The 19th Annual
Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll:
2024 Mid-Year

Ballots 2024 Mid-Year [5]

Michael Toland (The Big Takeover, The Austin Chronicle)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  2. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  3. Frank London/The Elders, Spirit Stronger Than Blood (ESP-Disk) →
  4. Ghost Trees, Intercept Method (self-released) →
  5. John Escreet, The Epicenter of Your Dreams (Blue Room Music) →
  6. Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt) →
  7. Oded Tzur, My Prophet (ECM) →
  8. Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) →
  9. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →
  10. Amanda Gardier, Auteur (Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson) (self-released) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. John Abercrombie-Dave Holland-Jack DeJohnette, Gateway (1975, ECM) →
  2. Phil Ranelin, The Found Tapes: 1968-1971 (ORG Music) →
  3. Pat Metheny, Bright Size Life (1975, ECM) →
  4. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
  5. The John Wright Trio, South Side Soul (1960, Craft) →

Ludwig vanTrikt (Cadence)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  2. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  3. Alex Beltran, Rift (Calligram) →
  4. Behn Gillece, Stick Together (Posi-Tone) →
  5. Paul Giallorenzo Trio, Play (Delmark '23) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Herbie Hancock, Speak Like a Child (1968, Blue Note) →

Fabricio Vieira (FreeForm, FreeJazz)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Fire!, Testament (Rune Grammofon) →
  2. أحمد [Ahmed], Giant Beauty (Fönstret) →
  3. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  4. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  5. Sonic Tender, Odd Objects (Robalo Music) →
  6. John Butcher + 13, Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax) →
  7. Amaro Freitas, Y'Y (Psychic Hotline) →
  8. Anthony Braxton, 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (Braxton House) →
  9. Ivo Perelman-Barry Guy-Ramon Lopez, Interaction (Ibeji Music) →
  10. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Charles Gayle-Milford Graves-William Parker, WEBO (1991, Black Editions Archive) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. Children of the Sun, Ofamfa (1971, Moved-by-Sound) →
  4. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
  5. Die Like a Dog [Peter Brötzmann-Toshinori Kondo-William Parker-Hamid Drake], Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler (1994, Cien Fuegos) →

Philip Watson (Irish Times, Irish Examiner)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Arooj Aftab, Night Reign (Verve) →
  2. James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Transfiguration (Intakt) →
  3. Ches Smith, Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic) →
  4. Julian Lage, Speak to Me (Blue Note) →
  5. Matt Wilson's Good Trouble (Palmetto) →
  6. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  7. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  8. Trish Clowes & Ross Stanley, Journey to Where (Stoney Lane) →
  9. Dave Douglas, Gifts (Greenleaf Music) →
  10. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  2. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  3. Kenny Wheeler, Angel Song (1996, ECM) →
  4. Louis Armstrong, Louis in London (1968, Verve) →
  5. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →

Ken Waxman (Jazz Word)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

Jason Weiss (The Wire, Le Ventre et l'Oreille)

NEW RELEASES

  1. One Another Orchestra, One Another Orchestra (Nato) →
  2. Negarit Band, Origins (Buda Musique '23) →
  3. Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms) →
  4. Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble, Elegy for Thelonious (Sunnyside) →
  5. Helveticus [Daniel Humair-Samuel Blaser-Heiri Känzig], Our Way (Blaser Music) →
  6. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  7. Layale Chaker & Sarafand, Radio Afloat (In a Circle) →
  8. Paul Giallorenzo Trio, Play (Delmark '23) →
  9. Frank London/The Elders, Spirit Stronger Than Blood (ESP-Disk) →
  10. Miha Gantar, New York City (Clean Feed) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra, L'Intercommunal (1976-78, Souffle Continu) →
  3. Black Artist Group, For Peace and Liberty: In Paris, Dec 1972 (WeWantSounds) →
  4. Steve Beresford & Anne Marie Beretta, Dancing the Line (1985, WeWantSounds) →
  5. Septet Matchi-Oul, Terremoto (1971, Souffle Continu) →

Ken Weiss (Cadence)

NEW RELEASES (unranked)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  2. Yusef Lateef, Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert From Avignon (1972, Elemental Music) →
  3. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
  4. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  5. Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon, In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album (1972, Jazz Detective) →

Michael J. West (DownBeat, Washington City Paper, Washington Post)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  2. Sarah Hanahan, Among Giants (Blue Engine) →
  3. Vijay Iyer, Compassion (ECM) →
  4. Gregory Tardy, In His Timing (WJ3 '23) →
  5. Jeremy Pelt, Tomorrow's Another Day (HighNote) →
  6. Amanda Whiting, The Liminality of Her (First Word) →
  7. Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk) →
  8. David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
  9. Muriel Grossmann, Devotion (Third Man '23) →
  10. divr, Is This Water (We Jazz) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Cannonball Adderley, Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969 (Elemental Music) →
  3. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  4. Jessica Williams, Orgonomic Muic (1981, Sundazed) →
  5. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →

Richard Williams (The Blue Moment)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  2. Michael Shrieve, Drums of Compassion (7D Media) →
  3. Shabaka, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!) →
  4. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  5. Giovanni Guidi, A New Day (ECM) →
  6. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  7. Alexander Hawkins & Sofia Jernberg, Musho (Intakt) →
  8. Kit Downes, Dr. Snap (Bimhuis) →
  9. Mary Halvorson, Cloudward (Nonesuch) →
  10. Cassie Kinoshi, Gratitude (International Anthem) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings (Resonance) →
  2. Cecil Taylor Unit, Live at Fat Tuesday's February 9, 1980 [First Visit] (1980, Ezz-Thetics) →
  3. Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971, Impulse!) →
  4. Tomasz Stanko Quartet, September Night (2004, ECM) →
  5. Fingers, The Complete Fingers Remember Mingus (1979-93, Jazz in Britain) →

Jerome Wilson (All About Jazz, Radio Fairfax)

NEW RELEASES

  1. Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms) →
  2. Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note) →
  3. Bill Frisell, Orchestras (Blue Note) →
  4. Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble, Elegy for Thelonious (Sunnyside) →
  5. David Murray Quartet, Francesca (Intakt) →
  6. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers, Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook) →
  7. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!) →
  8. John Minnock, A Different Riff: Minnock Sings Shire (Dot Time) →
  9. Matt Wilson's Good Trouble (Palmetto) →
  10. Alyssa Allgood, From Here (Next) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

  1. Sun Ra, At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (Jazz Detective) →
  2. Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel (2011, Blue Note) →
  3. Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy, The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995, Elemental Music) →
  4. Joe Fonda, From the Source (1998, Fundacja Sluchaj '23) →
  5. Shelly Manne & His Men, Jazz From the Pacific Northwest (1958-66, Reel to Real) →