Hi all,
I thought that a 'desert island top ten" recordings would be a good conversation starter. And perhaps help out those who are only just starting out and are seeking audio nirvana.
It has not been easy, since my music collection dates back from late '60s or early '70s, and mostly vinyl LP records. This list represents both, in my opinion, recording quality as well as the music content (leaning a bit towards recording quality, perhaps). On the subject of recording quality, I have to admit that music originally that came out in the vinyl LP format and later duplicated into CDs were often lower in quality (compressed and less dynamic) than the sound on the original LP. (eg. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, Dire Straits' first album, etc.)
If you don't see a genre here, it's not that I am not into it, but it's just haven't bought any.
Pop/Rock
1. Simon & Garfunkel "Collected Works" Columbia (boxed 6 LPs)
2. James Taylor "Classic Songs" Warner Music (CD)
3. Chris Rea - "Road to Hell" - WEA (CD)
4. Leonard Cohen - "The Essential Leonard Cohen" - Columbia/Legacy (ltd. edition CD)
5. J.J.Cale - "Troubadour" - Mercury (LP)
6. Corine Bailey Rae - "Corine Bailey Rae" - EMI Music (CD)
7. Rickey Lee Jones - "Rickey Lee Jones" - Warner Bros. (LP)
8. Suzzane Vega - "Solitude Standing" - A&M (CD)
9. Sting - "Nothing Like the Sun" - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (CD)
10. Jennifer Warnes - "Famous Blue Raincoat" - RCA/BMG (CD)
Rock
1. Steely Dan "Aja" Geffen (LP)
2. U2 "Joshua Tree" Island (CD)
3. Dire Straits - "Dire Straits" - Vertigo (LP)
4. R.E.M. - "Automatic for People" - Warner Bros. (LP)
5. Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours" - Reprise (LP)
6. Maroon 5 - "It Won't be Soon Before Long" - Polydor (CD)
7. Dire Straits - "Brothers in Arms" - Warner Bros. (LP)
8. Hootie & the Blowfish - "The Best of...1993-2003" - Atlantic/Rhino (CD)
9. Guns 'N Roses - "Appetite for Destruction" - Geffen (CD)
10. Boston - "Boston" - Legacy Collector's Edition (CD)
Country Rock
1. Eagles - "Hell Freezes Over" - Geffen (CD)
2. Bruce Hornsby & the Range - "Scenes from the South Side" - RCA/BMG (CD)
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival "Green River" Fantasy (LP)
4. The Band - "The Last Waltz" - Warner Bros (boxed 3 LPs)
5. Bonnie Raitt - "Nick of Time" - Capitol (CD)
6. Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Dj Vu" - Atlantic (LP)
7. The Allman Brothers Band - "At Filmore East" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
8. Neil Young - "Harvest" - Reprise (LP)
9. Alabama - "For the Record" - RCA (2 CDS)
10. Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Second Helping" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
Country & Western
1. Johnny Cash - "At the Folsom Prison" - Columbia Legacy Edition (2CD/DVD)
2. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - "Waylon & Willie" - RCA (LP)
3. Joe Ely - "Honky Tonk Masquerade" - MCA (LP)
4. Merle Haggard (with Willie Nelson) - "Pancho & Lefty" - Epic (LP)
5. Don Williams - "Silver Turns to Gold" - Row Music Group (CD)
6. Emmylou Harris - "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town" - Rhino (LP)
7. Ricky Skaggs (with Emmylou Harris) - "Sweet Temptation" - Sugar Hill (LP)
8. Mary Chapin Carpenter - "Stones on the Road" - Columbia (CD)
9. Kris Kristofferson - "Best of Kris Kristofferson" - Sony/BMG (CD)
10. Willie Nelson - "Stardust" - Sony 30th Aniv. Legacy Edition (2CDs)
Folk
1. Joan Baez - "Diamonds & Rust" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
2. Carole King - "Tapestry" - Epic (LP)
3. Bruce Springsteen - "Ghost of Tom Joad" - Columbia (CD)
4. Beth Orton - "Trailer Park" - BMG/RCA (CD)
5. Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited" - Legacy (CD)
6. Lucinda Williams - "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" - Mercury (CD)
7. Beth Orton - "Central Resevation" - Arista (LP)
8. Arlo Guthrie - "Amigo" - Koch Records (LP)
9. Christy Moore - "Collection 81-91" - East West Records (CD)
10. Sara McLachlan - "Fumbling Towards Estcasy" - Arista (CD)
Bluegrass (instrumental or vocal)
1. Ricky Skaggs - "Bluegrass Rules" - Rounder Records (CD)
2. David Grisman - "Hot Dawg" - A&M (LP)
3. Bela Fleck & the Fleckstones - "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" - Warner Bros. (CD)
4. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" - EMI (CD)
5. The Tony Rice Unit - "Backwaters" - Rounder (CD)
6. David Grisman - "Dawg '90" - Acoustic Disc (CD)
7. Mike Marshal & Darol Anger - "Chiaroscuro" - Windham Hill Records (CD)
8. The David Grisman Quintet - "The David Grisman Quintet" - Kaleidoscope (LP)
9. Flatt & Scruggs - "Foggy Mountain Banjo" - County (CD)
10. Old & In the Way - "Old & In the Way" - Sugar Hill/Arista (CD)
Blues
1. Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - "The Blues of ST & BM" - Wounded Bird Records (LP)
2. Mighty Sam McLain - "Give it up to Love" - JVC XRCD (CD)
3. Muddy Waters - "Folk Singer" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
4. Joe Beard with Ronnie Earl - "Blues Union" - JVC XRCD (CD)
5. Keb' Mo' - "Keb' Mo'" - Okeh Records (CD)
6. B.B.King - "Blues on the Bayou" - MCA (CD)
7. Joe Beard - "For Real" - AudioQuest Music (CD)
8. Alexis Korner - "R&B from the Marquee" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
9. John Lee Hooker - "Hooker 'n Heat" - EMI/Capitol (2 CDs)
10. Lightnin' Hopkins - "Goin' Away" - JVC XRCD (CD)
R&B
1. Barry White "Let the Music Play" Karussell (LP)
2. Stevie Wonder "Talking Book" Motown (LP)
3. Diana Ross "Diana Ross" Motown (LP)
4. Sam & Dave "Soul Men" Rhino (CD)
5. Sly & The Family Stone - "There's a Riot Goin' On" - Epic/Sony (CD)
6. Michael Jackson - "Thriller" - Epic/Sony (CD)
7. Tina Turner - "Private Dancer" - JVC XRCD (CD)
8. Marvin Gaye - "Let's Get it On" - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (CD)
9. Sade - "Diamond Life" - Epic (LP)
10. Lionel Richie - "Back to Front" - Motown (CD)
Jazz - Small Groups
1. Miles Davies - "Kind of Blue" - Columbia (LP), Sony (re-mastered CD)
2. Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges - "Back to Back" - Verve (re-mastered CD)
3. Count Basie - "Basie Jam" - Analogue Productions (CD)
4. Hank Mobley - "Soul Station" - Blue Note (LP)
5. Joshua Redman Quartet - "Mood Swing" - Warner Bros (CD)
6. Dave Brubeck - "Brubeck & Sons" - Discwasher (direct to disc 2LPs)
7. Art Pepper - "The Complete Galaxy Recordings" - Galaxy (Boxed set 16 CDs)
8. Arni Dormeus - "Jazz at the Pawn Shop" Vol.1 & 2 - First Impression Music (CD)
9. Harry Allen Quartet - "Blue Skies" - John Marks Records (CD)
10. LA-4 - "Going Home" - East Wind (direct to disc LP)
Jazz - Big Bands
1. Benny Goodman - "The 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert" - Columbia/Legacy (2 CDs)
2. Glenn Miller Orchestra - "In a Digital Mood" - GRP (Gold CD)
3. Count Basie & His Orchestra - "88 Basie Street" - JVC XRCD (CD)
4. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - "...and his Mother Called him Bill" - RCA/Victor Gold (CD)
5. Terry Snyder & The All Stars - "Persuasive Percussion" Vol.2 - Command (LP)
6. Harry James & His Big Band - "The King James Version" - Sheffield Lab (direct to disc LP)
7. Louie Bellson & Explosion - "Note Smoking" - Discwasher (direct to disc LP)
8. Bill Berry & His Ellington All Stars - "For Duke" - M&K Realtime (direct to disc LP)
9. Jimmy Henderson - "The Glenn Miller Orchestra" - Century Records (direct to disc LP)
10. Count Basie - "Basie Big Band" - Pablo (CD)
Jazz - Vocal
1. Cassandra Wilson - "Blue Light 'till Dawn" - Blue Note (CD)
2. Dave's True Story - "Sex without Bodies" - Chesky (CD)
3. Patricia Barber - "Cafe Blue" - First Impression Music (CD)
4. Diana Krall - "All for You" - Impulse (CD)
5. Louis Armstrong - "Definitive Collection" - Hip-O (re-mastered CD)
6. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - "Ella & Louis Again" Vol.1 & 2 - Mobile Fidelity (2 CDs)
7. Holy Cole Trio - "Don't Smoke in Bed" - Manhattan Records (CD)
8. Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle Orchestra - "'Round Midnight" - Asylum (2 CDs)
9. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman - "Coltrane & Hartman" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
10. Sara K - "Hobo" - Chesky (CD)
Jazz - Avant-Garde
1. Charlie Hayden & Pat Metheny - "Beyond Missouri Sky" - Verve (CD)
2. Arlid Andersen - "Sagn" - ECM (LP)
3. Keith Jarrett - "Standards" Vol. 1 & 2 - ECM (LPs)
4. Weather Report - "Heavy Weather" - Columbia (LP)
5. Medeski, Martin & Wood - "Combustication" - Blue Note (CD)
6. Weather Report - "Mr. Gone" - Sony/CBS (CD)
7. Sun Ra - "Languidity" - Evidence (LP)
8. Charles Mingus - "Let My Children Hear the Music" - Columbia (CD)
9. Old and New Dreams - "Old & New Dreams" - ECM (CD)
10. Miles Davies - "Sketches of Spain" - Columbia (CD)
Solos - Vocal or Instrumental
1. Tuck Andress - "Reckless Precision" - Windham Hill Records (CD) guitar
2. Bobby McFerrin - "The Voice" - Electra (LP) vocal
3. Robert Stanton - "Acoustic Storm" - Sheffield Lab (CD) guitar
4. Dave Holland & Barre Phillips - "Music from Two Basses" - ECM (LP) acoustic bass
5. Bobby McFerrin - "Spontaneous Inventions" - EMI (CD) vocal
6. Hiroshi Masuda - "Feelin' Groovy" (ode to Paul Simon) - Jasrac (CD) guitar
7. David Grisman & Tony Rice - "Tone Poems" - Acoustic Disc (CD) guitar
8. Joe Pass - "Virtuoso" - Pablo (LP), JVC XRCD (CD) guitar
9. Keith Jarrett - "The Kln Concert" - ECM (LP) piano
10. Julian Bream - "Granados & Albeniz" - RCA Red Seal (CD) guitar
Fusion
1. John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan - "Karuna Supreme" - MPS (LP)
2. John McLaughlin - "Shakti" - Columbia Jazz (LP)
3. Ry Cooder - "Buena Vista Social Club" - Nonesuch (CD)
4. Shakti with John McLaughlin - "Handful of Beauty" - Columbia (LP)
5. Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder - "Talking Timbuktu" - Hanibal (CD)
6. Ravi Shankar & LSO/LPO - "Sitar Concertos & Other Works" - EMI (2 CD)
7. Rabih Abou-Khalil - "Blue Camel - Enja (CD)
8. Collin Walcott - "Works" - ECM (CD)
9. Strunz & Farah - "Americas" - Mesa/Blue Moon (CD)
10. Antar - "Paradise Cafe" - Sugo (CD)
World & New Age Music
1. Ry Cooder & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - "A Meeting By the River" - Water Lily Acoustics (CD)
2. Lara & Ryes - "Riverwalk" - Higher Octave (CD)
3. Enya - "Watermark" - Reprise (CD)
4. David Arkenstone - "Atlantis" - Narada (CD)
5. Willie & Lobo - "Between the Waters" - Mesa (CD)
6. Maria do Cu Whitaker Poas - "Ceu" - Six Degrees (CD)
7. David Lanz - "Christofori's Dream" - Narada Mistique (CD)
8. Anouar Brahem - "Barzakh" - ECM (CD)
9. Omar Faruq Tekblik - "3" (Whirling) - Celestial Harmonies (CD)
10. Peter Manu - "Warm Sounds on a Grey Field" - Narada (CD)
Classical Carnatic - Vocal & Instrumental
1. L. Shankar - "Who is to Know" - ECM (LP) violin
2. Voleti Venkateswarulu - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1981 - Charsur (3 CDs)
3. Rajeswari Padmanaban - Music of the Veena - JVC World Music (CD) veena
4. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer - "The Doyen of Carnatic Music" - Oriental Records (2 CDs) vocal
5. Master Shashank - "Melodies from the Bamboo Flute" - Shruti Records (2 CDs) flute
6. T.M. Krishna - "December Season 2006" - Charsur (3 Cds) vocal
7. G.N.Balasubramaniyam - - Oriental Records (2 CDs) vocal
8. M.S.Subbulakshmi - "Live at Carnegie Hall 1981" - Dancing Dolphin (2 CDs)
9. Madurai Mani Iyer - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1961" - Charsur (3 CDs) vocal
10. Sheikh Chinnamoula Sahib - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1973" - Chasur (3 CDs) nadhaswaram
Classical Hindustani - Vocal & Instrumental
1. Ustad Rashid Khan - "Live at St.John's, London 1995" - Navaras (CD)
2. Pt. Hari Prasad Chowrasia & Zakir Hussein - "Possession" Vol, 1, 2 & 3. - (CD)
3. Salamat & Nazakat Ali Khan - "Salamat & Nazakat" - HMV (LP)
4. Ustad Amir Khan - "Surmanjari" - Virgin/EMI (CD)
5. Pandit Ravi Shankar & Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - "In Concert - 1972" - Apple (2 LPs)
6. Pt. Bhimesen Joshi - "The Best of... Live" - Oriental Records (2 CDs)
7. Ustad Amir Khan & Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - "Golden Heritage - Live" - Times Music (CD)
8. Ustad Bishmilla Khan - "Live in London" Vol. 1 & 2 - Navras Records (2 CDs)
9. Pandit Jasraj - "Bajan" - Music Today (CD)
10. Pannalal Ghosh - "The Magic Flute of Pannalal Ghosh" - Odeon/HMV (LP)
Classical Western - Vocal & Instrumental
1. Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano/conductor) & London Philharmonia Orchestra
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos No.20 in D minor and No.21 in C Major" - Decca (2 CDs)
2. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
"Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051" - Veritas (2 CDs)
3. Anthony Michaelson (clarinet) & Robert Bailey (conductor) Michaelangelo Chamber Orchestra
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto K622 in A Major" - Musical Fidelity (CD)
4. Alfred Brendel (piano)
"Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 8, (Pathtique); No. 14 (Moonlight)" - Philips (2 CDs)
5. Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, Maria Rose)
"Miracles of Sant'iago" - Harmonia Mundi (CD)
6. Amadeus String Quartet
"Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, (Death and the Maiden)" - Deutsche Grammophon (LP)
7. Stanislav Gorkovenko (conductor) St. Petersburg Radio And Television Orchestra
"Dvork: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95 (New World Symphony)" - HD Classics (CD)
8. The Monks of Benedictine Monastry of Santo Domingo de Silos
"The Best Works of Gregorian Chants" - EMI/Odeon (2 CDs)
9. Nigel Kennedy (violin & conductor) with English Chamber Orchestra
"Antonio Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons)" - EMI (CD)
10. Mariss Jansons (conductor) Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra -
"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, (Pathtique) - Chandos (CD)
I thought that a 'desert island top ten" recordings would be a good conversation starter. And perhaps help out those who are only just starting out and are seeking audio nirvana.
It has not been easy, since my music collection dates back from late '60s or early '70s, and mostly vinyl LP records. This list represents both, in my opinion, recording quality as well as the music content (leaning a bit towards recording quality, perhaps). On the subject of recording quality, I have to admit that music originally that came out in the vinyl LP format and later duplicated into CDs were often lower in quality (compressed and less dynamic) than the sound on the original LP. (eg. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, Dire Straits' first album, etc.)
If you don't see a genre here, it's not that I am not into it, but it's just haven't bought any.
Pop/Rock
1. Simon & Garfunkel "Collected Works" Columbia (boxed 6 LPs)
2. James Taylor "Classic Songs" Warner Music (CD)
3. Chris Rea - "Road to Hell" - WEA (CD)
4. Leonard Cohen - "The Essential Leonard Cohen" - Columbia/Legacy (ltd. edition CD)
5. J.J.Cale - "Troubadour" - Mercury (LP)
6. Corine Bailey Rae - "Corine Bailey Rae" - EMI Music (CD)
7. Rickey Lee Jones - "Rickey Lee Jones" - Warner Bros. (LP)
8. Suzzane Vega - "Solitude Standing" - A&M (CD)
9. Sting - "Nothing Like the Sun" - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (CD)
10. Jennifer Warnes - "Famous Blue Raincoat" - RCA/BMG (CD)
Rock
1. Steely Dan "Aja" Geffen (LP)
2. U2 "Joshua Tree" Island (CD)
3. Dire Straits - "Dire Straits" - Vertigo (LP)
4. R.E.M. - "Automatic for People" - Warner Bros. (LP)
5. Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours" - Reprise (LP)
6. Maroon 5 - "It Won't be Soon Before Long" - Polydor (CD)
7. Dire Straits - "Brothers in Arms" - Warner Bros. (LP)
8. Hootie & the Blowfish - "The Best of...1993-2003" - Atlantic/Rhino (CD)
9. Guns 'N Roses - "Appetite for Destruction" - Geffen (CD)
10. Boston - "Boston" - Legacy Collector's Edition (CD)
Country Rock
1. Eagles - "Hell Freezes Over" - Geffen (CD)
2. Bruce Hornsby & the Range - "Scenes from the South Side" - RCA/BMG (CD)
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival "Green River" Fantasy (LP)
4. The Band - "The Last Waltz" - Warner Bros (boxed 3 LPs)
5. Bonnie Raitt - "Nick of Time" - Capitol (CD)
6. Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Dj Vu" - Atlantic (LP)
7. The Allman Brothers Band - "At Filmore East" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
8. Neil Young - "Harvest" - Reprise (LP)
9. Alabama - "For the Record" - RCA (2 CDS)
10. Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Second Helping" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
Country & Western
1. Johnny Cash - "At the Folsom Prison" - Columbia Legacy Edition (2CD/DVD)
2. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - "Waylon & Willie" - RCA (LP)
3. Joe Ely - "Honky Tonk Masquerade" - MCA (LP)
4. Merle Haggard (with Willie Nelson) - "Pancho & Lefty" - Epic (LP)
5. Don Williams - "Silver Turns to Gold" - Row Music Group (CD)
6. Emmylou Harris - "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town" - Rhino (LP)
7. Ricky Skaggs (with Emmylou Harris) - "Sweet Temptation" - Sugar Hill (LP)
8. Mary Chapin Carpenter - "Stones on the Road" - Columbia (CD)
9. Kris Kristofferson - "Best of Kris Kristofferson" - Sony/BMG (CD)
10. Willie Nelson - "Stardust" - Sony 30th Aniv. Legacy Edition (2CDs)
Folk
1. Joan Baez - "Diamonds & Rust" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
2. Carole King - "Tapestry" - Epic (LP)
3. Bruce Springsteen - "Ghost of Tom Joad" - Columbia (CD)
4. Beth Orton - "Trailer Park" - BMG/RCA (CD)
5. Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited" - Legacy (CD)
6. Lucinda Williams - "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" - Mercury (CD)
7. Beth Orton - "Central Resevation" - Arista (LP)
8. Arlo Guthrie - "Amigo" - Koch Records (LP)
9. Christy Moore - "Collection 81-91" - East West Records (CD)
10. Sara McLachlan - "Fumbling Towards Estcasy" - Arista (CD)
Bluegrass (instrumental or vocal)
1. Ricky Skaggs - "Bluegrass Rules" - Rounder Records (CD)
2. David Grisman - "Hot Dawg" - A&M (LP)
3. Bela Fleck & the Fleckstones - "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" - Warner Bros. (CD)
4. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" - EMI (CD)
5. The Tony Rice Unit - "Backwaters" - Rounder (CD)
6. David Grisman - "Dawg '90" - Acoustic Disc (CD)
7. Mike Marshal & Darol Anger - "Chiaroscuro" - Windham Hill Records (CD)
8. The David Grisman Quintet - "The David Grisman Quintet" - Kaleidoscope (LP)
9. Flatt & Scruggs - "Foggy Mountain Banjo" - County (CD)
10. Old & In the Way - "Old & In the Way" - Sugar Hill/Arista (CD)
Blues
1. Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - "The Blues of ST & BM" - Wounded Bird Records (LP)
2. Mighty Sam McLain - "Give it up to Love" - JVC XRCD (CD)
3. Muddy Waters - "Folk Singer" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
4. Joe Beard with Ronnie Earl - "Blues Union" - JVC XRCD (CD)
5. Keb' Mo' - "Keb' Mo'" - Okeh Records (CD)
6. B.B.King - "Blues on the Bayou" - MCA (CD)
7. Joe Beard - "For Real" - AudioQuest Music (CD)
8. Alexis Korner - "R&B from the Marquee" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
9. John Lee Hooker - "Hooker 'n Heat" - EMI/Capitol (2 CDs)
10. Lightnin' Hopkins - "Goin' Away" - JVC XRCD (CD)
R&B
1. Barry White "Let the Music Play" Karussell (LP)
2. Stevie Wonder "Talking Book" Motown (LP)
3. Diana Ross "Diana Ross" Motown (LP)
4. Sam & Dave "Soul Men" Rhino (CD)
5. Sly & The Family Stone - "There's a Riot Goin' On" - Epic/Sony (CD)
6. Michael Jackson - "Thriller" - Epic/Sony (CD)
7. Tina Turner - "Private Dancer" - JVC XRCD (CD)
8. Marvin Gaye - "Let's Get it On" - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (CD)
9. Sade - "Diamond Life" - Epic (LP)
10. Lionel Richie - "Back to Front" - Motown (CD)
Jazz - Small Groups
1. Miles Davies - "Kind of Blue" - Columbia (LP), Sony (re-mastered CD)
2. Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges - "Back to Back" - Verve (re-mastered CD)
3. Count Basie - "Basie Jam" - Analogue Productions (CD)
4. Hank Mobley - "Soul Station" - Blue Note (LP)
5. Joshua Redman Quartet - "Mood Swing" - Warner Bros (CD)
6. Dave Brubeck - "Brubeck & Sons" - Discwasher (direct to disc 2LPs)
7. Art Pepper - "The Complete Galaxy Recordings" - Galaxy (Boxed set 16 CDs)
8. Arni Dormeus - "Jazz at the Pawn Shop" Vol.1 & 2 - First Impression Music (CD)
9. Harry Allen Quartet - "Blue Skies" - John Marks Records (CD)
10. LA-4 - "Going Home" - East Wind (direct to disc LP)
Jazz - Big Bands
1. Benny Goodman - "The 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert" - Columbia/Legacy (2 CDs)
2. Glenn Miller Orchestra - "In a Digital Mood" - GRP (Gold CD)
3. Count Basie & His Orchestra - "88 Basie Street" - JVC XRCD (CD)
4. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - "...and his Mother Called him Bill" - RCA/Victor Gold (CD)
5. Terry Snyder & The All Stars - "Persuasive Percussion" Vol.2 - Command (LP)
6. Harry James & His Big Band - "The King James Version" - Sheffield Lab (direct to disc LP)
7. Louie Bellson & Explosion - "Note Smoking" - Discwasher (direct to disc LP)
8. Bill Berry & His Ellington All Stars - "For Duke" - M&K Realtime (direct to disc LP)
9. Jimmy Henderson - "The Glenn Miller Orchestra" - Century Records (direct to disc LP)
10. Count Basie - "Basie Big Band" - Pablo (CD)
Jazz - Vocal
1. Cassandra Wilson - "Blue Light 'till Dawn" - Blue Note (CD)
2. Dave's True Story - "Sex without Bodies" - Chesky (CD)
3. Patricia Barber - "Cafe Blue" - First Impression Music (CD)
4. Diana Krall - "All for You" - Impulse (CD)
5. Louis Armstrong - "Definitive Collection" - Hip-O (re-mastered CD)
6. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - "Ella & Louis Again" Vol.1 & 2 - Mobile Fidelity (2 CDs)
7. Holy Cole Trio - "Don't Smoke in Bed" - Manhattan Records (CD)
8. Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle Orchestra - "'Round Midnight" - Asylum (2 CDs)
9. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman - "Coltrane & Hartman" - Mobile Fidelity (CD)
10. Sara K - "Hobo" - Chesky (CD)
Jazz - Avant-Garde
1. Charlie Hayden & Pat Metheny - "Beyond Missouri Sky" - Verve (CD)
2. Arlid Andersen - "Sagn" - ECM (LP)
3. Keith Jarrett - "Standards" Vol. 1 & 2 - ECM (LPs)
4. Weather Report - "Heavy Weather" - Columbia (LP)
5. Medeski, Martin & Wood - "Combustication" - Blue Note (CD)
6. Weather Report - "Mr. Gone" - Sony/CBS (CD)
7. Sun Ra - "Languidity" - Evidence (LP)
8. Charles Mingus - "Let My Children Hear the Music" - Columbia (CD)
9. Old and New Dreams - "Old & New Dreams" - ECM (CD)
10. Miles Davies - "Sketches of Spain" - Columbia (CD)
Solos - Vocal or Instrumental
1. Tuck Andress - "Reckless Precision" - Windham Hill Records (CD) guitar
2. Bobby McFerrin - "The Voice" - Electra (LP) vocal
3. Robert Stanton - "Acoustic Storm" - Sheffield Lab (CD) guitar
4. Dave Holland & Barre Phillips - "Music from Two Basses" - ECM (LP) acoustic bass
5. Bobby McFerrin - "Spontaneous Inventions" - EMI (CD) vocal
6. Hiroshi Masuda - "Feelin' Groovy" (ode to Paul Simon) - Jasrac (CD) guitar
7. David Grisman & Tony Rice - "Tone Poems" - Acoustic Disc (CD) guitar
8. Joe Pass - "Virtuoso" - Pablo (LP), JVC XRCD (CD) guitar
9. Keith Jarrett - "The Kln Concert" - ECM (LP) piano
10. Julian Bream - "Granados & Albeniz" - RCA Red Seal (CD) guitar
Fusion
1. John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan - "Karuna Supreme" - MPS (LP)
2. John McLaughlin - "Shakti" - Columbia Jazz (LP)
3. Ry Cooder - "Buena Vista Social Club" - Nonesuch (CD)
4. Shakti with John McLaughlin - "Handful of Beauty" - Columbia (LP)
5. Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder - "Talking Timbuktu" - Hanibal (CD)
6. Ravi Shankar & LSO/LPO - "Sitar Concertos & Other Works" - EMI (2 CD)
7. Rabih Abou-Khalil - "Blue Camel - Enja (CD)
8. Collin Walcott - "Works" - ECM (CD)
9. Strunz & Farah - "Americas" - Mesa/Blue Moon (CD)
10. Antar - "Paradise Cafe" - Sugo (CD)
World & New Age Music
1. Ry Cooder & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - "A Meeting By the River" - Water Lily Acoustics (CD)
2. Lara & Ryes - "Riverwalk" - Higher Octave (CD)
3. Enya - "Watermark" - Reprise (CD)
4. David Arkenstone - "Atlantis" - Narada (CD)
5. Willie & Lobo - "Between the Waters" - Mesa (CD)
6. Maria do Cu Whitaker Poas - "Ceu" - Six Degrees (CD)
7. David Lanz - "Christofori's Dream" - Narada Mistique (CD)
8. Anouar Brahem - "Barzakh" - ECM (CD)
9. Omar Faruq Tekblik - "3" (Whirling) - Celestial Harmonies (CD)
10. Peter Manu - "Warm Sounds on a Grey Field" - Narada (CD)
Classical Carnatic - Vocal & Instrumental
1. L. Shankar - "Who is to Know" - ECM (LP) violin
2. Voleti Venkateswarulu - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1981 - Charsur (3 CDs)
3. Rajeswari Padmanaban - Music of the Veena - JVC World Music (CD) veena
4. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer - "The Doyen of Carnatic Music" - Oriental Records (2 CDs) vocal
5. Master Shashank - "Melodies from the Bamboo Flute" - Shruti Records (2 CDs) flute
6. T.M. Krishna - "December Season 2006" - Charsur (3 Cds) vocal
7. G.N.Balasubramaniyam - - Oriental Records (2 CDs) vocal
8. M.S.Subbulakshmi - "Live at Carnegie Hall 1981" - Dancing Dolphin (2 CDs)
9. Madurai Mani Iyer - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1961" - Charsur (3 CDs) vocal
10. Sheikh Chinnamoula Sahib - "Paddhatti - Live in Concert 1973" - Chasur (3 CDs) nadhaswaram
Classical Hindustani - Vocal & Instrumental
1. Ustad Rashid Khan - "Live at St.John's, London 1995" - Navaras (CD)
2. Pt. Hari Prasad Chowrasia & Zakir Hussein - "Possession" Vol, 1, 2 & 3. - (CD)
3. Salamat & Nazakat Ali Khan - "Salamat & Nazakat" - HMV (LP)
4. Ustad Amir Khan - "Surmanjari" - Virgin/EMI (CD)
5. Pandit Ravi Shankar & Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - "In Concert - 1972" - Apple (2 LPs)
6. Pt. Bhimesen Joshi - "The Best of... Live" - Oriental Records (2 CDs)
7. Ustad Amir Khan & Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - "Golden Heritage - Live" - Times Music (CD)
8. Ustad Bishmilla Khan - "Live in London" Vol. 1 & 2 - Navras Records (2 CDs)
9. Pandit Jasraj - "Bajan" - Music Today (CD)
10. Pannalal Ghosh - "The Magic Flute of Pannalal Ghosh" - Odeon/HMV (LP)
Classical Western - Vocal & Instrumental
1. Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano/conductor) & London Philharmonia Orchestra
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos No.20 in D minor and No.21 in C Major" - Decca (2 CDs)
2. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
"Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051" - Veritas (2 CDs)
3. Anthony Michaelson (clarinet) & Robert Bailey (conductor) Michaelangelo Chamber Orchestra
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto K622 in A Major" - Musical Fidelity (CD)
4. Alfred Brendel (piano)
"Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 8, (Pathtique); No. 14 (Moonlight)" - Philips (2 CDs)
5. Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, Maria Rose)
"Miracles of Sant'iago" - Harmonia Mundi (CD)
6. Amadeus String Quartet
"Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, (Death and the Maiden)" - Deutsche Grammophon (LP)
7. Stanislav Gorkovenko (conductor) St. Petersburg Radio And Television Orchestra
"Dvork: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95 (New World Symphony)" - HD Classics (CD)
8. The Monks of Benedictine Monastry of Santo Domingo de Silos
"The Best Works of Gregorian Chants" - EMI/Odeon (2 CDs)
9. Nigel Kennedy (violin & conductor) with English Chamber Orchestra
"Antonio Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons)" - EMI (CD)
10. Mariss Jansons (conductor) Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra -
"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, (Pathtique) - Chandos (CD)
