Top Hard Bop Albums
Rank All Time Artist Album Subgenre(s) Other Genre(s) Year
1
331
 John Coltrane Giant Steps 1960
2
383
 Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus 1957
3
531
 Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners 1957
4
642
 Oliver Nelson The Blues and the Abstract Truth 1961
5
698
 Cannonball Adderley Somethin' Else 1958
6
714
 John Coltrane Blue Train 1958
7
737
 Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers [Moanin'] 1959
8
857
 Wes Montgomery The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery 1960
9
860
 Lee Morgan The Sidewinder 1964
10
889
 Horace Silver Song for My Father 1965
11
1084
 Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane 1961
12
1149
 Clifford Brown & Max Roach Daahoud/Clifford Brown & Max Roach 1954
13
1163
 Sonny Rollins The Bridge 1962
14
1165
 Miles Davis Milestones 1958
15
1235
 Sonny Rollins Way Out West 1957
16
1249
 John Coltrane Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard Modal Jazz 1962
17
1250
 Sonny Rollins A Night at the "Village Vanguard" 1958
18
1356
 Dexter Gordon Our Man in Paris 1963
19
1359
 Art Blakey Quintet A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 1954
20
1407
 Hank Mobley Soul Station 1960
21
1408
 Dexter Gordon Go 1962
22
1462
 Miles Davis Round About Midnight 1957
23
1633
 Thelonious Monk Monk's Music 1958
24
1691
 Sonny Clark Cool Struttin' 1958
25
1867
 Horace Silver Horace Silver Quintet (Vol. 1 & 2)/Horace Silver and The Jazz Messengers 1955
26
1876
 Miles Davis Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 1957
27
1877
 Miles Davis Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 1961
28
1934
 Sonny Rollins Freedom Suite 1958
29
1935
 Herbie Hancock Takin' Off Modal Jazz, Post-Bop 1962
30
2023
 Clifford Brown & Max Roach Study in Brown 1955
31
2029
 Ornette Coleman Something Else!!!! 1958
32
2039
 Joe Henderson Page One 1963
33
2072
 Miles Davis Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet 1958
34
2081
 Sonny Rollins Tenor Madness 1956
35
2087
 Herbie Hancock Empyrean Isles 1964
36
2125
 Art Blakey Quintet A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 1954
37
2128
 Wes Montgomery Full House: Recorded 'Live' at Tsubo - Berkeley, California 1962
38
2186
 Grant Green Idle Moments 1965
39
2310
 Cannonball Adderley Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! - Live at 'The Club' Soul Jazz 1967
40
2311
 Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery Smokin' at the Half Note 1965
41
2355
 Thelonious Monk Monk's Dream 1963
42
2409
 Wynton Kelly Kelly Blue 1959
43
2443
 Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk Trio 1953
44
2444
 Joe Henderson Inner Urge 1966
45
2530
 Duke Ellington and John Coltrane Duke Ellington and John Coltrane 1963
46
2658
 Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers A Night in Tunisia 1961
47
2725
 Freddie Hubbard Hub-Tones 1962
48
2774
 Horace Silver Blowin' the Blues Away 1959
49
2818
 Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue 1963
50
2834
 John Coltrane Africa/Brass Modal Jazz, Post-Bop 1961
51
2884
 Lee Morgan Cornbread 1967
52
2889
 Wayne Shorter Adam's Apple Post-Bop 1967
53
2900
 Booker Little Out Front 1961
54
2906
 John Coltrane Coltrane Plays the Blues 1962
55
2912
 Art Blakey Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk 1958
56
2938
 Thelonious Monk Thelonious Himself 1957

Albums "bubbling under" the all-time top 3000:
Miles Davis Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet 1959
Clifford Brown & Max Roach At Basin Street 1956
Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery Bags Meets Wes! 1962
John Coltrane Soultrane/John Coltrane 2-LP 1958
Phineas Newborn Jr. A World of Piano! 1961
Bobby Timmons This Here Is Bobby Timmons Soul Jazz 1960
Johnny Griffin A Blowin' Session 1957
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Free for All 1965
Eric Dolphy Outward Bound 1960
Art Blakey The Jazz Messengers 1956
Joe Henderson Mode for Joe 1966
Miles Davis In Person Friday Night at the Black Hawk, San Francisco Vol. 1 1961
Yusef Lateef Live at Pep's 1964
Wynton Marsalis Live at Blues Alley 1988
Thelonious Monk The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall 1959
Thelonious Monk Thelonious in Action: Recorded at the Five Spot Cafe, New York City 1958
Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson at the Opera House 1958
Miles Davis & John Coltrane Live in Stockholm 1960 1985
Phil Woods Musique du Bois 1974
Freddie Hubbard Open Sesame 1960
Clifford Brown Clifford Brown with Strings 1955
Sonny Rollins Plus 4 1956
Hampton Hawes This Is Hampton Hawes: Vol. 2, The Trio 1956
Max Roach Max Roach + 4 1956
Grant Green Born to Be Blue Cool Jazz 1985
Freddie Hubbard Ready for Freddie 1961
Tina Brooks True Blue 1960
Cannonball Adderley In San Francisco 1959
John Coltrane Coltrane Jazz 1961
Art Blakey Ugetsu/Thermo 1963
Kenny Dorham Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia 1956
Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall 2005
John Coltrane Coltrane's Sound 1964
Art Farmer Farmer's Market 1958
Sonny Rollins Work Time 1956
Blue Mitchell The Thing to Do 1964
Ike Quebec Blue and Sentimental 1961
Freddie Hubbard Goin' Up 1961
Rahsaan Roland Kirk We Free Kings Post-Bop 1962
Art Blakey Mosaic 1961
Miles Davis Miles Davis All Star Sextet/Walkin' 1955
Sonny Rollins Newk's Time 1958
Thelonious Monk Live at the It Club 1982
Freddie Hubbard Breaking Point! 1964
Jackie McLean Bluesnik 1961
John Coltrane Afro Blue Impressions 1977
Dexter Gordon Doin' Allright 1961
Thelonious Monk At the Blackhawk 1960
Tina Brooks Back to the Tracks 1985
Grant Green Green Street 1961
Phineas Newborn Jr. The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr. 1963
Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins 1957
Ornette Coleman Tomorrow Is the Question! 1959
Sam Rivers Fuchsia Swing Song 1965
Art Blakey At the Jazz Corner of the World Vol. 2 1959
Yusef Lateef Eastern Sounds 1961
Lee Morgan The Cooker 1958