Following Original Dixieland Jazz Band's first recordings--were the jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman and his orchestra; trumpeter Bunny Berigan; the trombonist J.J. Johnson; the vocalist Louis "Satchimo" Armstrong; King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, where Armstrong graduated; Duke Ellington Orchestra; Kenny Clark and his 52nd Strret Boys; Charlie Parker Septet; Dizzie Gillespie Orchestra and Thelonious Monk Quartet--whose recordings in the swing era metamorphosed to sycopated semi-improvised hybrid of ragtime, brass-band music, popular song and the blues to what is now jazz.

Jazz criticism and scholarship, however, have developed more slowly than the music itself, in part because jazz is usually improvised rather than composed, thus making it harder to study formally.

Meanwhile, the following 30 lists that I shall provide in a piecemeal, were not chosen because they were influential (though many were, some greatly so). Each one I picked here was done for its musical excellence. As a result, a number of performers who ought to have been represented--among them: Lee Morgan, Herp Albert, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Idris Muhammad, Paulinho da Costa, David Newman, Kirk Whalum, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, the Brecker Brothers--are instead conspicuous by their absence, very much to my regret.

Except for George Benson, I have omitted all vocalist (though a number of other instrumentalists are included who also became known, like George Benson, for their singing. I believe that "jazz singing" is best understood and discussed as a variety of singing, about which I intend to write at a latter date.

Thus, anyone who purchases all 30 recommended performances will in the process acquire a shelf of great recorded jazz on CD.

The following lists are, first and foremost, 30 of my favorites. Nevertheless, I believe they are all masterpieces and that, taken together, they paint an accurate sound picture of '70s jazz recordings.

1. Grover Washington Jr.
Hydra

This tenor/soprano saxophonist popularized jazz fusion with "Hydra" and the entire piece from the "Feels So Good" album. Grover Washington Jr. began recording around the same time as sax players Eddie Daniels, Michael Brecker, George Young, he was a soloist whose style was totally different from other Creed Taylor products at KUDU Records.

2. Johnny Hammond
It's Too Late

Johhny Hammond was one of the first converts who left the big bands for "fusion." His recordings exactly contemporary with those of Grover Washington Jr., Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine, aspired to the same kind of control. They were all products of Creed Taylor. Hammond hired Hank Crawford, Grover Washington Jr., Eric Gale, Airto Moreira, Billy Cobham, Danny More and Johnny Williams for the "Breakout" album which was recorded at Van Gelder Studios in the Summer of 1971.

Brilliant stuff and compositions.

3. Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett
Moonchild/In Your Quiet Place

Starting in the late 60s, many younger jazz musicians incorporated aspects of rock and other styles of popular music into their own playing. In 1967, Gary Burton who had previously worked as a country-and-western session player in Nashville, formed a quartet and three years later would record with pianist Keith Jarrett whose playing also reflected a comparably wide variety of interest, including gospel music.

Jarrett, a Miles Davis graduate, established himself as a hugely popular solo artist, alternating between jazz of various kinds and classical music.

4. Stan Getz
500 Miles High

Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was a Miles Davis alumni. Started his own band and was one of a handful of older musicians who began experimenting with fusion. He hired Brasilian born pianist-composer Chick Corea, who had previously worked with Davis.

5. Modern Jazz Quartet
Django

Except for Getz and Davis, most older jazz musicians shunned fusion, continuing to work in more traditional styles. A case in point was the Modern Jazz Quartet, the longest lived small group in jazz, which was playing even better in 1974 than it had been twenty years earlier. Led by the pianist-composer John Lewis, the MJQ, as the group was known, sought to bring compositional rigor to bebop

"Django" was written in memory of Django Reinhardt, the Belgian guitarist of Gypsy parentage known to have been Europe's first jazz soloist, is Lewis most popular composition, and this lively version recorded at a 1974 Lincoln Center concert, captures the MJQ at something close to its best.

6. Weather Report
Birdland

This group was formed by another Davis graduate Wayne Shorter and French born pianist-composer Joe Zawinul. "Birdland", fusion-jazz-rock blend gave the album "This Is Jazz" a brief run on the pop-music charts.

7.Eric Gale
Ginseng Woman

Eric Gale has been called many things. But one thing he's been called more than any other is this: The greatest guitarist in the history of fusion-jazz. The album "Ginseng Woman was produced by Bob James with jazz greats Randy Brecker, Grover Washington Jr., Richard Tee in session.

8Stanley Turrentine
The Stretch

Another Creed Taylor product. Stanley Turrentine, tenor saxophonist, hired Hubert Laws (flute), Ron Carter (Bass), Billy Cobham (drums), Ray Barreto (conga) Butch Cornell (organ) for this brilliant "The Sugar Man" album which was recorded at Van Gelder Studios. "The Stretch" was arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky.

Also, there was Apartheid South Africa, and a young lad named Hugh Maskela had escaped the brutal regime of Apartheid South Africa to England where he was offered scholarship to study music.

But, then, there was the magnificent John Coltrane whose kinda winding and brassing took jazz music to another level. John Coltrane was to jazz music what Jimi Hendricks was to rock. But the irony was, both thought they were white folks.

So too, was the widespread drug epidemic that accompanied the 60's era, and regardless, brought in a great amount of success for the black entertainers, particularly, and besides jazz, when Berry Gordy founded Motown in Detroit and recruited blacks from all walks life. The rest is now history.

Nevertheless, jazz was still powerful when in the mid-50's Dave Brubeck Quartet introduced jazz in Mid-Western universities with the still in print "Jazz Goes To College" album.

In this second instalment of a piecemeal, I would add two African jazz greats and bands whose era sprang from the 60's through the 80's, recording smash hits.

Hugh Maskela
9. "A Person Is A Sometime Thing"

Born in South Africa. When he was awarded scholarship to the Guidhall School of Music in !959, he went with a dual purpose: to improve his musical knowledge and, in time, to help fight for freedom for all those oppressed by African Party in power in South Africa.

Met personally with this activist when he performed at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Fela and Sunny Ade, too, performed there. All were great performances.

The hit "A Person Is A Sometime Thing" was released by Cassablanca Records in 1975. Great instrumental jazz piece. Still in print.

10.Lee Oskar
"Before The Rain"
This Danish born Violinist is a cinderella story. Left Denmark at age sixteen and found himself on the streets of London before being discovered and signed by Capitol Records where he worked alongside Hugh Maskela. Later left Capitol Records and played the pubs before joining Compton and Long Beach raised ghetto kids known as War.

Left War and released the album "Before The Rain." A masterpiece and still in print.

11. Osibisa
"So So Milasso"

Band members: Teddy Osei, Sol Amarfio, Mac Tontoh, Spartacus R, Loughty Lasiso Amao, Wendel Richardson, Robert Bailey and later Mike Odumosu of the once famous BLO.

The track So So Milasso was from the album "Osibisa Heads," recorded live at Air Studios in London, and was produced by Osibisa and John Punter.

12.Hank Crawford
"I've Just Seen A Face"

Another Creed Taylor product. Hired Cliff Carter, David Mathews, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Jeremy Steig, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Emmanuel Green, Charles Libove, Marvin Morgenster, David Nadien, Max Pillikoff, Matthew Raimondi and several others for the "Tico Rico" album which contained the track "I've Just Seen A Face."

Great piece and still in print.

13. Spyrogyra
"OPUS D'OPUS"
This track was cut from the album "Spyrogyra," and was produced by Jay Beckenstein and Richard Calandra.

Band members: Jay Beckenstein, Jeremy Wall, Jim Kurzdorler, the legendary Tom Walsh, Tom Schuman, Tony Garusso, Fred Marshall, Rick Bell and David Parker.

14. Bob James
"Rush Hour"

I call this Jewish lad the white black man. Lived in the ghetto, dined and wined with blacks in the ghetto, and did practically everything with the blacks. Great guy.

The track "Rush Hour" was released from the album "Lucky Seven," and was produced, arranged and conducted by the magnificent Bob James in 1979 at Columbia Records.

My final installment comes next in great detail. So, stay tuned.