The 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll
First The Pulitzer, Now The Big Prize: Henry Threadgill Tops Our 4th Annual Survey Of Jazz Writers
1. Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up, ‚Old Locks and Irregular Verbs‘
2. Wadada Leo Smith, ‚America’s National Parks‘
3. Jack DeJohnette / Matt Garrison / Ravi Coltrane, ‚In Movement‘
2. Wadada Leo Smith, ‚America’s National Parks‘
3. Jack DeJohnette / Matt Garrison / Ravi Coltrane, ‚In Movement‘
4. Mary Halvorson Octet, ‚Away With You‘
5. Michael Formanek / Ensemble Kolossus, ‚The Distance‘
5. Michael Formanek / Ensemble Kolossus, ‚The Distance‘
6. Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, ‚A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke‘
7. Nels Cline, ‚Lovers‘
8. Matt Wilson’s Big Happy Family, ‚Beginning of a Memory‘
9. Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, ‚Time/Life (Song for the Whales and Other Beings)‘
10. Steve Lehman & Sélébéyone, ‚Sélébéyone‘
The Rest
11. Darcy James Argue Secret Society Real Enemies
12. Charles Lloyd & the Marvels I Long to See You
13. J.D. Allen Americana: Musings on Jazz & Blues
14. Murray, Allen & Carrington Power Trio Perfection
15. Jane Ira Bloom Early Americans
16. Tyshawn Sorey The Inner Spectrum of Variables
17. Greg Ward Touch My Beloved’s Thought
18. Aziza (Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke, Eric Harland) Aziza
19. Andrew Cyrille Quartet The Declaration of Musical Independence
20. Jonathan Finlayson & Sicilian Moving Still
21. Kris Davis Duopoly
22. Sonny Rollins Holding the Stage: Road Shows, Vol. 4
23. John Scofield Country for Old Men
24. Aruán Ortiz Trio Hidden Voices
25. Tom Harrell Something Gold, Something Blue
26. Fred Hersch Trio Sunday Night at the Vanguard
27. Barry Guy The Blue Shroud
28. Jason Moran The Armory Concert
29. Mark Dresser Seven Sedimental You
30. George Coleman A Master Speaks
31. Jaimeo Brown Transcendence Work Songs
32. Donny McCaslin Beyond Now
33. Julian Lage Arclight
34. Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau Nearness
35. Frank Kimbrough Solstice
36. David Bowie Blackstar
37. Melissa Aldana Back Home
38. Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow Andando el Tiempo
39. Cookers The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart
40. Bill Charlap Trio Notes from New York
41. Brad Mehldau Trio Blues and Ballads
42. Jeff Parker The New Breed
43. Wolfgang Muthspiel Rising Grace
44. Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom Otis Was a Polar Bear
45. Anthony Braxton 3 Compositions (EEMHM) 2011
46. Logan Richardson Lift
47. Esperanza Spalding Emily’s D + Evolution
48. Avishai Cohen Into the Silence
49. Taylor Ho Bynum Enter the PlusTet
50. Gregory Porter Take Me to the Alley
REISSUE/RARA AVIS
1. Larry Young Larry Young In Paris: The ORTF Recordings
2. The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra All My Yesterdays: The Debut 1966 Village Vanguard Recordings
3. Bill Evans Some Other Time: The Lost Sessions from the Black Forest
4. Miles Davis Quintet Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5
5. Count Basie & Lester Young Classic 1936-1947 Studio Sessions Mosaic
6. Various Artists The Savory Collection, Volume 1: Body and Soul: Coleman Hawkins & Friends
7. Don Cherry, John Tchicai, Iréne Schweizer, Léon Francioli, Pierre Favre Musical Monsters
8. Keith Jarrett A Multitude of Angels
9. Shirley Horn Live at the 4 Queens
10. Peter Kuhn No Coming, No Going
VOCAL
1. Rene Marie Sound of Red
2. Branford Marsalis: Special Guest Kurt Elling Upward Spiral
3. Camila Meza Traces
4 (tie). Cyrille Aimee Let’s Get Lost
4 (tie). Gregory Porter Take Me to the Alley
6 (tie). Norah Jones Day Breaks
6 (tie). Catherine Russell Harlem on My Mind
6 (tie). Esperanza Spalding Emily’s D + Evolution
DEBUT
1 (tie). Victor Gould Clockwork
1 (tie). Ron Stabinsky Free for One
3 (tie). George Burton The Truth of What I Am > The Narcissist
3 (tie). Earprint Earprint
3 (tie). Jerome Jennings The Beast
3 (tie). Marcos Varela San Ygnacio
3 (tie). Christopher Zuar Orchestra Musings
LATIN
1. Pedrito Martinez Group Habana Dreams
2. Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Oddara Linus
3 (tie). Brian Lynch Presents Madera Latino Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective on the Music of Woody Shaw
3 (tie). Alfredo Rodriguez Tocororo
5. Guillermo Klein Los Guachos V
6. Edward Simon Latin American Songbook
Criteria
Voters were asked to rank their top 10 albums released in 2016. A No. 1 ranking earned 10 points, a No. 2 earned 9 points, and so on. Listings on unranked ballots received 5.5 points each. In the Reissue/Rara Avis category, voters ranked three releases of either previously-published material or unreleased recordings from over 10 years ago. Voters also picked their single favorite Vocal, Latin jazz and Debut recordings of the year.