For many people, music is an essential part of their daily lives. It can provide a much-needed source of entertainment, relaxation, and inspiration. With the advent of streaming services like Spotify, it’s easier than ever to access the music you love, and for fans of jazz, Spotify is a veritable goldmine. The platform offers a wide range of jazz artists, both old and new, thereby making it easy to create the perfect jazz playlist for any mood or occasion.
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The following selection is our definitive “Best Jazz Albums of 2022” list. As you are about to discover, 2022 was another great year for jazz!
First, all the jazz clubs and venues suddenly reopened, and it was possible to see and listen to the music we love and the artists we worship live again! It is hard to believe that less than one year ago, the music scene was non-existent. This is such a relief! Now that we deeply understand the fragility of this ecosystem, it feels important—and even better—to go out and enjoy what is definitely not a given.
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Smooth jazz is a genre of music that emerged in the 1970s and quickly gained popularity for its relaxed, easy-going sound. Unlike other forms of jazz, smooth jazz is characterized by a smooth, flowing rhythm that is easy to listen to. This makes it the perfect choice for background music in restaurants and stores or for simply relaxing at home. In addition to its mellow sound, smooth jazz also features extended saxophone solos and complex chord progressions. This gives the music a richness and depth that can be enjoyed even by listeners who are not familiar with jazz.
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Zurich Concert is the third album by Punkt.Vrt.Plastik as a trio, with Kaja Draksler on the piano, Petter Eldh on the bass, and Christian Lillinger on the drums. Zurich Concert was recorded live on May 14, 2021, at unerhört!-Festival in Zurich, Switzerland, by Michael Brändli, and it was released on March 11 and 18, 2022 on digital and physical release, respectively, by Intakt Records.
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(D)IVO is an album by the (D)IVO Saxophone Quartet, comprised of saxophonists Ivo Perelman, Tony Malaby, Tim Berne, and James Carter on tenor, soprano, alto, and baritone, respectively. (D)IVO was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, in Brooklyn, New York, in January 2022, and it was released on February 18, 2022, by Mahakala Music.
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The Seed is guitarist Thomas Mitrousis’ debut album, featuring Kostas Yaxoglou on the piano, Paraskevas Kitsos on the double bass, and Dimitris Klonis on the drums. The Seed was recorded in May 2021 at Antart Studios, in Greece, by Nikos Kollias and Yannis Damianos, and it was self-released on March 21, 2022.
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Secular Psalms is an album by trumpeter Dave Douglas, featuring Tomeka Reid, Berlinde Deman, Marta Warelis, Frederik Leroux, and Lander Gyselinck. The compositions are inspired by Jan van Eyck’s “Ghent Altarpiece,” as well as music by 15th-century Flemish composer Guillaume Dufay. Secular Psalms was recorded separately by each musician between May 2020—August 2021, and it was released on April 1, 2022, by Greenleaf Music.
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Hemligheter på vägen is the first release by ORD, a jazz quintet formed a few years ago and led by pianist Karin Johansson–who also acts here as composer and arranger. The album was recorded in 2019 by Oskar Johnsen Rydh in Sweden and released by Havtorn Records on March 21, 2022, which was World Poetry Day.
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On April 30, International Jazz Day will be celebrated all over the world, and the host city this year is Cape Town, South Africa.
April is also the start of a busy period when a lot of heavy jazz albums get released, so there’s lots of good times ahead of us!
To start the celebration here is an amazing April 2022 Selection of albums that have already been released or will be released this month. These albums got our full attention and should be worth your time.
The albums are listed in order of release date.
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1959 was without a doubt the best year in jazz history. Even if we were to add “so far” to the end of that statement, it still wouldn’t make sense, as the revolution to come will be grounded in the roots of 1959 anyway—or it will get a new name, other than “jazz.”
John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Blue Mitchell, and Lee Morgan were just amazing. These names alone should give you an idea of how important the records of 1959 were when you think that they are not even the leading musicians of the following releases. These albums were made for eternity, and their creators even more so.
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