The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024 Mid-Year
Ballots 2024 Mid-Year [2]
Laurence Donohue-Greene (The New York City Jazz Record)
NEW RELEASES (unranked)
- Borderlands Trio [Stephan Crump-Kris Davis-Eric McPherson], Rewilder (Intakt) →
- Erik Griswold-Chloe Kim-Helen Svoboda, Anatomical Heart (Earshift Music) →
- Rob Mazurek, Milan (Clean Feed) →
- Riley Mulherkar, Riley (Westerlies) →
- Sam Newsome & Max Johnson, Tubes (Unbroken Sounds) →
- William Parker & Ellen Christi, Cereal Music (AUM Fidelity) →
- Brandon Ross Phantom Station, Off the End (Sunnyside) →
- Terton [Louie Belogenis/Trevor Dunn/Ryan Sawyer], Outer, Inner, Secret (Tzadik) →
- Lisa Ullén, Heirloom (Fönstret) →
- Void Patrol, Live @ Victo (Les Disques Victo) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)
- Cannonball Adderley, Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969 (Elemental Music) →
- Atrás del Cosmos, Cold Drinks, Hot Dreams (1980, Blank Forms Editions) →
- Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
- Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
- Soft Machine, Høvikkoden 1971 (Cuneiform) →
Ken Dryden (New York City Jazz Record, Hot House, Timeless Jazz [WUTC-FM], All About Jazz)
NEW RELEASES
- Charles McPherson, Reverence (Smoke Sessions) →
- Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
- Denny Zeitlin, Panoply (Sunnyside) →
- Marshall Gilkes and WDR Big Band, Life Songs (Alternate Side) →
- Ben Allison-Steve Cardenas-Ted Nash, Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols (Sonic Camera) →
- Ken Peplowski, Unheard Bird (Arbors) →
- Jon Gordon, 7th Ave South (ArtistShare) →
- Dave Pietro, The Talisman (SteepleChase) →
- Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, Remembrance (Thirty Tigers) →
- Chris Byars, Boptics (SteepleChase) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
- Nat King Cole, Live at the Blue Note Chicago (1953, Iconic) →
- Don Byas, Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946 (Mosaic '23) →
- Cannonball Adderley, Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969 (Elemental Music) →
- The Oscar Pettiford Memorial Concert (1960, SteepleChase) →
NEW RELEASES
- Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
- Alan Braufman, Infinite Love Infinite Tears (Valley of Search) →
- William Parker-Cooper-Moore-Hamid Drake, Heart Trio (AUM Fidelity) →
- Sunny Five [Tim Berne-David Torn-Ches Smith-Devin Hoff-Marc Ducret], Candid (Intakt) →
- James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
- Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
- The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →
- Elephantine, Moonshine (Northern Spy '23) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
NEW RELEASES
- Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
- أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
- Steph Richards, Power Vibe (Northern Spy) →
- The Fully Celebrated Orchestra, Sob Story (Relative Pitch) →
- Matt Mitchell, Illimitable (Obliquity) →
- Olie Brice-Rachel Musson-Mark Sanders, Immense Blue (West Hill) →
- Kenny Warren, Sweet World (Out of Your Head) →
- Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms) →
- Frank London/The Elders, Spirit Stronger Than Blood (ESP-Disk) →
- Christopher Hoffman, Vision Is the Identity (Out of Your Head) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Tony Oxley, Angular Apron (1992, Corbett vs. Dempsey) →
- Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
- Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
- Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
- Soft Machine, Høvikkoden 1971 (Cuneiform) →
Steve Feeney (ArtsFuse, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram)
NEW RELEASES
- Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
- Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
- Kim Cass, Levs (Pi) →
- David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
- Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Unknown Rivers (Pi) →
- Charlie Kohlhase's Explorer's Club, A Second Life (Mandorla Music) →
- Ivanna Cuesta, A Letter to the Earth (Orenda) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
Gary Finney (WQLN NPR [Eric, PA])
NEW RELEASES (unranked)
- Jamie Baum Septet+, What Times Are These (Sunnyside) →
- Taylor Eigsti, Plot Armor (GroundUP) →
- Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
NEW RELEASES
- Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- Tomeka Reid Quartet, 3+3 (Cuneiform) →
- Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
- Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
- John Escreet, The Epicenter of Your Dreams (Blue Room Music) →
- Jon Irabagon's Outright!, Recharge the Blade (Irabbagast) →
- John Surman, Words Unspoken (ECM) →
- Gush, Afro Blue (1998, Trost) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
Pat Frisco (WHFR-FM [Dearborn, MI])
NEW RELEASES
- Jason Stein-Marilyn Crispell-Damon Smith-Adam Shead, Spi-raling Horn (Balance Point Acoustics) →
- Darius Jones, Fluxkit Vancouver (Its Suite but Sacred) (We Jazz '23) →
- François Houle-Kate Gentile-Alexander Hawkins, Fatrasies (Victo) →
- Stemeseder Lillinger Quartet, Umbra II (Intakt) →
- PNY Quintet, Over the Wall (RogueArt) →
- James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
- Potsa Lotsa XL, Chamber Works (Trouble in the East '23) →
- Tomeka Reid-Isadora Edwards-Elisabeth Coudoux, Reid/Edwards/Coudoux (Relative Pitch) →
- Albert Beger-Ziv Taubenfeld-Shay Hazan-Hamid Drake, Cosmic Waves (NoBusiness) →
- Jon Irabagon's Outright!, Recharge the Blade (Irabbagast) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
- Karen Borca Trio Quartet & Quintet, Good News Blues: Live at the Vision Festival 1998 & 2005 (NoBusiness) →
- Sun Ra Akrestra, Live at Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan 8-8-1988 (Super Fuji Discs) →
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
Ana Gavrilovska (Uncut, Maggot Brain, Aquarium Drunkard)
NEW RELEASES (unranked)
- Fuubutsushi, Meridians (Cached.Media) →
- Joy Guidry, Amen (Whited Sepulchre) →
- Dave Harrington-Max Jaffe-Patrick Shiroishi, Speak, Moment (AKP) →
- Jowee Omicil, Spiritual Healing: Bwa Kayiman Freedom Suite (Bash! Village/Modular '23) →
- Josh Johnson, Unusual Object (Northern Spy) →
- Ariel Kalma-Jeremiah Chiu-Marta Sofia Honer, The Closest Thing to Silence (International Anthem) →
- Cassie Kinoshi, Gratitude (International Anthem) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- William Parker-Cooper-Moore-Hamid Drake, Heart Trio (AUM Fidelity) →
- SML, Small Medium Large (International Anthem) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)
- Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
- Fumio Itabashi, Watarase (1982, Wewantsounds) →
- Hank Mobley, Workout (1962, Blue Note Classic Vinyl) →
- Wayne Shorter, Odyssey of Iska (1970, Blue Note Tone Poet) →
- Sun Ra, Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets the OVC (1986, Strut) →
Richard Gehr (Relix, Maggot Brain, Bandcamp)
NEW RELEASES
- Kim Cass, Levs (Pi) →
- Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse) →
- Federico Ughi, Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1 (577) →
- Joy Guidry, Amen (Whited Sepulchre) →
- David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
- Basher, May Day (Sinking City) →
- Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
- Elephant9, Mythical River (Rune Grammofon) →
- Byron Asher's Skrontch Music, Lord, When You Send the Rain (Sinking City) →
- New Orleans Klezmer All Stars, Tipish (self-released) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Joe Henderson, Power to the People (1969, Craft/Jazz Dispensary) →
- Jack Bruce, Smiles and Grins: Broadcast Sessions 1970-2001 (Esoteric) →
Kurt Gottschalk (New York City Jazz Record, The Wire, WKCR)
NEW RELEASES
- أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
- Anthony Braxton, 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House) →
- Alexander Hawkins & Sofia Jernberg, Musho (Intakt) →
- Marta Warelis & Andy Moor, Escape (Relative Pitch) →
- Ches Smith, Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Anthony Braxton-Roland Dahinden-Hildegard Kleeb, Four Compositions (Wesleyan) 2013 (Prague Music Platform '23) →
- Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
- Sun Ra & His Arkestra, Pink Elephants on Parade (1985-90, Modern Harmonic) →
NEW RELEASES
- Tutu Puoane, Wrapped in Rhythm, Vol. 1 (SoulFactory) →
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Hamilton De Holanda, Collab (Sony Music Brazil) →
- Oddgeir Berg Trio, A Place Called Home (Ozella) →
- Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
- Jo Harrop, The Path of a Tear (Lateralize) →
- Madeleine Peyroux, Let's Walk (Just One/Thirty Tigers) →
- Fred Hersch, Silent, Listening (ECM) →
- Monty Alexander, D Day (Pee Wee) →
- Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
- Dal Sasso Big Band, Chick Corea's Three Quartets Revisited (Jazz & People) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
Jason Gross (Perfect Sound Forever)
NEW RELEASES
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- Kiki Valera, Vacilón Santiaguero (Circle 9 Music) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Charles Mingus, Mingus Takes Manhattan: The Complete Birdland Dates: 1961-1962 (New Land) →
- John Coltrane 4tet, Live in France July 27/28 1965: The Complete Concerts (Fingerpoppin) →
- Mal Waldron & Terumasa Hino, Reminscent Suite (1973, BBE) →
- Johnny Griffin, Live at Ronnie Scott's (1964, Gearbox '23) →
NEW RELEASES
- Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
- James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- Kim Cass, Levs (Pi) →
- Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
- Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
- Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
- Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
- Ivanna Cuesta, A Letter to the Earth (Orenda) →
- Jamie Baum Septet+, What Times Are These (Sunnyside) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
Eyal Hareuveni (Free Jazz Blog, Salt Peanuts)
NEW RELEASES
- Kim Myhr & Kitchen Orchestra, Hereafter (Sofa Music) →
- Isabelle Duthoit & Franz Hautzinger, Dans le Morvan (Relative Pitch) →
- Stian Westerhus & Maja S. K. Ratkje, All Losses Are Restored (Crispin Glover) →
- Joe McPhee With Ken Vandermark, Musings of a Bahamian Son: Poems and Other Words (Corbett vs. Dempsey) →
- Izumi Kimura-Barry Guy-Gerry Hemingway, Six Hands Open as One (Fundacja Słuchaj) →
- Anthony Braxton, 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House) →
- John Butcher + 13, Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax) →
- Splitter Orchester, Splitter Musik (Hyperdelia) →
- Jürg Frey, Outermost Melodies (Another Timbre) →
- أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Die Like a Dog [Peter Brötzmann-Toshinori Kondo-William Parker-Hamid Drake], Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler (1994, Cien Fuegos) →
- Peter Brötzmann & Paal Nilssen-Love, Chicken Shit Bingo (2015, Trost) →
- Peter Brötzmann-Toshinori Kondo-Sabu Toyozumi, Complete Link (2016, NoBusiness) →
- Anthony Braxton, Solo Bern 1984 [First Visit] (Ezz-Thetics) →
- Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark, Japan 2019 (PNL/Audiographic) →
Chris Heim (KMUW-FM [Wichita, KS])
NEW RELEASES
- Etienne Charles, Creole Orchestra (Culture Shock) →
- John Ellis Quartet, Bizet: Carmen in Jazz (Blue Room Music '23) →
- Queen Esther, Things Are Looking Up (EL) →
- Christian McBride & Edgar Meyer, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? (Mack Avenue) →
- Snorre Kirk, Top Dog (Stunt '23) →
- Blue Moods, Swing & Soul (Posi-Tone) →
- Nick Finzer, Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of JJ Johnson (Outside In Music) →
- Conrad Herwig, The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner (Savant) →
- Live Edge Trio With Steve Nelson, Closing Time (OA2) →
- Andrew Bird Trio, Sunday Morning Put-On (Loma Vista) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Nat King Cole, Live at the Blue Note Chicago (1953, Iconic) →
- Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
- Les McCann, Never a Dull Moment! Live From Coast to Coast 1966-1967 (Resonance '23) →
- Cal Tjader, Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967 (Jazz Detective/Elemental '23) →
- Gerry Mulligan, Night Lights (1963, Philips) →
Andrey Henkin (New York Times, WeJazz, JazzWise, Stereophile, The Brooklyn Rail, NPR; Jazz Passings)
NEW RELEASES (unranked)
- Gush, Afro Blue (1998, Trost) →
- Sarah Hanahan, Among Giants (Blue Engine) →
- Alan Braufman, Infinite Love Infinite Tears (Valley of Search) →
- Void Patrol, Live @ Victo (Les Disques Victo) →
- Jon Irabagon's Outright!, Recharge the Blade (Irabbagast) →
- اسم [ism] [Pat Thomas-Joel Grip-Antonin Gerbal], Maua (577) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- Dan Weiss, Even Odds (Cygnus) →
- Elephant9, Mythical River (Rune Grammofon) →
- Lakecia Benjamin, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) (Ropeadope) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)
- Nina Simone, Blackbird: The Colpix Recordings (1959-1963) (Soul Music) →
- Archie Shepp, Derailleur: The 1964 Demo (Triple Point '23) →
- Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
- Shelly Manne & His Men, Jazz From the Pacific Northwest (1958-66, Reel to Real) →
Geoffrey Himes (Paste, Chamber Music)
NEW RELEASES
- Ambrose Akinmusire, Owl Song (Nonesuch '23) →
- David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
- Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
- Joel Ross, Nublues (Blue Note) →
- Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt) →
- Kenny Barron, Beyond This Place (Artwork) →
- Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, Remembrance (Thirty Tigers) →
- Gregory Tardy, In His Timing (WJ3 '23) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
- Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
- Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
- Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
Rob Hoff (WQLN NPR [Erie, PA], WETF [South Bend, IN], JazzErie)
NEW RELEASES
- Nduduzo Makhathini, Unomkhubulwane (Blue Note) →
- Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
- Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
- Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt) →
- Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
- Joel Ross, Nublues (Blue Note) →
- Brian Landrus, Plays Ellington & Strayhorn (Palmetto) →
- Taylor Eigsti, Plot Armor (GroundUP) →
- John Escreet, The Epicenter of Your Dreams (Blue Room Music) →
- Chris Potter-Brad Mehldau-John Patitucci-Brian Blade, Eagle's Point (Edition) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
- Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio, Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings (Resonance '23) →
NEW RELEASES (unranked)
- Alliance, Alliance (Shifting Paradigm) →
- Black Art Jazz Collective, Truth to Power (HighNote) →
- Xaver Hellmeier, X-Man in New York (Cellar Music '23) →
- Brian Landrus, Plays Ellington & Strayhorn (Palmetto) →
- One for All, Big George (Smoke Sessions) →
- Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y, A New Beat (Cellar Music) →
- Jim Rotondi, Finesse (Cellar Music) →
- Brandon Sanders, Compton's Finest (Savant '23) →
- Something Else! [Featuring Vincent Herring], Soul Jazz (Smoke Sessions) →
- Jack Walrath, Live at Smalls (Cellar Music) →
RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)
- Johnny Griffin Quartet, Live in Valencia 92 (Storyville) →
- Shelly Manne & His Men, Jazz From the Pacific Northwest (1958-66, Reel to Real) →
- Brother Jack McDuff, Ain't No Sunshine: Live in Seattle (1972, Reel to Real) →
- Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance) →
- Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →