Favorite Albums for 2024
Late last year Google’s Quantum AI program unveiled a new quantum computing chip that will radically transform the nature of computing. Packed with one hundred and five qubits, processing units that can simultaneously represent “0” or “1” or both, Willow’s power will dramatically accelerate the broad scope of technologies fundamentally reshaping humanity.
Designed for the massive systems that power AI, chips like Willow will power an entirely new generation of artificial creativity that is rapidly transforming design, illustration, photography, literature, journalism, animation, video production, film and music. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has quickly become a massively profitable agent of synthetic “content” that directly competes with the vast majority of artists already economically marginalized within our society.
GAI, and the corporate prophets behind it are promoting this new prompt based culture where artists can use artificial intelligence to automate a new paradigm of creativity based on AI models whose “knowledge" has been amassed from trillions of bits of human ingenuity. Of course Jazz has always had synthetic like influences, from synthesizers to the array of special effects and electronic devices that make composing, arranging and performance possible. But GAI is a radically new and extremely troubling development as corporations now have an extraordinarily powerful new tool to continue shaping what I see as the “industrialization of our being.”
All of this only makes me that much more appreciative of what has always drawn me to Jazz: the sincerity of its humanity and the profound ways in which artists around the world so succinctly capture the remarkably complex nature of the human spirit. As the international sponge that absorbs, morphs and reinvents every musical traditional it comes in contact with, Jazz remains an elite improvisational catalyst spanning geography, language, religion, and politics.
Again this year the humanity of Jazz prevailed against formidable odds. Musicians bound their intelligence, curiosity, passion and joy into elaborate offerings that decorated the year with so much artistic virtuosity, intrigue, profound story-telling as well as customary consummate orchestration, composing and arranging. To celebrate this, here are my twenty favorite albums for 2024. These favorites were culled from 2716 songs within 463 albums representing 387 artists, representing my specific, subjective vantage point that in no way reflects the larger of what was accomplished within Jazz this year.
I choose the word “favorites” still believing that strict critical hierarchies completely fail Jazz, an art form that’s too immense and diverse for any meaningful accounting of what might be a “best” in any category critics like me ritualistically entertain. All of these albums spoke to me in intensely personal ways, often ringing in my ears for days or even months as I sought to unpack the extraordinary ways this phenomenal music was conceived, constructed and produced.
Gutsy, managing risk like an elaborate sextant, these albums all benefited from experimenting within the broadest interpretation of what Jazz is, and can be. All while never straying too far from sacred traditions essential to the art form, and more personally, the grace, power and sophistication of the significance of each musician’s stunning artistic achievement.
Andrew Bird
Sunday Morning Put On
Revisiting popular music from decades past has become a thing again. But making it modern with the perfect chemistry of sparse instrumentation and a delightfully haunting temperament is Andrew Bird’s unique gift. Somber, funny, inquisitive, kind and clear, Bird takes us through gorgeously constructed covers of classics like I Didn’t Know What Time It Was and You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To, honoring their weight with ingenious, almost avant-garde like treatments. Silhouetted against the monochromatic nature of Bird’s masterful arranging, Sunday Morning Put On begs you to re-explore the rich lyricism and immortality of these magnificent, timeless songs.
Arooj Aftab
Night Reign
Meditative and often ambient by design, Pakistani-American vocalist Arooj Aftab continues to enchant with Night Reign. Like Lizz Wright and Lalah Hathaway, the quiet power and grace of Aftab’s vocal gifts are more than enough to win you over. Few can carry tunes with such luxurious emotional precision, and so Jazz standards like Autumn Leaves soar via the lilt of Aftab’s arranging and instrumentation. Meanwhile the quiet storm of Aey Nehin or gentle pulse of Raat Ki Rani create seance like spaces to admire the lush audacity of this artist and the brilliant manner with which she’s managing her art and burgeoning career.
David Preston
Volume 2 - Purple / Black
Not all albums need to bowl you over. Some creep up slowly, demanding repeat spins as they quietly showcase stellar compositional attitudes and masterful displays of musicianship. On Volume 2 - Purple / Black, guitarist David Preston does all of the above while discreetly reinventing what a guitar-centric album can sound like. Melodically Preston makes room for any number of curious explorations, none overstated, glib or in anyway cliche. As the electric guitar albums with complicated expectations, Preston does extremely well to explore all his options, making room for a wide variety of sonic indulgences on this remarkably complete album.
Edward Simon
Three Visitors
For decades pianist Edward Simon has mined every once of gold from a variety of trio settings. Weaving Latin themes throughout the various albums he’s recorded, Simon has always had a knack for exposing the full range of what three talented musicians can create. Unabashedly intimate, Three Visitors finds bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade in full form, occasionally aided by a string quartet and various guest artists. Whether branching out on The Thicket, or reeling it in on the delicate Nostalgia, Simon continues to find unique ways to tell elegant stories polished by his exceptional musicianship and creative genius.
Eyolf Dale
The Space Between Two Notes
Mostly known for his solo work, Norwegian pianist adds to his growing acclaim with the stunning symphonic work The Space Between Two Notes. Utilizing the Norwegian Radio Orchestra conducted by Miho Hazama, Dale brilliantly ensures that classical music and Jazz not only cooperate but fully celebrate the glorious manner in which they compliment each other. Deep hues, wind strewn harmonies and acrobatic big band mechanics mark an album that checks all the boxes for this multifaceted young artist. Songs like Hvileskjær brilliantly showcase the elegant ways Dale manages time, space and the power of the orchestration at his command.
Fernando Huergo
Relentless
Fun, furious, rich with layers of immaculate big band arranging, Relentless was easily one of the most intriguing large ensemble recordings of 2024. Bassist Fernando Huergo deftly wields his band through a series of compositions that speak to legendary figures in Jazz (Ornette), societal issues (La Vida Sigue) or just Huergo’s insatiable curiosity to explore the sophistication of dance music on tunes like Groove Odds. Nothing falters here as Huergo unflinchingly directs his band to not just hit their high notes, but manufacture an entirely new attitude for what large ensemble work can sound like.
Ivanna Cuesta
A Letter To The Earth
Rarely do debut albums announce the sign of genius in the making. Tackling the challenging exercise of exploring hard bop as heard through the lens of contemporary progressive Jazz, drummer Ivanna Cuesta masterfully plays through a series of provocative compositions on A Letter to the Earth. With her spectacular skill set, Cuesta plays with the maturity, depth, inquisitiveness and wisdom that many take entire careers to develop. Ranging from pensive and quiet, to boisterous, mercurial and even argumentative, compositions take the form of sonic reflections, a musical journalist’s emotional account on our unfolding climate crisis.
Jihye Lee Orchestra
Infinite Connections
Great large Jazz ensembles routinely provoke curious reactions. How can music be so ebullient? How do you embed the nature of wonder and intrigue within the core mechanics of elite orchestration? Familiar but delightfully unpredictable, Infinite Connections flows with a chameleon-like brand of excellence Lee is already well known for. Precise but fluid, Lee’s compositional style is in lock step with the picturesque landscapes her ensemble brings to life. Horn forward, rhythmically dense, replete with a seemingly perfect balance of space, contour and instrumental virtuosity, Lee’s compositions will transport you to places most traditional big bands don’t dare travel to.
Jonathan Powell
Mambo Jazz Party
Partying aside, trumpeter Jonathan Powell has created a memorable album dedicated to honoring the rich traditions and bright future of salsa and Latin Jazz. Brimming with some of the best veteran Latin Jazz musicians from New York City, Mambo Jazz Party is as much a vivacious dance album as an serious expedition into music Powell completely adores. From the fiery Juancito to the brilliant reinvention of Herbie Hancock’s Butterfly, Powell’s compositional prowess, arranging chops and technical gifts make for energetic musicality that adds to the growing scholarship of work documenting the prolific influence of Latin artistry on Jazz.
Joy Guidry
Amen
Creating compelling ambient music that speaks to the majestic tone of the bassoon and social justice issues? Who does that?! Joy Guidry does. And she carries this off using the colorful pallet of an artist who clearly gets how film, poetry and the Black church inform her muse. Segmented into curious vignettes, many might chide Guidry for not following a predictable format and yet Amen succeeds because it exists within neurodivergent spaces where creativity often thrives. Often sounding like the soundtrack to her lived experience, Guidry stitches together compositions that speak to the brilliant expectations she has for herself and her music.
Karl-Martin Almqvist
The Travelers
For years saxophonist George Adams and pianist Don Pullen led a ferocious quartet that sung and swung hard to the beat of their legendary drummer Dannie Richmond. That torch has been passed to saxophonist Karl-Martin Almqvist and pianist Nduduzo Makhathini whose quartet channels the same spirit on The Travelers. Blending musical voices from Norway and South Africa, songs like Ababhemu, Smangaliso and Reconciliation speak to colonization’s role in shaping world musical culture. With Almqvist’s tenor perfectly balanced by Makhathini’s piano and voice, the quartet produces enduring templates embodying the dynamics of collapsing Jazz within South African musical traditions.
Marlon Simon
On Different Paths
It was only a matter of time before Venezuelan drummer Marlon Simon created a masterpiece like On Different Paths. Featuring his musical brothers Edward and Michael, Simon showcases the full range of his musical imagination, shaping an album that celebrates the variety of Latin influences that’s become his unique brand of Jazz. Swinging, binding together alternative orchestration with brilliant soloists, On Different Paths flows like a novel, each song a chapter of the larger story of this drummer’s prolific career. On Different Paths is a major achievement among the scope of large ensemble work managed this year by so many gifted band leaders.
Michael Eckroth
Human Geography
By nature, many Latin musicians “code switch” between musical idioms as effortlessly as they embrace the various styles of musical influences that make up their varied artistic world view. On Human Geography, Latin Jazz, Cuban, Brazilian and popular music flow seamlessly from the fingertips of pianist Michael Eckroth as he features signature compositions informed by the musical traditions he’s absorbed throughout his career. Traditional comparisons don’t work with Eckroth. He’s his own man when it comes to making sure that Latin Jazz speeds forward, tugging Jazz along the way. Given the remarkable humanity of Eckroth's efforts, that’s the geography that matters most.
Miguel Zenón
Golden City
Miguel Zenón’s music consistently contains what conventional ethnomusicology lacks: clear sighted narratives into the troubled history beneath someone the most world’s most influential music. Golden City embeds a beautifully lyrical album within a historical soundscape unpacking the complicated history of San Francisco, California. Harnessing the dexterity of his nonet, Zenón speaks to sacred indigenous lands, Chinese exclusion acts, racist immigration policies, cultural erasure and the financial treachery of technological disruption. Featuring guest artists trumpeter Diego Urcola and trombone Alan Ferber, Golden City is the latest world-class endeavor from one of the most prolific modern masters in Jazz.
Nascimento & esperanza
Milton & esperanza
The polymath darling of Jazz, esperanza spalding has already accomplished more than most will within their entire careers. Most surprisingly though is her consummate ability to celebrate someone else’s musical legacy. Part documentary, part intimate conversation, part glorious update on classics Milton Nascimento has nurtured for decades, spalding utilizes her entire repertoire of talents, taking Nascimento’s music to new places where it remains unbound and timeless. Even newcomers to Nascimento and spalding’s genius will immediately notice the miraculous ways their musical minds blend into an album that speaks with one brilliantly prolific voice.
OKAN
Okantomi
As Cuban artistry continues to power Afro-Latin music’s influence Jazz, OKAN, the brainchild of violinist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist Magdelys Savigne, takes center stage with their latest album Okantomi. In typical Cuban fashion, OKAN hybridizes folkloric, classical, pop, reggae, salsa, rock, and the spiritual dimensions of the Yoruba religion Santería. Compositions celebrate language, political commentary, cultural phenomena and all the African diasporic musical influences that bind them together. Modern music that honors the past, present and future of Caribbean musical authority, Okantomi finds OKAN setting a new bar for what they can achieve in Jazz.
Ryan Keberle
Music Is Connection
As far as musical catalysts go, few manifest the musical dexterity of trombonist Ryan Keberle. Routinely managing three bands, Keberle’s tireless pursuits ingratiate even the most fickle musical minds. While his chamber trio and Jazz octet always shine, Catharsis tends to allow Keberle a unique agency to create some of his best music. Music Is Connection gets it’s lift from the spectacular drummer of Eric Doob, melodious vocals from Camila Meza, and stellar support from bassist Jorge Roeder and saxophonist Scott Robinson. While occasionally embracing Brazilian themes, the album’s compositions are culled collectively, another unique facet of this gifted group.
Ryan Truesdell
SNYTHESIS
Lavishly conceptualized into a torrent of ideas of how classical music can be reimagined, composer, arranger and producer Ryan Truesdell empowers his string quartet to roam at will on SYNTHESIS: The String Quartet Sessions. Collapsing the boundaries between classical, Jazz and experimental music, Truesdell creates theatre around soundscapes that oscillate between the refined harmonies of strings and the ridged spaces where the full body of these instruments can resonate. SYNTHESIS unwinds as a sonic treasure hunt, exploring the delicious tension created by Truesdell’s wit and wisdom to challenge listener’s conventional expectations at every turn.
Shabaka
Perceive Its Beauty
In his most intensely personal work to date, Shabaka finds his form on the masterful Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace. Using a unique variety of flutes, woodwinds, percussion, bass, and electronics, Shabaka explores musical territories that often defy conventional categorization. Like abstract poetry, compositions like I'll Do Whatever You Want and Body To Inhabit move beyond conventional comfort zones, but perhaps that’s the point. Experience Shabaka on his terms and see what’s revealed. As if musically transcribing passages from a personal journal, Shabaka’s songs explore the whimsy, mystery, anger, frustration and enlightenment of his life.
Taylor Eigsti
Plot Armor
Plot Armor builds on Eigsti’s refusal to envision Jazz as anything less than the largest continuum it inhabits. Embracing everything from strings, electric guitar, hip hop, rock and the elegant vocal skills of Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens and Lisa Fischer, Eigsti brilliantly builds a uniquely powerful work featuring a variety of remarkably compelling compositions that challenge Jazz to change it’s ways. Nothing feels off limits here, and of course given his uncommon command, nothing really is. Ballads, blues, swing, intelligent pop, and fusion all fuel Eigsti’s voracious appetite to make music that truly matters. By records’s end you’ll quickly realize how much it does.