The 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2022 (byJazzwise)

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   1 Cécile McLorin Salvant 
Ghost Song 
Nonesuch
'The primary undercurrent is a sense of haunting, of restlessness and torment. It is all there in Salvant’s finely shaded voice down to every careful accent and emphasis on revelatory lyrics, which are potently consolidated by the advanced subtleties of an ensemble in which master guitarist Marvin Sewell is both a suitably corporeal and spectral presence, drawing on his consummate bluesiness with no concession to cliché.' Kevin Le Gendre
2 Charles Lloyd 
Trios: Chapel 
Blue Note 
'The close relationship Frisell and Lloyd have fostered is built on a shared musical DNA of homespun, black-rooted popular Americana and a certain spiritual, some might say spaced-out, vibe. It’s superbly grounded by the addition of the elegantly responsive bassist Thomas Morgan, a close collaborator of Frisell’s.' Selwyn Harris
3 Immanuel Wilkins 
The 7th Hand 
Blue Note 
'Not unlike his biggest hero Kenny Garrett, Wilkins on The 7th Hand plays the alto with a deceivingly wispy yet soulful tone. Among other achievements is his delivery of intricate solos with an eloquent narrative development that constantly remains succinct and melody driven.' Selwyn Harris
4 Mary Halvorson 
Amaryllis/Belladonna 
Nonesuch 
'The release of either of these albums would be significant: but to have them released simultaneously is a major musical event.' Andy Robson
5 Fergus McCreadie 
Forest Floor 
Edition 
'Solos by Bowden and Henderson are relatively few and far between, but they contribute mightily to the overall impact of this performance. As such, McCreadie has put sufficient space between himself and the meanderings of an average piano trio record, and it’d be interesting to see how he would integrate horns into his musical vision.' Brian Priestley
6 Redman, Mehldau, McBride, Blade 
Long Gone 
Nonesuch 
'It's the closing 12-minute live take, ‘Rejoice’, that steals the show in its cryptically telling tenor blurts, hustling Mehldau-shadowed countermelodies, one-touch call-and-response and hurtling time-playing. As if all four were tuned into Sonny Rollins' mindset in his prime, it almost feels like the tunes are incidentals to this one-off band's dynamism.' John Fordham
7 Avishai Cohen Trio 
Shifting Sands 
Naīve 
'Three supremely gifted musicians, playing first-rate originals and pushing each other on in the process. What's not to like? One of 2022's best, without doubt.' Kevin Whitlock
8 Nduduzo Makhathini 
In The Spirit of Ntu 
Blue Note 
'Makhathini speaks of how the album was conceptualised in a “time of confusion and conflict’ in his homeland, and on tracks such as the minor keyed ‘Amathongo’ he succeeds in implying darkness and mystery, despite the bright tempo, a feeling which persists in the ballad like ‘Omagugu’ with an Anna Widauer vocal and a thoughtful trumpet intervention by Robin Fassie Kock.' Stuart Nicholson
9 Trish Clowes 
A View With A Room 
Greenleaf Music 
'A View With A Room grows with each play and will be listened to way after the era of its becoming has passed. We hope.' Andy Robson
10 Terri Lyne Carrington 
New Standards Vol.1 
Candid 
'Slick sounding yet diversely stimulating, it’s that rare instance of a guest-star-heavy recording that succeeds in hitting most of the high notes.' Selwyn Harris
11 Julia Hülsmann Quartet 
The Next Door 
ECM 
'This is music that pushes forward in sophisticated, subtle but always with creative ingenuity.' Stuart Nicholson
12 Tigran Hamasyan 
StandArt 
Nonesuch 
'It’s a testament to the twentieth-century American jazz songbook’s timelessness that contemporary jazz musicians can still see it as the ultimate challenge. Only the very few such as Tigran are able to make it sound fresh and new today.' Selwyn Harris
13 Julian Lage 
View With A Room 
Blue Note 
'It is one of those albums that does not betray its secrets readily, and can be returned to time and again when a fresh nuance, an inspired moment of counterpoint or perfectly framed melodic variation reveal themselves to contribute to a broader understanding of the inspired creativity at work here.' Stuart Nicholson
14 Oded Tzur 
Isabela 
ECM 
'This is a bewitching session from the unique Tel Aviv-born improviser and composer Oded Tzur – a performer with a tenor saxophone sound as impressionistically recognisable as Jan Garbarek's was when he first emerged in the early 1970s.' John Fordham
15 Gareth Williams 
Short Stories 
Miles Music
'In what must surely be his magnum opus, Short Stories covers a lot of ground in terms of material, but what impresses most is the album’s clear statement of an artist who has reached artistic maturity.' Stuart Nicholson
16 Arun Ghosh 
Seclused In Light 
Camoci 
'The steady momentum of ‘Surrender To The Sea’ or the affecting pulsation of ‘NineNight’ both show Ghosh’s skill in ratcheting up tension while exercising a certain constraint, and the latter’s wavering meter, based on a nine-beat cycle that reflects the musical riches of his south Indian heritage, is spellbinding.' Kevin Le Gendre
17 Ches Smith 
Interpret It Well 
Pyroclastic Records 
'The busy separate schedules of these four players makes regular get-togethers on Ches Smith's ventures inevitably rare, so Interpret It Well is a particularly precious document.'
18 Charles Lloyd 
Trios: Sacred Thread 
Blue Note 
'Sacred Thread represents the Trio series' most radical departure from the freeboppish or bluesily grooving soundscapes of its predecessors Chapel, and Ocean – a more open global-musical trip, as well as an homage to Lloyd's decades-long devotion to the spirituality of the East.' John Fordham
19 Brad Mehldau 
Jacob's Ladder 
Nonesuch 
'On Jacob’s Ladder Mehldau gives you both something to think about as well as musically get your teeth into. Those are indeed rare qualities.' Selwyn Harris
20 Alina Bzhezhinska 
Reflections 
BBE
'Emboldened by the acclaim that met 2017's Inspiration, a work in which she paid homage to Alice and (occasionally) John Coltrane, Bzhezhinska cherry picks from genres including trad jazz, spiritual jazz, trip hop and hip hop while bigging up Dorothy Ashby, that other doyenne of jazz harp.' Jane Cornwell 

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snobb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29995	Post Options Post Reply Quote snobb Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: The 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2022 (byJazzwise) Posted: 24 Nov 2022 at 11:11am
	1 Cécile McLorin Salvant Ghost Song Nonesuch 'The primary undercurrent is a sense of haunting, of restlessness and torment. It is all there in Salvant’s finely shaded voice down to every careful accent and emphasis on revelatory lyrics, which are potently consolidated by the advanced subtleties of an ensemble in which master guitarist Marvin Sewell is both a suitably corporeal and spectral presence, drawing on his consummate bluesiness with no concession to cliché.' Kevin Le Gendre 2 Charles Lloyd Trios: Chapel Blue Note 'The close relationship Frisell and Lloyd have fostered is built on a shared musical DNA of homespun, black-rooted popular Americana and a certain spiritual, some might say spaced-out, vibe. It’s superbly grounded by the addition of the elegantly responsive bassist Thomas Morgan, a close collaborator of Frisell’s.' Selwyn Harris 3 Immanuel Wilkins The 7th Hand Blue Note 'Not unlike his biggest hero Kenny Garrett, Wilkins on The 7th Hand plays the alto with a deceivingly wispy yet soulful tone. Among other achievements is his delivery of intricate solos with an eloquent narrative development that constantly remains succinct and melody driven.' Selwyn Harris 4 Mary Halvorson Amaryllis/Belladonna Nonesuch 'The release of either of these albums would be significant: but to have them released simultaneously is a major musical event.' Andy Robson 5 Fergus McCreadie Forest Floor Edition 'Solos by Bowden and Henderson are relatively few and far between, but they contribute mightily to the overall impact of this performance. As such, McCreadie has put sufficient space between himself and the meanderings of an average piano trio record, and it’d be interesting to see how he would integrate horns into his musical vision.' Brian Priestley 6 Redman, Mehldau, McBride, Blade Long Gone Nonesuch 'It's the closing 12-minute live take, ‘Rejoice’, that steals the show in its cryptically telling tenor blurts, hustling Mehldau-shadowed countermelodies, one-touch call-and-response and hurtling time-playing. As if all four were tuned into Sonny Rollins' mindset in his prime, it almost feels like the tunes are incidentals to this one-off band's dynamism.' John Fordham 7 Avishai Cohen Trio Shifting Sands Naīve 'Three supremely gifted musicians, playing first-rate originals and pushing each other on in the process. What's not to like? One of 2022's best, without doubt.' Kevin Whitlock 8 Nduduzo Makhathini In The Spirit of Ntu Blue Note 'Makhathini speaks of how the album was conceptualised in a “time of confusion and conflict’ in his homeland, and on tracks such as the minor keyed ‘Amathongo’ he succeeds in implying darkness and mystery, despite the bright tempo, a feeling which persists in the ballad like ‘Omagugu’ with an Anna Widauer vocal and a thoughtful trumpet intervention by Robin Fassie Kock.' Stuart Nicholson 9 Trish Clowes A View With A Room Greenleaf Music 'A View With A Room grows with each play and will be listened to way after the era of its becoming has passed. We hope.' Andy Robson 10 Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards Vol.1 Candid 'Slick sounding yet diversely stimulating, it’s that rare instance of a guest-star-heavy recording that succeeds in hitting most of the high notes.' Selwyn Harris 11 Julia Hülsmann Quartet The Next Door ECM 'This is music that pushes forward in sophisticated, subtle but always with creative ingenuity.' Stuart Nicholson 12 Tigran Hamasyan StandArt Nonesuch 'It’s a testament to the twentieth-century American jazz songbook’s timelessness that contemporary jazz musicians can still see it as the ultimate challenge. Only the very few such as Tigran are able to make it sound fresh and new today.' Selwyn Harris 13 Julian Lage View With A Room Blue Note 'It is one of those albums that does not betray its secrets readily, and can be returned to time and again when a fresh nuance, an inspired moment of counterpoint or perfectly framed melodic variation reveal themselves to contribute to a broader understanding of the inspired creativity at work here.' Stuart Nicholson 14 Oded Tzur Isabela ECM 'This is a bewitching session from the unique Tel Aviv-born improviser and composer Oded Tzur – a performer with a tenor saxophone sound as impressionistically recognisable as Jan Garbarek's was when he first emerged in the early 1970s.' John Fordham 15 Gareth Williams Short Stories Miles Music 'In what must surely be his magnum opus, Short Stories covers a lot of ground in terms of material, but what impresses most is the album’s clear statement of an artist who has reached artistic maturity.' Stuart Nicholson 16 Arun Ghosh Seclused In Light Camoci 'The steady momentum of ‘Surrender To The Sea’ or the affecting pulsation of ‘NineNight’ both show Ghosh’s skill in ratcheting up tension while exercising a certain constraint, and the latter’s wavering meter, based on a nine-beat cycle that reflects the musical riches of his south Indian heritage, is spellbinding.' Kevin Le Gendre 17 Ches Smith Interpret It Well Pyroclastic Records 'The busy separate schedules of these four players makes regular get-togethers on Ches Smith's ventures inevitably rare, so Interpret It Well is a particularly precious document.' 18 Charles Lloyd Trios: Sacred Thread Blue Note 'Sacred Thread represents the Trio series' most radical departure from the freeboppish or bluesily grooving soundscapes of its predecessors Chapel, and Ocean – a more open global-musical trip, as well as an homage to Lloyd's decades-long devotion to the spirituality of the East.' John Fordham 19 Brad Mehldau Jacob's Ladder Nonesuch 'On Jacob’s Ladder Mehldau gives you both something to think about as well as musically get your teeth into. Those are indeed rare qualities.' Selwyn Harris 20 Alina Bzhezhinska Reflections BBE 'Emboldened by the acclaim that met 2017's Inspiration, a work in which she paid homage to Alice and (occasionally) John Coltrane, Bzhezhinska cherry picks from genres including trad jazz, spiritual jazz, trip hop and hip hop while bigging up Dorothy Ashby, that other doyenne of jazz harp.' Jane Cornwell