I'm just scratching the surface at the moment.

Had a listen to Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan & Coltrane so far.

Anyone recommend some albums i can check out?

I have Horace Silver, Walter Davis Jr & Tina Brooks queued on soulseek at the moment.

Your really can't go wrong with any of the standards. Is the Walter Davis, Jr album you're snatching Davis Cup? If so, that is one fantastic CD. Horace Silver is one of my favorites. Song For My Father is my favorite jazz LP.

Anything by McLean, Hubbard, Dorham, Blakey... it's all gold.

I'm bad with jazz genre's, but I think Thelonious Monk's Brilliant Corners might qualify as hard bop. Great album.

Johnny Griffin "A Blowin' Session"
Sonny Rollins "Saxophone Collosus"
Hank Mobley "Soul Station"
Lee Morgan "The Sidewinder"
Jackie McLean "Right Now!"
Sonny Clark "Cool Struttin' "
Dexter Gordon "Go!"
Gene Ammons "Boss Tenor"
Nat Adderly and the Big Sax Section "That's Right!"

Oh hell yes. These are essential, as are Blakey's Moanin' , Miles' Kind of Blue, and Adderley's Somethin' Else.

Second many of those mentioned, and I'm not sure what constitutes "hard" bop, but I'd also recommend:

Charlie Parker Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Collection (this is a 2CD comp)
Roland Kirk The Inflated Tear
and a whole bunch of Miles Davis (though bgl3's rec is the place to start)

Lots of answers and some good ones already given. I just wanna toss out a plug for one of my personal favorites, Miles Davis: Walkin'.

I'd also suggest Lou Donaldson: Blues Walk. It tosses in a bit more of a blues vibe to the mix and is just a damn fine album.

Also, thought I'd mention you may be well served upon first exploring a genre as vast as this by some compilations. Blue Note has some good ones that would let you pick from a few artists you like and other labels do as well.

jimmy smith - root down
archie shepp - mama too tight
booker erwin - freedom book
grant green - idle moments
dexter gordon - go

Jesus, what a great list... I could live in the timbre of Gene Ammons' fat (and phat) sound....

Assuming the Coltrane you checked was either Blue Train or Giant Steps and that the Lee Morgan was The Sidewinder. Seconding Kind of Blue, Idle Moments, and Saxophone Colossus.

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
The Quintent* - Jazz at Massey Hall

* Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingues, Bud Powell, Max Roach

billy g is single-handedly responsible for me going broke. i just ordered these

Hank Mobley "Soul Station"
Lee Morgan "The Sidewinder"
Dexter Gordon "Go!"

as well as Art Blakey's "Moanin'"

in addition to finally being inspired to pick up some Meters albums from that other thread.

thanks a lot bg.

Thank you very much for the recs.

I have two weeks holidays. Shitloads to get through.

Some of the stuff I'm looking at.

# Pepper Adams – 10 to 4 at the 5-Spot
# Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
# Art Blakey – Moanin’
# Art Blakey – The Freedom Rider
# Kenny Burrell – Midnight Blue
# John Coltrane – Blue Train
# John Coltrane – Giant Steps
# Miles Davis – Cookin’
# Miles Davis – Workin’
# Dexter Gordon – Go!
# Grant Green – Idle Moments
# Joe Henderson – Inner Urge
# Milt Jackson – Bags and Trane
# Wynton Kelly – Kelly Blue
# Blue Mitchell – Blue Soul
# Hank Mobley – Soul Station
# Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
# Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder
# Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth
# Ike Quebec – Blue and Sentimental
# Max Roach – Freedom Now Suite
# Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus
# Sonny Rollins – A Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1
# Horace Silver – Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers
# Jimmy Smith – The Sermon