The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024
Past Polls Index
New Albums Rara Avis Vocal Latin Debut
Critics
Ackermann - BoothBorella - DavisDean-Harris - GeikenGijssels - HullHum - LangeLanghoff - MonsenMoore - SaitoSaunders - TeranoTesser - Yokoi

2024 Totals: Latin Jazz

This category is for jazz albums -- mostly but not necessarily new releases -- that in Latin jazz styles. It is up to the critic's discretion to decide which albums to consider here.

Critics were asked to designate any albums from their New Albums list that should be counted here. They were also asked to list up to 3 additional albums to count here. The lists are in the order provided, but there is no point system.

The listings are sorted by votes (at the end of the line). There is also a Notes section at the bottom of the page.

  1. Miguel Zenón, Golden City (Miel Music) 18
  2. Zaccai Curtis, Cubop Lives! (Truth Revolution Recording Collective) 16
  3. Dafnis Prieto, 3 Sides of the Coin (Dafnison Music) 16
  4. Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding, Milton + Esperanza (Concord) 15
  5. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic) 14
  6. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) 13
  7. Roy Hargrove's Crisol, Grande-Terre (1998, Verve) 10
  8. Conrad Herwig, The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner (Savant) 8
  9. Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Hamilton De Holanda, Collab (Sony Music Brazil) 7
  10. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly, MESTIZX (International Anthem) 5
  11. Etienne Charles, Creole Orchestra (Culture Shock) 4
  12. Sergio Pamies, Time to Say (New Trad) 4
  13. Hermeto Pascoal, Pra Você, Ilza (Rocinante) 4
  14. Jonathan Powell, Mambo Jazz Party (Circle 9) 4
  15. Chucho Valdés & Royal Quartet, Cuba and Beyond (InterCat Music Group) 4
  16. Eliane Elias, Time and Again (Candid) 3
  17. Dave Schumacher & Cubeye, Smoke in the Sky (Cellar Music) 3
  18. Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Swing Forever (Ovation) 3
  19. Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours, Songs Del Yucayeke (Picaro) 3
  20. Donald Vega, As I Travel (Imagery/Tiger Turn) 3
  21. Roxana Amed, Becoming Human (Sony Music Latin) 2
  22. Vinicius Cantuaria, Psychedelic Rio (Sunnyside) 2
  23. Anat Cohen Quartetinho, Bloom (Anzic) 2
  24. Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini, Guinga (GroundUP Music) 2
  25. Dayramir González, V.I.D.A. [Verdad, Independencia, Diversidad Y Amor] (self-released) 2
  26. Fernando Huergo Big Band, Relentless (Whaling City Sound) 2
  27. David Leon, Bird's Eye (Pyroclastic) 2
  28. Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel, The Room (Real World) 2
  29. New Regency Orchestra, New Regency Orchestra (Mr Bongo) 2
  30. Orquesta Akokán, Caracoles (Daptone) 2
  31. Pete Rodriguez, I'm Pete Rodriguez, Volume 1 (Sunnyside) 2
  32. Melvis Santa, Jazz Orishas (Distro) 2
  33. Dred Scott-Moses Patrou-Tom Beckham-Matt Pavolka, Cali Mambo (Ropeadope) 2
  34. Antonio Adolfo, Love Cole Porter (AAM Music) 1
  35. Holman Álvarez, Hidden Objects (Sunnyside) 1
  36. Bruno Berle, No Reino Dos Afetos 2 (Psychic Hotline) 1
  37. Ruben Caban, Kangana (self-released) 1
  38. Chocho Cannelle, Yo Te Cielo (Modulor Music) 1
  39. Daniel Carter-Leo Genovese-William Parker-Francisco Mela, Shine Hear Vol. 2 (577) 1
  40. William Cepeda Afro-Puerto Rican Big Band, The Sound of Puerto Rican Jazz (Casabe) 1
  41. Manu Chao, Viva Tu (Because Music) 1
  42. Alfredo Colón, Blood Burden (Out of Your Head) 1
  43. Gustavo Cortiñas, Live in Chicago (Desafio Candente) 1
  44. Arnaud Dolmen & Leonardo Montana, LéNo (Quai Son) 1
  45. El Comité, Carrousel (Caramba) 1
  46. Delia Fischer, Beyond Bossa (Origin) 1
  47. Paulo Fresu & Omar Sosa, Food (Tǔk Music '23) 1
  48. Charles Goold, Triptych Lespri (La Reserve) 1
  49. Enrico Granafel, It's Hard to Say Goodbye (CAP) 1
  50. Charlie Halloran and the Tropicales, Jump Up (Nu-Tone) 1
  51. Hermanos Gutiérrez, Sonido Cósmico (Easy Eye Sound) 1
  52. Oscar Hernández & Alma Libre, No Words Needed (Ovation) 1
  53. Kenneth Jimenez, Sonnet to Silence (We Jazz '23) 1
  54. Joaju Cuarteto, Avy'a Jave (Polka Blue) 1
  55. Andres Levin, Regreso a Gondwana (Tribe Caribe) 1
  56. Gili Lopes, Algures (self-released) 1
  57. Dora Morelenbaum, Pique (Mr Bongo) 1
  58. Demetrio Muñiz, Tromboneando con Demetrio Muñiz (Egrem) 1
  59. New Jazz Underground [Ft. Axel Tosca + Gina D'Soto], Harlem to Havana: Afro-Cuban Modernism Vol. 1 (self-released) 1
  60. Adam O'Farrill, Hueso (Food) 1
  61. Arturo O'Farrill, Legacies (Blue Note '23) 1
  62. Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses (self-released) 1
  63. Rita Payés, De Camino al Camino (Sony España) 1
  64. Sergio Pereira, Bossa+ (Tiger Turn) 1
  65. Danilo Pérez & Bohlusän Big Band, Lumen (Prophone) 1
  66. Yvonnick Prené & Geoff Keezer, Jobim's World (Sunnyside) 1
  67. Lucía Pulido Ensamble, Colombia y México, Dos Pueblos Una Raíz (Club del Disco) 1
  68. Reggie Quinerly, The Thousandth Scholar (Redefinition) 1
  69. Rodrigo Recabarren-Pablo Menares-Yago Yazquez, Familia (Greenleaf Music) 1
  70. Emilio Reyna, Los Niños Perdidos (Ropeadope Sur) 1
  71. Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin, Brasil (Candid) 1
  72. Diego Rivera, Ofendra (Posi-Tone) 1
  73. Willy Rodriguez, Seeing Sounds (Coucs) 1
  74. Renee Rosnes, Crossing Paths (Smoke Sessions) 1
  75. Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble, Home Is Here (Tapestry '23) 1
  76. Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt) 1
  77. Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Sony Music Latin) 1
  78. Marlon Simon and the Nagual Spirits, On Different Paths (Truth Revolution) 1
  79. Omar Sosa's 88 Well-Tuned Drums (1996-2018, Otá) 1
  80. Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente, Cometa (Sunnyside '23) 1
  81. Juanma Trujillo, Howl (Endectomorph Music) 1
  82. Julia Vari Feat. Negroni's Trio, Somos (Alternative Representa) 1
  83. Darryl Yokley's Sound Reformation, Un Mundo En Soledad (Truth Revolution Recording Collective) 1
  84. Zanja All Stars, Cuban Jam Session Volume 1 (Zanja) 1
  85. Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo, El Arte Del Bolero, Vol. 2 (Miel Music '23) 1

Total albums receiving votes: 85. Of these, 6 were initially released in 2023 (7.0%), and 79 in 2024.

Notes

No selection on 76 (of 177) ballots (42.9%). This is up from 2023, which had no selection on 41 (of 159) ballots (25.7%).

Latin albums that received votes in 2023 as well as 2024. These are numbered by their position in 2023. In both years, all votes are counted equally:

  1. Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo, El Arte Del Bolero, Vol. 2 (Miel Music '23) 13 + 1 = 14
  2. Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble, Home Is Here (Tapestry '23) 3 + 1 = 4
  3. Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente, Cometa (Sunnyside '23) 3 + 1 = 4
  4. Arturo O'Farrill, Legacies (Blue Note '23) 2 + 1 = 3
  5. Kenneth Jimenez, Sonnet to Silence (We Jazz '23) 1 + 1 = 2

The other '23 releases received no votes in 2023.

If an album received votes in the previous year, and received more votes this year, the two years' totals were added together. This applied to: