Note that these are personal “favorite” lists, not “best” or “most important,” and as such the intention is to offer a glimpse into what music makes me tick, not to argue for the superiority of anything in particular. Enjoy!

Jazz Artist Lists

Top 10 Pharoah Sanders Tracks
Top 10 Jack DeJohnette Tracks
Top 10 Tony Bennett Tracks
Top 10 Jaki Byard Tracks
Top 10 Makanda Ken McIntyre Tracks
Top 10 Charnett Moffett Tracks
Top 10 Billy Drummond Tracks
Top 10 Jackie McLean Tracks
Top 10 Barry Harris Tracks
Top 10 Slide Hampton Tracks
Top 10 George Cables Tracks
Top 10 Pat Martino Tracks
Top 10 Dr. Lonnie Smith Tracks
Top 10 Curtis Fuller Tracks
Top 10 Albert “Tootie” Heath Tracks
Top 10 Thelonious Monk Tracks
Top 10 Charles Mingus Tracks
Top 10 Ralph Peterson Jr. Tracks
Top 10 Chick Corea Tracks
Top 10 Howard Johnson Tracks
Top 10 Stanley Cowell tracks
Top 10 Sonny Rollins Tracks
Top 10 Charlie Parker Tracks
Top 10 Tracks Featuring Jimmy Cobb
Top 10 Mickey Tucker tracks
Top 10 McCoy Tyner Tracks
Top 10 Harold Mabern Tracks
Top 10 Nat “King” Cole Tracks
Top 10 Roy Haynes tracks
Top 10 Randy Weston Tracks
Top 10 Joanne Brackeen Tracks
Top 10 Tracks Featuring Mickey Roker
Top 10 Larry Coryell Tracks
Top 10 Tracks Featuring Bob Cranshaw
Top 10 Steve Wilson tracks
Top 10 Bobby Hutcherson tracks
Top 10 (x2) James Williams tracks
Top 10 Ted Dunbar tracks
Top 10 Phil Woods tracks
Top 10 John Blake, Jr. AND Johnathan Blake tracks
Top 10 Orrin Keepnews productions
Top 10 Joe Locke tracks
Top 10 Jimmy Greene tracks
Top 10 Joe Lovano tracks
Top 10 Victor Lewis tracks
Top 10 Tom Harrell tracks
Top 10 Yusef Lateef tracks
Top 10 Duke Ellington tracks
Top 10 Jim Hall tracks
Top 10 Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins tracks
Top 10 Billy Higgins tracks (without Cedar Walton)
Top 10 Cedar Walton tracks (without Billy Higgins)
Top 10 Marian McPartland tracks
Top 10 (x5) Kenny Barron tracks
Top 10 Mulgrew Miller tracks
Top 10 Wayne Shorter tracks
Top 10 Miles Davis tracks
Top 10 John Coltrane tracks
Top 10 Alice Coltrane tracks
Top 10 Jay Hoggard tracks
Top 10 Wayne Escoffery tracks
Top 10 Max Roach tracks
Top 10 Lionel Loueke tracks
Top 10 Clark Terry tracks
Top 10 Elvin Jones tracks
Top 10 (+3) Ron Carter Top 10 Lists (130 tracks)
Top 10 Charles Lloyd tracks

Jazz Topic Lists

Top 10 Criss Cross Records Tracks
Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2015
Top 10 (x2) unjustly obscure jazz albums
Top 10 musicians deserving of NEA Jazz Master consideration (2014 edition)
Top 10 “Piano Trio Plus”
Top 10 jazz organ tracks
Top 10 solo jazz piano tracks
Top 10 soul jazz tracks
Top 10 jazz piano trio albums
Top 10 jazz piano tracks
Top 10 jazz albums for piano comping
Top 10 Jazz Saxophone Solos
Top 10 instrumental jazz ballad performances
Top 10 female jazz vocal performances (vocal only)
Top 10 male jazz vocal performances (vocal only)
Top 10 jazz vocal performances with instrument

Other Artist Lists

Top 10 Holland-Dozier-Holland Tracks
Top 10 Bob Dylan Tracks (and more)
Top 10 Toots and the Maytals Tracks
Top 10 Aretha Franklin Tracks
Top 10 Steely Dan Tracks
Top 10 Prince tracks
Top 10 Allen Toussaint tracks
Top 10 (x5) Grateful Dead tracks
Top 10 B.B. King tracks
Top 10 Neville Brothers tracks
Top 10 Joan Armatrading tracks
Top 10 Jack Bruce tracks
Top 10 Joni Mitchell tracks
Top 10 Isley Brothers tracks
Top 10 Paul Simon tracks
Top 10 Bonnie Raitt tracks
Top 10 Gil Scott-Heron tracks
Top 10 Stevie Wonder tracks
Top 10 Los Lobos tracks

Other Topic Lists (based on musical content)

Top 10 Classic Soul Covers of Pop/Rock Songs (Originally by White Artists)
Top 10 piano-plus-keyboard tracks
Top 10 “One Man Band” tracks
Top 10 tracks under 2 minutes
Top 10 rock organ performances
Top 10 slide guitar solos
Top 10 R&B keyboard performances
Top 10 forgotten early MTV-era songs
Top 10 R&B duo or group vocal performances
Top 10 R&B female vocal performances
Top 10 R&B male vocal performances
Top 10 R&B drum performances
Top 10 songs from “Psychedelic Sunday”

 
Miscellaneous

15 Albums That Moved Me in 2021
Top 10 Tribute Songs for Musicians/Friends
Top 10 Tracks Expressing Proactive Defiance
Top 10 Tracks that Moved Me in 2020
Top 10 Performances on “Sunday Night” aka “Night Music”
Top 10 Albums of Each Decade (!)
Top 10 Tracks That Really Moved Me in 2019
Top 10 most memorable David Letterman musical guest performances
Top 10 most personally mind-blowing SNL musical appearances
Top 10 musical primal screams
Top 10 songs about coping with loss
Top 10 most mind-blowing concerts: the Rutgers years (1992-1998)
Top 10 albums that have “stuck with me”