The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024

Ballots 2024 [3]

Anthony Dean-Harris (KMHD [Portland], DownBeat)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Jeremy Pelt, Tomorrow's Another Day (HighNote) →
  2. Hiatus Kaiyote, Love Heart Cheat Code (Brainfeeder) →
  3. BADBADNOTGOOD, Mid Spiral: Order (XL) →
  4. Kiefer, Something for Real (Stones Throw) →
  5. Lionel Loueke & Dave Holland, United (Edition) →
  6. Adam O'Farrill, Hueso (Food) →
  7. Joe Sanders, Parallels (Whirlwind) →
  8. Julieta Eugenio, Stay (Cristalyn) →
  9. Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp) →
  10. The Bad Plus, Complex Emotions (Mack Avenue) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Jos Demol (Jazz'halo)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Albert Vila Trio, Reality Is Nuance (Fresh Sound New Talent '23) →
  2. Renaud Garcia-Fons, Cinematic Double Bass: Music for Imaginary Films (RGB '23) →
  3. TGB, Room 4 (Clean Feed) →
  4. Carlos Barretto, Solo: Lonely Dog (self-released) →
  5. Alexandre Frazão Quinteto, Quintessência (self-released) →
  6. Bruno Castellucci, Legacy (GAM) →
  7. Danielle Esposito, Per altri motivi (Hypnote) →
  8. Michel Massot-Tuur Florizoone-Marine Horbaczewski, Lignes de fruite (Aventura Musica) →
  9. Chris Mentens, XMNTNS (self-released) →
  10. Bas Bulteel, Eye of the Storm (WERF) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus to Pre Bird Revisited (1960-61, Ezz-Thetics) →
  2. Bill Evans, The Legendary Trio at Birdland 1960 Revisited (Ezz-Thetics) →
  3. Sidney Bechet, Live in Paris: 1952-1958 (Frémeaux & Associés) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Steve Dollar (freelance)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  2. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  3. Prince Lasha Quintet Featuring Sonny Simmons, The Cry! (1962, Craft) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Laurence Donohue-Greene (The New York City Jazz Record)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. JD Allen, The Dark, the Light, the Grey and the Colorful (Savant) →
  2. Ben Goldberg-Todd Sickafoose-Scott Amendola, Here to There (Secret Hatch) →
  3. Stephan Crump, Slow Water (Papillon Sounds) →
  4. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  5. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  6. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  7. Peter Evans, Extra (We Jazz) →
  8. Lux Quartet, Tomorrowland (Enja/Yellowbird) →
  9. Darius Jones, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity) →
  10. Nacka Forum, Peaceful Piano (Moserobie) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. Yusef Lateef, Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert From Avignon (1972, Elemental Music) →
  4. Byard Lancaster, The Complete Palm Recordings 1973-1974 (Souffle Continu) →
  5. 2R+2B [Gunārs Rozenbergs-Raimonds Raubiško-Boriss Bannihs-Vladmirs Boldirevs], Live at the Tbilisi Jazz Festival 1978 (Jersika) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Troy Dostert (All About Jazz, Free Jazz Collective)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Alain Drouot (Downbeat, Citizen Jazz)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Modney, Ascending Primes (Pyroclastic) →
  2. Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash, To March Is to Love (Cuneiform) →
  3. Darius Jones, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity) →
  4. Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra, Louis Armstrong's America (ESP-Disk) →
  5. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  6. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  7. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  8. Wendy Eisenberg, Viewfinder (American Dreams) →
  9. Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →
  10. Dave Rempis & Tashi Dorji Duo, Gnash (Aerophonic) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. NRG Ensemble, Hold That Thought (1996, Corbett vs. Dempsey) →
  3. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Ken Dryden (New York City Jazz Record, Hot House, Timeless Jazz [WUTC-FM])

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Fred Hersch, Silent, Listening (ECM) →
  2. Michael Dease, Grove's Groove (Le Coq) →
  3. Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
  4. Charles McPherson, Reverence (Smoke Sessions) →
  5. Denny Zeitlin, Panoply (Sunnyside) →
  6. Marshall Gilkes and WDR Big Band, Life Songs (Alternate Side) →
  7. Ben Allison-Steve Cardenas-Ted Nash, Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols (Sonic Camera) →
  8. Jon Gordon, 7th Ave South (ArtistShare) →
  9. Dave Pietro, The Talisman (SteepleChase) →
  10. Emmet Cohen, Vibe Provider (Mack Avenue) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Nat King Cole, Live at the Blue Note Chicago (1953, Iconic) →
  3. Emily Remler, Cookin' at the Queens (1984-88, Resonance) →
  4. Bill Evans, In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert (1970, Elemental Music) →
  5. Louis Stewart & Jim Hall, The Dublin Concert (1982, Livia) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Chuck Eddy (Eliminated for Reasons of Space, Napster, Spin)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
  2. Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few, The World Is on Fire (Division 81) →
  3. William Parker-Cooper-Moore-Hamid Drake, Heart Trio (AUM Fidelity) →
  4. Linda Sikhakhane, Iladi (Blue Note) →
  5. Sunny Five [Tim Berne-David Torn-Ches Smith-Devin Hoff-Marc Ducret], Candid (Intakt) →
  6. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  7. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  8. Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →
  9. Ezra Collective, Dance, No One's Watching (Partisan) →
  10. Lakecia Benjamin, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) (Ropeadope) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

John Ephland (DownBeat, All About Jazz)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Lee Rice Epstein (Free Jazz Collective, But does it swing?)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  2. Darius Jones, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity) →
  3. Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra, Louis Armstrong's America (ESP-Disk) →
  4. Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →
  5. أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
  6. Space, Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch) →
  7. Matt Mitchell, Illimitable (Obliquity) →
  8. Anthony Braxton, 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House) →
  9. John Zorn, New Masada Quartet, Volume 3: Live at Roulette (Tzadik) →
  10. Weird of Mouth [Mette Rasmussen-Craig Taborn-Ches Smith], Weird of Mouth (Otherly Love) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10, A Beautiful Day Revisited (2002, Palmetto) →
  2. Tony Oxley, Angular Apron (1992, Corbett vs. Dempsey) →
  3. Phil Haynes' 4 Horns and What?, The Complete American Recordings (1989-95, Corner Store Jazz) →
  4. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  5. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Steve Feeney (ArtsFuse, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  2. Caleb Wheeler Curtis, The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani) →
  3. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  4. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  5. Thumbscrew, Wingbeats (Cuneiform) →
  6. Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →
  7. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  8. Dave Douglas, Gifts (Greenleaf Music) →
  9. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  10. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Keith Jarrett-Gary Peacock-Paul Motian, The Old Country (1992, ECM) →
  2. Emily Remler, Cookin' at the Queens (1984-88, Resonance) →
  3. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  4. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Gary Finney (WQLN NPR [Eric, PA])

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  4. Charles Tolliver Music Inc., Live at the Captain's Cabin (1973, Cellar Music) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Phil Freeman (Burning Ambulance, Stereogum, The Wire, DownBeat)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Lisa Ullén, Heirloom (Fönstret) →
  2. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  3. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  4. Nubya Garcia, Odyssey (Concord Jazz) →
  5. Thembi Dunjana, God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi (AfricArise) →
  6. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  7. Tyshawn Sorey Trio, The Susceptible Now (Pi) →
  8. Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp) →
  9. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  10. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  3. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  4. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  5. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Filipe Freitas (JazzTrail)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  2. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  3. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  4. Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
  5. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  6. Peter Evans, Extra (We Jazz) →
  7. Miguel Zenón, Golden City (Miel Music) →
  8. Jon Irabagon's Outright!, Recharge the Blade (Irabbagast) →
  9. Anna Webber, Simpletrio2000 (Intakt) →
  10. Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  2. Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10, A Beautiful Day Revisited (2002, Palmetto) →
  3. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Will Friedwald (Wall Street Journal, New York Sun, KSDS Jazz Radio [San Diego])

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Ken Peplowski, Live at Mezzrow (Cellar Music) →
  2. Catherine Russell & Sean Mason, My Ideal (Dot Time) →
  3. Jeremy Pelt, Tomorrow's Another Day (HighNote) →
  4. Sun Ra Arkestra [Under the Direction of Marshall Allen], Lights on a Satellite (In+Out) →
  5. Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
  6. Bria Skonberg, What It Means (Cellar Live) →
  7. Grace Kelly With Strings, At the Movies (PAZZ Productions) →
  8. Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O, Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come (Palmetto) →
  9. Ghost Train Orchestra & Kronos Quartet, Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog (Cantaloupe '23) →
  10. Veronica Swift, Veronica Swift (Mack Avenue '23) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Martha Raye, Martha Raye & Co-Stars in Hollywood (1936-44, Sepia) →
  2. Don Byas, Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946 (Mosaic '23) →
  3. Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz Sessions, 1943-49 (Mosaic) →
  4. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Centennial (1923, Archeophone) →
  5. Sun Ra, Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978, Resonance) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Note: Extra votes disqualified: Rara Avis: Louis Jordan, World Broadcast Recordings 1944/45 (GHB/Circle); Vocal: Caity Gyorgy, Hello! How Are You? (La Reserve)

Pat Frisco (WHFR-FM [Dearborn, MI])

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →
  2. François Houle-Kate Gentile-Alexander Hawkins, Fatrasies (Victo) →
  3. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  4. Dave Rempis-Jason Adasiewicz-Joshua Abrams-Tyler Damon, Propulsion (Aerophonic) →
  5. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  6. Stemeseder Lillinger Quartet, Umbra II (Intakt) →
  7. PNY Quintet, Over the Wall (RogueArt) →
  8. Albert Beger-Ziv Taubenfeld-Shay Hazan-Hamid Drake, Cosmic Waves (NoBusiness) →
  9. Floros Floridis-Matthias Bauer-Joe Hertenstein, Temporal Driftness (Evil Rabbit) →
  10. Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
  2. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  3. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  4. Karen Borca Trio Quartet & Quintet, Good News Blues: Live at the Vision Festival 1998 & 2005 (NoBusiness) →
  5. Sun Ra, Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets the OVC (1986, Strut) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Jon Garelick (Boston Globe, Arts Fuse, Jazziz, DownBeat)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Don Byas, Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946 (Mosaic '23) →
  2. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  3. Miles Davis, Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings (Craft) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Ana Gavrilovska (Uncut, Maggot Brain, Aquarium Drunkard)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Richard Gehr (Relix)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Kim Cass, Levs (Pi) →
  2. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  3. Joy Guidry, Amen (Whited Sepulchre) →
  4. The Necks, Bleed (Northern Spy) →
  5. Joe Fonda Quartet, Eyes on the Horizon (Long Song) →
  6. Jenny Scheinman, All Species Parade (Royal Potato Family) →
  7. Out Of/Into [Joel Ross-Gerald Clayton-Kendrick Scott-Matt Brewer-Immanuel Wilkins], Motion I (Blue Note) →
  8. John Hollenbeck & NDR Bigband, Colouring Hockets (Plexatonic) →
  9. Leo Genovese-Demian Cabaud-Marcos Cavaleiro, Estrellero 2 (Sunnyside) →
  10. Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, The Way Out of Easy (International Anthem) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  2. Sun Ra, Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978, Resonance) →
  3. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  4. Keith Jarrett-Gary Peacock-Paul Motian, The Old Country (1992, ECM) →
  5. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Brooks Geiken (Arts Fuse, Latinjazznet)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT