Yearly Selection Archives

All posts filed under “Yearly Selection”

Best of Jazz 2023 (So Far)

The Best of Jazz 2023 (So Far!) says a lot about how strangely good this year has already been.

We say “strangely” because coming out of the COVID-19 years was believed to be a new beginning and the promise of an easier existence. However, for the last few months, everyday life has been exhausting, wearisome, and hard for all of us.

Despite these struggles, jazz musicians did manage to expand their creativity, broaden their horizons, and explore uncharted territories. Additionally, the fact that many of the following releases cannot fit properly into one category, says a lot about the current state of creativity ahead of classification. Last, a large part of this creativity is getting noticed by a broader audience that is younger than the usual crowd of jazz aficionados.

Best of Jazz – Year 2020

The best jazz 2020 in 20 essential albums.

3 solos, 3 duets, 3 quartets, 3 quintets, 3 larger ensembles, 1 artist of the year, and 1 archive of the year.

No rank, no order, just 20 albums and a playlist summing it up at the end of this post to enjoy outstanding music.

Best of Jazz – Year 1990

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1990 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for nearly 150 minutes of breathtaking music.

Best of Jazz – Year 1991

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1991 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for nearly 150 minutes of breath-taking music.

Best of Jazz – Year 1992

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1992 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for more than 200 minutes of breath-taking music.

Best of Jazz – Year 1993

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1993 with our 10 best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order; all are amazing in their own ways.

At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those 10 albums, plus 10 extra tracks for nearly 140 minutes of breathtaking music.

Best of Jazz – Year 1994

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1994 with our 10 best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order; all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track from each of those 10 albums, plus 10 extras, equaling nearly three hours of breathtaking music.

Best of Jazz – Year 2022

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.

1959 – The Best Year In Jazz History

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.

Best of Jazz – Year 1995

Discover the Best of Jazz selection for 1995 with our ten best jazz albums released that year. Once again, the albums are listed in no particular order: all are amazing in their own ways. At the end of the article, you will also find a playlist with a track to represent each of those ten albums, plus ten extra, for nearly two and half hours of breath-taking music.