Table of Contents
Jazz knows no boundaries, and the range of what we call jazz is quite broad. Meanwhile, every jazz era has an iconic selection, and you can find the most successful jazz songs from all decades in our playlist.
We have compiled a total of 150 songs for you.
The jazz songs that followed were not just thrown together quickly. One song, minute by minute, hour by hour, the tunes were added to the playlist. The list was revised many times. Narrowing jazz down to the top 150 songs is no easy task.
You’re bound to miss some popular songs, but 150 slots are quickly used up.
In the early 1900’s Kid Ory and Louis Armstrong were the absolute stars in the music scene. The songs were already iconic at that time, and it was the performances made them iconic jazz tunes.
Later, musicians became composers, and their tunes became iconic standards.
The song “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck was recorded in 1959 and was the first jazz single to sell 1 million copies. “So What” by Miles Davis happened to be recorded in the same year and is still one of the most famous jazz songs of all time.
The following playlist is not only something for “purists. Artists not traditionally considered jazz artists are also represented here. Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa, usually found in the rock-n’-roll genre, have made significant contributions to the genre and are therefore rightfully included in our list.
Their songs exude the same creativity, passion, and inventiveness that made Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and John Coltrane icons.
Here is the compilation of the Top 150 Jazz Songs of all time.
(You’ll find a Spotify playlist at the end of this article.)
Top 150 jazz songs of all time:
Each song is linked to the corresponding music video via the title.
№: | Listen: | Performer: | |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Take The A Train | Duke Ellington | |
2. | Ain’t Misbehavin | Fats Waller | |
3. | Tones for Elvin Jones | John McLaughlin | |
4. | In a Sentimental Mood | Duke Ellington & John Coltrane | |
5. | So What | Miles Davis | |
6. | The Girl From Ipanema | Getz/Gilberto | |
7. | I Loves You Porgy | Nina Simone | |
8. | Watermelon Man | Herbie Hancock | |
9. | Alone Together | Grant Green | |
10. | Summertime | Ella Fitzgerald | |
11. | Lazy River | Pete Fountain | |
12. | My Favorite Things | John Coltrane | |
13. | Epistrophy | Thelonious Monk | |
14. | Stratus | Billy Cobham | |
15. | Sing, Sing, Sing | Benny Goodman | |
16. | Birdland | Weather Report | |
17. | St. Louis Blues | W.C. Handy | |
18. | Lonely Woman | Ornette Coleman | |
19. | Psalm | John Coltrane | |
20. | Take Five | Dave Brubeck | |
21. | Room 335 | Larry Carlton | |
22. | Icarus | Winter Consort | |
23. | Resolution | John Coltrane | — |
24. | Places and Spaces | Donald Byrd | |
25. | Jelly Roll Blues | Jelly Roll Morton | |
26. | Acknowledgment | John Coltrane | |
27. | Poinciana | Ahmad Jamal | |
28. | How High The Moon | Ella Fitzgerald | |
29. | Rocket Number Nine Take off for the Planet Venus | Sun Ra and his Arkestra | |
30. | Fables of Faubus | Charles Mingus | |
31. | Freddie Freeloader | Miles Davis | |
32. | The Perfect Man | Sun Ra and his Arkestra | |
33. | In N’ Out | Joe Henderson | |
34. | A Love Supreme | John Coltrane | |
35. | Bemsha Swing | Thelonious Monk | |
36. | Strange Fruit | Billie Holiday | |
37. | Blue Train | John Coltrane | |
38. | Right Off | Miles Davis | |
39. | Three Views of a Secret | Jaco Pastorius | |
40. | Tipitina | Professor Longhair | |
41. | Bye Bye Blackbird | John Coltrane | |
42. | All Blues | Miles Davis | |
43. | Moon Tune | Bob James/David Sanborn | |
44. | Salt Peanuts | Dizzy Gillespie | |
45. | Miles Beyond | Mahavishnu Orchestra | |
46. | Manteca | Dizzy Gillespie | |
47. | Hello, Dolly | Louis Armstrong | |
48. | Django | Modern Jazz Quartet | |
49. | Dolphin Dance | Herbie Hancock | |
50. | Lush Life | John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman | |
51. | Straight, No Chaser | Thelonious Monk | |
52. | Breakfast Feud | Charlie Christian | |
53. | A Long Drink of the Blues | Jackie McLean | |
54. | Mercy, Mercy, Mercy | Cannonball Adderley | |
55. | Compared To What | Les McCann | |
56. | (They call me) Dr. Professor Longhair | Professor Longhair | — |
57. | Eternal Child | Chick Corea’s Elektric Band | — |
58. | Moanin’ | Art Blakey | |
59. | Chasin’ the Bird | Charlie Parker | |
60. | In a Silent Way | Miles Davis | |
61. | Twisted | Lambert, Hendricks & Ross | |
62. | Naguine | Django Reinhardt | |
63. | Sun Goddess | Ramsey Lewis | |
64. | Goodbye Pork Pie Hat | Charles Mingus | |
65. | Willow Weep for Me | Wes Montgomery | |
66. | Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy | Return to Forever | |
67. | Giant Steps | John Coltrane | |
68. | School Days | Stanley Clarke | |
69. | Body & Soul | Coleman Hawkins | |
70. | What A Wonderful World | Louis Armstrong | |
71. | Chameleon | Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters | |
72. | At Last | Etta James | |
73. | God Bless the Child | Billie Holiday | |
74. | Mister Magic | Grover Washington, Jr. | |
75. | Cover Girl | Larry Coryell | |
76. | Stolen Moment | Oliver Nelson | |
77. | It Might as Well be Spring | Sarah Vaughan | |
78. | Good Morning Heartache | Billie Holiday | |
79. | Straight Life | Freddie Hubbard | |
80. | Mood Indigo | Duke Ellington | |
81. | Bitches Brew | Miles Davis | |
82. | Captain Fingers | Lee Ritenour | |
83. | Autumn in New York | Billie Holiday | |
84. | Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers | Jeff Beck | |
85. | Fever | Peggy Lee | |
86. | The Creator Has a Master Plan | Pharoah Sanders | |
87. | West End Blues | Louis Armstrong | |
88. | Hog Callin’ Blues | Charles Mingus | |
89. | My Funny Valentine | Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker | |
90. | April in Paris | Count Basie | |
91. | Portrait of Tracy | Jaco Pastorius | |
92. | Mack the Knife | Ella Fitzgerald | |
93. | It Don’t Mean A Thing | Duke Ellington | |
94. | My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now | Dirty Dozen Brass Band | |
95. | Cantaloupe Island | Herbie Hancock | |
96. | Science Funktion | Donald Byrd | |
97. | Someday My Prince Will Come | Miles Davis | |
98. | Tea for Two | Art Tatum | |
99. | Potato Head Blues | Louis Armstrong | |
100. | Sidewinder | Lee Morgan | |
101. | Maiden Voyage | Herbie Hancock | |
102. | Body And Soul | Coleman Hawkins | |
103. | Race with Devil on Spanish Highway | Al DiMeola | |
104. | Blue in Green | Miles Davis | |
105. | In the Mood | Glenn Miller | |
106. | Volunteered Slavery | Rahsaan Roland Kirk | |
107. | Song For My Father | Horace Silver | |
108. | Blue Rondo A La Turk | Dave Brubeck | |
109. | St. Thomas | Sonny Rollins | |
110. | Chitlins Con Carne | Kenny Burrell | |
111. | Moritat | Sonny Rollins | |
112. | A Remark You Made | Weather Report | |
113. | Desafinado | Stan Getz | |
114. | Misterioso | Thelonious Monk | |
115. | One o’Clock Jump | Count Basie | |
116. | The In Crowd | Ramsey Lewis | |
117. | A Night in Tunisia | Sonny Rollins | |
118. | Autumn Leaves | Cannonball Adderley | |
119. | Bright Size Life | Pat Metheny | |
120. | Spain | Chick Corea | |
121. | Son of Mr. Green Genes | Frank Zappa | |
122. | Black Satin | Miles Davis | |
123. | Hamp’s Hump | Galactic | |
124. | Cast Your Fate To | The Wind Vince Guaraldi | |
125. | Bumpin’ on Sunset | Wes Montgomery | |
126. | Waltz For Debby | Bill Evans | |
127. | Pursuance | John Coltrane | |
128. | Big Chief | Professor Longhair | |
129. | Just the Two of Us | Grover Washington, Jr. | |
130. | Ruby, My Dear | Thelonious Monk | |
131. | Round Midnight | Thelonious Monk | |
132. | Rhapsody in Blue | George Gershwin | |
133. | Milestones | Miles Davis | |
134. | Naima | John Coltrane | |
135. | Anonymous Skulls | Medeski, Martin & Wood | |
136. | Struttin’ with Some BBQ | Louis Armstrong | |
137. | Minnie the Moocher | Cab Calloway | |
138. | On Green Dolphin Street | Miles Davis | |
139. | Satin Doll | Duke Ellington | |
140. | Linus and Lucy | Vince Guaraldi | |
141. | Aerial Boundaries | Michael Hedges | |
142. | Nuages | Django Reinhardt | |
143. | Back at the Chicken Shack | Jimmy Smith | |
144. | Blue Monk | Thelonious Monk | |
145. | The Hong Kong Incident | Jing Chi | |
146. | Koko | Charlie Parker | |
147. | Red Clay | Freddie Hubbard | |
148. | Flamenco Sketches | Miles Davis | |
149. | Speak no Evil | Wayne Shorter | |
150. | Caravan | Duke Ellington |