2018: The Year’s Top-Rated Albums

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FOUR-AND-A-HALF-STAR ALBUMS (New)

JD Allen, Love Stone (Savant)

Big Heart Machine, Big Heart Machine (Outside In Music)

Quatuor Bozzini, Just So Another (Timbre)

Anouar Brahem, Blue Maqams (ECM)

John Butcher, The Catastrophe Of Minimalism (Balance Point Acoustics)

Emmet Cohen, Master Legacy Series, Volume 2 (Cellar Live)

Cortex, Avant-Garde Party Music (Clean Feed)

Roxy Coss, The Future Is Female (Posi-Tone)

Eddie Daniels, Heart Of Brazil: A Tribute To Egberto Gismonti (Resonance)

Josephine Davies’ Satori, In The Corners Of Clouds (Whirlwind)

Scott DuBois, Autumn Wind (ACT)

Kait Dunton, trioKAIT 2 (Real & Imagined)

Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, The Luckiest Man (Stony Plain)

Sinne Eeg, Dreams (ArtistShare)

Román Filiú, Quarteria (Sunnyside)

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Echo In The Valley (Rounder)

Bill Frisell, Music IS (OKeh/Sony Masterworks)

Elliot Galvin, The Influencing Machine (Edition)

Fernando García, Guasábara Puerto Rico (Zoho)

Hilary Gardner/Ehud Asherie, The Late Set (Anzic)

Dayramir Gonzalez, The Grand Concourse (Machat)

Theo Hill, Interstellar Adventures (Posi-Tone)

Robert Hurst, Black Current Jam (Dot Time)

Jon Irabagon Quartet, Dr. Quixotic’s Traveling Exotics (Irabbagast)

Sherman Irby & Momentum, Cerulean Canvas (Black Warrior)

Lauren Kinhan, A Sleepin’ Bee (Dotted I)

Kreisberg/Veras, Kreisberg Meets Veras (New For Now)

Michael Leonhart Orch., The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside)

Christian Lillinger’s Grund, COR (Plaist)

Pete McCann, Pay For It On The Other Side (McCannic Music)

Gary Meek, Originals (Self Release)

Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret, The Other Side of Air (Firehouse 12)

Adi Meyerson, Where We Stand (A:M)

Miller/Staaf, Science Fair (Sunnyside)

Negroni’s Trio, New Era (Sony Music Latin)

Marius Neset, Circle Of Chimes (ACT)

Judy Niemack, New York Stories (Sunnyside)

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity Trio, Live In Europe (Clean Feed)

Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra feat. Julia Oschewsky, Kopfkino (Mons)

Jure Pukl, Doubtless (Whirlwind)

Tom Rainey Obbligato, Float Upstream (Intakt)

Rempis/Daisy Duo, Dodecahedron (Aerophonic)

Rudd/Victor/Harris/Filiano, Embrace (RareNoise)

Jamie Saft, Solo A Genova (RareNoise)

Antonio Sanchez (featuring WDR Big Band), Channels Of Energy (CamJazz)

Scordatura Ensemble, Harmonium (New World)

Jen Shyu, Song Of Silver Geese (Pi)

Marc Sinan/Oguz Büyükberber, White (ECM)

Dr. Lonnie Smith, All In My Mind (Blue Note)

Subtle Degrees, A Dance That Empties (New Amsterdam)

Fay Victor’s SoundNoiseFUNK, Wet Robots (ESP-Disk’)

Elio Villafranca, Cinque (ArtistShare)

Kamasi Washington, Heaven And Earth (Young Turks)

Robbie Basho, Live In Forli, Italy 1982 (Obsolete/ESP-Disk’)

FOUR-AND-A-HALF-STAR ALBUMS (Historical)

Alan Braufman, Valley Of Search (Valley of Search)

Sonny Clark Trio, The 1960 Time Sessions (Tompkins Square)

Fushitsusha, Live Black (Editions)

Beaver Harris/Don Pullen 360-Degree Experience, A Well Kept Secret (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Isaac Hayes, The Spirit Of Memphis 1962–1976 (Craft)

Helen Humes, The Helen Humes Collection, 1927–’62 (Acrobat)

Khan Jamal’s Creative Arts Ensemble, Drum Dance To TheMotherland (Eremite)

Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette, After The Fall (ECM)

Fela Kuti, Yellow Fever (Knitting Factory)

Fela Kuti, JJD (Johnny Just Drop!) Live! At Kalakuta Republik (Knitting Factory)

Sun Ra, Discipline 27-II (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Herman Schoonderwalt, The Winner (Nederlands Jazz Archief)

Lester Bowie, Numbers 1 & 2 (Nessa)

Various Artists, Voices Of Mississippi (Dust To Digital)

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    Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.

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    Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!

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    “Being president of Blue Note has been one of the coolest things that ever happened to me,” Was said. “It’s a gas to serve as one of the caretakers of that legacy.”

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    ​The Century Room in downtown Tucson, Arizona, was born in 2021.

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    ​“She reminds me of my childhood and makes we want to cry,” Cécile McLorin Salvant, pictured here with writer Ashley Kahn, said of Dianne Reeves.


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