I appreciate jazz from an artistic standpoint without being a big fan of the genre for casual listening purposes. Still, my knowledge of jazz could be better, so I was delighted to receive a review copy of The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World from Jazzwise.

Is the list "right"? Well, that truly depends on the listener/reader, since one's taste in music is purely subjective. But it's based on solid criteria, and reading the rationales for each album's inclusion is very informative.

Albums No. 100 (Delightful Precipice by Loose Tubes, recorded in 1986) down to No. 31 (Pat Methany's 80/81, recorded in 1980) get a half-page essay each to justify their inclusion. From No. 30 (Chick Corea's Return to Forever, 1972) to No. 1 (Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, 1959), the albums are discussed in more detail in a full-page essay.

Between them, you'll find a diverse representation of benchmark jazz recordings, including Wynton Marsalis's Black Codes (From the Underground) (1985, No. 83), Maria Schneider's Concert in the Garden (2004, No. 63), Ella Fitzgerald's Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife (1960, No. 34), Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock (1973, No. 20), Weather Report's Mysterious Traveller (1974, No. 13) and Charlie Parker's Bird/The Savoy Recordings (1944-48, No. 3).

The book, thin though it be, also contains some spotlight articles, a list of "nearly made it" albums that didn't quite make the top 100, and copies of previous lists compiled in 1999 and 2006.

Jazz aficionados will probably already have their own top 100 lists in mind, if not on paper. This list is, I assume, intended to generate discussion among the faithful and encourage exploration by newcomers to the genre. As such, it is a powerful tool, well worth the time it takes to read it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some music to sample.