Dear Colleague,
Please consider this your invitation to vote in the 18th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. For more information on the Poll, please consult the website, which includes links to this invitation, a more verbose one based on last year's invite, and many more details.
If you've voted in the past, this may be all the prompt you need to vote again. But please know that much more information is available on the website.
Voting is open now. The deadline is midnight Friday, December 15. Please submit your ballot as soon as possible, but we will accept revisions up to the deadline (so there's no penalty for voting early). The results will be posted first week of January, 2024, on ArtsFuse, and on the archive website.
Please reply when you get this message. Our biggest nightmare is that invites may not reach their destination. If we don't hear back from you, I'll probably follow up with a more personal note, which is more work for all concerned. (It's a good idea to check spam directories, not that you would know that if you don't.) If you choose not to vote, please let us know, so we can stop hassling you.
To vote, please reply to this mail, and fill in the following. (It is much easier for me if you include your picks in the body of the email than to attach them.)
In all categories, albums are eligible if released in the calendar year 2023, but you may also vote for albums released late in the previous year (2022) if they are new to you. (Records released after you voted last year certainly qualify.)
Your name and primary affiliation(s)
Your choices for this year's 10 best New Releases (albums
of new music, recorded since 2013) listed in descending order,
one-through-ten).
Your top-three Historical/Rara Avis (albums with old
music: reissued of any age or previously unissued recorded before
2013), again listed in descending order.
Your choice for the year's best Vocal album
Your choice for the year's best Debut album
Your choice for the year's best Latin jazz album
If you prefer to submit an unranked list, please state so clearly and alphabetize your list by artist (last name).
If you publish your own end-of-year piece, please provide us with the URL. I will add this in a note under your ballot. There is no deadline for this.
More precise definitions, as well as details about things like mailing lists, are on the website (link at top). If you have any questions, please email Tom Hull <thull2@cox.net> (or reply to this message).
The "Jazzpoll" mailing list is the easiest way for me to keep you informed regarding the Poll. If you were subscribed last year, you should still be. If you are not subscribed, or not getting mail where you want it, please let me know. (Henceforth, the list is "opt-in.")
Stay healthy,
Your colleague,
Tom Hull