Best of Jazz

this post, we will explore the Best Jazz Albums of 2014—each one a unique journey that contributed to making this year a new unforgettable chapter in the history of jazz.

No rank, nor order, just high-quality jazz, by outstanding artists. Listen to the Spotify playlist and scroll through the art covers. Comments on the current selection and suggestions for albums you believe should have made the list are very welcome in the comments section at the end of the post!

Best Jazz Albums 2014

“My inspiration for composing the music on The Great Lakes Suites is centered around the idea of the Great Lakes being located in the uppermost part of the Northern hemisphere and the fact that it took a long time for them to develop and form as a large body of water. My score reflects the idea of the flatness of the lakes´ surfaces. The lakes´ flatness does not, however, imply for me stasis or inactivity. What I wish to express compositionally is the simultaneous notions of the lakes being flat and their volatility as the fundamental characteristics of the Great Lakes. Restrained, yet explosive.

The other quality I wanted to express in the compositions was multiple sectional forms, ideally, thinking of each composition as being a suite or set of multiple pieces.

In The Great Lakes Suites, I was not concerned with the types and differences of species that make their home in this great body of water, but more with The Journey – transportation, transformation, communication and the principles of wave formations.”
–Wadada Leo Smith, New Haven, Connecticut, May 1, 2014

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, flute and bass flute; John Lindberg: double bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums
Released September 16, 2014

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A Swedish nonet featuring all the names you need to know in addition to the Mats Gustafsson universe. And a music that will stay with you:

“Imagine that: free, improvised music that you can almost hum and dance to!.”
–Antonio Poscic, Freejazzblog.org

Discover next: The Reason Why’s Original Tracks – Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra

Martin Küchen: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Eirik Hegdal: baritone saxophone, sopranino saxophone; Goran Kajfes: cornet; Johan Berthling: double bass; Andreas Werliin: drums; Mats Äleklint: trombone; Magnus Broo: trumpet; Alexander Zethson: upright piano, grand piano; Mattias Ståhl: vibraphone
Released May 19, 2014

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Last Dance–a follow-up to their wonderful 2010 collaboration Jasmine— is a poignant and intimate jazz album. The minimalist production focus on the emotional depth and the subtlety of their performances, making the music feel so serene and deeply personal.

“They don’t overstate anything; the music provides meaning all on its own. They relax into its beauty playing toward one another as hints, suggestions, and references to popular music history bridge the space between. Last Dance is a necessary addendum to Jasmine; it fleshes out the confident, mature, amiable, and eloquent speech in the canonical language these two jazz masters share.”
–Thom Jurek, for AllMusic

Keith Jarrett: Piano; Charlie Haden: Double Bass
Released June 13, 2014

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The chemistry did work so well in between these musicians. They achieved something so modern yet respectful, so filled with soul and groove, it is impossible not to feel comfortable and contented while listening to Rising Son.

“No one sounds like Takuya. His tone, warmth and most of all his storytelling have inspired me for years. His writing is soulful, modern, and effortlessly bridges the gap between jazz and soul, and between history and tomorrow.”
–José James

Takuya Kuroda: trumpet, flugelhorn; José James: vocals; Kris Bowers: electric piano, synth; Corey King: trombone; Lionel Loueke: guitar; Solomon Dorsey: bass, percussion, vocals; Nate Smith: drums, percussion
Released January 26, 2014

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“Balancing cutting-edge compositional techniques with a deeply-rooted understanding of jazz’s historical lineage, Lehman takes another major step forward with Mise en Abîme: The title is really about being committed to the challenge of discovery and surprise in music, while also embracing your core identity as an artist and kind of accepting that you’re really just rediscovering yourself over and over again. Its a kind of creative vortex that helps to keep everything in balance.”
—Pi Recordings

Listening back to Mise En Abîme, and considering the music recorded around the same time by the French Orchestre National de Jazz, it seems natural that they eventually joined forces to produce—nearly 10 years later—one of the best releases of 2023: Ex Machina.

Steve Lehman: alto saxophone, electronics, composition; Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet; Tim Albright: trombone; José Davila: tuba; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Chris Dingman: vibraphone; Drew Gress: bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums
Released June 24, 2014

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2014 was a standout year for The Heliocentrics, marked by two remarkable collaborations: the first with Orlando Julius on Jaiyede Afro and the second with Melvin Van Peebles on the unique The Last Transmission. While the former leans clearly toward Afrobeat, this release is a hypnotic blend of jazz, hip-hop, and funk, making it a distinctive addition to this selection.

Though it didn’t receive much attention at the time, it’s definitely worth adding to your collection—plus the second CD or LP of the release includes instrumental versions. Yes, this album is a must-listen to if you’re a fan of The Comet is Coming, Shabaka Hutchings, or the rest of The Heliocentrics’ explorations.

Malcom Catto: drums, percussion, guitar, piano, effects; Jake Ferguson: bass; Shabaka Hutchings: bass clarinet; Tom Hodges: electronics; Adrian Owusu: guitar; Melvin Van Peebles: vocals; Jack Yglesias: percussion, vibraphone, flute; Ollie Parfitt: piano, keyboards, effects; Susi O’Neil: Theremin
Released September 23, 2014

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“In less uncertain terms, music is the answer to difference because its questions are greater than all of us put together. Sometimes “world music” exists in its own bubble, funneling cross-cultural influences to enliven self-awareness. Not so with Souvenance, which looks within to understand what transpires without. It’s not a statement, a manifesto, or a critique. It is pacifism at its utmost.”
–Tyran Grillo, RootsWorld

Anouar Brahem: oud; François Couturier: piano; Klaus Gesing: bass clarinet; Björn Meyer: bass; Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana: Pietro Mianiti
Released November 28, 2014

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This is a monumental production that will please all avant-garde lovers, offering enough material—2 LPs, 5 CDs, and 1 DVD—to fill hours of listening. It is dedicated to the music and lyrics of Little Richard, and this is extraordinary explored through solos and orchestras, intimate and extravagant compositions, with ebb and flow dynamics.

Discover next: FIRE! – defeat

Mats Gustafsson: slide saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, electronics, piano; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Jon Rune Strøm: bass; Christer Bothén: bass clarinet, guembri; Agustí Fernández: piano, organ; Joe McPhee: pocket trumpet, tenor saxophone, space organ; Peter Evans: trumpet; Per-Åke Holmlander: tuba; Dieb13: turntables; Kjell Nordeson: vibraphone, drums, flexatone, glockenspiel; Paal Nilssen-Love: drums; Stine Janvin Motland: vocals
Released November 2014

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This album is more of an African-Israeli-folk-international-jazz-fusion, so nothing free or avant-garde here, but simply the beauty of music making the world a better place:

“Idan comes from Israel, he’s Jewish. I come from Mali, I’m a Muslim. This project shows the point where there are no real differences between us. Working on these recordings we learn a lot about each other. If music is indeed a universal language, you can’t just say it, you have to demonstrate it.”
–Vieux Farka Touré

…and they did.

Vieux Farka Touré: guitar, vocals; Idan Raichel: keyboards, vocals; Daby Touré: bass; Abdourhamane Salaha: percussion
Released September 30, 2014

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A very ambitious second album, yet perfectly executed. It is an impressive and expansive work that broadens the palette of his firebrand quintet with the addition of a guitarist, a string quartet, and vocalists! 

“The variations in tone, form, and emotion make Imagined Savior a satisfying journey rather than an immersion in a single mood, such that listening to this album as it was conceived and put together by a great artist is a whole, marvelous experience. Ambrose Akinmusire, with his two most recent recordings, stakes a claim as one of the very best musicians in jazz – or any other style of music. He won’t be contained. Neither will your emotions as you soak up this daring, fulfilling, perfectly crafted 80 minutes of music.”
–Will Layman, PopMatters

Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Walter Smith III: saxophone; Elena Pinderhughes: flute; Sam Harris: piano; Charles Altura: guitar; Harish Raghavan: bass; Justin Brown: drums; OSSO String Quartet: strings; Becca Stevens, Theo Bleckmann, Cold Specks: vocals
Released March 10, 2014

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Best Jazz 2014 Albums’ List

• Wadada Leo Smith – The Great Lakes Suites (TUM Records)
• Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden – Last Dance (ECM)
• Angles 9 – Injuries (Clean Feed)
• Takuya Kuroda – Rising Son (Blue Note)
• Steve Lehman Octet – Mise En Abîme (Pi Recordings)
• The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles – The Last Transmission (Now-Again Records)
• Anouar Brahem – Souvenance (ECM)
• Mats Gustafsson & NU Ensemble – Hidros 6 (Not Two Records)
• The Touré-Raichel Collective – The Paris Session (Cumbancha)
• Ambrose Akinmusire – The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint (Blue Note)

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2010’s

Discover all the other 2010’s best of jazz playlists: 2019 – 2018 – 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012 – 2011 – 2010

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The albums highlighted in this Best Jazz Albums of 2014 list showcase the incredible diversity, creativity, and innovation that jazz continues to offer.

We hope this selection has inspired you to revisit these remarkable works or perhaps discover new favorites. Jazz is a genre that thrives on exploration and evolution, and these albums are a testament to its power. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts and any albums you believe should have made the list in the comments section below.