The 20 best new jazz albums of 2024: Jazzwise critics' poll

Sunday, December 1, 2024

True class, they say, has no age limit. It’s not often that a 24-year-old singer takes the prestigious Jazzwise New Release Album of the Year award – voted for by our team of expert editors and critics – but then Samara Joy is no ordinary 24-year-old singer. She began making her mark when still a teenager and has been wowing critics and listeners over the autumn with her third full-length album, Portrait. It’s not only fulfilment of her early promise, but also a stunning confirmation of her continued artistic growth.

The return of another rising star turned contemporary great, esperanza spalding, with her joyous collaborative album with Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento is nothing short of life-enhancing, and Charles Lloyd's undimmed creativity in his mid 80s is astonishing, releasing strong albums every year in the 2020s.

There were many excellent albums released in 2024: our contributors nominated a staggering 125 titles between them, demonstrating the depth and breadth of contemporary jazz, from the fringes of the avant-garde to the mainstream; and from heavyweights such as the evergreen David Murray and the prolific Pat Metheny, through to younger talents such as Ruth Goller and saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.

1 Samara Joy

Portrait

Verve

'One of the most transcendent vocal performances I’ve heard this year...' Peter Quinn

Read the Jazzwise review


2 Charles Lloyd

The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow

Blue Note

'The invention and ingenuity and collective wisdom of Lloyd’s accompanists allow Lloyd’s improvisational magic to blossom..' Stuart Nicholson

Read the Jazzwise review


3 Milton Nascimento and esperanza spalding

Milton + esperanza

Concord Jazz

'An unforgettable, life-affirming album and a loving paean to musical communion...' Peter Quinn

Read the Jazzwise review


4 Mary Halvorson

Cloudward

Nonesuch

'Another triumph for Halvorson as composer/arranger and guiding spirit...' Andy Robson

Read the Jazzwise review


5 James Brandon Lewis Quartet

Transfiguration

Intakt

'This latest release further strengthens the argument that Lewis really is a modern-day tenor titan...' Kevin Le Gendre

Read the Jazzwise review


6 David Murray Quartet

Francesca

Intakt

'Murray may be defined by classic albums such as Home and Ming but this new work shows that he has lost none of his verve today...'

Read the Jazzwise review


7 Pat Metheny

Moondial

BMG/Modern Recordings

'Metheny, a compelling soloist, be it electric or acoustic, hits the right mood here with performances of subtlety, nuance, warmth and humanity...' Stuart Nicholson

Read the Jazzwise review


8 (ahmed)

Giant Beauty

Fönstret

'In the epic 45 minute re-imaginings of songs such as ‘African Bossa Nova’ and ‘rooh (the soul)’ there is a subversion of form that makes the original material a rich acorn from which springs the giant beauty of the title...' Kevin Le Gendre

Read the Jazzwise review


9 Wadada Leo Smith/Amina Claudine Myers

Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens

Red Hook Records

'A sumptuous offering from two masters...' Kevin Le Gendre

Read the Jazzwise review


10 John Surman

Words Unspoken

ECM

'Surman’s gift to us yet remains a thing of beauty...' Andy Robson

Read the Jazzwise review


11 Empirical

Wonder Is The Beginning

Whirlwind Recordings

'The urgency and tight-knit ensemble play are still there, even if it’s a more mature, reflective development on previous albums...' Selwyn Harris

Read the Jazzwise review


12 Aaron Parks

Little Big III

Blue Note

'The pianist-composer’s highly impressive return to the legendary label’s catalogue...' Selwyn Harris

Read the Jazzwise review


13 Ruth Goller

Skyllumina

International Anthem

'An album by an artist with a gift and a vision, and doesn't reward repeated listening - it deserves it...' Jane Cornwell

Read the Jazzwise review


14 Claire Martin

Almost In Your Arms

Stunt

'Produced, recorded and mixed by McMillan, who also contributes trumpet, flugel, keys and programming, the incredible clarity and spaciousness of the recorded sound captures Martin’s vocals to perfection...' Peter Quinn

Read the Jazzwise review


15 Alina Bzhezhinska and Tony Kofi

Altera Vita

BBE

'Altera Vita sparkles with the sort of improvisational magic expected of players at the top of their game, with passages changing form, finding flow, conjuring shapes and angles, in ways surprising, soothing, thoughtful and rousing...' Jane Cornwell

Read the Jazzwise review


16 Immanuel Wilkins

Blues Blood

Blue Note

'A fascinating Wilkins venture very different from its predecessors...' John Fordham

Read the Jazzwise review


17 Melissa Aldana

Echoes of The Inner Prophet

Blue Note

'Echoes of the Inner Prophet is an album that succeeds in reinvigorating the jazz genre.' Selwyn Harris

Read the Jazzwise review


18 Nubya Garcia

Odyssey

Concord Jazz

'This new album from the multi-award-winning tenorist, bandleader and composer, Nubya Garcia, which follows her 2020 release on Concord Jazz, Source, represents an inspiring sonic leap forward...' Peter Quinn

Read the Jazzwise review


19 Zara McFarlane

Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan

Eternal Source Of Light

'An inspired and lovingly crafted homage...' Peter Quinn

Read the Jazzwise review


20 Bill Frisell

Orchestras

Blue Note

'With the Brussels Philharmonic and Umbria Jazz orchestras, the chance comes to hear where his imagination takes him when the big backdrop is being painted by others...' John Fordham

Read the Jazzwise review

Subscribe from only £5.83

Never miss an issue of the UK's biggest selling jazz magazine.

Subscribe

View the Current
Issue

Take a peek inside the latest issue of Jazzwise magazine.

Find out more