It was an amazing year of great music from astonishing musicians. So many great vocalists and so very many great debut albums. This was the most difficult year, so far. If you haven’t heard the following albums, songs or artists, do yourself a favor and listen to them.
Once again, these are my favorites for the year. I would not presume to judge who is the “best.”
Vocal (Female) Album: “Matter of Time” by Aimée Allen
Vocal (Male) Album: Swing, Straight Up" by Dale Head
Piano: “The Evolution of Oneself” by Orrin Evans
Acoustic Guitar: “Blue Quiet Sound” by Goh Kurosawa
Electric Guitar: “Eternal Monomyth” by Gene Ess
Bass: “Within Sight” by Damian Erskine
Drums: “Evolution of an Influenced Mind” by Donald Edwards
Violin: “Roots” by Tomoko Omura
Organ: “For Once in My Life” by Ben Paterson
Sax: “No Net Nonet” by Lucas Pino
Trumpet: “Electricity” by Clear Water (Donald Malloy-trumpet)
Trombone: “The Chase” by Nick Finzer
Vibraphone: “Pictures from a Train Window” by Errol Rackipov
Harmonica: “Merci Toots” by Yvonnick Prene (and Pasquale Grasso)
Multi-instrumentalist Solo Recording: “Write Them Down” by George Colligan (keyboards, bass, drums, pocket trumpet, marching baritone and all vocals)
Solo (Guitar): “What a Beautiful Day” by Toshi Onizuka
Duet: “After You” by Mason Razavi and Bennet Roth-Newell
Trio: “Dictionary 3” by Ligro
Quartet: ““Yamiyo Ni Karasu” by Sakoto Fujii Tobira
Quintet: “Hats and Shoes” by Gebhard Ullmann Basement Research.
Sextet/Septet: “Aegean” by Jacob Varmus Septet
Large Ensemble: “Holmes” by Jeff Benedict Big Band
Orchestral Jazz: “The Kingdom of Arwen” by Thierry Maillard
Seasonal Album: “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Fred Hughes Trio
Best Jazz Arrangements: “Sea Changes” by Eric Olsen ReVision Quartet
Bossa Nova Album: “BossaToo” by Kristine Mills
Tango: “History of Tango” by Berta Rojas
Latin Jazz: “Cumbia Universal” by Gregorio Uribe Big Band
Progressive Album: “All You Can Eat” by Slivovitz
Jazz-Fusion Album: “Grace Notes” by Randy Bernsen
Jazz-Funk: “Olympus” by Beat Funktion
Free Jazz: “East Meets West” by Tres Gone
Jazz Blog: “Jazz Truth” by George Colligan
Debut Album of the Year: “Home” by Lorin Cohen
Song of the Year (Solo): “Light and Shade” from “What a Beautiful Day” by Toshi Onizuka
Song of the Year (Group): “Oblio” from the album “All You Can Eat” by Slivovitz
Album of the Year: “Ichigo Ichie” by Sakoto Fujii Orchestra Berlin
~ Travis Rogers, Jr. is "The Jazz Owl"
Once again, these are my favorites for the year. I would not presume to judge who is the “best.”
Vocal (Female) Album: “Matter of Time” by Aimée Allen
Vocal (Male) Album: Swing, Straight Up" by Dale Head
Piano: “The Evolution of Oneself” by Orrin Evans
Acoustic Guitar: “Blue Quiet Sound” by Goh Kurosawa
Electric Guitar: “Eternal Monomyth” by Gene Ess
Bass: “Within Sight” by Damian Erskine
Drums: “Evolution of an Influenced Mind” by Donald Edwards
Violin: “Roots” by Tomoko Omura
Organ: “For Once in My Life” by Ben Paterson
Sax: “No Net Nonet” by Lucas Pino
Trumpet: “Electricity” by Clear Water (Donald Malloy-trumpet)
Trombone: “The Chase” by Nick Finzer
Vibraphone: “Pictures from a Train Window” by Errol Rackipov
Harmonica: “Merci Toots” by Yvonnick Prene (and Pasquale Grasso)
Multi-instrumentalist Solo Recording: “Write Them Down” by George Colligan (keyboards, bass, drums, pocket trumpet, marching baritone and all vocals)
Solo (Guitar): “What a Beautiful Day” by Toshi Onizuka
Duet: “After You” by Mason Razavi and Bennet Roth-Newell
Trio: “Dictionary 3” by Ligro
Quartet: ““Yamiyo Ni Karasu” by Sakoto Fujii Tobira
Quintet: “Hats and Shoes” by Gebhard Ullmann Basement Research.
Sextet/Septet: “Aegean” by Jacob Varmus Septet
Large Ensemble: “Holmes” by Jeff Benedict Big Band
Orchestral Jazz: “The Kingdom of Arwen” by Thierry Maillard
Seasonal Album: “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Fred Hughes Trio
Best Jazz Arrangements: “Sea Changes” by Eric Olsen ReVision Quartet
Bossa Nova Album: “BossaToo” by Kristine Mills
Tango: “History of Tango” by Berta Rojas
Latin Jazz: “Cumbia Universal” by Gregorio Uribe Big Band
Progressive Album: “All You Can Eat” by Slivovitz
Jazz-Fusion Album: “Grace Notes” by Randy Bernsen
Jazz-Funk: “Olympus” by Beat Funktion
Free Jazz: “East Meets West” by Tres Gone
Jazz Blog: “Jazz Truth” by George Colligan
Debut Album of the Year: “Home” by Lorin Cohen
Song of the Year (Solo): “Light and Shade” from “What a Beautiful Day” by Toshi Onizuka
Song of the Year (Group): “Oblio” from the album “All You Can Eat” by Slivovitz
Album of the Year: “Ichigo Ichie” by Sakoto Fujii Orchestra Berlin
~ Travis Rogers, Jr. is "The Jazz Owl"
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