What Are Your Favorite Jazz Recordings of the 21st Century?

[CJ Shearn]

On 8/31/2019 at 6:36 AM, mjazzg said:

Anything or maybe everything released by Wadada Leo Smith this century. The releases on TUM alone stand up as a truly remarkable body of work.

Definitely agree about the Matana Roberts trilogy.

Then there's releases by what I like to think of as the Chicago scene - Josh Berman, Jason Stein, Jason Adasiewicsz, Mike Reed, Jason Roebke, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Jaimie Branch, Makaya McCraven (not the same scene? but same city). Tim Daisy

Rob Mazurek's small group and large ensemble recordings

Irreversible Entanglements and Keir Neuringer's intense solo record

And I haven't even got to nearer home and Europe yet.

Too many!

And Threadgill on Pi, just take your pick of them

Wadada's solo Monk album is very good, I have the other one released at the same time but haven't  cracked it open yet.

One of my good friends has known Keir for years, Keir is something else.

 

 

[Gheorghe]

"Heads of State" the two Albums "Search for Peace" and "Four in One". 

[BFrank]

The Cookers have been pumping out good albums for several years now.

[jcam_44]

These are the releases I consider essential from 2019-2011. Will continue with the rest soon:

Noah Preminger - After Life

Mai Sugimoto - Born/Raised

Vinny Golia - Trajectory

Sergej Avanesov - Secret Language

Francis Wong - Miyoshi Sketches

Tina Raymond - Left Right Left

Trio WAZ - That's What It WAZ

Dave Pietro - New Roads: Iowa Memoirs

Noah Preminger - Meditations on Freedom

Jason Hainsworth - Third Ward Stories

Gregory Porter - Take Me To the Alley

Black Art Jazz Collective - At The Side Door Jazz Club

Gavin Templeton - Ballast

Nick Mazzarella Trio - Ultraviolet

Tivon Pennicott - Lover Of Nature

Gavin Templeton - Some Spinning, Some At Rest

Francis Wong - Wojtek Trio

Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit

JD Allen - Grace

Black Host - Life In The Sugar Candle Mines

Jaimeo Brown - Transcendence

Jaleel Shaw - The Soundtrack of Things To Come

Philip Dizack - End Of An Era

Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers

Mario Castro - Primavera

Amit Friedman - Sunrise

Masabumi Kikuchi - Sunrise

Jeff Parker - Bright Light In Winter

Fred Ho & The Green Monster Big Band - The Sweet Science Suite

Nicholas Payton - Bitches

Marcus Strickland - Triumph of the Heavy

Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found

Takuya Kuroda - Edge

Darius Jones - Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)

Keith Jarrett - Rio

Jason Adasiewicz - Spacer

Tyshawn Sorey - Oblique - I

[HutchFan]

Some more grist for the mill. . . 

At the end of his recent book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, author & critic Nate Chinen lists "The 131 Essential Albums of the Twenty-First Century (So Far)."  Even though the title of Chinen's list sorta violates the spirit of this thread ("the essential" compared to "some favorites"), I thought it might generate some more fruitful discussion if I shared it.  (Incidentally, does anyone think that this is objectionable from a copyright point of view?  If so, I'll be happy to delete it.)

Here are Chinen's picks:

2000
Jim Black's Alas No Axis - Alas No Axis (Winter & Winter)
Brian Blade Fellowship - Perceptual (Blue Note)
Kurt Elling - Live in Chicago (Blue Note)
Nils Petter Molaver - Solid Ether (ECM)
Danilo Perez - Motherland (Verve)
David Sanchez - Melaza (Columbia)
David S. Ware - Surrendered (Columbia)

2001
Chicago Underground Quartet - Chicago Underground Quartet (Thrill Jockey)
The Claudia Quintet - The Claudia Quintet (Blueshift/CRI)
Marilyn Crispell, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock - Amyrillis (ECM)
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step (Verve)
John Scofield - Works for Me (Verve)
Matthew Shipp - New Orbit (Thirsty Ear)

2002
Ben Allison - Peace Pipe (Palmetto)
Tim Berne - Science Friction (Screwgun)
Keith Jarrett Trio - Always Let Me Go (ECM)
Luciana Souza - Brazilian Duos (Sunnyside)
Tomasz Stanko Quartet - Soul of Things (ECM)
Cecil Taylor - Willisau Concert (Intakt)
Cassandra Wilson - Belly of the Sun (Blue Note)

2003
Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas (Columbia)
David Binney - South (ACT)
Terence Blanchard - Bounce (Blue Note)
Jane Ira Bloom - Chasing Paint (Arabesque)
Fred Hersch Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard (Palmetto)
Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play: Live at the Village Vanguard (ECM)
Ahmad Jamal - In Search of Momentum (Dreyfus)

2004
Geri Allen - The Life of a Song (Telarc)
Don Byron - Ivey-Divey (Blue Note)
Frank Kimbrough - Lullabluebye (Palmetto)
Tony Malaby Trio - Adobe (Sunnyside)
Medeski, Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just in Case) (Blue Note)
Brad Mehldau Trio - Anything Goes (Warner Bros)
Mulgrew Miller Trio - Live at Yoshi's, Vol. 1 (MaxJazz)

2005
Amina Figarova - September Suite (Munich)
Guillermo Klein - Una Nave (Sunnyside)
Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up (Nonesuch)
Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano - I Have the Room Above Her (ECM)
Sonny Rollins - Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert (Milestone)
Jenny Scheinmann - 12 Songs (Cryptogramophone)
Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (Intoxicate)
Miguel Zenon - Jibaro (Marsalis Music)

2006
Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar)
Dave Douglas Quintet - Meaning & Mystery (Greenleaf)
Andrew Hill - Timelines (Blue Note)
Christian McBride - Live at Tonic (Ropeadope)

2007
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage (Heads Up)
The Nels Cline Singers - Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
Robert Glasper - In My Element (Blue Note)
Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters (Verve)
Lionel Loueke - Virgin Forest (ObliqSound)
Wynton Marsalis & the JALC Orchestra - Congo Square (JALC)
Bill McHenry - Roses (Sunnyside)
Joshua Redman - Back East (Nonesuch)

2008
JD Allen Trio - I Am, I Am (Sunnyside)
Anat Cohen - Notes from the Village (Anzic)
Fieldwork - Door (Pi)
Bill Frisell - History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson Trio - Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12)
Charles Lloyd - Rabo de Nube (ECM)
Rudresh Manhanthappa - Kinsmen (Pi)
Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Avatar (Blue Note)

2009
Five Peace Band - Five Peace Band Live (Concord)
Fly - Sky & Country (ECM)
Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity (ACT)
Darius Jones - Man'ish Boy (Aum Fidelity)
Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation, and Flow (Pi)
Joe Lovano's Us Five - Folk Art (Blue Note)
Myra Melford's Be Bread - The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12)
Trio 3 / Geri Allen - At This Time (Intakt)
Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave a Mark (Palmetto)

2010
Steve Coleman & Five Elements - Harvesting Semblances & Affinities (Pi)
The Cookers - Warriors (Jazz Legacy)
Kneebody - You Can Have Your Moment (Winter & Winter)
Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth - Deluxe (Clean Feed)
Jason Moran - Ten (Blue Note)
Paradoxical Frog - Paradoxical Frog (Clean Feed)

2011
Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams (Between Worlds)
Gilad Hekelsman - Hearts Wide Open (Le Chant du Monde)
Arturo O'Farrill & the Latin Jazz Orchestra - 40 Acres & a Burro (Zoho)
Gretchen Parlato - The Lost & Found (ObliqSound)

2012
Ravi Coltrane - Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)
Tom Harrell - Number Five (HighNote)
Masabumi Kikuchi Trio - Sunrise (ECM)
Donny McCaslin - Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf)
Linda Oh - Initial Here (Greenleaf)
Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
 

2013
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Brooklyn Babylon (New Amsterdam)
The New Gary Burton Quartet - Guided Tour (Mack Avenue)
Ben Monder - Hyrdra (Sunnyside)
Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirits (Blue Note)
Chris Potter - The Sirens (ECM)
Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation)
Craig Taborn Trio - Chants (ECM)

2014
Flying Lotus - You're Dead (Warp)
Billy Hart Quartet - One is the Other (ECM)
Hedvig Mollestad Trio - Enfant Terrible (Rune Grammofon)
Mark Turner Quartet - Lathe of Heaven (ECM)
David Virelles - Mboko (ECM)

2015
Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble - Crisis (Pi)
Mike Moreno - Lotus (World Culture)
Mike Reed's People, Places & Things - A New Kind of Dance (482)
Tomeka Reid Quartet - Tomeka Reid Quartet (Thirsty Ear)
Maria Schneider Orchestra - The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Jen Shyu and Jade Tongue - Sounds and Cries of the World (Pi)
Henry Threadgill's Zooid - In for a Penny, In for a Pound (Pi)

2016
Melissa Aldana & the Crash Trio - Back Home (Word of Mouth)
Kris Davis - Duopoly (Pyroclastic)
Jeff Parker - The New Breed (International Anthem)
Shabaka & the Ancestors - Wisdom of the Elders (Brownswood)
Tyshawn Sorey - The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi)
Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution (Concord)

2017
Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die (International Anthem)
Nubya Garcia - Nubya's 5ive (Jazz Re:freshed)
Ron Miles - I am a Man (Yellowbird)
Nicole Mitchell - Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds (FPE)
Roscoe Mitchell - Bells for the South Side (ECM)
Cecile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers (Mack Ave)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Centennial Trilogy (Ropeadope)

2018
Ambrose Akinmusire - Origami Harvest (Blue Note)
Maria Grand - Magdalena (Biophilia)
Julian Lage - Modern Love (Mack Avenue)
Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings (International Anthem)
Aaron Parks - Little Big (Ropeadope)
Dafnis Prieto Big Band - Back to the Sunset (Dafnison)
Logan Richardson - Blues People (Ropeadope)
Wayne Shorter - Emanon (Blue Note)
Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile (Impulse!)
Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth (Young Turks)
Dan Weiss - Starebaby (Pi)

 

Any thoughts?

Edited October 23, 2019 by HutchFan

[Robert Middleton]

On 10/23/2019 at 8:09 PM, HutchFan said:

Some more grist for the mill. . . 

At the end of his recent book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, author & critic Nate Chinen lists "The 131 Essential Albums of the Twenty-First Century (So Far)."  Even though the title of Chinen's list sorta violates the spirit of this thread ("the essential" compared to "some favorites"), I thought it might generate some more fruitful discussion if I shared it.  (Incidentally, does anyone think that this is objectionable from a copyright point of view?  If so, I'll be happy to delete it.)

Here are Chinen's picks:

2000
Jim Black's Alas No Axis - Alas No Axis (Winter & Winter)
Brian Blade Fellowship - Perceptual (Blue Note)
Kurt Elling - Live in Chicago (Blue Note)
Nils Petter Molaver - Solid Ether (ECM)
Danilo Perez - Motherland (Verve)
David Sanchez - Melaza (Columbia)
David S. Ware - Surrendered (Columbia)

2001
Chicago Underground Quartet - Chicago Underground Quartet (Thrill Jockey)
The Claudia Quintet - The Claudia Quintet (Blueshift/CRI)
Marilyn Crispell, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock - Amyrillis (ECM)
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step (Verve)
John Scofield - Works for Me (Verve)
Matthew Shipp - New Orbit (Thirsty Ear)

2002
Ben Allison - Peace Pipe (Palmetto)
Tim Berne - Science Friction (Screwgun)
Keith Jarrett Trio - Always Let Me Go (ECM)
Luciana Souza - Brazilian Duos (Sunnyside)
Tomasz Stanko Quartet - Soul of Things (ECM)
Cecil Taylor - Willisau Concert (Intakt)
Cassandra Wilson - Belly of the Sun (Blue Note)

2003
Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas (Columbia)
David Binney - South (ACT)
Terence Blanchard - Bounce (Blue Note)
Jane Ira Bloom - Chasing Paint (Arabesque)
Fred Hersch Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard (Palmetto)
Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play: Live at the Village Vanguard (ECM)
Ahmad Jamal - In Search of Momentum (Dreyfus)

2004
Geri Allen - The Life of a Song (Telarc)
Don Byron - Ivey-Divey (Blue Note)
Frank Kimbrough - Lullabluebye (Palmetto)
Tony Malaby Trio - Adobe (Sunnyside)
Medeski, Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just in Case) (Blue Note)
Brad Mehldau Trio - Anything Goes (Warner Bros)
Mulgrew Miller Trio - Live at Yoshi's, Vol. 1 (MaxJazz)

2005
Amina Figarova - September Suite (Munich)
Guillermo Klein - Una Nave (Sunnyside)
Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up (Nonesuch)
Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano - I Have the Room Above Her (ECM)
Sonny Rollins - Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert (Milestone)
Jenny Scheinmann - 12 Songs (Cryptogramophone)
Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (Intoxicate)
Miguel Zenon - Jibaro (Marsalis Music)

2006
Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar)
Dave Douglas Quintet - Meaning & Mystery (Greenleaf)
Andrew Hill - Timelines (Blue Note)
Christian McBride - Live at Tonic (Ropeadope)

2007
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage (Heads Up)
The Nels Cline Singers - Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
Robert Glasper - In My Element (Blue Note)
Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters (Verve)
Lionel Loueke - Virgin Forest (ObliqSound)
Wynton Marsalis & the JALC Orchestra - Congo Square (JALC)
Bill McHenry - Roses (Sunnyside)
Joshua Redman - Back East (Nonesuch)

2008
JD Allen Trio - I Am, I Am (Sunnyside)
Anat Cohen - Notes from the Village (Anzic)
Fieldwork - Door (Pi)
Bill Frisell - History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson Trio - Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12)
Charles Lloyd - Rabo de Nube (ECM)
Rudresh Manhanthappa - Kinsmen (Pi)
Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Avatar (Blue Note)

2009
Five Peace Band - Five Peace Band Live (Concord)
Fly - Sky & Country (ECM)
Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity (ACT)
Darius Jones - Man'ish Boy (Aum Fidelity)
Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation, and Flow (Pi)
Joe Lovano's Us Five - Folk Art (Blue Note)
Myra Melford's Be Bread - The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12)
Trio 3 / Geri Allen - At This Time (Intakt)
Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave a Mark (Palmetto)

2010
Steve Coleman & Five Elements - Harvesting Semblances & Affinities (Pi)
The Cookers - Warriors (Jazz Legacy)
Kneebody - You Can Have Your Moment (Winter & Winter)
Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth - Deluxe (Clean Feed)
Jason Moran - Ten (Blue Note)
Paradoxical Frog - Paradoxical Frog (Clean Feed)

2011
Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams (Between Worlds)
Gilad Hekelsman - Hearts Wide Open (Le Chant du Monde)
Arturo O'Farrill & the Latin Jazz Orchestra - 40 Acres & a Burro (Zoho)
Gretchen Parlato - The Lost & Found (ObliqSound)

2012
Ravi Coltrane - Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)
Tom Harrell - Number Five (HighNote)
Masabumi Kikuchi Trio - Sunrise (ECM)
Donny McCaslin - Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf)
Linda Oh - Initial Here (Greenleaf)
Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
 

2013
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Brooklyn Babylon (New Amsterdam)
The New Gary Burton Quartet - Guided Tour (Mack Avenue)
Ben Monder - Hyrdra (Sunnyside)
Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirits (Blue Note)
Chris Potter - The Sirens (ECM)
Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation)
Craig Taborn Trio - Chants (ECM)

2014
Flying Lotus - You're Dead (Warp)
Billy Hart Quartet - One is the Other (ECM)
Hedvig Mollestad Trio - Enfant Terrible (Rune Grammofon)
Mark Turner Quartet - Lathe of Heaven (ECM)
David Virelles - Mboko (ECM)

2015
Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble - Crisis (Pi)
Mike Moreno - Lotus (World Culture)
Mike Reed's People, Places & Things - A New Kind of Dance (482)
Tomeka Reid Quartet - Tomeka Reid Quartet (Thirsty Ear)
Maria Schneider Orchestra - The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Jen Shyu and Jade Tongue - Sounds and Cries of the World (Pi)
Henry Threadgill's Zooid - In for a Penny, In for a Pound (Pi)

2016
Melissa Aldana & the Crash Trio - Back Home (Word of Mouth)
Kris Davis - Duopoly (Pyroclastic)
Jeff Parker - The New Breed (International Anthem)
Shabaka & the Ancestors - Wisdom of the Elders (Brownswood)
Tyshawn Sorey - The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi)
Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution (Concord)

2017
Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die (International Anthem)
Nubya Garcia - Nubya's 5ive (Jazz Re:freshed)
Ron Miles - I am a Man (Yellowbird)
Nicole Mitchell - Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds (FPE)
Roscoe Mitchell - Bells for the South Side (ECM)
Cecile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers (Mack Ave)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Centennial Trilogy (Ropeadope)

2018
Ambrose Akinmusire - Origami Harvest (Blue Note)
Maria Grand - Magdalena (Biophilia)
Julian Lage - Modern Love (Mack Avenue)
Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings (International Anthem)
Aaron Parks - Little Big (Ropeadope)
Dafnis Prieto Big Band - Back to the Sunset (Dafnison)
Logan Richardson - Blues People (Ropeadope)
Wayne Shorter - Emanon (Blue Note)
Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile (Impulse!)
Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth (Young Turks)
Dan Weiss - Starebaby (Pi)

 

Any thoughts?

My main thought about Nate’s list is that it’s simply another subjective list. There’s really no such thing as an ‘essential jazz album’ that all jazz fans should own. There is only what someone personally likes. That’s why I hate the title, ‘Best of Year List.’ Yet I’m more than happy to see what people like and check out stuff I haven’t heard. For me, I like about 20% of what’s on this list. Some highly touted artists I simply can’t stand. Some stuff that I think is the juiciest jazz ever recorded was missed by almost everyone. So I guess we shouldn’t get so worked up about this shit.

Cheers, Robert

[HutchFan]

9 hours ago, Robert Middleton said:

My main thought about Nate’s list is that it’s simply another subjective list. There’s really no such thing as an ‘essential jazz album’ that all jazz fans should own. There is only what someone personally likes. That’s why I hate the title, ‘Best of Year List.’ Yet I’m more than happy to see what people like and check out stuff I haven’t heard. For me, I like about 20% of what’s on this list. Some highly touted artists I simply can’t stand. Some stuff that I think is the juiciest jazz ever recorded was missed by almost everyone. So I guess we shouldn’t get so worked up about this shit.

Yes, I agree 100%.  No more "best of" lists.  They're silly.  Instead, let's make lists of "favorites," fully acknowledging the subjectivity of what we've chosen.

Then it becomes like 'Show & Tell' back in our school days: "Hey, let me tell you about this wonderful thing that I really enjoy.  It's not better or worse than what you brought to class.  It's just different."

Hope I don't sound Pollyannaish.  ... I just think the distinction is very important.

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by HutchFan

[Steve Reynolds]

On 10/23/2019 at 9:09 PM, HutchFan said:

Some more grist for the mill. . . 

At the end of his recent book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, author & critic Nate Chinen lists "The 131 Essential Albums of the Twenty-First Century (So Far)."  Even though the title of Chinen's list sorta violates the spirit of this thread ("the essential" compared to "some favorites"), I thought it might generate some more fruitful discussion if I shared it.  (Incidentally, does anyone think that this is objectionable from a copyright point of view?  If so, I'll be happy to delete it.)

Here are Chinen's picks:

2000
Jim Black's Alas No Axis - Alas No Axis (Winter & Winter)
Brian Blade Fellowship - Perceptual (Blue Note)
Kurt Elling - Live in Chicago (Blue Note)
Nils Petter Molaver - Solid Ether (ECM)
Danilo Perez - Motherland (Verve)
David Sanchez - Melaza (Columbia)
David S. Ware - Surrendered (Columbia)

2001
Chicago Underground Quartet - Chicago Underground Quartet (Thrill Jockey)
The Claudia Quintet - The Claudia Quintet (Blueshift/CRI)
Marilyn Crispell, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock - Amyrillis (ECM)
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step (Verve)
John Scofield - Works for Me (Verve)
Matthew Shipp - New Orbit (Thirsty Ear)

2002
Ben Allison - Peace Pipe (Palmetto)
Tim Berne - Science Friction (Screwgun)
Keith Jarrett Trio - Always Let Me Go (ECM)
Luciana Souza - Brazilian Duos (Sunnyside)
Tomasz Stanko Quartet - Soul of Things (ECM)
Cecil Taylor - Willisau Concert (Intakt)
Cassandra Wilson - Belly of the Sun (Blue Note)

2003
Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas (Columbia)
David Binney - South (ACT)
Terence Blanchard - Bounce (Blue Note)
Jane Ira Bloom - Chasing Paint (Arabesque)
Fred Hersch Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard (Palmetto)
Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play: Live at the Village Vanguard (ECM)
Ahmad Jamal - In Search of Momentum (Dreyfus)

2004
Geri Allen - The Life of a Song (Telarc)
Don Byron - Ivey-Divey (Blue Note)
Frank Kimbrough - Lullabluebye (Palmetto)
Tony Malaby Trio - Adobe (Sunnyside)
Medeski, Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just in Case) (Blue Note)
Brad Mehldau Trio - Anything Goes (Warner Bros)
Mulgrew Miller Trio - Live at Yoshi's, Vol. 1 (MaxJazz)

2005
Amina Figarova - September Suite (Munich)
Guillermo Klein - Una Nave (Sunnyside)
Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up (Nonesuch)
Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano - I Have the Room Above Her (ECM)
Sonny Rollins - Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert (Milestone)
Jenny Scheinmann - 12 Songs (Cryptogramophone)
Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (Intoxicate)
Miguel Zenon - Jibaro (Marsalis Music)

2006
Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar)
Dave Douglas Quintet - Meaning & Mystery (Greenleaf)
Andrew Hill - Timelines (Blue Note)
Christian McBride - Live at Tonic (Ropeadope)

2007
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage (Heads Up)
The Nels Cline Singers - Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
Robert Glasper - In My Element (Blue Note)
Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters (Verve)
Lionel Loueke - Virgin Forest (ObliqSound)
Wynton Marsalis & the JALC Orchestra - Congo Square (JALC)
Bill McHenry - Roses (Sunnyside)
Joshua Redman - Back East (Nonesuch)

2008
JD Allen Trio - I Am, I Am (Sunnyside)
Anat Cohen - Notes from the Village (Anzic)
Fieldwork - Door (Pi)
Bill Frisell - History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
Mary Halvorson Trio - Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12)
Charles Lloyd - Rabo de Nube (ECM)
Rudresh Manhanthappa - Kinsmen (Pi)
Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Avatar (Blue Note)

2009
Five Peace Band - Five Peace Band Live (Concord)
Fly - Sky & Country (ECM)
Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity (ACT)
Darius Jones - Man'ish Boy (Aum Fidelity)
Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation, and Flow (Pi)
Joe Lovano's Us Five - Folk Art (Blue Note)
Myra Melford's Be Bread - The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12)
Trio 3 / Geri Allen - At This Time (Intakt)
Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave a Mark (Palmetto)

2010
Steve Coleman & Five Elements - Harvesting Semblances & Affinities (Pi)
The Cookers - Warriors (Jazz Legacy)
Kneebody - You Can Have Your Moment (Winter & Winter)
Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth - Deluxe (Clean Feed)
Jason Moran - Ten (Blue Note)
Paradoxical Frog - Paradoxical Frog (Clean Feed)

2011
Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams (Between Worlds)
Gilad Hekelsman - Hearts Wide Open (Le Chant du Monde)
Arturo O'Farrill & the Latin Jazz Orchestra - 40 Acres & a Burro (Zoho)
Gretchen Parlato - The Lost & Found (ObliqSound)

2012
Ravi Coltrane - Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)
Tom Harrell - Number Five (HighNote)
Masabumi Kikuchi Trio - Sunrise (ECM)
Donny McCaslin - Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf)
Linda Oh - Initial Here (Greenleaf)
Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
 

2013
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Brooklyn Babylon (New Amsterdam)
The New Gary Burton Quartet - Guided Tour (Mack Avenue)
Ben Monder - Hyrdra (Sunnyside)
Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirits (Blue Note)
Chris Potter - The Sirens (ECM)
Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation)
Craig Taborn Trio - Chants (ECM)

2014
Flying Lotus - You're Dead (Warp)
Billy Hart Quartet - One is the Other (ECM)
Hedvig Mollestad Trio - Enfant Terrible (Rune Grammofon)
Mark Turner Quartet - Lathe of Heaven (ECM)
David Virelles - Mboko (ECM)

2015
Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble - Crisis (Pi)
Mike Moreno - Lotus (World Culture)
Mike Reed's People, Places & Things - A New Kind of Dance (482)
Tomeka Reid Quartet - Tomeka Reid Quartet (Thirsty Ear)
Maria Schneider Orchestra - The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Jen Shyu and Jade Tongue - Sounds and Cries of the World (Pi)
Henry Threadgill's Zooid - In for a Penny, In for a Pound (Pi)

2016
Melissa Aldana & the Crash Trio - Back Home (Word of Mouth)
Kris Davis - Duopoly (Pyroclastic)
Jeff Parker - The New Breed (International Anthem)
Shabaka & the Ancestors - Wisdom of the Elders (Brownswood)
Tyshawn Sorey - The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi)
Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution (Concord)

2017
Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die (International Anthem)
Nubya Garcia - Nubya's 5ive (Jazz Re:freshed)
Ron Miles - I am a Man (Yellowbird)
Nicole Mitchell - Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds (FPE)
Roscoe Mitchell - Bells for the South Side (ECM)
Cecile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers (Mack Ave)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Centennial Trilogy (Ropeadope)

2018
Ambrose Akinmusire - Origami Harvest (Blue Note)
Maria Grand - Magdalena (Biophilia)
Julian Lage - Modern Love (Mack Avenue)
Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings (International Anthem)
Aaron Parks - Little Big (Ropeadope)
Dafnis Prieto Big Band - Back to the Sunset (Dafnison)
Logan Richardson - Blues People (Ropeadope)
Wayne Shorter - Emanon (Blue Note)
Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile (Impulse!)
Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth (Young Turks)
Dan Weiss - Starebaby (Pi)

 

Any thoughts?

Some great stuff but he misses almost all European based free jazz/improv and ignores a huge number of important brilliant innovative musicians

[Peter Friedman]

[Peter Friedman]

[BillF]

Edited January 4, 2020 by BillF

[Peter Friedman]

[David Ayers]

Downbeat - determined to prove that jazz is not and has never been an art form - long ago cornered the market in tedious self-indulgent lists. I love the fact that ‘rising stars’ include people in their fifties - how long does it take! So I’m more grateful if people single out a few things and say why. 
 

http://downbeat.com/digitaledition/2019/DB1908_critics_poll/_art/DB1908.pdf

[Peter Friedman]

[Larry Kart]

Off the top of my head, if I had to pick one it might be this:

[JSngry]

At some point, by the time I remember if something was recorded in the 21st Century or not, I could be halfway through listening to it.

 

[BillF]

[Peter Friedman]

[Guy Berger]

I love the breadth of suggestions on this thread!

 

[Peter Friedman]

[HutchFan]

On 1/5/2020 at 1:15 PM, Guy Berger said:

I love the breadth of suggestions on this thread!

Yes! Me too.

The music is so much more varied and interesting and personal compared to what you often see on lists compiled by experts.  Far less "group think."

Edited January 6, 2020 by HutchFan

[Peter Friedman]

[David Ayers]

Tastes, ideas, feelings, all move on. Things that seemed great a few years ago may pall - and vice versa. So best of two decades makes only a certain kind of sense. One for me that stands out as both fresh and a consolidation at the moment though is Parker/Guy/Lytton, Music for David Mossman: live at Vortex, London (Intakt). 
 

A list of one!

 

 

[Larry Kart]

My longtime friend drummer Doug Mitchell, who passed away this year, was a big fan of guitarist Lage Lund. Based on the two Lund albums I've heard, he had a point.

[HutchFan]

Here's a round-up from JazzTimes.  It only focuses on the last decade, instead of the last twenty years.  But still, it's worthwhile if it generates some discussion.

Interesting to see how much the CRITIC's lists differ from the READER's.

*******

The Decade in Review: Best Jazz Albums of the 2010s
https://jazztimes.com/features/lists/the-decade-in-review-best-jazz-albums-of-the-2010s/

As Selected by JazzTimes CRITICS

2010
Jason Moran Ten (Blue Note)
Charles Lloyd Quartet Mirror (ECM)
Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green Apex (Pi)
Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden Jasmine (ECM)
Dave Holland Octet Pathways (DARE2)
Vijay Iyer Solo (ACT)
Christian Scott Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (Concord Jazz)
Regina Carter Reverse Thread (E1)
Steve Coleman and Five Elements Harvesting Semblances and Affinities (Pi)
Henry Threadgill Zooid This Brings Us To, Volume II (Pi)

2011
Sonny Rollins Road Shows Vol. 2 (Doxy/EmArcy)
Joe Lovano Us Five Bird Songs (Blue Note)
Ambrose Akinmusire When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note)
Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian Live at Birdland (ECM)
Miguel Zenón Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook (Marsalis)
Charles Lloyd/Maria Farantouri Athens Concert (ECM)
JD Allen Trio Victory! (Sunnyside)
Craig Taborn Avenging Angel (ECM)
Keith Jarrett Rio (ECM)
Roy Haynes Roy-alty (Dreyfus Jazz)

2012
Vijay Iyer Trio Accelerando (ACT)
Branford Marsalis Quartet Four MFs Playin’ Tunes (Marsalis)
Sam Rivers/Dave Holland/Barry Altschul Reunion: Live in New York (Pi)
Ryan Truesdell Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans (ArtistShare)
Ravi Coltrane Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)
Gregory Porter Be Good (Motéma)
Henry Threadgill Zooid Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry, Spp (Pi)
Wadada Leo Smith Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
Tim Berne Snakeoil (ECM)
Brad Mehldau Trio Ode (Nonesuch)

2013
Wayne Shorter Quartet Without a Net (Blue Note)
Cécile McLorin Salvant WomanChild (Mack Avenue)
Craig Taborn Trio Chants (ECM)
Charles Lloyd/Jason Moran Hagar’s Dream (ECM)
Steve Coleman and Five Elements Functional Arrhythmias (Pi)
Terence Blanchard Magnetic (Blue Note)
Gregory Porter Liquid Spirit (Blue Note)
Jaimeo Brown Transcendence (Motéma)
Pat Metheny Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, Vol. 20 (Nonesuch/Tzadik)
Tim Berne’s Snakeoil Shadow Man (ECM)

2014
Sonny Rollins Road Shows Volume 3 (Doxy/OKeh)
Ambrose Akinmusire The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint (Blue Note)
Jason Moran All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller (Blue Note)
Mark Turner Quartet Lathe of Heaven (ECM)
Steve Lehman Octet Mise en Abîme (Pi)
Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden Last Dance (ECM)
Chick Corea Trio Trilogy (Stretch/Concord Jazz)
Kenny Barron/Dave Holland The Art of Conversation (Impulse!)
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band Landmarks (Blue Note)
Yosvany Terry New Throned King (5Passion)

2015
Kamasi Washington The Epic (Brainfeeder)
Maria Schneider Orchestra The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Rudresh Mahanthappa Bird Calls (ACT)
Cécile McLorin Salvant For One to Love (Mack Avenue)
Jack DeJohnette Made in Chicago (ECM)
John Scofield Past Present (Impulse!)
Charles Lloyd Wild Man Dance (Blue Note)
Steve Coleman & the Council of Balance Synovial Joints (Pi)
Vijay Iyer Trio Break Stuff (ECM)
Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Cuba: The Conversation Continues (Motéma)

2016
Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up Old Locks and Irregular Verbs (Pi)
Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrison In Movement (ECM)
JD Allen Americana: Musings on Jazz and Blues (Savant)
John Scofield Country for Old Men (Impulse!)
Charles Lloyd & the Marvels I Long to See You (Blue Note)
Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra Time/Life (Impulse!)
Kris Davis Duopoly (Pyroclastic)
Nels Cline Lovers (Blue Note)
Esperanza Spalding Emily’s D+Evolution (Concord)
Julian Lage Arclight (Mack Avenue)

2017
Vijay Iyer Sextet Far from Over (ECM)
Charles Lloyd New Quartet Passin’ Thru (Blue Note)
Steve Coleman’s Natal Eclipse Morphogenesis (Pi)
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition Agrima (rudreshm.com)
Cécile McLorin Salvant Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue)
Matt Wilson Honey and Salt: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg (Palmetto)
Hudson (DeJohnette/Grenadier/Medeski/Scofield) Hudson (Motéma)
Linda May Han Oh Walk Against Wind (Biophilia)
Craig Taborn Daylight Ghosts (ECM)
Ambrose Akinmusire A Rift in Decorum – Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)

2018
Wayne Shorter Emanon (Blue Note)
Ambrose Akinmusire Origami Harvest (Blue Note)
Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret The Other Side of Air (Firehouse 12)
Kenny Barron Quintet Concentric Circles (Blue Note)
Cécile McLorin Salvant The Window (Mack Avenue)
Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley, Brian Blade Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)
Bill Frisell Music IS (OKeh/Sony Masterworks)
Brad Mehldau Trio Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)
Sons of Kemet Your Queen Is a Reptile (Impulse!)
Miguel Zenón Featuring Spektral Quartet Yo Soy la Tradición (Miel)

2019
Branford Marsalis Quartet The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (OKeh)
Dave Holland/Zakir Hussain/Chris Potter Good Hope (Edition)
Chick Corea/Christian McBride/Brian Blade Trilogy 2 (Concord)
Camila Meza & the Nectar Orchestra Ámbar (Sony Masterworks)
Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons (Pyroclastic)
Tom Harrell Infinity (HighNote)
Joel Ross KingMaker (Blue Note)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Ancestral Recall (Ropeadope)
Johnathan Blake Trion (Giant Step Arts)
Linda May Han Oh Aventurine (Biophilia)

As Selected by JazzTimes READERS

2010
Charles Lloyd Quartet Mirror (ECM) 
Pat Metheny Orchestrion (Nonesuch)
Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green Apex (Pi)

2011
Sonny Rollins Road Shows Vol. 2 (Doxy/EmArcy)
John Scofield A Moment’s Peace (EmArcy)
Kurt Elling The Gate (Concord Jazz)

2012
Kurt Elling 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project (Concord Jazz)
Pat Metheny Unity Band (Nonesuch)
Brad Mehldau Trio Ode (Nonesuch)

2013
Wayne Shorter Quartet Without a Net (Blue Note)
Chick Corea The Vigil (Concord Jazz)
Pat Metheny Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, Vol. 20 (Nonesuch/Tzadik)

2014
Ambrose Akinmusire The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint (Blue Note)
Pat Metheny Unity Group Kin (Nonesuch)
Kenny Barron/Dave Holland The Art of Conversation (Impulse!)

2015
Kamasi Washington The Epic (Brainfeeder)
Various Artists Revive Music Presents: Supreme Sonacy Vol. 1 (Revive/Blue Note)
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Live in Cuba (Blue Engine)

2016
Joey Alexander Countdown (Motéma)
Donny McCaslin Beyond Now(Motéma)
Tie: Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrison In Movement (ECM), John Scofield Country for Old Men (Impulse!)

2017
Hudson (DeJohnette/Grenadier/Medeski/Scofield) Hudson (Motéma)
Vijay Iyer Sextet Far from Over (ECM)
Blue Note All-Stars Our Point of View (Blue Note)

2018
Kamasi Washington Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)
Wayne Shorter Emanon (Blue Note)
Chick Corea + Steve Gadd Band Chinese Butterfly (Stretch/Concord)

2019
TBD