B-Side Guys

The Best Jazz Albums

The best Jazz albums, ranked by B-Side Breakdown: every critic's score on one 0 to 100 scale. An album needs at least 5 reviews to make the list.

The top three

Album cover for Kind of Blue by Miles Davis1Miles DavisKind of Blue100 A+ · 1959Album cover for Bitches Brew by Miles Davis2Miles DavisBitches Brew97 A+ · 1970Album cover for Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis3Miles DavisSketches of Spain97 A+ · 1960
Average Breakdown83The highest of the 9 genres.
Liked65%of Jazz albums scored 75 or higher. Across every genre it's 49%.
Most divisiveDividedMiles Davis, Doo-Bop split the critics more than any other album in the genre.A-Sides41%of Jazz albums earned an A-Side. Across every genre it's 6.5%.

The best Jazz albums of all time

  1. 1Album cover for Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisKind of BlueAugust 17, 1959 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Unanimous
    100A+
  2. 2Album cover for Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisBitches Brew1970 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Unanimous
    97A+
  3. 3Album cover for Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisSketches of SpainAugust 1960 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    97A+
  4. 4Album cover for A Tribute to Jack Johnson by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisA Tribute to Jack Johnson1971 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    96A
  5. 5Album cover for In a Silent Way by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisIn a Silent WayJuly 30, 1969 · 5 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    95A
  6. 6Album cover for Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club
    Buena Vista Social ClubBuena Vista Social ClubJune 23, 1997 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    91A-
  7. 7Album cover for Filles de Kilimanjaro by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisFilles de KilimanjaroJanuary 29, 1969 · 5 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    90A-
  8. 8Album cover for Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album by John Coltrane
    John ColtraneBoth Directions at Once: The Lost AlbumJune 29, 2018 · 8 reviews · 100% approval · Broad agreement
    87B+
  9. 9Album cover for Feels Like Home by Norah Jones
    Norah JonesFeels Like HomeFebruary 6, 2004 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Unanimous
    84B
  10. 10Album cover for One from the Heart by Tom Waits
    Tom WaitsOne from the Heart1982 · 5 reviews · 100% approval · Unanimous
    82B-
  1. 11Album cover for Day Breaks by Norah Jones
    Norah JonesDay BreaksOctober 5, 2016 · 6 reviews · 100% approval · Unanimous
    82B-
  2. 12Album cover for Tutu by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisTutuSeptember 1986 · 5 reviews · 80% approval · Some debate
    74C
  3. 13Album cover for Duets II by Tony Bennett
    Tony BennettDuets IISeptember 19, 2011 · 5 reviews · 60% approval · Broad agreement
    73C
  4. 14Album cover for Harlequin by Lady Gaga
    Lady GagaHarlequinSeptember 27, 2024 · 9 reviews · 22% approval · Broad agreement
    71C-
  5. 15Album cover for Love for Sale by Lady Gaga
    Lady GagaLove for SaleOctober 1, 2021 · 10 reviews · 30% approval · Some debate
    70C-
  6. 16Album cover for Cheek to Cheek by Lady Gaga
    Lady GagaCheek to CheekSeptember 13, 2014 · 7 reviews · 29% approval · Divided
    64D
  7. 17Album cover for Doo-Bop by Miles Davis
    Miles DavisDoo-BopJune 26, 1992 · 6 reviews · 33% approval · Divided
    61D-

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