1. <\/strong> Tyshawn Sorey, Unfiltered<\/em> (self-released)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/tivHLrcFi2M\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&ssl=1\")
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, read, but then listen. Listen hard<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. <\/strong> Tyshawn Sorey, Unfiltered<\/em> (self-released)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>