16th Annual Jazz Critics Poll: 2021
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New Albums Rara Avis Debuts Latin Vocals
Critics
Ackermann - Broomer Brownlee - Drouot Dryden - Grunenberg Gutterman - Kamins Kanzler - Miriello Mitchell - Sachs Saunders - Taylor Tesser - Young

2021 Totals: Vocals

  1. Veronica Swift, This Bitter Earth (Mack Avenue) 17
  2. Gretchen Parlato, Flor (Edition) 9
  3. Sara Serpa, Intimate Strangers (Biophilia) 9
  4. Jen Shyu & Jade Tongue, Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses (Pi) 9
  5. Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force, Dear Love (Empress Legacy) 7
  6. Esperanza Spalding, Songwrights Apothecary Lab (Concord) 7
  7. Mary LaRose, Out Here (Little (i) Music) 6
  8. Kate McGarry + Keith Ganz Ensemble, What to Wear in the Dark (Resilience) 6
  9. Theo Bleckmann and the Westerlies, This Land (Westerlies Music) 4
  10. Samara Joy, Samara Joy (Whirlwind) 4
  11. Roseanna Vitro, Sing a Song of Bird (Skyline) 4
  12. Lady Blackbird, Black Acid Soul (BMG) 3
  13. Kurt Elling, SuperBlue (Edition) 2
  14. Anthony Joseph, The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running for Their Lives (Heavenly Sweetness) 2
  15. Paul Jost Quartet, While We Were Gone (Paul Jost Music) 2
  16. Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent, Quiet Is the Star (Roomspin) 2
  17. Michael Mayo, Bones (Artistry Music) 2
  18. Mankwe Ndosi and Body MemOri, Felt/not said (Auspice NOW) 2
  19. Lara Solnicki, The One and the Other (Outside In Music) 2
  20. Arooj Aftab, Vulture Prince (New Amsterdam) 1
  21. Roxana Amed, Ontology (Sony Music Latin) 1
  22. Patricia Barber, Clique (Impex) 1
  23. Melanie Charles, Y'all Don't (Really) Care About Black Women (Impulse!) 1
  24. Disquiet [Christof Kurzmann-Sofia Jernberg-Joe Williamson-Mats Brandlmayr], Disquiet (Trost) 1
  25. Hamid Drake-Elaine Mitchener-William Parker-Orphy Robinson-Pat Thomas, Black Top Presents: Some Good News (Otoroku) 1
  26. Champian Fulton, Live From Lockdown (Champian) 1
  27. Anna Gréta, Nightjar in the Northern Sky (ACT) 1
  28. Allan Harris, Kate's Soulfood (Love Productions) 1
  29. Lauren Henderson, Musa (Brontosaurus) 1
  30. Irreversible Entanglements, Open the Gates (International Anthem) 1
  31. Amirtha Kidambi & Matteo Liberatore, Neutral Love (Astral Editions) 1
  32. KUU!, Artificial Sheep (ACT) 1
  33. Rosie Lowe & Duval Timothy, Son (Carrying Colour) 1
  34. Terrace Martin, Drones (BMG) 1
  35. Moor Mother, Black Encyclopedia of the Air (Anti-) 1
  36. Luciana Morelli, Lo Abismal, El Agua (Ears & Eyes) 1
  37. Maria Muldaur With Tuba Skinny, Let's Get Happy Together (Stony Plain) 1
  38. Lina Nyberg & Daniel Karlsson, The Night and the Music (Prophone) 1
  39. William Parker, Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World (Centering/AUM Fidelity) 1
  40. Alexis Parsons, Alexis (New Artists) 1
  41. Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Featuring Cyrille Aimée, Petite Fleur (Storyville) 1
  42. Sharp 5, Shine a Bright Light (Valley Jazz) 1
  43. Elizabeth Shepherd & Michael Occhipinti, The Weight of Hope (Modica Music) 1
  44. Ches Smith & We All Break, Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic) 1
  45. Becca Stevens and Elan Mehler, Pallet on Your Floor (Newvelle -20) 1
  46. Sweet Megg & Ricky Alexander, I'm in Love Again (Turtle Bay) 1
  47. Dara Tucker, Dreams of Waking: Music for a Better World (Green Hill) 1
  48. Sachal Vasandani & Romain Collin, Midnight Shelter (Edition) 1
  49. Sarah Vaughan, Live at the Berlin Philharmonie 1969 (The Lost Recordings) 1
  50. Moreno Veloso, Every Single Night (Corbett vs. Dempsey) 1
  51. Fay Victor's SoundNoiseFunk, We've Had Enough! (ESP-Disk -20) 1
  52. Lucy Yeghiazaryan & Vanisha Gould, In Her Words (La Reserve) 1

Critics were asked to name one album apiece, with no point system.

The following albums received votes this year but were released in 2020 and received votes in that year's poll (2020 vote + 2021 vote). Rule is that we add the old votes to this year's only if the album received more votes this year than last. None did.