Grella on Jazz: Best Jazz Albums 2024, by George Grella

This is just one calendar year, which may be sufficient time in the pop music manufacturing industry to spot a trend, but is a far less meaningful span in music that wrestles with its own history—the old is constantly being renewed and incorporated with ideas from other genres—as jazz does, and that is so free of commercial pressures (unfortunately) that there’s no real popular and economic success to imitate. Still, after listening through jazz recording released this year, two consistent things stood out:

First, is how many piano trio albums came out, and how many good ones there were—the heavily promoted And Then Again from the Bill Charlap Trio on Blue Note doesn’t even make my extended list. There are five other trios among the extended number (a baker’s dozen) and more on the extended list, with honorable mentions, that you can find at my newsletter site, killyridols.substack.com.

This is notable. The piano trio in jazz history through the end of the last century was kind of a Platonic ideal, with fantastic realizations via Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and even Cecil Taylor’s Feel Trio, but more imagined than present in the discography. This many excellent albums this year is historically significant, and collectively they cover an enormous range of thinking while also exploring new territory.

Second, this was an unbelievable year for archival releases. There were so many that were packed with superb music. That’s too much of an understatement: these albums have some of the greatest examples of jazz music ever put on record. At the very least, these releases brought tremendous music to listeners—much of which never before heard except in front of the listeners who happened to be there in the moment. At best, these were historically important and opened up new understanding of jazz history and traditions.

This is a ranked list, but those rankings are a snapshot and can change through further listening. That being said, everything belongs here, and first on the list is an absolute, a stunning, glorious album from a musician, who, now in his seventh decade, is more compelling than ever.

There’s also the larger context of just what jazz is in 2024. An example of this question is through an album that’s not on here, even though it’s one of my favorites of the year: Ben Monder’s Planetarium on Sunnyside. This is three CDs of extended depth and gorgeousness from a musician who is important on the jazz scene. But though he plays a standard, it’s so clearly to me a prog-rock album that I’m going to put it on another list (again you can find all my best-of-2024 lists across multiple genres at killyridols.substack.com).

Best New Releases 2024

1. Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse): El’Zabar has for decades made the argument that Black Americans are constructing their own ethnic heritage in real-time, and this incredible album is yet more proof.
2. Keith Jarrett, The Old Country (ECM): More music from the Dear Head Inn live appearance, except better than the first release.
3. Alfredo Colón, Blood Burden (Out of Your Head Records): A blistering, creative, focussed album that in any other year would be the top pick.
4. Matthew Shipp, New Concepts in Piano Jazz Trio (ESP’-Disk): New concepts in piano jazz trio, and Shipp playing better than ever.
5. Patricia Brennan Septet, Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic): Vibraphonist Brennan finding a considerable voice as a composer and leader.
6. Tyshawn Sorey, The Susceptible Now (Pi Recordings): New concepts in piano jazz trio, deliberate and deep.
7. Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko, Bamaka-Chicago Sound System (FPE Records): Beautiful meeting of the finest jazz flutist and the great kora player.
8. Tarbaby, You Think This America (Giant Step Arts): New concepts in piano jazz trio, subtle revisions on the tradition.
9. Joëlle Léandre, INFINITE REBEL (RogueArt): See my article in the September issue.
10. Lynne Arriale, Being Human (Challenge Records): No new concepts in this piano trio but absolutely phenomenal straight-ahead playing.
11. Miguel Zenón, Golden City (Miel Music): A powerful suite from a consistently great musician.
12. Steve Coleman, Polytropos – Of Many Turns (Pi Recordings): All live, full of both funk and intellect.
13. Darius Jones, Legend of e’Boi (Aum Fidelity): Slicing, searching, and invigorating.

Best Archival Releases 2024

I want to give credit to one man responsible for the bulk of the archival releases this year, the tireless and driven independent producer Zev Feldman. Working for the labels Elemental, Resonance, and his own Deep Digs Music Group, in 2024 Feldman released significant and just plain wonderful music from: Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Sun Ra, Art Tatum, Rosetta Tharpe, Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron, Yusef Lateef, B.B. King, and Cannonball Adderley—that is a partial list. That is a larger and/or deeper slate than any label issuing new jazz albums this year, from the independents to the big corporate Blue Note and ECM. A best archival releases list that only had albums on these labels would be a fair and strong one.

The essential criteria with this list is knowledge: does an archival recording add to our understand of jazz? That’s especially critical when it comes to familiar musicians with already extensive discographies. For example, Bill Evans in Norway is fantastic, arguably the finest live Evans recording now in print—yes, it’s that good—but does it tell us anything about Evans that we don’t already know? I can’t say it does, but it’s about the best Evans you’ll ever hear. I do weight on the side of historical significance, so that an album where the music is maybe less enjoyable that the Evans album—which is all but a few of all 2024 releases, but adds significantly to our historical understanding of the music will be rated a little higher. And so:

1. Charles Gayle/Milford Graves/William Parker, WEBO (Black Editions): This is the most historically significant jazz release of the year. It is no understatement that the label promoted it as “one of the great unrecorded bands in free jazz history.” From Graves’ personal tape library, this trio of monumental musicians played in public only seven times across nearly thirty years, and their legacy only existed in the memories of listeners fortunate enough to be there. This collects two of those nights, in June 1991. No concession for the music making, which is thrilling, and immensely important.
2. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Centennial (Archeogroove): King Oliver ushered Louis Armstrong to the word, and thus changed the course of history. His recordings have been know for 100 years, this beautiful set has excellent remastering and a lavish and informative booklet. It also has two CDs that adds the music that influenced Oliver and Armstrong.
3. Bobby Hutcherson, Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic): See my article in the August issue.
4. Bill Evans, In Norway (Elemental): Yes, it’s that good.
5. Sonny Rollins, Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (Resonance): Like Evans, tremendous live appearances from Rollins.
6. Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64, The Bootleg Series, Voll. 8 (Sony Legacy): See my article in the November issue for the importance of this release.
7. Phil Haynes’ 4 Horns & What, The Complete American Recordings (Corner Store Jazz): A great band recovered from obscurity.
8. McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Natures: Live at Slugs (Blue Note): Hard to believe this album is just now being released—and Feldman had a hand in this one too!
9. Art Tatum, Jewels in the Treasure Box (Resonance): Live gems from Tatum in a trio setting.
10. Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters (Blue Note): See my article in the May issue.

Best for the holidays and for the future to all. Listen to more jazz, it’s one of the best things about America.