Top Avant-Garde Jazz Albums
Rank All Time Artist Album Subgenre(s) Other Genre(s) Year
1
52
 John Coltrane A Love Supreme Spiritual Jazz 1965
2
80
 Miles Davis Bitches Brew Jazz Fusion 1970
3
303
 Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come 1959
4
343
 Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch! 1964
5
412
 Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Third Stream 1963
6
449
 Albert Ayler Spiritual Unity Free Jazz 1965
7
527
 Ornette Coleman Free Jazz Free Jazz 1961
8
570
 Kamasi Washington The Epic Spiritual Jazz 2015
9
977
 Andrew Hill Point of Departure 1965
10
1026
 Max Roach We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite 1961
11
1095
 Peter Brötzmann Machine Gun European Free Jazz 1968
12
1097
 Sun Ra Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Free Jazz 1965
13
1213
 Pharoah Sanders Karma Spiritual Jazz 1969
14
1290
 Cecil Taylor Unit Structures Free Jazz 1966
15
1297
 John Coltrane Ascension Free Jazz, Spiritual Jazz 1966
16
1322
 Carla Bley & Paul Haines Escalator Over the Hill Experimental Big Band 1971
17
1338
 Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus 1960
18
1361
 Ornette Coleman Change of the Century 1960
19
1455
 Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra Experimental Big Band 1970
20
1503
 Archie Shepp Fire Music 1965
21
1518
 Kamasi Washington Heaven & Earth Spiritual Jazz 2018
22
1584
 Dave Holland Conference of the Birds 1973
23
1601
 Anthony Braxton For Alto Free Jazz 1971
24
1613
 Cecil Taylor Conquistador! Free Jazz 1968
25
1627
 John Zorn Naked City 1990
26
1822
 Ornette Coleman Dancing in Your Head Jazz Fusion 1977
27
1880
 Ornette Coleman This Is Our Music 1961
28
1884
 Art Ensemble of Chicago Les Stances a Sophie Film Soundtrack 1970
29
2020
 Stan Getz Focus Cool Jazz 1961
30
2024
 Sun Ra The Magic City Free Jazz 1966
31
2065
 Ornette Coleman At the "Golden Circle", Volume One 1966
32
2090
 Art Ensemble of Chicago People in Sorrow 1969
33
2206
 McCoy Tyner Enlightenment Spiritual Jazz Modal Jazz 1974
34
2226
 Albert Ayler Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village Free Jazz 1967
35
2242
 Eric Dolphy At the Five Spot, Vol. 1 Post-Bop 1961
36
2287
 Don Cherry Eternal Rhythm Free Jazz 1969
37
2323
 Charles Mingus Let My Children Hear Music Experimental Big Band Third Stream 1972
38
2330
 Air [USA] Air Lore 1979
39
2349
 John Coltrane Interstellar Space Free Jazz 1974
40
2351
 Sun Ra Space Is the Place Free Jazz 1973
41
2451
 Sun Ra Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume 2 Free Jazz 1966
42
2453
 John Zorn Spillane 1987
43
2463
 John Coltrane Meditations Free Jazz 1966
44
2491
 Cecil Taylor Live at the Cafe Montmartre/Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come Free Jazz 1963
45
2516
 Sonny Sharrock Ask the Ages 1991
46
2517
 Archie Shepp Four for Trane 1964
47
2521
 George Russell Ezz-Thetics Modal Jazz 1961
48
2551
 Art Ensemble of Chicago Nice Guys 1979
49
2596
 Ornette Coleman Science Fiction Free Jazz 1972
50
2628
 Cecil Taylor Silent Tongues Free Jazz 1975
51
2629
 Pat Metheny & Ornette Coleman Song X Free Jazz 1986
52
2697
 Alice Coltrane Universal Consciousness Free Jazz, Spiritual Jazz 1971
53
2755
 David Murray Ming 1980
54
2814
 John Coltrane Crescent Post-Bop 1964
55
2924
 Jimmy Giuffre Free Fall Free Jazz 1963
56
2972
 Sun Ra and His Astro-Infinity Arkestra Atlantis Experimental Big Band, Free Jazz 1969
57
2973
 Anthony Braxton 3 Compositions of New Jazz 1968
58
2987
 Wayne Shorter The All Seeing Eye 1966

Albums "bubbling under" the all-time top 3000:
The Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards 1981
Sun Ra Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy Free Jazz 1967
Roscoe Mitchell Sextet Sound Free Jazz 1966
Cecil Taylor The World of Cecil Taylor/Air Free Jazz 1961
Don Byron Tuskegee Experiments 1992
Art Ensemble of Chicago Fanfare for the Warriors Free Jazz 1973
Naked City Torture Garden Grindcore 1989
Art Ensemble of Chicago Full Force 1980
Don Cherry Complete Communion 1966
Henry Threadgill Carry the Day 1994
Sonny Rollins East Broadway Run Down Post-Bop 1966
John Zorn Spy Vs. Spy 1989
Julius Hemphill Dogon A.D. Free Jazz 1972
George Russell Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature Experimental Big Band 1969
Gil Evans Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix Experimental Big Band Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Rock 1974
Cecil Taylor Looking Ahead! 1959
Old and New Dreams Old and New Dreams [1979] 1979
John Coltrane Impressions 1963
Sun Ra Other Planes of There Free Jazz 1966
Don Ellis Electric Bath Experimental Big Band Third Stream 1967
Bill Frisell Lookout for Hope Jazz Fusion 1987
Eric Dolphy Iron Man Post-Bop 1969
Sonny Sharrock Guitar 1986
Ornette Coleman At the "Golden Circle", Volume Two 1966
Archie Shepp The Magic of Ju-Ju Free Jazz 1967
Cecil Taylor Jazz Advance Post-Bop 1956
John Zorn The Big Gundown 1986
Pharoah Sanders Black Unity Free Jazz, Spiritual Jazz 1972
Hugh Hopper 1984 Canterbury Scene 1973
John Coltrane Transition 1970
Ornette Coleman Skies of America Modern Classical, Third Stream 1972
Keith Tippett Mujician 1982
Sun Ra When Sun Comes Out Free Jazz 1963
Charles Mingus Town Hall Concert Post-Bop 1964
Charles Mingus The Great Concert of Charles Mingus Post-Bop 1970
Matana Roberts Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur Libres 2011
Albert Ayler Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Vol. 1 Free Jazz 1976
Evan Parker Saxophone Solos European Free Jazz Free Improvisation 1976
Don Cherry Symphony for Improvisers Free Jazz 1967
Alice Coltrane Ptah, the El Daoud Spiritual Jazz 1970
Matana Roberts Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile Spiritual Jazz 2013
John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard Again! Free Jazz 1966
Matana Roberts Coin Coin Chapter 4: Memphis Free Jazz 2019
George Russell Jazz in the Space Age Modal Jazz 1960
Cecil Taylor For Olim Free Jazz 1987
Ornette Coleman The Art of the Improvisers Free Jazz 1970
David S. Ware Godspelized Spiritual Jazz 1997
Ornette Coleman Ornette on Tenor Free Jazz 1962
John Zorn Kristallnacht 1993
Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra Angels and Demons at Play Third Stream 1965
Sam Rivers Streams Free Jazz 1973
Sun Ra Arkestra Sunrise in Different Dimensions Free Jazz Post-Bop 1981
Bobby Hutcherson Dialogue Modal Jazz, Post-Bop 1965
Archie Shepp The Way Ahead Free Jazz 1968
Wayne Shorter Super Nova Jazz Fusion 1969
Albert Ayler Ghosts/Vibrations Free Jazz 1965
Dave Holland & Sam Rivers Dave Holland & Sam Rivers Vol. 1 1976
Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden Soapsuds Soapsuds Free Jazz 1979
Ornette Coleman Sound Grammar Free Jazz 2006
Joe Harriott Abstract Free Jazz 1962
Wadada Leo Smith Ten Freedom Summers Third Stream 2012
Archie Shepp Mama Too Tight Free Jazz 1966
McCoy Tyner Echoes of a Friend 1972
John Coltrane The John Coltrane Quartet Plays Modal Jazz 1965
John Coltrane Sun Ship 1971
Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous & Roy Haynes Trio Music 1982
Kamasi Washington Harmony of Difference EP Spiritual Jazz 2017
Krzysztof Komeda Astigmatic Post-Bop 1966
Evan Parker 50th Birthday Concert European Free Jazz 1994
Joe Harriott Free Form 1960
Angel Bat Dawid The Oracle Spiritual Jazz 2019
Jackie McLean New & Old Gospel 1967
The Revolutionary Ensemble The People's Republic Free Jazz 1975
McCoy Tyner Supertrios 1977
Neneh Cherry & The Thing The Cherry Thing Vocal Jazz 2012
Sam Rivers Contours Post-Bop 1965
Sam Rivers Crystals Experimental Big Band, Free Jazz 1974
Jason Moran Black Stars 2001
12Twelve L'univers Free Jazz Post-Rock 2006
Ornette Coleman Ornette! Free Jazz 1962
Jaimie Branch Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise Spiritual Jazz 2019
Fire! Orchestra Exit! Experimental Big Band 2013
São Paulo Underground Principle of Intrusive Relationships Electroacoustic, Electronic 2008