The results of the 20th Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll are now out, gathering the collective voice of 168 critics. As always, Tom Hull has assembled everything with his usual precision, and the full list is available on his site.
What you will find here is simply a listening companion, as we know how useful it can be to have everything in one place when you want to explore the poll: the covers, the musicians, and an easy way to hear what each record sounds like. So this page brings together Bandcamp players when available, along with basic details to help readers move from the list to the music with as little friction as possible.
It is not a retelling of the poll and does not replace the original. It is just a practical way to dive into the recordings themselves, an easier entry point for anyone curious to hear what caught the attention of so many critics this year.
Note: This page is an independent listening companion to the 20th Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll, which Tom Hull curated and published. We are sharing it here with his approval. For the full official results, head to his website.
To make browsing easier, here are quick links to each category featured in this year’s poll:
- New Albums (from 1 to 25)
- Rara Avis (Reissues / Archival Releases) (from 1 to 10)
- Vocal Jazz (from 1 to 5)
- Latin Jazz (from 1 to 5)
- Debut Albums (from 1 to 5)
New Albums
#1 — New Albums
Mary Halvorson
About Ghosts (Nonesuch)
Points: 90.5 // Votes: 53
Mary Halvorson: guitar, synth; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Brian Settles: tenor saxophone; Adam O’Farrill: trumpet; Jacob Garchik: trombone; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Nick Dunston: bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums
Releases June 13, 2025
#2 — New Albums
Patricia Brennan
Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic)
Points: 89.6 // Votes: 50
Patricia Brennan: vibraphone with electronics, marimba; Modney, Pala Garcia: violin; Kyle Armbrust: viola; Michael Nicolas: cello; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Miles Okazaki: guitar; Kim Cass: bass; John Hollenbeck: drums, percussion; Arktureye: electronics; Eli Greenhoe: conductor
Released October 24, 2025
#3 — New Albums
Ambrose Akinmusire
Honey From a Winter Stone (Nonesuch)
Points: 71 // Votes: 41
Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Kokayi: vocals; Sam Harris: piano; Chiquitamagic: synths; Dustin Brown: drums | Mivos Quartet Olivia De Prato, Maya Bennardo: violin; Victor Lowrie Tafoya: viola; Nathan Watts: cello
Released January 31, 2025
#4 — New Albums
Linda May Han Oh
Strange Heavens (Biophilia)
Points: 64.3 // Votes: 41
Linda May Han Oh: bass; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Tyshawn Sorey: drums
Released August 22, 2025
#5 — New Albums
Amina Claudine Myers
Solace of the Mind (Red Hook)
Points: 63.4 // Votes: 36
Amina Claudine Myers: piano, Hammond B3 organ, voice
Releases June 20, 2025
#6 — New Albums
Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner
The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi)
Points: 53.5 // Votes: 31
Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Matt Brewer: bass; Damion Reid: drums
Released February 28, 2025
#7 — New Albums
Fieldwork
Thereupon (Pi)
Points: 47.6 // Votes: 28
Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Vijay Iyer: piano and Rhodes; Tyshawn Sorey: drums
Released September 5, 2025
#8 — New Albums
Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith
Defiant Life (ECM)
Points: 38.5 // Votes: 26
Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Vijay Iyer: piano, Fender Rhodes, electronics
Released March 21, 2025
#9 — New Albums
James Brandon Lewis Quartet
Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt)
Points: 44 // Votes: 25
James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Aruán Ortiz: piano; Brad Jones: bass; Chad Taylor: drums
Released May 30, 2025
#10 — New Albums
Nels Cline
Consentrik Quartet (Blue Note)
Points: 34.2 // Votes: 24
Nels Cline: electric guitars, acoustic guitars, effects, production, additional mixing; Chris Lightcap: acoustic bass, effects; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophones, soprano saxophones; Tom Rainey: drums
Released March 14, 2025
#11 — New Albums
Branford Marsalis Quartet
Belonging (Blue Note)
Points: 39.2 // Votes: 23
Branford Marsalis: saxophones, production, arrangement; Joey Calderazzo: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Justin Faulkner: drums
Released March 28, 2025
#12 — New Albums
Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson
Bone Bells (Pyroclastic)
Points: 36.8 // Votes: 23
Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Mary Halvorson: guitar
Released March 14, 2025
#13 — New Albums
Craig Taborn – Nels Cline – Marcus Gilmore
Trio of Bloom (Pyroclastic)
Points: 31.3 // Votes: 21
Craig Taborn: keyboards; Marcus Gilmore: drums, percussion; Nels Cline: 6-string and 12-string guitars, lap steel guitar, bass (tracks 4 and 10)
Released September 26, 2025
#14 — New Albums
Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio
Armageddon Flower (TAO Forms)
Points: 30.6 // Votes: 20
Ivo Perelman: tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp: piano; Mat Maneri: viola; William Parker: bass
Released June 20, 2025
#15 — New Albums
Webber/Morris Big Band
Unseparate (Out of Your Head)
Points: 28.9 // Votes: 20
Anna Webber, Angela Morris: tenor saxophone, flute, conductor; Jay Rattman: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute; Charlotte Greve: alto saxophone, flute, clarinet; Adam Schneit: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Lisa Parrott: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Nolan Tsang, Ryan Easter, Jake Henry, Kenny Warren: trumpets; Tim Vaughn, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Jen Baker, Reginald Chapman: trombones; Yuhan Su: vibraphone; Dustin Carlson: guitar; Marta Sánchez: piano; Adam Hopkins: bass; Jeff Davis: drums
Released September 26, 2025
#16 — New Albums
Isaiah Collier – William Hooker – William Parker
The Ancients (Eremite)
Points: 31.1 // Votes: 19
Isaiah Collier: tenor saxophone, Aztec death whistle, siren, little instruments; William Hooker: drums, vocals; William Parker: bass, hojǒk, singing
Released January 31, 2025
#17 — New Albums
Sullivan Fortner
Southern Nights (Artwork)
Points: 30.2 // Votes: 19
Sullivan Fortner: piano; Peter Washington: double bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums
Released February 14, 2025
#18 — New Albums
Miguel Zenón Quartet
Vanguardia Subterranea: Live at the Village Vanguard (Miel Music)
Points: 26.4 // Votes: 16
Miguel Zenon: alto saxophone; Luis Perdomo: piano; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Henry Cole: drums
Released August 29, 2025
#19 — New Albums
Myra Melford
Splash (Intakt)
Points: 22.7 // Votes: 16
Myra Melford: piano; Michael Formanek: bass; Ches Smith: drums, vibraphone
Released March 28, 2025
#20 — New Albums
Charles Lloyd
Figure in Blue (Blue Note)
Points: 23.1 // Votes: 14
Charles Lloyd: saxophone; Jason Moran: piano; Marvin Sewell: guitar
Released October 10, 2025
#21 — New Albums
Tomas Fujiwara
Dream Up (Out of Your Head)
Points: 18.2 // Votes: 13
Tomas Fujiwara: drums; Tim Keiper: donso ngoni, kamale ngoni, calabash, temple blocks, timbale, djembe, castanets, balafon, found objects, other percussion; Kaoru Watanabe: o-jimedaiko, uchiwadaiko, shimedaiko, shinobue; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone
Released September 12, 2025
#22 — New Albums
Mark Turner
Reflections On: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Giant Step Arts)
Points: 19.1 // Votes: 12
Mark Turner: tenor sax, narration; Jason Palmer: trumpet; David Virelles: piano, organ; Matt Brewer: acoustic, electric bass; Nasheet Waits: drums
Released October 10, 2025
#23 — New Albums
James Brandon Lewis Trio
Apple Cores (Anti-)
Points: 16.4 // Votes: 12
James Brandon Lewis: saxophone; Chad Taylor: drums, mbira; Josh Werner: bass, guitar
Released February 7, 2025
#24 — New Albums
Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons
Live in Philadelphia (Otherly Love/Ars Nova Workshop)
Points: 17.7 // Votes: 11
Marshall Allen: alto saxophone, EVI; DMHotep: electric guitar, kalimba; Chad Taylor: drums; Luke Stewart: bass; James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Immanuel Wilkins: saxophone, electronics; Michael Ray: trumpet, keyboard; Elliott Levin: saxophone, flute; Tcheser Holmes: drums; James McNew: bass, electronics; Charlie Hall: drums; Dave Davis: trombone; Brian Marsella: keyboards; Tara Middleton: vocals (…)
Releases May 23, 2025
#25 — New Albums
The Hemphill Stringtet
Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill (Out of Your Head)
Points: 16.6 // Votes: 11
Curtis Stewart: violin; Sam Bardfeld: violin; Stephanie Griffin: viola; Tomeka Reid: cello
Released April 4, 2025
Discover next: the Best Jazz Albums of 2025
Rara Avis (Reissues/Archival)
#1 — Rara Avis
Charles Mingus
Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts (1977, Resonance)
Points: 38.8 // Votes: 28
Charles Mingus: bass, piano (CD1:9, CD2:4); Ricky Ford: tenor saxophone; Jack Walrath: trumpet; Robert Neloms: piano; Dannie Richmond: drums
Released April 18, 2025
#2 — Rara Avis
Horace Silver
Silver in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (1965, Blue Note)
Points: 34 // Votes: 27
Horace Silver: piano; Woody Shaw: trumpet; Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone; Teddy Smith: bass; Roger Humphries: drums
Released October 24, 2025
#3 — Rara Avis
Freddie Hubbard
On Fire: Live From the Blue Morocco (1967, Resonance)
Points: 36.2 // Votes: 25
Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Bennie Maupin: tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron: piano; Herbie Lewis: bass; Freddie Waits: drums
Released April 18, 2025
#4 — Rara Avis
Anthony Braxton
Quartet (England) 1985 (Burning Ambulance)
Points: 38.6 // Votes: 23
Anthony Braxton: reeds; Marilyn Crispell: piano; Mark Dresser: double bass; Gerry Hemingway: percussion
Released June 4, 2025
#5 — Rara Avis
Kenny Dorham
Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live From the Blue Morocco (1957, Resonance)
Points: 29 // Votes: 21
Kenny Dorham: trumpet; Sonny Red: alto saxophonist; Cedar Walton: pianist; Paul Chambers: bass; Denis Charles: drums
Released April 18, 2025
#6 — Rara Avis
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Vibrations in the Village: Live at the Village Gate (1963, Resonance)
Points: 26.2 // Votes: 17
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: tenor saxophone, stritch, manzello, flute, vocals, whistle.
Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, Jane Getz: piano; Henry Grimes: bass; Sonny Brown: drums
Released December 5, 2025
#7 — Rara Avis
Stanley Cowell
Musa: Ancestral Streams (1974, Strata-East/Mack Avenue)
Points: 24.4 // Votes: 17
Stanley Cowell: piano, electric piano & kalimba (track 6)
Released April 25, 2025
#8 — Rara Avis
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Seek & Listen: Live at the Penthouse (1967, Resonance)
Points: 22 // Votes: 16
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: tenor saxophone, flute, stritch, manzello, flexatone, siren, whistle; Rahn Burton: piano; Steve Novosel: bass; Jimmy Hopps: drums
Released December 5, 2025
#9 — Rara Avis
Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley
Flashing Spirits (1988, Burning Ambulance)
Points: 19.8 // Votes: 14
Cecil Taylor: piano; Tony Oxley: drums
Released July 11, 2025
#10 — Rara Avis
Irène Schweizer – Rüdiger Carl – Johnny Dyani – Han Bennink
Irène’s Hot Four (1981, Intakt)
Points: 18.4 // Votes: 13
Irène Schweizer: piano; Rüdiger Carl: saxophones, clarinet, accordion; Johnny Dyani: bass, vocal; Han Bennink: drums, percussion, megaphone
Released May 23, 2025
Vocal Jazz
#1 — Vocal Jazz
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Oh Snap (Nonesuch)
Votes: 34
Cécile McLorin Salvant: vocals; Sullivan Fortner: piano; Yasushi Nakamura: bass; Kyle Poole: drums | Guests: June McDoom: guitar; Kate Davis: vocals; Keita Ogawa, Weedie Braimah: percussion; Evan Wright: clarinet
Released September 19, 2026
#2 — Vocal Jazz
Tyreek McDole
Open Up Your Senses (Artworks)
Votes: 17
Tyreek McDole: vocals; Dylan Band: tenor, soprano saxophones; Caelan Cardello; piano, Rhodes; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Justin Faulkner: drums | Guests: Kenny Barron: piano; Sullivan Fortner: Hammond B3 Organ, Rhodes; Logan Butler: guitar; Emmanuel Michael: guitar; Michael Cruse: trumpet; Tomoki Sanders: tenor sax, percussion; Jerome Gillespie II: drums; Weedie Braimah: percussion
Released June 6, 2025
#3 — Vocal Jazz
Sara Serpa & Matt Mitchell
End of Something (Obliquity)
Votes: 14
Sara Serpa: voice; Matt Mitchell: piano
Released November 7, 2025
#4 — Vocal Jazz
Tessa Souter
Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project (Noanara Music)
Votes: 10
Tessa Souter: vocals; Luis Perdomo: piano; Yasushi Nakamura: bass; Billy Drummond: drums; Nadje Noordhuis: trumpet, flugelhorn; Steve Wilson: soprano saxophone; Pascal Borderies: spoken word
Released June 27, 2025
#5 — Vocal Jazz
Kenny Barron
Songbook (Artwork)
Votes: 9
Kenny Barron: piano; Kitagawa: double bass; Johnathan Blake: drums | Vocalists: Jean Baylor, Ann Hampton Callaway, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Ekep Nkwelle, Catherine Russell, Kurt Elling, Tyreek McDole, Kavita Shah
Released November 14, 2025
Latin Jazz
#1 — Latin Jazz
Miguel Zenón Quartet
Vanguardia Subterranea: Live at the Village Vanguard (Miel Music)
Votes: 38
Miguel Zenon: alto saxophone; Luis Perdomo: piano; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Henry Cole: drums
Released August 29, 2025
#2 — Latin Jazz
Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley (Zoho)
Votes: 27
Arturo O’Farrill: piano; Adison Evans, Ivan Renta, Jasper Dutz, Larry Bustamante, Roman Filiu: reeds; Abdulrahman Amer, Earl McIntyre, Rafi Malkiel, Remee Ashley: trombone; Adam O’Farrill, Bryan Davis, Rachel Therrien, Seneca Black: trumpet; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Andrew Andron: piano; Sergio Ramirez: guitar; Ricardo Rodriguez: bass; Vince Cherico: drums; Karen Mantler: harmonica, organ; Carlos Maldonado, Keisel Jimenez: percussion
Released January 17, 2025
#3 — Latin Jazz
Aruán Ortiz
Créole Renaissance (Intakt)
Votes: 11
Aruán Ortiz: piano
Released August 29, 2025
#4 — Latin Jazz
Conrad Herwig
Reflections – Facing South (Savant)
Votes: 8
Conrad Herwig: trombone; Eddie Palmieri: piano; Luques Curtis: double bass
Released August 29, 2025
#5 — Latin Jazz
Harold López-Nussa
Nueva Timba (Blue Note)
Votes: 7
Harold López-Nussa: piano, Rhodes, programming, voice, synth; Grégoire Maret: chromatic harmonica, harmonica; Luques Curtis: acoustic bass; Ruy Adrian López-Nussa: drum set, voice, cajon flamenco, claps, percussion; Jose Angel Blanco “El Negro WADPRO”: beatmaker; Vincent Peirani: accordion; Alexis Díaz Pimienta: voice
Released September 5, 2025
Debut Albums
#1 — Debut Albums
Paul Cornish
You’re Exaggerating! (Blue Note)
Votes: 23
Paul Cornish: piano; Joshua Crumbly: bass; Jonathan Pinson: drums | Guest: Jeff Parker: guitar
Released August 22, 2025
#2 — Debut Albums
Thomas Morgan
Around You Is a Forest (Loveland Music)
Votes: 17
Thomas Morgan: double bass; Dan Weiss: table; Craig Taborn: Farfisa organ, Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, field recordings; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Henry Threadgill: flute, bass flute; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Bill Frisell: acoustic, electric guitars; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Gary Snyder: voice
Released November 7, 2025
#3 — Debut Albums
Tyreek McDole
Open Up Your Senses (Artworks)
Votes: 15
Tyreek McDole: vocals; Dylan Band: tenor, soprano saxophones; Caelan Cardello; piano, Rhodes; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Justin Faulkner: drums | Guests: Kenny Barron: piano; Sullivan Fortner: Hammond B3 Organ, Rhodes; Logan Butler: guitar; Emmanuel Michael: guitar; Michael Cruse: trumpet; Tomoki Sanders: tenor sax, percussion; Jerome Gillespie II: drums; Weedie Braimah: percussion
Released June 6, 2025
#4 — Debut Albums
Brandon Woody
For the Love of It All (Blue Note)
Votes: 14
Brandon Woody: trumpet; Troy Long: piano, organ, Rhodes, keyboards; Quincy Phillips: drums; Michael Saunders: bass | Guests: Imani-Grace: vocals; Vittorio Stropoli: aux synth
Released May 9, 2025
#5 — Debut Albums
Marcus Gilmore
Journey to the New: Live at the Village Vanguard (Drummerslams)
Votes: 9
Marcus Gilmore: drums, percussion; Morgan Guerin: EWI; David Virelles: piano; Emmanuel Michael: guitar; Rashaan Carter: double bass; Burniss Travis: electric bass, sound design
Released May 16, 2025
The Listener’s Companion to the 20th Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll
That is it for this listening companion. The full results of the 20th Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll remain available on Tom Hull’s site, but we hope this page made it easier to explore the albums themselves, to see the covers, hear the music, and dive into the details behind the rankings. If you discover something new here, all the better. As always, happy listening.