Best Jazz Albums of 2017 (So Far)
I’ve been away from regular blogging for a minute. Through my show, I’ve gotten to hear a lot of first rate new projects during the first half of the year. So what better way to return to regular posts than to give recognition to the finest discs that I’ve heard so far this year. The list includes five vocal and ten instrumental albums (and one EP), listed in alphabetical order. The next two posts will be closer looks at the albums, including video clips.
Vocal Albums
- Dance of Time – Eliane Elias (Concord)
- Nightintales – China Moses (MPS)
- Petite Afrique – Somi (Okeh)
- A Social Call – Jazzmeia Horn (Prestige)
- What Time Is It? – Giacomo Gates (Savant)
Instrumental Albums
- Akua’s Dance – Akua Dixon (Akua’s Music)
- Back to Earth – Farnell Newton (Posi-Tone)
- Boundary Issues – Chris Greene (Single Malt)
- Brothers Under the Sun – Steve Nelson (HighNote)
- Made in America – Bobby Watson (Smoke Sessions)
- The Music of John Lewis – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, feat. Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis (Blue Engine)
- Post Cool: Vol 1; The Night Shift – Carol Morgan (Self-Produced)
- Reach – Christian Sands (Mack Avenue)
- Sabiduria – Eddie Palmieri (Ropeadope)
- Serenade for Horace – Louis Hayes (Blue Note)
- A Tribute to Art Blakey [EP] – Tony Allen (Blue Note)
July 24, 2017 at 11:09 am
“Code Noir” by Carmen Lundy is my favorite vocal album; “Marseille” by Ahmad Jamal is favorite instrumental album so far this year.
August 7, 2017 at 7:26 am
[…] And that’s our halftime show. A great first half of the year in jazz. I’ve got a stack of CDs staring at me on my desk and even more album downloads in the computer waiting to be reviewed and shared with y’all. Gonna be a busy but rewarding rest of the year. More to come, soon. If you missed the complete list, see it HERE […]
December 19, 2017 at 5:45 pm
[…] lest we forget (and we shouldn’t). Here are the albums that were included in our first “Best Of 2017” post, back in […]