Ludovico Granvassu's Garden Of Jazzy Delights 2022

The depth and range of the music that jazz players have put on record in 2022 are so big that summarizing this "year in jazz" by selecting only ten albums feels akin to taking the photo of a breath-taking landscape with an ultra-low resolution camera... Ten years from now, how is one supposed to understand how 2022 sounded through a sonic picture consisting of just ten, very large, audio pixels?

So I much prefer a higher resolution image produced by casting a wide net, which has the added benefit of somewhat reducing the subjectivity of this "end of the year" listicle. However, since subjectivity cannot be entirely taken out of any exercise of this sort, rather than declaring what was the best jazz of the year, I confine myself to stating that these were the albums that brought me delight and will make me think back to 2022 as a jazz year to remember.

This approach favors the scene over the individual, the 99% over the 1%, the articulation over the sound-bite.

Below is a list of over 160 albums in alphabetical order, and grouped in various categories, which includes those that to these ears may have sounded indispensable, together with many more that may not have been as indespensable but, collectively, were as—if not more—important, at the very least because they proved that jazz remains the "sound of surprise." These records are just the tip of an ever growing jazz iceberg... a comforting thought at a time when real icebergs are actually melting.

A number of trends were particularly welcome this year: the further shortening of the average duration of records, with less 'filler tracks' than in the past; multiple-album series released over a relatively short period of time by a single prolific artist (from Steven Bernstein to Charles Lloyd, from Dave Douglas to Florian Arbenz) as a more meaningful way to release music in a 'thematically sound' manner; and, last but not least, while LPs and cassettes keep enjoying a second youth, the CD continues to experience its very long tail and remains alive and kicking despite its death having been declared several times already.

Overall positive surprise of the year: the sudden emergence of Pete Min's and Todd Dahlhoff's Colorfield Records, a label whose every new title suprises and fascinates and, in doing so, embodies the true spirit of jazz while bringing something really fresh to the table.

If you have not listened to the albums listed here yet... give them a spin, or listen to my radio show focusing on some of the best songs of 2022 contained in some of these albums: Part 1, Part 2. My guess is that you'll like them too!

Must Haves

Steven Bernstein & The Hot 9 feat. John Medeski, Arturo O'Farrill
Manifesto of Henrysms
Royal Potato Family


Michael Blake
Combobulate
Newvelle Records


Jakob Bro, Joe Lovano
Once Around the Room—A Tribute to Paul Motian
ECM Records


Marco Cappelli's Italian Doc Remix
Pandemonium
41st Parallel Records


Deadeye
Deadeye
Dox Records


Zeno De Rossi Trio
This Is Always
Hora Records


Designers
Designers
WeJazz


Francesco Diodati, Leïla Martial, Stefano Tamborrino
Oliphantre
Auand Records


Kahil El'Zabar
A Time for Healing
Spiritmuse Records


Flat Earth Society
R.I.P. -Twelve Funeral Songs
Igloo Records


Bill Frisell
Four
Blue Note Records


Anthony Fung
What Does It Mean to Be Free
Self-released


Heroes Are Gang Leaders
LeAutoRoiOgraphy
577 Records


Kansas Smitty's
We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Ever Records


Koma Saxo, Sofia Jernberg
Koma West
WeJazz


David Krakauer
Mazel Tov Cocktail Party
Label Bleu/Table Pounding


Julia Hulsmann Quartet
The Next Door
ECM Records


I Am Isaiah Collier, Michael Shekwoaga Ode
Beyond
Division 81 Records


Robin Holcomb
One Way or Another -Vol. 1
Westerlies Records


Jon Irabagon
Rising Sun
Irrabagast Records


Michael Leonhart Orchestra
The Normyn Suites
Sunnyside Records


Hans Lüdemann TransEuropeExpress Ensemble
On the Edges 1
BMC Records


Magic Malik
Ka Frobeat
Onze Heures Onze


Leyla McCalla
Breaking the Thermometer
Anti— Records


André Minvielle
Ti'bal Tribal
La C.A.D


Jun Miyake
Whispered Garden
Yellowbird


Billy Mohler
Anatomy
Contagious Music


Thandi Ntuli
Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë
Next Music


Roberto Ottaviano, Alexander Hawkins
Charlie's Blue Skylight
Dodicilune


Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan
X
Train Fantôme


Stefan Pasborg
Ritual Dances
Sunnyside Records


Pipe Dream
Blue Roads
C.A.M. Jazz


Potsa Lotsa XL & Youjin Sung
Gaya
Trouble in the East


Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra
Eurythmia
Clean Feed Records


Jimetta Rose & The Voices Of Creation
How Good It Is
Day Dreamer Records


Tom Skinner
Voices of Bishara
Brownswood Recordings


Gunter Baby Sommer & The Lucaciu 3
Karawane
Intakt Records


Tyshawn Sorey Trio
Mesmerism
Yeros7


Ken Stubbs
A Day A Way
CherryK


Micah Thomas
Piano Solo
LP3 45 Records


Unscientific Italians
Play the Music of Bill Frisell -Vol. 2
Hora Records


Daniel Villarreal
Panamá 77
International Anthem


Various Artists
Jazz sous les pommiers
Jazz sous les pommiers


John Zorn
Incerto
Tzadik

---

Debut albums

• Zoh Amba O Sun Tzadik Records
• Benny Bock Vanishing Act Colorfield Records
• Anna Butterss Activities Colorfield Records
• Oan Kim Oan Kim and the Dirty Jazz Self-released
• Yu Nishiyama Big Band A Lotus in the Mud Outside In Music/Next Level
• Mali Obomsawin Sweet Tooth Out of Your Head Records
• OHMA In Essence Colorfield Records
• Olga Raznichenko Trio Somnambule Traumton Records
• Dan Schnelle Shine Thru Outside In Music

Revelations

• Miriam Elhajli The Uncertainty of Signs Self-released
• Flash Pig Le plus longtemps possible Astérie
• Manel Fortia Despertar Microscopi
• Frazer Plex City Slang
• Minino Garay Speaking Tango Sunnyside Records
• Gabi Hartmann Always Seem to Get Things Wrong Komos
• Sun Mi Hong Third Page: Resonance Edition Records
• Joyfultalk Familiar Science Constellation Records
• King Klavé King Klavé Self-released
• Claire Michael Mystical way Blue Touch Records
• Sam Reider Petrichor Slow & Steady Records
• Jeremy Rose & Earshift Orchestra Disruption! The Voice of the Drums Earshift Music
• Wabjie Lull Urgence Disk

Previously unreleased

• Brian Auger Auger Incorporated Soul Bank Music
• Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian Live at the Village Vanguard -Unissued Tracks Somethin' Cool
• Paul Bley Trios Play Annette Peacock -Revisited Ezz-thetics
• Donald Byrd Live: Cookin' with Blue Note at Montreux Blue Note Records
• Miles Davis Quintets Stockholm Live 1967 & 1969 -Revisited Ezz-thetics
• The Gathering Orchestra Healing Suite The Village
• Elvin Jones Revival Live at Pookie's Pub Blue Note Records
• Byard Lancaster Soul Unity Komos Jazz
• Cristina Mazza; Sean Bergin; Daniele D'Agaro; Bruno Marini; Jean-Jacques Avenel; Sangoma Everett Celebrating the Music of Mal Waldron Caligola Records
• Charles Mingus The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's Resonance Records
• Esbjorn Svensson Home.S ACT Music
• Jamaaladeen Tacuma featuring Ethnic Minority Small World Self-released
• Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum Virgo Spectrum Frederiksberg Records
• Various Artists John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop Strut Records

Reissues

• Pablo Ablanedo Christeza Newvelle Records
• Ben Allison Little Things Run the World Sonic Camera Records
• Michael Blake Elevated P&M Records
• Frank Kimbrough Frank Kimbrough 2003-2006 Palmetto Records
• Fred Pallem & Friends: Le sacre du tympan Street Machine/Kuneko
• Oneness of Juju Bush Brothers and Space Rangers Strut Records
• Sun Ra Arkestra, Salah Ragab, Cairo Jazz Band Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt Strut Records
• Radka Toneff, Steve Dobrogosz Fairytales Odin Records

Remarkable

• Monica Nica Agosti Ornettiana Aut Records
• Ben Allison Moments Inside / Moments Outside Sonic Record Camera
• Steve Arguelles Home dStream
• Lucian Ban Ways of Disappearing Sunnyside Records
• Maher Beauroy Insula Le Marion Dufresne Éditeur
• Kristin Berardi The Light & the Dark Earshift Music
• Steven Bernstein's Millenial Territory Orchestra Good Time Music -Community Music Volume 2 Royal Potato Family
• Pernille Bevort Bévort 3 Live 2020-2021 Gateway Music
• David Binney Tomorrow's Journey Ghost Note Records
• Wil Blades, Charlie Hunter, George Sluppick Just Play the Blues SideHustle
• Lucia Boffo Nomade ears&eyes Records
• Surya Botofasina Everyone's Children Spiritmuse Records
• Patricia Brennan More Touch Pyroclastic Records
• Brand New World Trio (David Murray, Brad Jones, Hamid Drake) Seriana Promethea Intakt Records
• Cristiano Calcagnile Anokhi Inversi We Insist! Records
• Ilaria Capalbo Karthago BlueNord Records
• Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards -Vol. 1 Candid Records
• Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Enrico Rava 2 Blues for Cecil TUM Records
• Kit Downes Vermillion ECM Records
• Gui Duvignau Baden Sunnyside Records
• Kurt Elling The London Sessions Edition Records
• Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Darek Oles Live in Italy Fuzzy Music
• Avram Fefer Quartet Juba Lee Clean Feed Records
• Jean-Marc Foltz, Stephan Oliva Indigo Visions Fugitives
• Ghost Horse Il bene comune Hora Records
• Binker Golding Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy Gearbox Records
• Tom Harrell Oak Tree Savant Records
• Pablo Held Meet Me at the Loft Self-released
• Maximilian Hering Group Nostalgia Klangraum Records
• Ilmiliekki Quartet Ilmiliekki Quartet WeJazz
• Jupiter The Wild East Moserobie
• Soweto Kinch White Juju Self-released
• Sarathy Korwar Kalak Leaf
• Lisbeth Quartett Release Intakt Records
• Charles Lloyd Trios: Chapel; Ocean; Sacred Thread Blue Note Records
• Nduduzo Makhathini In the Spirit of Ntu Blue Note Records
• Louis Matute Our Folklore Neuklang Records
• Makaya McCraven In These Times International Anthem
• Cecile McLorin Salvant Ghost Song Nonesuch Records
• Jim McNeely, Frankfurt Radio Big Band Rituals Double Moon Records
• Mostly Other People Do the Killing Disasters Vol. I Hot Cup Records
• Rebecca Nash Redefining Element 78 Whirlwind Recordings
• Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity Elastic Wave ECM Records
• Bill O'Connell A Change Is Gonna Come Savant Records
• Miles Okazaki Thisness Pi Recordings
• Leïla Olivesi Astral Acel
• Emile Parisien Louise ACT Music
• Jeff Parker; Eric Revis; Nasheet Waits Eastside Romp Rogue Art
• Samora Pinderhughes Grief Ropeadope
• Simone Prattico That's It Zamora
• Enrico Rava, Fred Hersch The Song Is You ECM Records
• Reverso Harmonic Alchemy Outnote
• Sylvain Rifflet Aux Anges Magriff
• Joel Ross The Parable of the Poet Blue Note Records
• Andreas Rotevatn, OJKOS Mensa Rotunda Odin
• John Scofield John Scofield ECM Records
• Alex Sipiagin Ascent to the Blues Posi-Tone Records
• Ches Smith Interpret It Well Pyroclastic Records
• Snarky Puppy Empire Central GroundUP Music
• Somi Zenzile—The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba Salon Africana
• Luke Stewart's Silt Trio The Bottom Cuneiform Records
• Chad Taylor Trio The Reel Astral Spirits
• Joona Toivanen Trio Both Only WeJazz
• Oded Tzur Isabela ECM Records
• Various Artists Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen Blue Note Records
• Various Artists Black Lives— From Generation to Generation Jammin' Colors
• David Virelles Nuna PI Recordings
• Doug Wamble Blues in the Present Tense Halcyonic Records
• Amanda Whiting Lost in Abstraction Jazzman Records
• Immanuel Wilkins The 7th Hand Blue Note Records
• Deanna Witkowski Force of Nature MCG Jazz
• Michael Wollny Trio Ghosts ACT Music
• Jeong Lim Yang Zodiac Suite: Reassured Fresh Sound/New Talent
• Jason Yeager Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite Sunnyside Records
• Miguel Zenon Música De Las Américas Miel

Ubridled Fun

• Gyedu-Blay Ambolley Gyedu-Blay Ambolley & Hi-life Jazz Agogo Records
• Marco Cappelli's Italian Surf Academy Fake Worlds 41st Parallel Records
• Louis Cole Quality over Opinion Brainfeeder Records
• Harlem Gospel Travelers Look Up! Colemine Records
• The New Mastersounds The Deplar Effect Color Red
• Shotnez Dose a Nova Batov Records
• James Taylor Quartet Man in the Hot Seat Audio Network
• Various Artists Blue Note Re:Imagined II Blue Note Records

Comments