3rd Annual Jazz Critics Poll: 2008

2008 Jazz Poll Winners

Jazz Album of the Year

  1. 1. Sonny Rollins Road Shows, Vol. 1 (Doxy/Emarcy) 208.5 points (29 ballots)
  2. 2. Rudresh Mahanthappa Kinsmen (Pi) 118.5 (16)
  3. 3. Charles Lloyd Rabo de Nube (ECM) 115 (18)
  4. 4. Vijay Iyer Tragicomic (Sunnyside) 68 (11)
  5. 5. Wadada Leo Smith Tabligh (Cuneiform) 67 (13)
  6. 6. Cassandra Wilson Loverly (Blue Note) 64.5 (12)
  7. 7. Joe Lovano Symphonica (Blue Note) 63 (10)
  8. 8. Donny McCaslin Recommended Tools (Greenleaf) 59.5 (9)
  9. 9. Bill Frisell History, Mystery (Nonesuch) 57.5 (9)
  10. 10. Guillermo Klein Filtros (Sunnyside) 56 (10)
  11. 11. Martial Solal Longitude (Cam Jazz) 54 (10)
  12. 12. Lionel Loueke Karibu (Blue Note) 54 (9)
  13. 13. James Moody & Hank Jones Our Delight (IPO) 54 (8)
  14. 14. David Murray & Mal Waldron Silence (Justin Time) 52.5 (7)
  15. 15. Bennie Maupin Early Reflections (Cryptogramophone) 50 (7)
  16. 16. William Parker Petit Oiseau (AUM Fidelity) 49 (10)
  17. 17. Dave Holland Pass It On (Dare2/Emarcy) 49 (9)
  18. 18. James Carter Present Tense (Emarcy) 48 (9)
  19. 19. McCoy Tyner Guitars (Half Note/McCoy Tyner Music) 46.5 (10)
  20. 20. Brian Blade Season of Changes (Verve) 45 (8)
  21. 21. Mary Halvorson Dragon's Head
  22. 22. Dafnis Prieto Taking the Soul for a Walk (Dafnison) 44 (7)
  23. 23. Anat Cohen Notes From the Village (Anzic) 43 (7)
  24. 24. Mario Pavone Trio Arc (Playscape) 37 (5)
  25. 25. Carla Bley Appearing Nightly (WATT/ECM) 36.5 (7)
  26. 26. Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard (Planet Arts) 36 (7)
  27. 27. William Parker Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity) 36 (5)
  28. 28. Various Artists Miles From India (Four Quarters/Times Square) 35 (6)
  29. 29. Bill Dixon 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur (AUM Fidelity) 34 (5)
  30. 30. Miguel Zenon Awake (Marsalis Music) 33 (5)
  31. 31. Jenny Scheinman Crossing the Field (Koch) 33 (4)
  32. 32. Steven Bernstein Diaspora Suite (Tzadik) 32 (5)
  33. 33. Danilo Perez Across the Crystal Sea (EmArcy) 32 (4)
  34. 34. Mostly Other People Do the Killing This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup) 30 (5)
  35. 35. Louis Moholo-Moholo & Marilyn Crispell Sibanye (We Are One) (Intakt) 29 (4)
  36. 36. Saxophone Summit Seraphic Light (Telarc) 28.5 (6)
  37. 37. Brad Mehldau Live (Nonesuch) 27 (6)
  38. 38. Pat Metheny Day Trip (Nonesuch) 26 (4)
  39. 38. Kurt Rosenwinkel The Remedy (ArtistShare) 26 (4)
  40. 38. Marcus Shelby Harriet Tubman (Noir) 26 (4)
  41. 41. Roberta Gambarini & Hank Jones You Are There (EmArcy) 24 (4)
  42. 41. Evan Parker Boustrophedon (ECM) 24 (4)
  43. 43. Bobby Previte Set the Alarm for Monday (Palmetto) 22.5 (4)
  44. 43. Scott Robinson Forever Lasting (Arbors) 22.5 (4)
  45. 45. Mike Reed Proliferation (482 Music) 22 (5)
  46. 46. JD Allen I Am I Am (Sunnyside) 22 (3)
  47. 46. Brotherhood of Breath Eclipse at Dawn (Cuneiform) 22 (3)
  48. 46. Ted Nash The Mancini Project (Palmetto) 22 (3)
  49. 49. Todd Sickafoose Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone) 21.5 (4)
  50. 50. Matana Roberts The Chicago Project (Central Control) 21 (4)*

*Totals for The Chicago Project include 7 (1) from 2007

Critics were asked to list 10 albums in descending order, with 10 points awarded for their #1, 9 for #2, etc. (On ballots where choices were listed alphabetically, each received 5.5 points.) The first number indicates total points; the number in parentheses is the tally of ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.

Jazz Reissue of the Year

  1. 1. Anthony Braxton The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton (Mosaic) 87 (33)
  2. 2. Miles Davis Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collectors Edition (Columbia/Legacy) 26 (10)
  3. 3. Art Tatum Piano Starts Here: Live at the Shrine/The Zenph Re-Performance (Sony Classical) 20 (10)
  4. 3. Lester Young Classic Columbia, Okeh and Vocalion with Count Basie (1936-1940) (Mosaic) 20 (10)
  5. 5. Nina Simone To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (BMG/Legacy) 13 (6)
  6. 6. Ornette Coleman Town Hall 1962 (ESP Disk) 13 (5)
  7. 7. Blue Notes The Ogun Collection (Ogun) 11 (4)
  8. 8. Charlie Parker Washington, D.C., May 23, 1948 (Uptown Jazz) 10 (4)
  9. 9. Dizzy Gillespie Showtime at the Spotlite: 52nd Street, New York City, June 1946 (Uptown) 9 (6)
  10. 10. Grachan Moncur III Evolution (Blue Note) 8 (5)

Critics were asked to list three reissues in descending order, with 3 points awarded for #1, 2 for #2, and 1 for #3.

The number tallies ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.

Best Vocal

  1. 1. Cassandra Wilson Loverly (Blue Note) 14
  2. 2. Kate McGarry If Less Is More . . . Nothing Is Everything (Palmetto) 5
  3. 3. Patricia Barber The Cole Porter Mix (Blue Note) 4
  4. 3. Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis Two Men With the Blues (Blue Note) 4
  5. 5. Roberta Gambarini & Hank Jones You Are There (EmArcy) 3

Best Debut

  1. 1. Noah Preminger Dry Bridge Road (NOWT) 8
  2. 2. Ideal Bread The Ideal Bread KMB (Jazz) 5
  3. 3. Ambrose Akinmusire Prelude (Fresh Sound New Talent) 4
  4. 4. Mathias Eick The Door (ECM) 3

Best Latin

  1. 1. Bebo Valdés/Javier Colina Live at the Village Vanguard (Calle 54 Norté) 9
  2. 2. Conrad Herwig The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter (Half Note) 8
  3. 3. Arturo O'Farrill Song for Chico (Zoho) 4
  4. 4. Dafnis Prieto Taking the Soul for a Walk (Dafnison) 4

For Best Vocal, Debut, and Latin albums, critics were asked to name one album apiece, with no point system.

December 31, 2008, The Village Voice