You see, by virtue of this list, I find it it a little difficult to include both of the genres that you are talking of, bassist. Even in the case of Steve Reich, there are already multiple recordings of many of his works, making it hard to include them on the list.
On the whole, when people buy 'classical' albums, they are buying the performance, not necessarily the work. Not to mention that few recordings in the classical world have really made such an impact as most pop albums in terms of distribution (with the exception of such standouts like Gershwin does Gershwin, etc.), but even then, it is just yet another performance of a work people frequently hear.
Which copy of Drumming should make the list, the Nonesuch version or the Cantaloupe version? Perhaps they deliberately avoided these because such arguments will inevitably arise. Very few 'classical' artists release albums with the intent of the album in mind (of course with exceptions, like Glass's Songs From Liquid Days), but if you ask most composers (at least those I know and have met), the recording is a secondary or tertiary concern.
That being said, 102, and I'm a little disappointed that they have John Zorn playing Ornette Coleman but no Ornette Coleman on the list.
