THE BEST 30 JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2017

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MICHAEL ATTIAS QUARTET

NERVE DANCE (Clean Feed)

 

"... a suburban ritualistic journey, an ear-opener, and an asset for any lover of contemporary jazz" 

Full Review


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NICOLE MITCHELL

MANDORLA AWAKENING II:EMERGING WORLDS (FPE)

 

"... pacific coexistence between the modern and the ancient, the rhetoric and the philosophical, the euphony and the dissonance…"

Full Review


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STEVE COLEMAN'S NATAL ECLIPSE 

MORPHOGENESIS (PI RECORDINGS)

 

"... indestructible relationship between structure, unity, and improvisation"

Full Review


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MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO

PIANO SONG (THIRSTY EAR)

 

"... a bottomless well of impactful creativity and divine inspiration that consolidates Shipp as a forward-thinker with a radiant, unique voice."

Full Review


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AVISHAI COHEN

CROSS MY PALMS WITH SILVER (ECM)

 

"... embraces impressionism as it explores the edges of form and freedom."

Full Review


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KAMASI WASHINGTON

THE HARMONY OF DIFFERENCE (YOUNG TURKS)

 

"... passionate and poignant… deep understanding of the past and an eye in the future."

Full Review


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CHARLES LLOYD nEW QUARTET

PASSIN' THRU (BLUE NOTE)

 

"Insightful, exciting, prayerful, genuine…"

Full Review


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VIJAY IYER SEXTET

FAR FROM OVER (ECM)

 

"... propagates revolutionary sound waves with visceral earnestness."

Full Review


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WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS

MEDITATION / RESURRECTION (AUM FIDELITY)

 

"Parker's dedication to and innate passion for creative music is unflinching and an example for every aspiring musician."

Full Review


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MATT MITCHELL

A POUTING GRIMACE (PI RECORDINGS)

 

"Every inch of this uncategorizable music is cerebral, intelligent, and absolutely mesmeric."

Full Review


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ALAN FERBER BIG BAND

JIGSAW (SUNNYSIDE)

 

"... doesn’t need frivolous pyrotechnics or radical asymmetries or complicated meters to sound marvelous."

Full Review


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CRAIG TABORN

DAYLIGHT GHOSTS (ECM)

 

"Suffused with finesse and lyricism… great dynamics and a very personal character"

Full Review


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MARC COPLAND

NIGHTFALL (INNERVOICE)

 

"Throughout his musical solitude, the piano speaks volumes, resulting in a generous, dainty gift."

Full Review


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PAUL JONES

CLEAN (OUTSIDE IN MUSIC)

 

"... thrillingly emotional... astonishingly lyric… a balmy elixir in today’s jazz."

Full Review


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BRIAN CHARETTE

KURRENT (SELF PRODUCED)

 

"... a riveting spiral of unprecedented modern fusion with reverence for the dandy sounds of the past."

Full Review


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REZ ABBASI

UNFILTERED UNIVERSE (WHIRWIND)

 

"... exposes a world fusion extravagance, which, even if tumultuous at times, is no less than emphatically magical."

Full Review


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LINDA MAY HAN OH

WALK AGAINST WIND (BIOPHILIA)

 

"... successfully straddles the realms of post-bop and modern groove"

Full Review

 


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TOMAS FUJIWARA

TRIPLE DOUBLE (FIREHOUSE 12)

 

"... a precious work… elevates the new shapes of jazz through a refreshing originality."

Full Review


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WADADA LEO SMITH

NAJWA (TUM)

 

"... takes us out of our comfort zones with unflinching, daring, and sculptural forms and sounds."

Full Review


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TIM BERNE'S SNAKEOIL

INCIDENTALS (ECM)

 

"... another taut album full of nerve, audacity, and mutual inspiration."

Full Review


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MILES OKAZAKI

TRICKSTER (PI RECORDINGS)

 

"... elaborate layers of sound that intrigue and astound."

Full Review


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CHRIS POTTER

THE DREAMER IS THE DREAM (ECM)

 

"... compositional sophistication materialized in a high-end jazz that lives from communication, balance, and authenticity."

Full Review


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BURNING GHOSTS

RECLAMATION (TZADIK)

 

"... it will make you spin with the immense force of their underground volleys."

Full Review


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CHRIS SPEED TRIO

PLATINUM ON TAP (INTAKT)

 

"... brings an irrefutable breath of fresh air to the chord-less trio formats."

Full Review


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CUONG VU 4-TET

BALLET (RARENOISE)

 

"Absolutely addictive and remarkably infectious."

Full Review


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DAVID BINNEY

THE TIME VERSES (CRISS CROSS)

 

"... everything we could expect from a visionary saxophonist of multiple talents and resources."

Full Review


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SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA NEW YORK

FUKUSHIMA (libra)

 

"Painfully contemporary and garnished with off-kilter elements and conscientious coalescence."

Full Review


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AMIR ELSAFFAR RIVERS OF SOUND

NOT TWO (NEW AMSTERDAM)

 

"... these tunes never close doors to exploration and new possibilities."

Full Review


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FRANÇOIS BOURASSA QUARTET

NUMBER 9 (effendi)

 

"... rhythmic and harmonic twists and turns defy our expectations."

Full Review


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URI GURVICH

KINSHIP (JAZZ FAMILY)

 

"... a mature, multicultural, and urgent album… adventurous voice in the post-Coltranean fashion"

Full Review