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Ludovico Granvassu's Garden Of Jazzy Delights 2022

By Ludovico Granvassu
December 29, 2022
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The depth and range of the music that jazz players have put on record in 2022 are so big that summarizing this "year in jazz" by selecting only ten albums feels akin to taking the photo of a breath-taking landscape with an ultra-low resolution camera... Ten years from now, how is one supposed to understand how 2022 sounded through a sonic picture consisting of just ten, very large, audio pixels?

So I much prefer a higher resolution image produced by casting a wide net, which has the added benefit of somewhat reducing the subjectivity of this "end of the year" listicle. However, since subjectivity cannot be entirely taken out of any exercise of this sort, rather than declaring what was the best jazz of the year, I confine myself to stating that these were the albums that brought me delight and will make me think back to 2022 as a jazz year to remember.

This approach favors the scene over the individual, the 99% over the 1%, the articulation over the sound-bite.

Below is a list of over 160 albums in alphabetical order, and grouped in various categories, which includes those that to these ears may have sounded indispensable, together with many more that may not have been as indespensable but, collectively, were as—if not more—important, at the very least because they proved that jazz remains the "sound of surprise." These records are just the tip of an ever growing jazz iceberg... a comforting thought at a time when real icebergs are actually melting.

A number of trends were particularly welcome this year: the further shortening of the average duration of records, with less 'filler tracks' than in the past; multiple-album series released over a relatively short period of time by a single prolific artist (from Steven Bernstein to Charles Lloyd, from Dave Douglas to Florian Arbenz) as a more meaningful way to release music in a 'thematically sound' manner; and, last but not least, while LPs and cassettes keep enjoying a second youth, the CD continues to experience its very long tail and remains alive and kicking despite its death having been declared several times already.

Overall positive surprise of the year: the sudden emergence of Pete Min's and Todd Dahlhoff's Colorfield Records, a label whose every new title suprises and fascinates and, in doing so, embodies the true spirit of jazz while bringing something really fresh to the table.

If you have not listened to the albums listed here yet... give them a spin, or listen to my radio show focusing on some of the best songs of 2022 contained in some of these albums: Part 1, Part 2. My guess is that you'll like them too!

Must Haves

Steven Bernstein & The Hot 9 feat. John Medeski, Arturo O'Farrill
Manifesto of Henrysms
Royal Potato Family

Michael Blake
Combobulate
Newvelle Records

Jakob Bro, Joe Lovano
Once Around the Room—A Tribute to Paul Motian
ECM Records

Marco Cappelli's Italian Doc Remix
Pandemonium
41st Parallel Records

Deadeye
Deadeye
Dox Records

Zeno De Rossi Trio
This Is Always
Hora Records

Designers
Designers
WeJazz

Francesco Diodati, Leïla Martial, Stefano Tamborrino
Oliphantre
Auand Records

Kahil El'Zabar
A Time for Healing
Spiritmuse Records

Flat Earth Society
R.I.P. -Twelve Funeral Songs
Igloo Records

Bill Frisell
Four
Blue Note Records

Anthony Fung
What Does It Mean to Be Free
Self-released

Heroes Are Gang Leaders
LeAutoRoiOgraphy
577 Records

Kansas Smitty's
We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Ever Records

Koma Saxo, Sofia Jernberg
Koma West
WeJazz

David Krakauer
Mazel Tov Cocktail Party
Label Bleu/Table Pounding

Julia Hulsmann Quartet
The Next Door
ECM Records

I Am Isaiah Collier, Michael Shekwoaga Ode
Beyond
Division 81 Records

Robin Holcomb
One Way or Another -Vol. 1
Westerlies Records

Jon Irabagon
Rising Sun
Irrabagast Records

Michael Leonhart Orchestra
The Normyn Suites
Sunnyside Records

Hans Lüdemann TransEuropeExpress Ensemble
On the Edges 1
BMC Records

Magic Malik
Ka Frobeat
Onze Heures Onze

Leyla McCalla
Breaking the Thermometer
Anti— Records

André Minvielle
Ti'bal Tribal
La C.A.D

Jun Miyake
Whispered Garden
Yellowbird

Billy Mohler
Anatomy
Contagious Music

Thandi Ntuli
Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë
Next Music

Roberto Ottaviano, Alexander Hawkins
Charlie's Blue Skylight
Dodicilune

Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan
X
Train Fantôme

Stefan Pasborg
Ritual Dances
Sunnyside Records

Pipe Dream
Blue Roads
C.A.M. Jazz

Potsa Lotsa XL & Youjin Sung
Gaya
Trouble in the East

Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra
Eurythmia
Clean Feed Records

Jimetta Rose & The Voices Of Creation
How Good It Is
Day Dreamer Records

Tom Skinner
Voices of Bishara
Brownswood Recordings

Gunter Baby Sommer & The Lucaciu 3
Karawane
Intakt Records

Tyshawn Sorey Trio
Mesmerism
Yeros7

Ken Stubbs
A Day A Way
CherryK

Micah Thomas
Piano Solo
LP3 45 Records

Unscientific Italians
Play the Music of Bill Frisell -Vol. 2
Hora Records

Daniel Villarreal
Panamá 77
International Anthem

Various Artists
Jazz sous les pommiers
Jazz sous les pommiers

John Zorn
Incerto
Tzadik

Debut albums

Zoh Amba O Sun Tzadik Records
Benny Bock Vanishing Act Colorfield Records
Anna Butterss Activities Colorfield Records
Oan Kim Oan Kim and the Dirty Jazz Self-released
Yu Nishiyama Big Band A Lotus in the Mud Outside In Music/Next Level
Mali Obomsawin Sweet Tooth Out of Your Head Records
OHMA In Essence Colorfield Records
Olga Raznichenko Trio Somnambule Traumton Records
Dan Schnelle Shine Thru Outside In Music

Revelations

Miriam Elhajli The Uncertainty of Signs Self-released
Flash Pig Le plus longtemps possible Astérie
Manel Fortia Despertar Microscopi
Frazer Plex City Slang
Minino Garay Speaking Tango Sunnyside Records
Gabi Hartmann Always Seem to Get Things Wrong Komos
Sun Mi Hong Third Page: Resonance Edition Records
Joyfultalk Familiar Science Constellation Records
King Klavé King Klavé Self-released
Claire Michael Mystical way Blue Touch Records
Sam Reider Petrichor Slow & Steady Records
Jeremy Rose & Earshift Orchestra Disruption! The Voice of the Drums Earshift Music
Wabjie Lull Urgence Disk