Basically, there are two lists of people: those who make lists, and those who don’t. Badda Boom!
Me, I LOVE lists! On my refrigerator door used to be a picture of Fredric Chopin next to one of Franz Liszt, and underneath it read “Chopin Liszt”. THAT’S MAKING A LIST!
OK, enough of the bad jokes. One of the joys of doing a site like this is connecting with the various other jazz journalists and finding out which albums tickled their collective fancies the past year. It’s sort of like buying a used text book and wondering why certain points were highlighted when I never would have considered that part important. What do they see that I missed? It’s a great way to both see how someone else thinks musically and to also broaden your palate. Hey, if Yanow, Conrad or Turner etc liked something, maybe I should check it out!
If you’re new to jazz, the best idea is to find which albums are listed numerous times. That tells you something about the music, and is usually a great place to start.
After you’re done with this list, feel free to contact me about my lists about my top ten pizzas, pitchers, jazz clubs, baseball parks, baseball teams, quarterbacks, quarter pounders…ooh, the joy of making a list.
One of my favorite vacations was driving around Texas and Arkansas with another family. With the wives and kids in the back of the van, my buddy and I spent the entire time 
taking turns driving and creating all kinds of “Top Ten” list categories and then having a wonderful time filling them up to pass the time. By the end of the two weeks we were both gloriously suffering from laryngitis. What a way to go!
Anyway, dig in!
1) George Harris
Jimmy Cobb: The Original Mob (Smoke Sessions)
Nancy Harrow: Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues (Fresh Sound)
Eleni Karaindrou:Medea (ECM)
Chubby Jackson: Ooh! What An Outfit! (Uptown Records)
Romero Lubambo: So (Sunnyside)
The Keynote Jazz Collection 1941-1947 (Fresh Sound)
Dee Daniels: Intimate Conversations (Origin Records)
Lili Boniche: Tresors De La Musique Judeo-Arabe(World Village Records)
Dayna Stephens: Peace (Sunnyside)
Rodney Whitaker: When We Find Ourselves Alone (Mack Avenue)
2)John McDonough/Down Beat, NPR, Northwestern University Music Dept
Sonny Rollins Road Shows 3 – Doxie
Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Live Recordings – Mosaic
Mostly Other People Do the Killing (MOPDTK): Kind of Blue
Charlie Haden-Jim Hall – Impulse!
Lennie Tristano-Lee Konitz;Warne Marsh – Uptown
Kenny Baron-Dave Holland – Impulse!
Tony Bennett-Lady Gaga – Cheek to Cheek – Columbia
Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band – Life in the Bubble
Keith Jarrett – Charlie Haden – Last Dance (ECM)
Tierney Sutton – After Blue – BFM Jazz
3)Mark F. Turner /Freelance Writer /Allaboutjazz.com
Marko Churnchetz – Devotion (Whirlwind)
Enoch Lee – Finish Line (Self Produced)
Miguel Zenon – Identities Are Changeable (Miel Music )
Jason Moran – All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller (Blue Note)
Elizabeth Shepherd – Signal (Linus Entertainment)
Joshua Redman – Trios Live (Nonesuch)
Tigran Hamasyan – Shadow Theater (Sunnyside)
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band – Landmarks (Bluenote)
Ambrose Akinmusire – The imagined savior is far easier to paint (Bluenote)
Wadada Leo Smith – The Great Lakes Suites (Tum)
4)Scott Yanow
Louis Armstrong – Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings – Mosaic
Chick Corea – Triology – Concord
Akua Dixon – Akua Dixon – Akua’s Music
Echoes Of Swing – Blue Pepper – ACT
Clifford Jordan – The Complete Strata East Sessions – Mosaic
Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories – Resonance
Freda Payne – Come Back To Me Love – Artistry Music
Carl Saunders – America – Summit
Three Cohens – Tightrope – Anzic
Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra – A Beautiful Friendship – Summit
5)Dave Kunian
Audio One – Midwest School – powerful and passionate versions of Hard Blues and Yoyo win me over
Aurora Nealand and Royal Roses – Lookback Transmission – killer swing/trad that makes it live today.
Henry Butler/Steven Bernstein Hot 9 – Viper’s Drag – Serious jazz that has some humor and very danceable.
Shotgun Jazz Band – Don’t Give Up the Ship – trad jazz played by people who sound like it is a matter of life and death
Marc Ribot – Live At The Village Vanguard – wild and dug in.
Bud Powell – Birdland 1953 – bebop at its best in a live setting
Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories – love hearing what Slugs Saloon sounded like.
John Coltrane – Live at Temple – Intense and rewarding. I’ll be getting something out of this recording for a long time.
Miguel Zenon – Identities Are Changeable – Combines a great premise and great music without sacrificing either
Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter 3: River Run Thee – Sound rich and provocative
6)Thomas Conrad
Ambrose Akinmusire: The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint (Blue Note)
Sonny Rollins: Road Shows, Volume 3 (Doxy/OKeh)
Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: Last Dance (ECM)
Wadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suites (TUM)
Jane Ira Bloom: Sixteen Sunsets (Outline/Pure Audio)
Indigo Mist: That the Days Go By and Never Come Again (RareNoise)
Doctor 3: Doctor 3 (Jando)
Avishai Cohen’s Triveni: Dark Nights (Anzic)
Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joakim Milder: Spark of Life (ECM)
Marc Ribot Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi)
7)Duck Baker/The Absolute Sound, The New York City Jazz Record
Frank Lowe
Out Loud (Triple Point)
John Coltrane
Offering (Resonance)
Wadada Leo Smith
The Great Lakes Suite (TUM)
The Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (Mosaic)
Kalle Kalima & K-18
Bunuel De Jour (TUM)
Dexter Gordon
Soy Califa, Live From Magleaas Højskole (Gearbox)
Peter Brotzmann/Sonny Sharrock
Whatthef***doyourwant (Trost)
Miles Davis
All of You (Acrobat)
The Connie Crothers Quartet
Deep Friendship (New Artists)
Albert Ayler
Spiritual Unity (ESP-Disk)
9)David R. Adler
Diego Barber & Craig Taborn, Tales (Sunnyside)
Rufus Reid, Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project (Motéma)
David Virelles, Mbókò: Sacred Music for Piano, Two Basses, Drum Set and Biankoméko Abakuá (ECM)
Anne Mette Iversen’s Double Life, So Many Roads (BJU)
Wadada Leo Smith, The Great Lakes Suites (TUM)
Yosvany Terry, New Throned King (5Passion)
Billy Childs, Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro (Sony Masterworks)
Steve Lehman Octet, Mise en Abîme (Pi)
Walter Smith III, Still Casual (ind.)
Tom Harrell, TRIP (HighNote)
10) Michael G. Nastos/Cadence Magazine
JASON ADASCIEWICZ-SUN ROOMS From The Region (DELMARK)
THE COOKERS Time & Time Again (MOTEMA)
MARY HALVORSON Reverse Blue (RELATIVE PITCH)
IBRAHIM ELECTRIC Rumours From Outer Space (ILK)
GUILLERMO KLEIN Live At The Village Vanguard (SUNNYSIDE)
RAYMOND MACDONALD/MARILYN CRISPELL Parallel Moments
(BABEL)
ELLEN ROWE Courage Music (PKO)
ROTEM SIVAN For Emotional Use Only (FRESH SOUND/NEW TALENT)
WADADA LEO SMITH The Great Lakes Suite (TUM)
ROSEANNA VITRO Clarity – The Music Of Clare Fischer (RANDOM ACT)
HISTORICAL
JOHN COLTRANE Offering – Live At Temple University (IMPULSE/
RESONANCE)
JIMMY GIUFFRE 3 & 4 New York Concerts (ELEMENTAL)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Creative Music Studio; Archive Collections, Vol. I
(INNOVA)
11) Lyn Horton
Darius Jones, Oversoul Manual, AUM Fidelity;
Joe McPhee, Glasses, Corbett & Dempsey;
Wadada Leo Smith, The Great Lakes Suite, TUM Records;
Chad Taylor & Rob Masurek, Locus, Northern Spy;
Jason Roebke Octet, High/Red/Center, Delmark;
Matthew Shipp Trio, Root of Things, Relative Pitch;
Dave Rempis, Darren Johnston, Larry Ochs, Spectral, Aerophonic Records;
Billy Bang & William Parker, Medicine Buddha, NoBusiness Recods
Darius Jone & Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder: The Darkseid Recital, AUM Fidelity;
Jason Adasiewicz’s SunRooms, From the Region, Delmark.
12) Ken Weiss/Cadence Magazine
Aurora Trio (Agusti Fernandez – Barry Guy – Ramon
Lopez) – A Moments Liberty (Maya)
Ken Thomson and Slow/Fast – Settle (NCM-East)
Connie Crothers – Concert in Paris (New Artists)
Christoph Irniger Pilgrim – Italian Circus Story (Intakt)
Phil Haynes – No Fast Food/In Concert (CornerStoreJazz)
Burton Greene with R*time – Burton’s Time (CIMP)
David Haney – Solo (CIMP)
Pete Robbins – Pyramid (Hate Laugh Music)
Tyshawn Sorey – Alloy (PI)
Yeahwon Shin – Lua ya (ECM)
13) Jason Bivins/Cadence Magazine
Marc Baron – Hidden Tapes (Potlatch)
Raoul Bjorkenheim – Ecstasy (Cuneiform)
Kyle Bruckmann’s Wrack – Awaits Silent Tristero’s Empire (Single Speed)
John Coltrane – Offering (Impulse)
Fred Frith/John Butcher – The Natural Order (Northern Spy)
(Elemental)
Barry Guy New Orchestra – Amphi/Radio Rondo (Intakt)
Wadada Leo Smith – The Great Lakes Suites (TUM
Aki Takase – La Planete (Intakt)
Toshiya Tsunoda/Manfred Werder – Detour (Erstwhile)
14)Don Lerman/Cadence Magazine
Bob Nieske 10 Fast Track (CIMP 396)
Scenes…But Not Heard (ORIGIN 82657)
Mike Dirubbo Threshold (KSANTO RECORDS KSR002)
Leslie Pintchik In The Nature of Things (PINCH HARD CD-002)
Daniel Szabo, Peter Erskine, Edwin Livingston A Song
From There (DSZABOMUSIC 1001)
Harvey Wainapel Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2 (JAZZMISSION RECORDS
# 13001)
Mitch Haupers Invisible Cities (LIQUID HARMONY MUSIC LHM
072014-1 CD)
Chris Biesterfeldt Urban Mandolin (BR1001)
Mette Juul Moon on My Shoulder (CALIBRATED MUSIC CALI 123)
Dorothy Doring and Phil Mattson Compositions by Duke
Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (No label)
15) Jerome Wilson/Cadence Magazine
Jason Roebke Octet, High/Red/Center, (Delmark)
Ingrid Laubrock Octet, Zurich Concert, (Intakt)
Charles Lloyd, Manhattan Stories, (Resonance)
Christina Dahl, Life’s Carousel, (Storyville)
Sylvie Courvoisier Trio, Double Windsor, (Tzadik)
Sarah Manning, Harmonious Creature, (Posi-Tone)
Katie Ernst, LIttle Words, (self-released)
Jason Adasiewicz’s Sun Rooms, From The Region, (Delmark)
The Bad Plus, The Rite Of Spring, (Sony Masterworks)
Mary Halvorson/Michael Formanek/Tomas Fujiwara,
Thumbscrew, (Cuneiform)
REISSUES
Cecil Taylor, The Complete Collection 1956-1962,
(Enlightenment)
Hal Russell NRG Ensemble & Charles Tyler, Generation,
(Nessa)
Gary Burton, Seven Songs For Quartet And Chamber Orchestra, (ECM)
Kenny Wheeler, Gnu High, (ECM)
Ira Sullivan, Circumstantial, (Nessa)
16)Bernie Koenig/Cadence Magazine
Udo Schindler, Katherina Weber Spielzeit, Atemzeit,
Horizonzeit (Unit Records 4484)
Torben Snekkestad, Barry Guy Slip, Slide, and Collide (Maya
Recordings 1401)
Jim Dvork, Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders, Chris Mapp
Cherry Pickin’ (Slam 294)
Gorzycki & Gruchot Experimental Psychology (Fortune 0021013)
Frederic Blondy & Joe Rosenberg Rouge et Blanc (Quark
Records ORO2016)
Joe Rosenberg Ensemble Resolution (Quark no number)
Albert Beger, Gerry Hemingway There’s Nothing Better To Do
(Out Now 007)
Evan Parker Georg Graewe Dortmund Variations (Nuscape)
Alexey Kruglov, Jaak Sooaar, Alexey Lapin, Oleg
Yudanov Military Space (Leo 675)
Glen Hall Live in Siberia (TARSIER J02)
17) Larry Hollis/Cadence Magazine
ERIC ALEXANDER Chicago Fire (HIGHNOTE)
THE COOKERS Time and Time Again (MOTEMA)
OPUS 5 Progression (CRISS CROSS)
STEVE DAVIS For Real (POSITONE)
JOE FARNSWORTH My Heroes (VENUS)
CEDAR WALTON/FREDDIE HUBBARD Redfining the Moment (HIGHNOTE)
SCOTT HAMILTON Live at Smalls (SMALLSLIVE)
MIKE DIRUBBO/LARRY WILLIS Four Hands, One Heart (KSANTI)
ALEX SIPIAGIN From Reality and Back (5PASSION)
MEL BROWN B3 ORGAN GROUP More Today Than Yesterday (CDBABY)
REISSUES:
HERBIE HANCOCK/VSOP Five Stars (WOUNDED BIRD)
KENNY BURRELL Bluesin’ Around Sessions (ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS)
WEBSTER/HOLMES/MCCAN Groove (AMERICAN JAZZ CLASSICS)
JEREMY STEIG Flute Fever (INTERNATIONAL PHONOGRAPH)
MILES DAVIS QUINTET/SEXTET Radio Broadcasts ’58&’59 (RLR)
JOE PASS/LES MCANN Something Special (AMERICAN JAZZ CLASSICS)
FREDDIE REDD Redd’s Blues (BLUE NOTE JAPAN)
GRANT GREEN QUARTET Nigeria (ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS)
STAN GETZ England ’58/ Chicago ’57 (SOLAR)
CURTIS FULLER/SLIDE HAMPTON Two Bones (BLUE NOTE JAPAN)