List of UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart number ones of 1996

Kenny G's tenth studio album The Moment was the most successful album on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart in 1996, spending the last 12 weeks of the year (and the first two of 1997) at number one.

The UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart is a record chart which ranks the best-selling jazz and blues albums in the United Kingdom. Compiled and published by the Official Charts Company, the data is based on each album's weekly physical sales, digital downloads and streams. In 1996, 52 charts were published with 13 albums at number one. The first number-one album of the year was That's Jazz, a compilation of songs by various artists released by EMI, which spent the first three weeks of the year atop the chart. The last number-one of the year was Kenny G's tenth studio album The Moment, which topped the chart from 13 October until the end of the year – a period of 12 consecutive weeks.

The most successful album on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart in 1996 was The Moment, which spent the last 12 weeks of the year at number one. American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who died on 15 June 1996, was the most successful artist of the year on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, spending 13 combined weeks at number one with three different compilations: The Best of Ella Fitzgerald (one week), Forever Ella (seven weeks) and Essential Ella (five weeks). Jan Garbarek spent four consecutive weeks at number one with Visible World, while Courtney Pine and Sade were number one for three weeks each with Modern Day Jazz Stories and Diamond Life, respectively.

Chart history

Ella Fitzgerald, who died in June, spent a total of 13 weeks at number one on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart with three different greatest hits albums.

Visible World by Norwegian musician Jan Garbarek spent four consecutive weeks at number one during May 1996.

Courtney Pine was number one for three weeks in February 1996 with the album Modern Day Jazz Stories.

Soul band Sade spent three weeks at number one on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart in 1995 with their 1984 debut album, Diamond Life.

Issue date	Album	Artist(s)	Record label(s)	Ref.
7 January	That's Jazz	various artists	EMI
14 January
21 January
28 January	The Best of Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Fitzgerald	MCA
4 February	Modern Day Jazz Stories	Courtney Pine	Talkin' Loud
11 February
18 February
25 February	Diamond Life	Sade	Epic
3 March
10 March
17 March	Forever Ella	Ella Fitzgerald	Verve/PolyGram
24 March
31 March
7 April
14 April
21 April
28 April
5 May	Visible World	Jan Garbarek	ECM
12 May
19 May
26 May
2 June	Blues Alive	Gary Moore	Virgin
9 June	Still Got the Blues
16 June	Pure Jazz Moods	various artists	Dino
23 June
30 June
7 July	Essential Ella	Ella Fitzgerald	Verve
14 July
21 July
28 July
4 August
11 August	The Best Jazz... Ever!	various artists	Virgin
18 August
25 August
1 September
8 September
15 September
22 September
29 September	The Very Best of Miles Davis	Miles Davis	Columbia
6 October
13 October	The Moment	Kenny G	Arista
20 October
27 October
3 November
10 November
17 November
24 November
1 December
8 December
15 December
22 December
29 December

See also

• 1996 in British music

External links

• Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart at the Official Charts Company