Awards,
Jazz Recordings of the Year - Finalists 2022
Our past two 'Albums of the Year' articles have had plenty to waffle about - from 2020's lockdowns to 2021's double-anniversary of the Presto company and online store. 2022 hasn't had quite as many momentus occassions, save perhaps for our swanky new premesis in Leamington Spa, but it's still been awash with excellent new jazz records. A lot of great music makes its way to myself and my colleague Matt Groom's desk throughout the year, from big names like Blue Note and Impulse! Records to humble indie labels, old and young jazz artists alike from around the world.
Whittling down our favourite new jazz albums of the year is always a tricky task, especially with so many varied stand-out releases this year. While you've certainly seen a decent number of these in our Recording of the Week articles and New Release Round-Ups, there are always some great albums that manage to slip under the radar and deserved a shout-out nonetheless. Maybe there are albums you loved from this year that didn't make the cut, but these are the 25 albums that enjoyed heavy rotation on our end at Presto Music.
Be sure to check back next month when we'll be announcing our Top 5 Jazz Albums of the Year!
Presto Music's Jazz Albums of the Year: Top 25
The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus
The American jazz trio-turned-quartet's second self-titled album served as a rebirth over two decades into the band's existence, with the addition of guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Binker & Moses - Feeding the Machine
The drums and sax duo joined forces with producer Max Luthert, who brought expansive, ambient tones to the pair's free jazz sound.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Obi Strip CD Edition
Available Format: CD
Obi Strip LPEdition
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Alina Bzhezhinska & HipHarpCollective - Reflections
The London-based harpist's sophomore album expanded her sonic palette and indulged her wide-ranging music taste alongside her new 'HipHarpCollective'.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: 2 Vinyl Records, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The Comet Is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
One of London's most unique instrumental trios returned for their third full-length record, with deeper explorations in electronic music, psychedelia and jazz.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
DOMi & JD BECK - NOT TiGHT
From teenage YouTube sensations to pukka Blue Note artists in just a few years, DOMi & JD BECK's debut album NOT TiGHT was a riot of live breakbeats and dazzling keyboards, with some starry guest artists joining in the fun.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Kit Downes - Vermillion
Pianist Kit Downes teamed up with some familiar collaborators to explore the fertile ground of jazz piano trio music, with some eccentric twists along the way.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
John Escreet - Seismic Shift
Pianist John Escreet's latest studio outing with Whirlwind Recordings was a bold and experimental - yet refreshing - release that showcased his highly idiosyncratic technique and unique approach to composition.
Tord Gustavsen Trio - Opening
The Norwegian pianist's latest ECM recording proved to be an essential listen for any piano trio enthusiast, showcasing carefully constructed melodies, texture and atmosphere.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis & Belladonna
Avant-garde guitarist Mary Halvorson's first outing for Nonesuch Records is effectively a double-album of new compositions; Amaryllis is a six-part suite performed by six improvisers (including Halvorson herself), while Belladonna features her performing original compositinos with the Mivos Quartet.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Connie Han - Secrets of Inanna
The American pianist's fourth album saw her exploring Sumerian legends with a versatile assortment of original tunes, channelling the aspects of the goddess Inanna - love, beauty and war - in equal measure.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: 2 Vinyl Records, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Gilad Hekselman - Far Star
Gilad Hekselman's tenth studio album saw the New York-based guitarist at his most creative and daring, with curious sonic experimentation and contributions from Eric Harland and Shai Maestro.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Samara Joy - Linger Awhile
Up-and-coming young vocalist Samara Joy made her debut on Verve Records with her sophomore album Linger Awhile, her timeless vocal jazz style now even more at home on the label shared by Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan, the latter of whom was a huge influence on Joy from a young age.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Kokoroko - Could We Be More
Following up their successful 2019 self-titled EP, the London octet drew on their love of Afrobeat and contemporary jazz sounds for their diverse debut full-length album.
Julian Lage - View With a Room
Julian Lage returned with another trio record, following up 2021's Squint, featuring David King and Jorge Roeder with contributions from Bill Frisell. A refreshing set of excellent original tunes made View With a Room a consistently enjoyable release.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Cold as Weiss
Delvon Lamarr and co. delivered a delightful set of old-school organ trio funk, with impressive performances and memorable originals.
Red Colour Vinyl
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Charles Lloyd - Trios: Chapel
The first in Charles Lloyd's 'trio of trios' series saw him teaming up with the indominable duo of Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan, engaging in subtle explorations with a drumless trio.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Mark Lockheart - Dreamers
Mark Lockheart and friends took us on a surreal trip with Dreamers, an early standout jazz album for 2022.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Makaya McCraven - In These Times
Makaya McCraven's ambitious new project featured contributions from over a dozen of his close circle of collaborators, recorded over five different studios and four live spaces, with McCraven stitching them together with his trademark post-production chops from his home studio to excellent results.
Jasmine Myra - Horizons
The Leeds-based saxophonist made a confident debut on Gondwana Records, showcasing her keen ear for melody, texture and mood with the emotionally-charged Horizons.
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade - LongGone
Joshua Redman's 1990s quartet reconvened a second time since their 2020 reunion for LongGone, an album of Redman originals.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song
The American vocalist and songwriter's debut on Nonesuch Records explored themes of nostalgia and yearning, with an eclectic set of original songs and reworked standards.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: Vinyl Record, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
John Scofield - John Scofield
It took over 40 self-penned albums for American guitarist John Scofield to release a purely solo record, and this year's self-titled recording does just that, featuring Scofield performing re-arrangements of his favourite standards and original tunes accompanied by himself via a looper pedal.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand
Immanuel Wilkins followed up his celebrated debut Omega with an equally ambitious project, exploring spiritual and free jazz sounds in pursuit of what the saxophonist calls 'vesselhood'.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Various artists - Blue Note Re:imagined II
The second volume of Blue Note Re:imagined again showcased the best up-and-coming jazz, soul and R&B artists from the UK let loose into the Blue Note vaults.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Available Formats: 2 Vinyl Records, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
