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"Kind of Blue" and "The Birth of Cool" have already been mentioned. Sticking with Miles, you have got to get "Sketches of Spain.
Next up: Shadowfax - "Shadowdance", and one of the Mickey Hart drumming albums, "Drumming at the Edge of Magic" or "Planet Drum". This covers the edge of the new agey stuff, and it wonderfully trippy without being dully repetetive as I find trance to be.
For Guitar Jazz, John McLaughlin, Al Dimeola, and Paco De Lucia did a studio and a live album together, "Passion, Grace, and Fire" and "Friday Night in San Fransisco" respectively, that cannot be beat. Of the Three, I like Al DiMeola's stuff best, in particular "Kiss my Axe" and "Land of the Midnight Sun".
Now, I consider Joe Satriani and Steve Vai jazz, but most people don't. Satch's "The Extremist" and Stevie's "The Ultra Zone" are my two favorites.
Also, don't sell Zappa short for Jazz. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend any one album of his as a solid Jazz album (With the possible exception of "Jazz from Hell". I just don't care for that album). Parts of "One Size Fits All" and "Them or Us" are excellent jazz, though, and you should give "Weasels Ripped my Flesh" a listen, if not a purchase.
How could I forget? Bela Fleck! Any or all are excellent.
You will also need to find some Duke Ellington. I don't know of a good album, but everything I have heard of his has been fantastic. Ditto Coletrane.
I would stay away from Ornette Coleman, though. Sort of Jazz's answer to James Joyce. I have heard he was a genius, but the only thing I can figure is that it takes a genius to sell a record of someone beating a bagpipe to death with a live maribou stork. Opinions may differ, but that's what it sounds like to me. Methinks the man was too clever to be understood.
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