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Glenn Astarita's Best Recordings of 2021

By Glenn Astarita
January 2, 2022
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No doubt, 2021 was a tumultuous year on many fronts, but the jazz world had a spectacular year in the recording studio and beyond, although live appearances were limited. Hence, the following is a top ten list (in no particular order) that highlight some of the superb recordings released during 2021.

Steve Coleman
Live at the Village Vanguard II (MDW NTR)
PI Recordings

Stephan Thelen
Fractal Guitar 2
Moonjune Records

9 Horses
Omegah
Adhyâropa Records

Ohad Talmor
Long Forms
Intakt Records

Ray Suhy—Lewis Porter
Transcendent
Sunnyside Records

Ghost Rhythms
Spectral Music
Cuneiform Records

Frank Zappa
Zappa '88 The Last U.S. Show
Unbranded

John Zorn
The Ninth Circle
Tzadik

David Sanford
A Prayer for Lester Bowie
Greenleaf Music

Kaja Draksler—Petter Eldh—Christian Lillinger SOMIT
PUNKT.VRT.PLASTIK
Intakt Records

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