Home » Jazz Articles » Year in Review » Dan Bilawsky's Best Releases of 2011

Dan Bilawsky's Best Releases of 2011

By Dan Bilawsky
December 18, 2011
View read count

Another year is in the books, but the music created and/or released during these twelve months is still around, continuing to serve as a reminder of jazz's majesty. While some continue to complain that jazz is stagnant or at death's door, the finest albums released in 2011 say otherwise. I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing approximately 170 recordings released in this calendar year, and the following list represents the best of the bunch (Note: they are not ranked in order of preference):

Soren Moller Christian X Variations (Audial Records)	Dida Pelled Plays And Sings (Red Records)	Paul Motian The Windmills Of Your Mind (Winter & Winter)
JD Allen Victory! (Sunnyside Records)	Miguel Zenon Alma Adentro—The Puerto Rican Songbook (Marsalis Music)	Fred Hersch Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto Records)
Tierney Sutton American Road (BFM Jazz)	Judy Wexler Under A Painted Sky (Jazzed Media)	Roland Hanna Colors From A Giant's Kit (IPO Recordings)
Freddie Hubbard Pinnacle (Resonance Records)	David Binney Graylen Epicenter (Mythology Records)	Roseanna Vitro The Music Of Randy Newman (Motema Music)
Jane Ira Bloom Wingwalker (Outline Music)	Donny McCaslin Perpetual Motion Greenleaf Music	Sonny Rollins Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records)
Josh Nelson Discoveries (Steel Bird Music)	Mark Weinstein El Cumbanchero (Jazzheads Records)	Pablo Held Glow (Pirouet Records)

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Flashpoint
< Previous

Mosaic Select 9: Bob Brookmeyer
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.