This is the last early '60s year that we have left to do.

I only have 11 albums from this year. What have you got?

No time to write much, but will toss out a few. Tons of good jazz, including a couple fine Coltrane albums but I'll skip that for now. In the rock vein, you had Elvis returning with:

Elvis is Back

A fantastic Everly Brothers album with a couple of their biggest hits like Bird Dog and When Will I Be Loved:

Everly Brothers: The Fabulous Style of the Everly Brothers

One of the biggest and best instrumental albums ever from The Ventures including the timeless title track:

The Ventures: Walk Don't Run

The Ray Charles album that brought us his version of Georgia On My Mind:

Ray Charles: The Genius Hits the Road

One of my favorite Sinatra records:

Frank Sinatra: Nice & Easy

a Wanda Jackson album that includes Fujiyama Mama:

Wanda Jackson: Rockin' with Wanda

a spectacular LP by Etta James including her version of I Just Wanna Make Love to You and Sunday Kinda Love:

Etta James: At Last

...and several more that I'll let others bring up. The era of the late 50s through the early part of the 60s is one I am quite fond of.

I have more to contribute than I thought I would.

Jazz

Nat Adderley - That's Right - Nat Adderley & the Big Sax Section
Nat Adderley - Work Song
Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor
Ornette Coleman - Change of the Century
Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz
Etta Jones - Something Nice
Abbey Lincoln with Max Roach - Freedom Now Suite
Jackie McLean - Capuchin Swing
Jackie McLean - Jackie's Bag
Hank Mobley - Soul Station
Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Lee Morgan - Leeway
Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin'
Bobby Timmons - This Here Is Bobby Timmons
The Young Lions - S/T

Country

Johnny Cash - Ride this Train
Johnny Horton - The Spectacular Johnny Horton

Blues

Lonnie Johnson & Elmer Snowden - Blues & Ballads
Otis Spann - Otis Spann Is the Blues

Rock

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley was a Gunslinger

Like those Sinatra, Etta James & Wanda Jackson that Nobody posted too.

That Bo Diddley is a pretty great album, with perhaps an even greater cover:

Holy shit, I've never seen that before. Awesome.

I definitely get behind the Johnny Cash and Wanda Jackson records mentioned in this thread.

Great choices...these two especially for me.

Not my favorite Mingus, but it's still Mingus.

I like Blues & Roots a lot.

And the Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman, Young Lions, and Bo Diddley albums mentioned.

Two obvious classics are all I can add at this time:


Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain


John Coltrane - Giant Steps (probably my favorite Coltrane)

Yeah Giant Steps would easily be my pick for best album of this year with Wes Montgomery following at #2.

Pretty much everything I have and like from this year has been mentioned except this:

Eric Dolphy - Out There
I enjoy this nearly as much as Out to Lunch.

This was one of the first Jazz albums I ever bought and it did nothing for me for about 20 years, and this year it clicked like a ton of bricks. Everything finally made sense.