In 1981, Cash Box magazine published a Jazz Album list weekly. Forty albums were ranked in each chart. Here’s a chart of the #1 jazz albums for 1981:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January 3 | Winelight | Grover Washington, Jr. |
| January 10 | ||
| January 17 | ||
| January 24 | ||
| January 31 | ||
| February 7 | ||
| February 14 | ||
| February 21 | ||
| February 28 | ||
| March 7 | ||
| March 14 | ||
| March 21 | ||
| March 28 | ||
| April 4 | ||
| April 11 | ||
| April 18 | ||
| April 25 | ||
| May 2 | ||
| May 9 | ||
| May 16 | ||
| May 23 | ||
| May 30 | ||
| June 6 | ||
| June 13 | ||
| June 20 | ||
| June 27 | ||
| July 4 | The Clarke-Duke Project | Stanley Clarke & George Duke |
| July 11 | ||
| July 18 | ||
| July 25 | ||
| August 1 | ||
| August 8 | ||
| August 15 | The Man with the Horn | Miles Davis |
| August 22 | ||
| August 29 | ||
| September 5 | ||
| September 12 | ||
| September 19 | Breakin’ Away | Al Jarreau |
| September 26 | ||
| October 3 | ||
| October 10 | ||
| October 17 | ||
| October 24 | ||
| October 31 | ||
| November 7 | ||
| November 14 | ||
| November 21 | ||
| November 28 | ||
| December 5 | ||
| December 12 | ||
| December 19 | ||
| December 26 | The George Benson Collection | George Benson |
#1 Cash Box Jazz Albums:
1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980