The Mix

Welcome to the inaugural edition of our Jazz Critics' Poll, in which we survey 120+ national critics on their favorite albums of the year, a tradition we're taking on from the Village Voice. Herein we've got a comprehensive look at the victors (from 60 overall picks to the voters' favorites in the Best Reissue, Best Latin, Best Vocal and Best Debut categories), along with in-depth essays and personal Top 10s from poll gurus Francis Davis and Tom Hull. Finally, we take a look back at the jazz luminaries we lost in the last 12 months. And while you peruse, please listen to this year's big winner, Sonny Rollins' Road Shows, Vol. 2, because it is awesome. Enjoy.

	The Victors: Poll guru Francis Davis counts down the big winners and his personal favorites			The Results: The Top 60, plus picks for reissues, Latin and vocal jazz, and debut albums
	The Thrill of Discovery: Another critic's biggest finds, from Abdullah Ibrahim to Colin Stetson			RIP 2011: Jazz notables we lost in the past year

Welcome to Rhapsody's first-annual Jazz Critics' Poll, wherein 100+ national writers voted on their favorite albums of the year in a tradition we're taking on from the Village Voice. Full results are here, explained via essays from poll gurus Francis Davis and Tom Hull. In addition, we'd like to pay tribute to the artists we lost this past year.

Alan Adams, Eugenio "Totico" Arango, Milton Babbitt, Butch Ballard, Billy Bang, Ross Barbour, Bill Bardin, John Barry, Gordon Beck, Gil Bernal, Paul Blair, Bess Bonnier, Bob Brookmeyer, Odell Brown, Ray Bryant, François Cahen, Jean-Charles Capon, Jeanne Carroll, Clarence Clemons, Carlton "King" Coleman, Graham Collier, Reggie Curry, Beryl Davis, Vinnie Dean, Eric Delaney, Daniela D'Ercole, Clem DeRosa, Frank Driggs, Cornell Dupree, Honeyboy Edwards, Charles Fambrough, Don Ferrara, Bob Flanigan, Frank Foster, Russ Garcia, Donald Gardner, Michael Garrick, Tom Garvin, Lacy Gibson, John Glasel, Charles Graham, Lil Greenwood, Freddie Gruber, Barry Lee Hall, Jr., Lenny Hambro, Mary Cleere Haran, Art Hillery, André Hodeir, Morty Jacobs, Bert Jansch, Big Jack Johnson, Eddie Kirkland, Norikatsu Koreyasu, Myrna Lake, Fran Landesman, Wolfgang Lauth, Barbara Lea, Christine Legrand, Jerry Leiber, Jack Lemaire, Tony Levin, Jack Lewis, Gene McDaniels, Ralph MacDonald, Dave McMurdo, Eddie Marshall, Hugh Martin, Curtis Mitchell, Horst Mohlbradt, Joe Mogotsi, Eddie Mordue, Joe Morello, Ernest Mothle, Paul Motian, Ted Nash (Sr.), Zim Ngqawana, Piet Noordijk, Walter Norris, Nancy Overton, Papa Bue (Arne Jensen), Mel Parker, Pinetop Perkins, Boris Petrovic, Lucy Ann Polk, Andrzej Przybielski, Johnny Raducanu, Hans Reichel, Ron Reynolds, Bruce Ricker, Michael Ridley, Sam Rivers, Edmundo Ros, Alan Rubin, Pete Rugolo, Brian Rust, Tony Schilder, Hawe Schneider, Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Sease, Dave Shapiro, George Shearing, Allen Smith, Betty Smith, Willie (Big Eyes) Smith, Phoebe Snow, Melvin Sparks, Benny Spellman, Alex Stirnweiss, Hubert Sumlin, Monty Sunshine, Howard Tate, Dr. Billy Taylor, Dan Terry, Jack Towers, Jack Tracy, Bill Triglia, Orrin Tucker, Al Vega, Margaret Whiting, Joe Lee Wilson, Jens Winther, Randy Wood, Snooky Young.

Welcome to Rhapsody's first annual Jazz Critics' Poll, wherein 120+ national writers voted on their favorite albums of the year in a tradition we're taking on from the Village Voice. Your host is author/critic Francis Davis, with an in-depth look at the 2011 results. Enjoy.

While reading, be sure to check out our 2011 Jazz Poll: The Victors playlist.

"And so, the Jazz Event of 2010 begat the Best Jazz Album of 2011...."
In my liner notes to Sonny Rollins' Road Shows, Vol. 2 -- Album of the Year in my sixth annual Jazz Critics Poll (and the first conducted for Rhapsody) -- I suggested a better title might be The 80th Birthday Concert Plus, because along with an opening and a brief closing number from Japan the following month, the album draws heavily from the tenor saxophonist's instantly legendary September 2010 show at New York's Beacon Theater. So, it turns out you didn't have to be there, after all -- though, as someone who was, let me tell you that no recording can capture the jolt of anticipation that shot through the packed house when unannounced special guest Ornette Coleman tottered in from the wings to join Sonny, Roy Haynes and Christian McBride 10 minutes into an already electrifying "Sonnymoon for Two."

Exchanging nods of astonishment with the New York cognoscenti (including numerous devotees of free improvisation whose ears usually go numb at the mere suggestion of a recognizable melody or blues riff) as I exited the Beacon that night, the thought occurred to me that if Rollins were to approve a commercial release, there might be no need for a poll. I could simply introduce a resolution naming it Album of the Year by unanimous consent. Going into this year's poll, the only question seemed to be Road Shows, Vol. 2's margin of victory.

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Welcome to Rhapsody's first-annual Jazz Critics' Poll, wherein 122 national writers voted on their favorite albums of the year in a tradition we're taking on from the Village Voice. Below are the full results and methodology; poll guru Francis Davis' full introductory explanation is here, joined by a complementary essay from fellow critic Tom Hull and a list of jazz notables who passed in 2011. Enjoy.

Continue Reading

Welcome to Rhapsody's first-annual Jazz Critics' Poll, wherein 100+ national writers voted on their favorite albums of the year in a tradition we're taking on from the Village Voice. In addition to the full results and an explanatory essay by guru Francis Davis, here's a complementary list from critic and poll cohort Tom Hull. Enjoy.

While reading, be sure to check out my Favorite Jazz Albums of 2011 playlist.

In 2011, the economy limped along while those who could tried to keep going about their business, and that included almost everyone involved with jazz. The same labels and pretty much the same musicians released roughly the same number of records this year as last. Jazz continues to build a surfeit of talent for its tiny sliver of the market. Those of us who get to listen to a lot of it--I sorted through my usual 600 records this year--are fortunate, and those who don't bother are missing a lot.

For example, consider my own picks in Rhapsody's 2011 Jazz Poll, just 10 out of 54 new A-list albums I found so far this year:

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