The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024 Mid-Year
Past Polls Index
New Albums Rara Avis
Critics
Ackermann - DollarDonohue-Greene - HollisHull - MilesMilner - TaylorToland - Wilson

Ballots 2024 Mid-Year [1]

 [Ackermann - Dollar] · [Donohue-Greene - Hollis] · [Hull - Miles] · [Milner - Taylor] · [Toland - Wilson]Next

Karl Ackermann (All About Jazz, Chicago Jazz Magazine)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  2. Nils Økland Band, Gjenskinn (Hubro) →
  3. Steve Lehman & Orchestre National de Jazz, Ex Machina (Pi '23) →
  4. Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
  5. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  6. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  7. Ches Smith, Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic) →
  8. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  9. Ballister, Smash and Grab (Aerophonic) →
  10. Daniel Carter-Patrick Holmes-Matthew Putman-Hilliard Greene-Federico Ughi, Telepathic Mysteries, Vol. 2 (577) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
  3. Hampton Hawes, For Real! (1958, Craft) →
  4. Harold Land, The Fox (1960, Craft) →
  5. Cannonball Adderley, Poppin' in Paris: Live at L'Olympia 1972 (Elemental Music) →

Paul Acquaro (Free Jazz Collective, Jazzpodium)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Edition Redux, Better a Rook Than a Pawn (Audiographic '23) →
  2. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →
  3. Peter Van Huffel's Callisto, Meandering Demons (Clean Feed) →
  4. Frank Paul Schubert-Michel Pilz-Stefan Scheib-Klaus Kugel, Live at FreeJazz Saar 2019 (Nemu) →
  5. Dave Douglas, Gifts (Greenleaf Music) →
  6. Aki Takase Japanic, Forte (Budapest Music Center) →
  7. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  8. Jon Irabagon Trio, Dinner & Dancing (Irrabagast) →
  9. Space, Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch) →
  10. John Etheridge, Blue Spirits Live (Dyad) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  2. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  3. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →

Scott Albin (Amazon.com)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Ron Horton, A Prayer for Andrew (Newvelle '23) →
  2. Kathrine Windfeld Sextet, Aldebaran (Stunt) →
  3. The Nordic Quintet, Originals (AMM) →
  4. Emile Parisien Quartet, Let Them Cook (ACT) →
  5. Welf Dorr-Elias Meister-Dmitry Ishenko-Kenny Wollesen, So Far So Good (self-released) →
  6. Friends & Neighbors, Circles (Clean Feed) →
  7. Amanda Gardier, Auteur (Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson) (self-released) →
  8. Kevin Sun, The Fate of the Tenor (Endectomorph) →
  9. Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop, A Canadian Songbook (Three Pines) →
  10. Ian Carey & Wood Metal Plastic, Strange Arts (Slow & Steady) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  3. Charlie Mariano, Boppin' in Boston 1947-1953 (Fresh Sound) →
  4. Gerald Wiggins, Classic Trio Sessions 1956-1957 (Fresh Sound) →
  5. The Louis Stewart Trio, Louis the First (1975, Livia) →

Hrayr Attarian (All About Jazz, Jazziz)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
  2. Caroline Davis' Alula, Captivity (Ropeadope '23) →
  3. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  4. Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash, To March Is to Love (Cuneiform) →
  5. Space, Embrace the Space (Relative Pitch) →
  6. Yuhan Su, Liberated Gesture (Sunnyside '23) →
  7. Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt) →
  8. Kate Gentile, Find Letter X (Pi '23) →
  9. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts) →
  10. Raffi Garabedian, The Crazy Dog (Clandestine) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
  3. Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel, A Lovesome Thing (2012, Motema Music '23) →
  4. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  5. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →

Chris Barton (Los Angeles Times, DownBeat)

NEW RELEASES

  1. SML, Small Medium Large (International Anthem) →
  2. Arooj Aftab, Night Reign (Verve) →
  3. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  4. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  5. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  6. Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Continuing (Pi '23) →
  7. Shabaka, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →

Joe Bebco (The Syncopated Times)

NEW RELEASES

  1. The New Wonders, Steppin' Out (Turtle Bay) →
  2. James McClaskey & the Rhythm Band, Later on Blues (BigTone) →
  3. Ed Clute, Shadows on the Moon (Rivermont) →
  4. The Palomar Trio, The Song in Our Soul (Turtle Bay) →
  5. The New Orleans Night Owls, St. Louis Rag and Other Ragtime Classics (Rivermont) →
  6. Royce Martin, Memories on Morgan Street (Rivermont '23) →
  7. The Hot Toadies Jazz Band (Prohibition Productions) →
  8. Bridgetown Sextet, Functionizin' (Rivermont) →
  9. Ricky Alexander, Just Found Joy (Turtle Bay) →
  10. Juliet Varnedoe Jazz Band, Cajun Bleu (self-released) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Ford Dabney's Syncopated Orchestras, After Midnight (1917-22, Archeophone) →
  2. Raymond Burke, The Southland Recordings 1958-1960 (GHB) →
  3. Louis Jordan, World Broadcast Recordings 1944/45 (Circle) →
  4. Cootie Williams, Concerto for Cootie: Selected Recordings 1928-62 (Acrobat) →
  5. Legends & the Lost: Rare & Hot Jazz 1929-1931 (Frog) →

Dan Bilawsky (All About Jazz, Dark Blue Notes, New York City Jazz Record)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly of Shadows, Heartland Radio (SoundSpore) →
  2. Hilary Gardner, On the Trial with the Lonesome Pines (Anzic) →
  3. Thembi Dunjana, God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi (AfricArise) →
  4. Alex Harding & Lucian Ban, Blutopia (Sunnyside) →
  5. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  6. Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses (self-released) →
  7. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  8. Dan Pugach Big Band, Bianca (Outside In Music) →
  9. Chris Potter-Brad Mehldau-John Patitucci-Brian Blade, Eagle's Point (Edition) →
  10. Fred Hersch, Silent, Listening (ECM) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  3. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  4. Cannonball Adderley, Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969 (Elemental Music) →
  5. Cannonball Adderley, Poppin' in Paris: Live at L'Olympia 1972 (Elemental Music) →

Note: Would have voted for but couldn't (wrote liner notes): Marshall Gilkes and WDR Big Band, Life Songs (Alternate Side); Jim Snidero, For All We Know (Savant)

Philip Booth (Jazziz, Jazzlands)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  2. Julian Lage, Speak to Me (Blue Note) →
  3. Conrad Herwig, The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner (Savant) →
  4. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  5. Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
  6. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  7. Something Else! [Featuring Vincent Herring], Soul Jazz (Smoke Sessions) →
  8. Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, Remembrance (Thirty Tigers) →
  9. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  10. Joel Ross, Nublues (Blue Note) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

Mike Borella (Avant Music News)

NEW RELEASES

  1. أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
  2. John Blum Quartet Featuring Marshall Allen, Deep Space (Astral Spirits) →
  3. Jeremiah Cymerman, Body of Light (5049) →
  4. Seth Andrew Davis & Will Yager, April 8th, 1969 (Ox Cart New Music) →
  5. Simon Hanes, Tsons of Tsunami (Tzadik) →
  6. Casimir Liberski & Tatsuya Yoshida, Troubled Water (Totalism) →
  7. Han-earl Park-Lara Jones-Pat Thomas, Juno 3 (Ramble '23) →
  8. Present, This Is NOT the End (Cuneiform) →
  9. Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
  10. Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

Stuart Broomer (Free Jazz Collective, Musicworks, New York City Jazz Record, Point of Departure, The Whole Note)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →
  2. Matt Mitchell, Zealous Angles (Pi) →
  3. Anthony Braxton, 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House) →
  4. أحمد [Ahmed], Wood Blues (Astral Spirits) →
  5. Matthew Shipp, The Data (RogueArt) →
  6. Dave Rempis-Pandelis Karayorgis-Jakob Heinemann-Bill Harris, Truss (Aerophonic/Drift) →
  7. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  8. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  2. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  3. Yusef Lateef, Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert From Avignon (1972, Elemental Music) →

Bill Brownlee (Plastic Sax)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  2. Fred Hersch, Silent, Listening (ECM) →
  3. Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones, New Monuments (We Jazz) →
  4. Abdullah Ibrahim, 3 (Gearbox) →
  5. Betty Bryant, Lotta Livin' (Bry-Mar Music) →
  6. Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
  7. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts) →
  8. Sunny Five [Tim Berne-David Torn-Ches Smith-Devin Hoff-Marc Ducret], Candid (Intakt) →
  9. أحمد [Ahmed], Wood Blues (Astral Spirits) →
  10. Rod Fleeman Trio, Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge Volume 3 (Green Lady Radio) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  3. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  4. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
  5. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →

Dan Buskirk (WPRB [Princeton], Fun2Know Podcast)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones, New Monuments (We Jazz) →
  2. Arooj Aftab, Night Reign (Verve) →
  3. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  4. Beings, There Is a Garden (No Quarter) →
  5. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  6. Alan Braufman, Infinite Love Infinite Tears (Valley of Search) →
  7. Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio, Jet Black (Libra) →
  8. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  9. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  10. Mai Sugimoto, Sunlight Filtering Through the Leaves (Asian Improv) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Yusef Lateef, Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert From Avignon (1972, Elemental Music) →
  2. Sun Ra, Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets the OVC (1986, Strut) →
  3. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  4. Cannonball Adderley, Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969 (Elemental Music) →
  5. Grupo Irakere, Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital (1974, Mr Bongo) →

Jeff Cebulski (New York City Jazz Record, Chicago Jazz)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  2. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  3. One for All, Big George (Smoke Sessions) →
  4. Joel Ross, Nublues (Blue Note) →
  5. Chris Potter-Brad Mehldau-John Patitucci-Brian Blade, Eagle's Point (Edition) →
  6. Alex Sipiagin, Horizons (Blue Room Music) →
  7. Amanda Gardier, Auteur (Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson) (self-released) →
  8. Fred Hersch, Silent, Listening (ECM) →
  9. BassDrumBone, Afternoon (Auricle) →
  10. Ramona Horvath Trio, Carmen's Karma (Camille Productions '23) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →

John Chacona (All About Jazz, Postgenre Media, Let's Call This)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

Gary Chapin (Free Jazz Collective)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

J.D. Considine (DownBeat)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  2. Wayne Shorter, Celebration, Volume 1 (2014, Blue Note) →
  3. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  4. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  5. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →
  6. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  7. Chris Potter-Brad Mehldau-John Patitucci-Brian Blade, Eagle's Point (Edition) →
  8. Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Walk a Mile in My Shoe (Imani) →
  9. Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
  10. Dave Douglas, Gifts (Greenleaf Music) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  2. Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic) →
  3. Cannonball Adderley, Poppin' in Paris: Live at L'Olympia 1972 (Elemental Music) →
  4. Louis Armstrong, Louis in London (1968, Verve) →

Mark Corroto (All About Jazz)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

Michael Coyle (WRCU [Colgate University])

NEW RELEASES

  1. Julian Lage, Speak to Me (Blue Note) →
  2. Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
  3. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  4. Remedy [Thomas Heberer-Joe Fonda-Joe Hertenstein], Live at Jazzkammer (420 CPW) →
  5. Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
  6. Planet D Nonet, Echoes of Harlem: A Salute to Duke Ellington Vol. 2 (Eastlawn) →
  7. Michael Wollny & Joachim Kühn, Duo (ACT Music) →
  8. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  9. Lynne Arriale Trio, Being Human (Challenge) →
  10. Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

David Cristol (Free Jazz Collective, Citizen Jazz)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  2. Caveira, Ficar Vivo (Shhpuma) →
  3. Gravelshard, Gravelshard (Phonogram Unit) →
  4. Brandon Ross Phantom Station, Off the End (Sunnyside) →
  5. Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
  6. Rob Mazurek, Milan (Clean Feed) →
  7. François Houle-Kate Gentile-Alexander Hawkins, Fatrasies (Victo) →
  8. Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp, Magical Incantation (Soul City Sounds) →
  9. José Lencastre-Zbigniew Kozera-Vasco Trilla, Chymeia (Phonogram Unit) →
  10. Arashi With Takeo Moriyama, Tokuzo (Trost) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
  3. Archie Shepp, Poem for Malcolm (1969, BYG-Actuel) →
  4. Art Ensemble of Chicago, A Jackson in Your House (1969, BYG-Actuel) →
  5. Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic) →

Steve Dollar (freelance)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →

 

 [Ackermann - Dollar] · [Donohue-Greene - Hollis] · [Hull - Miles] · [Milner - Taylor] · [Toland - Wilson]Next