – clarinet
Earl Hines – piano
Mancy Cara – banjo
Zutty Singleton
Recorded in June 1928 (Chicago)
Style: Early New Orleans

3. Maple Leaf Rag
By: Scott Joplin
Recorded in 1916 (New York City)
Style: Ragtime

4. Singin the Blues
By: Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra
Bix Beiderbecke – cornet
Bill Rank – trombone
Jimmy Dorsy – clarinet, alto
Frankie Tumbauer – C melody sax
Paul Mertz – piano
Eddie Lang – guitar
Chauncy Morehouse – drums
Recorded in 1927 (New York City)
Style: Chicago School

5. Take Five
By: Dave Brubeck Quartet
Rec: 1959 (New York)
Style: Cool jazz

6. Ornithology
By:
Miles Davis – trumpet
Charlie Parker – alto
Lucky Thompson – ten
Dodo Marmarosa – piano
Arvin Garrison – guitar
Vic Mcmillan – bass
Roy Porter – drums
Recorded in 1946 (Hollywood)
Style: Bebop

7. Take the A Train
By: Duke Ellington & Orchestra
Wallace Jones, Ray Nance – Trps, Rex Stewart – cl
Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown – trbs, Juan Tizol – valve tbone
Barney Bigard – cl,ten
Johnny Hodges – cl, sop, alt
Harry Carney – cl, alto, bari,
Otto Hardwicke – alto, bari
Ben Webster – tenor
Duke Ellington – pno, Jimmy Blanton – bss
Sonny Greer – drums
Arr – Billy Strayhorn
Recorded in1941 (Hollywood)
Style: Big Band era

8. Split Kick
By: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messenger
Clifford Brown – tpt
Lou Donaldson – alto
Horace Silver – piano
Curley Russel – bass
Art Blakey – dms
Recorded in Feb 1954 (Live at ‘Birdland’ N.Y.C)
Style: Post-bop

9. Buggle Call Rag
By: Benny Goodman orchestra
Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Chris Griffin – trp
Red Ballad, Murry McEarchen – trb
Benny Goodman – cl
Hymie Shetzer, George Keonig – alto
Arthur Rollini, Vido Musso – ten
Jess Stacy – piano, Allen Reuss – guitar
Harry Goodman – Bass, Gene Krupa – drms
Recorded in 1937 (Hollywood)
Style: Big Band era

10. In Walked Bud
By: Thelonius Monk – piano
John Coltrane – ten
Ahmed Abdul-Malik – bass
Roy Haynes – dms
Recorded in 1957 at ‘Five Spot’ New York
Style: Post-Bop

References: Jazz History Class – Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts