1. Miles Davis All Stars: Walkin’ (Prestige, 1957 [recorded April 3 and 29, 1954])
This may tell you all you need to know about Miles Davis: Walkin’ put him on the ground floor of hard bop—a movement that was partly a rebellion against cool jazz, the last movement Davis was on the ground floor of. He’d spent the year before the album was recorded living in Detroit, soaking up the soulful bebop vibe emanating from that city; Walkin’ is where he distills and releases that vibe. It’s no coincidence that pianist Horace Silver is in tow. He makes his resonant, occasionally explosive presence known on “Blue n’ Boogie” and “Solar,” and forms a beautiful partnership with the leader on “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” But the title track, as deep and powerful as a blues gets, remains the album’s focal point.

Find Walkin’ on Amazon, Apple Music, and Walmart.