Awards,
Jazz Recordings of the Year - Finalists 2021
This year Presto Music celebrates a double anniversary - the 20th anniversary of the website, and its 35th anniversary of the shop existing in Leamington Spa - but we've only been covering jazz music for 3 years of that, and what a turbulent time it has been! With things slowly edging back to (relative) normality, artists have been back on the road and recording new music, as well as kindly offering their time to chat with us about how their re-invigorated music careers are going, meaning we've certainly had plenty of incredible new jazz (and world, blues, and other things that take our fancy) to cover this year.
It's always an enjoyable task listening back to our favourite releases of the year, much of which we've already waxed lyrical about at some point over the last 12 months, but inevitably some slipped under our radar upon first release and deserved a late shout-out nonetheless. It's always slightly tricky to whittle the plethora of releases from a whole year down to a definitive list, and there's sure to be plenty of your own favourites that didn't make the final cut - but these were the 25 albums that we found ourselves spinning the most this year. We have also included our 10 favourite reissues and historic rediscoveries. Be sure to check back next month when we'll be announcing our Top 5 Jazz Albums of the Year.
Top 25 New Jazz Releases
Eivind Aarset 4tet - Phantasmagoria, or A Different Kind of Journey
For his ninth full-length album, Norwegian jazz-rocker Eivind Aarset blends influences from jazz, hard rock and ambient music to spellbinding effect.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
BADBADNOTGOOD - Talk Memory
The Canadian nu-jazz trio embrace their improvisational jazz roots on one of their most exciting releases to date, featuring excellent guest features and dynamic compositions.
Available Format: CD
Jakob Bro - Uma Elmo
Jakob Bro's new trio brings us a more abstracted version of the Danish electric guitarist's sound, with a contemplative album that serves as a personal document of his past year.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Andrew Cyrille Quartet - The News
The American drummer's latest recording - featuring an all-star quartet including guitarist Bill Frisell - is a beautifully subtle masterclass in stripped-back contemporary jazz, and the inclusion of some of Frisell’s own music alongside Cyrille's originals is a welcome addition to the package.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Kenny Garrett - Sounds From the Ancestors
An amalgam of modern jazz sensibilities, African diasporic sounds and reverence for the elders, Sounds from the Ancestors is a confident release from the saxophonist who once shared the bandstand with Miles Davis and Art Blakey.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Nicole Glover - Strange Lands
The rising star saxophonist makes a bold statement on her sophomore record with a set of sci-fi inspired originals, featuring the uncommon formation of a chordless saxophone trio as well as guest contributions from pianist George Cables.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Daniel Herskedal - Harbour
Tubist and bass trombonist Daniel Herskedal's beautiful new album Harbour effortlessly marries the sound of the jazz trio with his cinematic compositional style.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Dave Holland - Another Land
Veteran jazz bassist Dave Holland's latest album is a fiery and funky blues romp, thanks to his trio bandmates Kevin Eubanks and Obed Calvaire.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Samara Joy - Samara Joy
The young vocalist's self-titled debut puts her own spin on her favourite standards from the Great American Songbook, influenced by Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Kinkajous - Being Waves
London-based quintet Kinkajous further perfect their sophisticated fusion of acoustic and electronic instrumentation on Being Waves.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Julian Lage - Squint
The maestro of modern jazz guitar showcases his remarkable touch and adventurous songwriting on his Blue Note Records debut.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joe Lovano - Garden of Expression
Seasoned saxophonist Joe Lovano's second 'Trio Tapestry' album further hones his controlled, meditative compositional style and makes for a highly evocative recording.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Jihye Lee Orchestra - Daring Mind
The Seoul-born, New York-based big band composer's sophomore album showcases her sharp ear for arrangement, melody and dynamics, making for an endlessly entertaining listen.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Fergus McCreadie - Cairn
The wunderkind pianist celebrates his heritage on his sophomore album Cairn, rooted equally in modern jazz music and Scottish folk tradition.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime
Nigerien singer, songwriter and electric guitarist Mdou Moctar's Afrique Victime combines the music of the nomadic Tuareg people with searing blues, for some of the most spirited rock music you'll hear all year.
Available Format: CD
Shez Raja - Tales From the Punjab
Master bassist Shez Raja travels to the Indian sub-continent to rediscover his roots and engineer a brilliant meeting between eastern and western schools of improvisation.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Logan Richardson - Afrofuturism
The saxophonist and music producer makes his debut on indie label Whirlwind Recordings with the adventurous Afrofuturism, synthesising an eclectic mixture of contemporary sounds from alt-rock to trap, electronica to jazz.
Available Format: CD
Julian Siegel Jazz Orchestra - Tales from the Jacquard
The ambitious project from Nottingham-based saxophonist, composer and bandleader Julian Siegel (featuring his Jazz Orchestra big band) includes a three-part jazz suite inspired by the East Midlands' historical lace industry.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
Dr. Lonnie Smith - Breathe
The late master of the Hammond B3 organ's final album is an explosive live set taken from his 75th birthday in 2017, and also features an unexpected guest feature from rock vocalist Iggy Pop.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Nishla Smith - Friends With Monsters
Australian-born, Manchester-based vocalist Nishla Smith makes a last-minute - but much welcome - entry into our 2021 finalists with an album that's personal as it is ambitious, exploring her experiences with insomnia through evocative songs and visual direction.
Available Format: CD
The deluxe edition of Friends With Monsters includes a 32-page zine featuring lyrics, still images and a personal note from Nishla.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Veronica Swift - This Bitter Earth
The young vocalist's second album on Mack Avenue tackles themes of sexism, racism and misinformation on an eclectic range of songs.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future
The UK collective's fourth album is a fearless statement that synthesises the rhythmic sounds of Afro-Caribbean music, the fluidity of jazz music and the rawness of London grime.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Henry Threadgill Zooid - Poof
The avant-garde saxophonist and flautist's left-field compositions are brought to life by his 'Zooid' group's inimitable improvisational approach. Existing in its own strange universe, it's well worth diving into if you can tune your ears into it.
Available Format: CD
Wollny/Parisien/Lefebvre/Lillinger - XXXX
Michael Wollny and friends inject some fun into electro-acoustic improv on XXXX, an enjoyably wild, yet coherent, record assembled from live recordings made at Berlin's A-Train club in 2019.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different
Evoking the spiritual sounds of Dorothy Ashby and contemporary nu jazz in equal measure, harpist Brandee Younger's major label debut is a gorgeously enveloping record with an undeniable soul.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Top 10 Jazz Reissues & Archival Releases
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings
A previously unreleased recording taken from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messenger’s first Japanese tour - you can hear the excitement in the audience even in these old recordings - featuring the legendary Jazz Messengers lineup including Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merritt.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club: 25th Anniversary Edition
The Son Cubano classic turns 25 this year, and deservingly receives a deluxe reissue on World Circuit records, including 2CD, 2LP and 2CD+2LP editions - featuring bonus tracks from the original sessions and books featuring liner notes, photos and biographies - with the 4-disc edition featuring two 12x12 art prints.
Available Format: 2 CDs
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
Available Format: 4 Vinyl Records
Graham Collier - British Conversations
Commemorating 10 years since the British jazz composer, bassist and bandleader's passing, My Only Desire Records release his previously unheard - though excellent nonetheless - 'British Conversations' suite, originally recorded in 1975, featuring the bassist conducting the Swedish Radio Jazz Group and fellow British soloists Harry Beckett and Ed Speight.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle
An historic recording taken in a Seattle club in 1965 proved to be one of the most arresting performances of Coltrane's spiritual classic yet.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
John Coltrane (and friends) - Another Side of Coltrane
A second Coltrane recording on this year's list, but not one to be missed either - this time a hand-picked selection of Coltrane's best contributions to his contemporaries' recordings. Whether you're here for 'Trane or the folks he's sharing the stage with, you can hardly go wrong with this one.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Bill Evans - Behind the Dikes: The 1969 Netherlands Recordings
Issued from Dutch Radio recordings - some previously available in admittedly lesser quality, some never heard before - this deluxe Bill Evans box set features 2 CDs' worth of live recordings and studio sessions, as well as a neat 32-page booklet with Evans photos, interviews and essays by his collaborators.
Available Format: 2 CDs
Kohsuke Mine - First
A hidden gem of '70s Japanese jazz is reissued for the first time, courtesy of British record label Barely Breaking Even. Kohsuke Mine's debut studio recording proves to be a key piece of the J-jazz narrative, embracing the experimental new sounds of the time.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Barbara Thompson - Live at the BBC
Various artists - Journeys in Modern Jazz: Britain
This new compilation explores the rich back-catalogue of recordings from the British jazz explosion, including rare cuts by Kenny Wheeler, Neil Ardley, Mike Westbrook and more. Journeys In Modern Jazz proves to be an excellent primer to Britain's unique jazz sound.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: 2 Vinyl Records, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
