classic hard bop album and song...Moanin'

actually the one I meant...I make the same mistake seemingly every time...

has Drum Thunder Suite and Blues March too
=
Blues March & Moanin' ... both really catchy

Atari and Rob have good lists, I would add:
Lee Morgan - Sidewinder (Blue Note)
Archie Shepp - Mama's Too Tight (Impulse)
Horace Silver - Silver's Blue (Blue Note)
Clifford Brown - Live at Paris (Prestige)
Charlie Parker - Strings

Given that you're looking for safe bets and a bit of education, I'd say get the Ken Burns Jazz Box Set of comps (or at least used discs of artists you'd like to check out). They are quite decent primers.

I've seen no mention thus far of Dizzy Gillespie who'd I'd put right there with Parker in essential bop. The Ken Burns comp of him (as well as the Parker one) is quite good too.

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH MILES DAVIS's SECOND QUINTET!

miles smiles
nefertiti
ESP

you will find everything you are looking for in any of those albums.

If my bank manager could see the order I just put into Amazon he'd have a total fit. Consumer caution? My arse!

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations.

Look into Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come. Don't let the free jazz label scare you off, this stuff has more catchy melody than most "straight" jazz. Damn fine.

Another album/track you should check out is Pharoah Sanders' Karma. Most of the album is comprised of the 30+ min "The Creator has a Master Plan". Again, this is in a free jazz vain, but incredibly melodic, energetic music.

Oh, I don't know if you're explored any jazz fusion, but check out Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way. Seeing you're on a SY message board, you'd probably appreciate some rock with your jazz. I stayed away from fusion for a long time. I had this idea that it would be super corny and dated. But those two albums are amazing amazing amazing.

soil and pimp sessions????????????

Baa Daa BAA DAA DAAAAAAAA da da... Bwwwwerrr be-de-daaa da da der der.

Yeah.

I've tried me some Free Jazz in the past but couldn't get into it. Think it's better to build up to it through the older stuff that eventually led to it. Might make more sense that way. Or I might end up pulling a Mingus and saying something well clever like Duke Ellington did it all anyway.

That Coltrane/Monk at Carnegie album is a straight-fucking stunner.