The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024

Ballots 2024 [4]

Stef Gijssels (Free Jazz Collective)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Gonçalo Almeida, States of Restraint (Clean Feed) →
  2. David Maranha & Rodrigo Amado, Wrecks (Nariz Entupido) →
  3. Christoph Erb-Magda Mayas-Gerry Hemingway, Hour Music (Veto) →
  4. Angles & Elle-Kari With Strings, The Death of Kalypso (Thanatosis Produktion) →
  5. John Butcher + 13, Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax) →
  6. Kris Davis Trio, Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic) →
  7. Lina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus, Flip Side (Lumo) →
  8. Hubbub, abb abb abb (Relative Pitch) →
  9. Desarbres Ensemble, Live at 6th Spontaneous Music Festival 2022 (Spontaneous Live Series) →
  10. Earth Tongues, Anemone (Neither/Nor) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Gush, Afro Blue (1998, Trost) →
  2. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
  3. Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Live From Studio Rivbea: July 12, 1975 [Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 1] (NoBusiness) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Kurt Gottschalk (The Wire, New York City Jazz Record, WKCR)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

David A. Graham (The Atlantic)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  3. Charles Tolliver Music Inc., Live at the Captain's Cabin (1973, Cellar Music) →
  4. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  5. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Ludovico Granvassu (All About Jazz/All About Jazz Italia, Radio Free Brooklyn: Mondo Jazz)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Mike Greenblatt (Goldmine, The Aquarian, Jersey Sound)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. David Liebman & the CNY Jazz Orchestra, If a White Horse From Jerusalem . . . (CNY Jazz Arts Foundation) →
  2. Michael Dease, Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill (Origin) →
  3. Randy Weinstein, HarmoniMonk (Random Chance) →
  4. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  5. Miguel Zenón, Golden City (Miel Music) →
  6. Kamasi Washington, Fearless Movement (Young) →
  7. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  8. Lionel Loueke & Dave Holland, United (Edition) →
  9. Terry Waldo & the Gotham City Band, Treasury Volume 1 (Turtle Bay) →
  10. Lakecia Benjamin, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) (Ropeadope) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Wayne Shorter, Celebration, Volume 1 (2014, Blue Note) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

George Grella (The Brooklyn Rail, New York City Jazz Record, The Wire, Red Hook Star-Review, Financial Times)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
  2. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  3. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  4. Joëlle Léandre, Lifetime Rebel (RogueArt) →
  5. Tyshawn Sorey Trio, The Susceptible Now (Pi) →
  6. Alfredo Colón, Blood Burden (Out of Your Head) →
  7. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts) →
  8. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  9. Nicole Mitchell & Ballaké Sissoko, Bamako*Chicago Sound System (FPE) →
  10. Lynne Arriale Trio, Being Human (Challenge) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  2. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Centennial (1923, Archeophone) →
  3. Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic) →
  4. Keith Jarrett-Gary Peacock-Paul Motian, The Old Country (1992, ECM) →
  5. Bill Evans, In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert (1970, Elemental Music) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Jason Gross (Perfect Sound Forever, Rock & Roll Globe, New York City Jazz Record)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charlie Parker, Bird in Kansas City (1941-51, Verve) →
  2. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  3. The Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Live in Montreal: May 1975 (Liberation Hall) →
  4. Charles Mingus, Mingus Takes Manhattan: The Complete Birdland Dates: 1961-1962 (New Land) →
  5. John Coltrane 4tet, Live in France July 27/28 1965: The Complete Concerts (Fingerpoppin) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Note: Longer Rara Avis list truncated at 5: dropped Mal Waldron, Reminiscent Suite (1973, BBE); Johnny Griffin, Live at Ronnie Scott's (1964, Gearbox '23); Alice Coltrane, The Great Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!); Miles Davis, Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings (Craft); McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs (1966, Blue Note).

Scott Gutterman (The Brooklyn Rail)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Shabaka, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!) →
  2. David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
  3. Nubiyan Twist, Find Your Flame (Strut) →
  4. Louis Hayes, Artform Revisited (Savant) →
  5. Frank London/The Elders, Spirit Stronger Than Blood (ESP-Disk) →
  6. Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
  7. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  8. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  9. Julian Lage, Speak to Me (Blue Note) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Keith Jarrett-Gary Peacock-Paul Motian, The Old Country (1992, ECM) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

James Hale (DownBeat, SoundStageXperience.com)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Tyshawn Sorey Trio, The Susceptible Now (Pi) →
  2. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  3. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  4. Walter Smith III, Three of Us Are From Houston and Reuben Is Not (Blue Note) →
  5. Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
  6. Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
  7. Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
  8. Kim Cass, Levs (Pi) →
  9. Giovanni Guidi, A New Day (ECM) →
  10. Arun Ramamurthy Trio, New Moon (Greenleaf Music) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  2. Keith Jarrett-Gary Peacock-Paul Motian, The Old Country (1992, ECM) →
  3. Wayne Shorter, Celebration, Volume 1 (2014, Blue Note) →
  4. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  5. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Eyal Hareuveni (Free Jazz Blog, Salt Peanuts)

NEW ALBUMS (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Die Like a Dog [Peter Brötzmann-Toshinori Kondo-William Parker-Hamid Drake], Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler (1994, Cien Fuegos) →
  2. Peter Brötzmann-Toshinori Kondo-Sabu Toyozumi, Complete Link (2016, NoBusiness) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Chris Heim (KMUW-FM [Wichita, KS], Global Village)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Etienne Charles, Creole Orchestra (Culture Shock) →
  2. John Ellis Quartet, Bizet: Carmen in Jazz (Blue Room Music '23) →
  3. Warren Wolf, History of the Vibraphone (Cellar Music) →
  4. Wayne Escoffery, Alone (Smoke Sessions) →
  5. Snorre Kirk, Top Dog (Stunt '23) →
  6. Pat Metheny, MoonDial (BMG) →
  7. Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
  8. Nick Finzer, Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of JJ Johnson (Outside In Music) →
  9. Alvin Queen Trio, Feeling Good (Stunt) →
  10. Blue Moods, Swing & Soul (Posi-Tone) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Nat King Cole, Live at the Blue Note Chicago (1953, Iconic) →
  2. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  3. Oscar Peterson, City Lights: Live in Munich 1994 (Mack Avenue) →
  4. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  5. Emily Remler, Cookin' at the Queens (1984-88, Resonance) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Tad Hendrickson (freelance)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few, The Almighty (Division 81) →
  2. Darius Jones, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity) →
  3. Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →
  4. Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
  5. Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp) →
  6. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  7. William Parker-Cooper-Moore-Hamid Drake, Heart Trio (AUM Fidelity) →
  8. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  9. Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel, The Room (Real World) →
  10. Nubya Garcia, Odyssey (Concord Jazz) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Andrey Henkin (New York Times, Stereophile, WeJazz, JazzWise, The Brooklyn Rail, NPR; Jazz Passings)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Fire!, Testament (Rune Grammofon) →
  2. Jordina Millà & Barry Guy, Live in Munich (ECM) →
  3. Natsuki Tamura & Satoko Fujii, Aloft (Libra) →
  4. Alan Braufman, Infinite Love Infinite Tears (Valley of Search) →
  5. Void Patrol, Live @ Victo (Les Disques Victo) →
  6. Rolf Kühn, Fearless (MPS) →
  7. Wayne Escoffery, Alone (Smoke Sessions) →
  8. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  9. Mats Gustafsson & Liudas Mockūnas, Watching a Dog. Smiling (NoBusiness) →
  10. Dan Weiss, Even Odds (Cygnus) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Nina Simone, Blackbird: The Colpix Recordings (1959-1963) (Soul Music) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  4. Louis Stewart & Jim Hall, The Dublin Concert (1982, Livia) →
  5. Emily Remler, Cookin' at the Queens (1984-88, Resonance) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Will Hermes (New Music + Old Music, Rolling Stone, NPR, New York Times, Pitchfork, Uncut [UK])

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp) →
  2. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly, MESTIZX (International Anthem) →
  3. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  4. Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, The Way Out of Easy (International Anthem) →
  5. SML, Small Medium Large (International Anthem) →
  6. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  7. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  8. Ezra Collective, Dance, No One's Watching (Partisan) →
  9. Frank London/The Elders, Spirit Stronger Than Blood (ESP-Disk) →
  10. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. John Abercrombie-Dave Holland-Jack DeJohnette, Gateway (1975, ECM) →
  3. Joe Henderson, Power to the People (1969, Craft/Jazz Dispensary) →
  4. Margo Guryan, Words and Music (1957-68, Numero Group) →
  5. Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996 (Light in the Attic) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Geoffrey Himes (Paste, Chamber Music)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  2. Ambrose Akinmusire, Owl Song (Nonesuch '23) →
  3. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  4. Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Hamilton De Holanda, Collab (Sony Music Brazil) →
  5. David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
  6. Joel Ross, Nublues (Blue Note) →
  7. Ben Wendel, Understory: Live at the Village Vanguard (Edition) →
  8. Lux Quartet, Tomorrowland (Enja/Yellowbird) →
  9. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  10. Micah Thomas, Mountains (Artwork) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10, A Beautiful Day Revisited (2002, Palmetto) →
  3. Wayne Shorter, Celebration, Volume 1 (2014, Blue Note) →
  4. Sun Ra, Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978, Resonance) →
  5. Joni Mitchell, Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) (Rhino) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Rob Hoff (WQLN NPR [Erie, PA], WETF [South Bend, IN], JazzErie)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  2. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  3. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) →
  4. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  5. Tyshawn Sorey Trio, The Susceptible Now (Pi) →
  6. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  7. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  8. Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
  9. Anna Webber, Simpletrio2000 (Intakt) →
  10. Caleb Wheeler Curtis, The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. Miles Davis Quintet, Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (Columbia/Legacy) →
  3. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  4. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
  5. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Larry Hollis (Cadence)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Akiko Tsuruga, Beyond Nostalgia (SteepleChase) →
  2. Tom Harrell, Alternate Summer (HighNote) →
  3. Eric Alexander, Timing Is Everything (Cellar Music) →
  4. George Cables, I Hear Echoes (HighNote) →
  5. Alex Sipiagin, Horizons (Blue Room Music) →
  6. Peter Bernstein, Better Angels (Smoke Sessions) →
  7. Summer Camargo, To Whom I Love (Blue Engine) →
  8. Jim Rotondi, Finesse (Cellar Music) →
  9. Alliance [Sharel Cassity & Colleen Clark], Alliance (Shifting Paradigm) →
  10. The Heavy Hitters, That's What's Up! (Cellar Music) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Terry Gibbs Dream Band, Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959 (Whaling City Sound) →
  2. Emily Remler, Cookin' at the Queens (1984-88, Resonance) →
  3. Charlie Parker, Bird in Kansas City (1941-51, Verve) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

C. Andrew Hovan (All About Jazz, DownBeat)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Jim Snidero, For All We Know (Savant) →
  2. Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
  3. Immanuel Wilkins, Blues Blood (Blue Note) →
  4. Peter Bernstein, Better Angels (Smoke Sessions) →
  5. Louis Hayes, Artform Revisited (Savant) →
  6. M.T.B. [Brad Mehldau-Mark Turner-Peter Bernstein], Solid Jackson (Criss Cross Jazz) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (1966, Blue Note) →
  2. Roy Hargrove's Crisol, Grande-Terre (1998, Verve) →
  3. Louis Armstrong, Louis in London (1968, Verve) →
  4. Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters (1957, Blue Note) →
  5. Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Arlette Hovinga (That Jazz Girl PR)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  2. Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
  3. Immanuel Wilkins, Blues Blood (Blue Note) →
  4. Jamie Baum Septet+, What Times Are These (Sunnyside) →
  5. Jasper Høiby's 3 Elements, Like Water (Edition) →
  6. Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, The Way Out of Easy (International Anthem) →
  7. Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
  8. Peter Somuah, Highlife (ACT Music) →
  9. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts) →
  10. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Grover Washington, Jr., Grover Live: Vol. 2 (1998, Lightyear Entertainment) →
  2. Duke Ellington, The Far East Suite (1966, Music on Vinyl) →
  3. Jason Moran, Ten (2010, Blue Note) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Note: Voter: "Honorable mention for Sam Newbould's Homing and Myles Sanko's Let It Unfold, 2 of my favorite records of the year. But I had the pleasure of working on both of them, so I am not allowed to officially nominate either."

Tom Hull (tomhull.com)

NEW ALBUMS

  1. Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra, Louis Armstrong's America (ESP-Disk) →
  2. Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (TAO Forms) →
  3. Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →
  4. Emmeluth's Amoeba, Nonsense (Moserobie) →
  5. Darius Jones, Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity) →
  6. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi) →
  7. Dave Douglas, Gifts (Greenleaf Music) →
  8. The Core, Roots (Moserobie) →
  9. Ballister, Smash and Grab (Aerophonic) →
  10. أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  3. NRG Ensemble, Hold That Thought (1996, Corbett vs. Dempsey) →
  4. Phil Haynes' 4 Horns and What?, The Complete American Recordings (1989-95, Corner Store Jazz) →
  5. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →

VOCAL

LATIN

DEBUT

Note: Also see The Best Jazz Albums of 2024.