ON THE COVER

72nd ANNUAL CRITICS POLL

• p 22 : ​Charles Lloyd
  Praise For An Ageless Master
  Hall of Fame, Jazz Artist, Jazz Album & Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
  By Ashley Kahn
  Charles Lloyd, at the age of 87, speaks with humor and humility and in unbroken, elliptical runs. At times, he tends to add in a self-amused chuckle. Responding to a query about the sudden news of his sweep of DownBeat’s top Critics Poll awards — an occurrence that’s never happened in the magazine’s 90-year run — he admits being happy about the news, but also a bit challenged to help explain it.

FEATURES

• p 28 : Immanuel Wilkins
  Jazz Group & Alto Saxophonist of the Year
  By Bill Milkowski
• p 30 : Top 20 Albums Of The Year
  – 1. CHARLES LLOYD, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note)

  
  – 2. KRIS DAVIS DIATOM RIBBONS, Live At The Village Vanguard (Pyroclastic)

  
  – 3. JAMES BRANDON LEWIS RED LILY QUINTET, For Mahalia, With Love (Tao Forms)

  
  – 4. JAIMIE BRANCH Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die ((World War)) (International Anthem)

  
  – 5. VIJAY IYER TRIO Compassion (ECM)

  
  – 6. CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S NEW JAWN Prime (Mack Avenue)

  
  – 7. DARCY JAMES ARGUE Dynamic Maximum Tension (Nonesuch)

  
  – 8. MARY HALVORSON Cloudward (Nonesuch)

  
  – 9. CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT Melusine (Nonesuch)

  
  – 10. TYSHAWN SOREY TRIO Continuing (Pi)

• p 31 : Top 20 Historical Albums Of The Year
  – 1. JOHN COLTRANE/ERIC DOLPHY Evenings At The Village Gate (Impulse !)
  – 2. AHMAD JAMAL Emerald City Nights : Live At The Penthouse 1966–1968 (Jazz Detective/Elemental)
  – 3. GERI ALLEN/KURT ROSENWINKEL A Lovesome Thing (Motéma/Heartcore)
  – 4. CHARLES MINGUS Changes : The Complete 1970s Atlantic Recordings (Rhino)
  – 5. DON BYAS Sessions 1944–1946 (Mosaic)
  – 6. WES MONTGOMERYWYNTON KELLY TRIO Maximum Swing : The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings (Resonance)
  – 7. DOROTHY ASHBY With Strings Attached (New Land)
  – 8. KEITH JARRETT Solo–Concerts : Bremen Lausanne (ECM)
  – 9. CHARLIE PARKER, DIZZY GILLESPIE, BUD POWELL, CHARLES MINGUS, MAX ROACH Hot House : The Complete Jazz At Massey Hall Recordings (Craft)
  – 10. BILL EVANS Tales : Live In Copenhagen (1964) (Elemental)
• p 32 : Herbie Hancock
  Keyboardist of the Year
  By Gary Fukushima
• p 34 : Jane Ira Bloom
  Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
  By Ted Panken
• p 35 : Larry Goldings
  Organist of the Year
  By Allen Morrison
• p 36 : James Brandon Lewis
  Rising Star Artist of the Year
  By Ammar Kalifa
• p 38 : Sullivan Fortner Trio
  Rising Star Group of the Year
  By Suzanne Lorge
• p 40 : COMPLETE 72th ANNUAL CRITICS POLL RESULTS
  • Blues Album
    — 1. Taj Mahal, Savoy (Stony Plain)

    
    — 2. Gary Clark Jr., JPeg Raw (WEA)

    
    — 3. Various Artists, The Memphis Blues Box (Bear Family)
    — 4. Christine Kingfish Ingram, Live In London (Alligator)

    
    — 5. Sue Foley, One Guitar Woman (Stony Plain)

    
    — 6. Joe Bonamassa, Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2 (J&R Adventures)

    
    — 7. Coco Montoya, Writing On The Wall (Alligator)

    
    — 8. Samantha Fish/Jesse Dayton, Death Wish Blues (Rounder)

    
    — 9. Peter Case, Doctor Moan (Sunset Blvd.)

    
    — 10. Tracy Nelson, Life Don’t Miss Nobody (BMG)

DEPARTMENTS

• p 8 : First Take
• p 10 : Chords & Discords
• p 13 : The Beat
  – Ryan Truesdell
  – Ropeadope @ 25
  – Jihye Lee
  – Matthew Whitaker
  – Kokayi
• p 50 : Indie Life
  – Eyal Vilner
  – Curtis Taylor
  – Mike Monford
• p 57 : Reviews
• p 59 : Hot Box
  – David Murray Quartet
  – Kenny Barron
  – Smith/Myers
  – Nduduzo Makhatini
• p 64 : Historical
  – Duke Ellington
  – Funio Itabashi
  – The Imanemas
  – Phil Haynes
• p 66 : Ahmed : Spontaneous Singularity
  – [Ahmed], an Anglo-French improvising quartet.
• p 70 : Indie
  – Daniel Bennett Group
  – Stephen Phil Harvey
  – Gemma Farrell
  – Maria Faust Jazz Catastrophe
  – Flavio Silva
• p 74 : Master Class : How I Became a Musical Chameleon,
  By Raul Midón
• p 76 : Pro Session : Jazz : A Way to Run Your Business, a Way to Lead a Successful Life
  By JB Dyas
• p 78 : Transcription : Wadada Leo Smith’s Trumpet Solo on “Tony Williams”
  By Jimi Durso
• p 80 : Toolshed
  – Casio Celviano AP Series Digital Pianos
• p 82 : Blindfold Test : Greg Ward
  Alto saxist/composer/arranger/educator Greg Ward’s win in the Critics Poll Rising Star category, at age 42, was a long time coming but inevitable given prolific activity in myriad aggregations. Notwithstanding recent tenure as an associate professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, he’s maintained a hectic schedule freelancing with The Occidental Brothers, drummer Makaya McCraven, bassist Linda May Han Oh, drummer Mike Reed’s groups (Loose Assembly, Flesh and Bone and People, Places and Things), and singer Alyssa Allgood as well as his own band, Rogue Parade. Successful plate-spinning requires equilibrium and Ward likes to enjoy life and smell the coffee, even if he hasn’t touched caffeine for over a year. It was the scent of single malt scotch that aided rumination as we convened for his first Blindfold Test in Chicago.
  – Kenny Garrett : “For Openers” from Introducing Kenny Garrett (Criss Cross, 1984)
  – Mostly Other People Do the Killing : “So What ?” from Blue (Hot Cup, 2014)
  – Cannonball Adderley : “74 Miles Away” from Phenix (Fantasy, 1975)
  – Jan Klare : “Confirmation” from Solo (Poise, 2017)
  – Warne Marsh/Lee Konitz Quintet : “Two Part Invention #13, Allegro Tranquillo” from Live At The Montmartre Club : Jazz Exchange, Vol. 2 (Storyville, 1975)
  – Earl Bostic : “Don’t You Do It ?” from The Very Best of Earl Bostic (Collectables, NYC, 1950)
  – Maria Schneider Orchestra : “Data Lords” from Data Lords (Artist Share, 2020)
  – Paul Giallorenzo’s GitGo : “Force Majeure” from Force Majeure (Delmark, 2014)
  – Kris Davis : “Trip Dance for Tim” from Duopoly (Pyroclastic Records, 2016)
  – Bunky Green : “Be” from Another Place (Label Bleu, 2004)