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Here it is, a “Best Of” list for the worst of years. Alright, that’s a bit jokey; the fact is that 2020 produced an extraordinary efflorescence of great music. Lilacs out of the dead land of pandemic-ravaged, polarized America. This list was culled from a larger list of superb recordings, 20 of them in all. On any given day, any of the other ten might make this list. The year was that strong.

Sharp eyes might notice that all of the recordings cited here are led or co-led by BIPoC and/or woman artists. That is no accident. A finger on the scale? It sure is, but who comes to such lists expecting objectivity? Those of us who assemble these little molehills of commentary are in no way equivalent to the artists we write about, but we are part of the same cultural ecosystem. True, the jazz critical community doesn’t have the influence it once did, nor does it have the gatekeeping or kingmaking influence that our counterparts in rock criticism more recently wielded. None of this excepts us from making a statement about the health and practices of the jazz community as a whole. Indeed to shrink from that obligation at this moment is irresponsible and downright cowardly. When large cultural institutions far more rigid and risk-averse are, perhaps belatedly, coming to terms with the state of the art, how can critics do any less?

So, read, but then listen.  Listen hard.

1.     Tyshawn Sorey, Unfiltered (self-released)

In a year when nobody could go anywhere, the polymathic MacArthur laureate was seemingly everywhere. Because it was released just before the quarantine, Unfiltered might not get the recognition it’s due, but it’s astonishing—more than two hours of now churning, now whispering music. Note the names of the mostly young players here, all of whom might someday point to this recording as the moment that launched their careers.

Unfiltered is available on Bandcamp.

2.     Code Girl, Artlessly Falling (Firehouse 12)

Is this jazz? Art-rock? Alt-classical? Yes! But listening to these brainy, elegant songs (and yes, they are songs) one can hear a new direction in jazz being born. An aside: while this list is ranked, I consider Artlessly Falling to be co-AoTY.

Artlessly Falling is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

3.     Irreversible Entanglements,  Who Sent You? (International Anthem)

A howl of rage from Moor Mother and her fire-spitting band. If any recording captured the zeitgeist of 2020, it was this one, a welcome reassertion of the political imperative in jazz and an imperative one.

Brian Kiwanuka’s full review is available here.

Who Sent You? is available on Bandcamp and in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

4.     Ingrid Laubrock+Kris Davis, Blood Moon (Intakt Records)

Two more artists who were seemingly everywhere this year. Given the restrictions the pandemic imposed on ensembles, expect to hear many more solo and duo records in 2021. May they all be as graceful, playful, and probing as this one.

Blood Moon is available at your nearest music shop or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

5.     Manuel Valera & New Cuban Express Big Band, José Martí En Nueva York (Greenleaf Music)

Perhaps the recording I listened to the most this year, Valera’s labor of love, dedicated to his late wife, exploded with color, passion and melody. If you want to introduce jazz to a skeptical friend, José Martí is what you should play.

José Martí En Nueva York is available on Bandcamp and in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

6.     Dayna Stephens Quartet, Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard (Contagious Music)

A solo horn with rhythm playing tunes: that’s a pretty conservative concept in this context. But what playing and what tunes! Pucker up for the kiss of death here, but Dayna Stephens’ improvisational daring and fecundity here are positively Sonny Rollins like.

Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard is available on Bandcamp and in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

7.     Eric Revis, Slipknots Through A Looking Glass (Pyroclastic Records)

Every year, it seems, Eric Revis releases a quietly devastating record. This year, he’s on Kris Davis’ increasingly essential Pyroclastic imprint with a band including odd-couple saxophonists Bill McHenry and Darius Jones striking sparks.

Slipknots Through A Looking Glass is available on Bandcamp or through our Amazon Affiliate Store.

8.     Thumbscrew, The Anthony Braxton Project (Cuneiform)

Anniversaries are beloved of the music business as a marketing hook. Still among the many great tragedies of 2020 was the attention diverted from big anniversaries, the Charlie Parker centennial and the 75th birthday of Anthony Braxton. The three members of the cooperative Thumbscrew all have associations with Braxton, and this excavation of unrecorded Braxton compositions is a thought-provoking and affectionate way to blow out the candles.

The Anthony Braxton Project is available on Bandcamp or through our Amazon Affiliate Store.

9.     Matthew Shipp, The Piano Equation (Tao Forms)

When discussions of the great pianists of our age arise, why is Matthew Shipp so seldom mentioned? This collection of solo piano music is proof that with his labyrinthine improvisations tangled up in a distinctive dark-metal sonority, Matthew Shipp sounds like no one else.

The Piano Equation is available on Bandcamp or through our Amazon Affiliate Store.

10.  Ambrose Akinmusire, on the tender spot of every calloused moment (Blue Note)

It’s fitting, perhaps, that the last word on this list is given to a record that itself ended with the saddest and most affecting music of the year. “Hooded Procession (read the names outloud),” a series of austere and chiming chords on Rhodes piano can serve as a grave and beautiful epitaph on this horrible, wonderful year.

Rob Shepherd’s full review of the album is available here. 

on the tender spot of every calloused moment is available at your nearest music shop or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.