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Dan Bilawsky's Best Releases of 2016

By Dan Bilawsky
December 8, 2016
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Another year is almost in the books. And while there were many things to fret about in 2016, a lack of good music wasn't one of them. A quick look back at the year reminds us that jazz legends remain strong, rising stars continue to rapidly ascend, newcomers are making their presence felt, and the dearly departed are gracing us from the great beyond. I had the pleasure of listening to hundreds of new jazz albums for review consideration this year, I covered well over a hundred of them at All About Jazz, and these are the twenty-five that stand tallest in that mix (Note: This list is NOT ranked in order of preference):

Aziza piano " data-original-title="" title="">Aziza Aziza (Dare2 Records)	Peter Eldridge vocals " data-original-title="" title="">Peter Eldridge Disappearing Day (Sunnyside Records)	Frank Kimbrough piano 1956 - 2020 " data-original-title="" title="">Frank Kimbrough Solstice (Pirouet Records)
Will Vinson saxophone, alto b.1977 " data-original-title="" title="">Will Vinson Perfectly Out Of Place (5Passion)	Ryan Keberle trombone b.1980 " data-original-title="" title="">Ryan Keberle Azul Infinito (Greenleaf Music)	Scott DuBois guitar b.1978 " data-original-title="" title="">Scott DuBois Winter Light (ACT Music)
Daniel Freedman drums " data-original-title="" title="">Daniel Freedman Imagine That (Anzic Records)	Ken Peplowski woodwinds b.1959 " data-original-title="" title="">Ken Peplowski Enrapture (Capri Records)	Camila Meza vocals " data-original-title="" title="">Camila Meza Traces (Sunnyside Records)
Jimmy Scott vocals 1925 - 2014 " data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Scott I Go Back Home... (Eden River Records)	Christopher Zuar composer / conductor " data-original-title="" title="">Christopher Zuar Musings (Sunnyside Records)	Sonny Rollins saxophone b.1930 " data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Rollins Road Shows, Vol. 4 (Doxy Records)
Henry Threadgill woodwinds b.1944 " data-original-title="" title="">Henry Threadgill Old Locks And... (Pi Recordings)	Leslie Pintchik piano " data-original-title="" title="">Leslie Pintchik True North (Pintch Hard Records)	Louis Heriveaux piano " data-original-title="" title="">Louis Heriveaux Triadic Episode (Hot Shoe Records)
Gregory Porter vocals b.1971 " data-original-title="" title="">Gregory Porter Take Me To The Alley (Blue Note Records)	Billy Hart drums b.1940 " data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart / WDR Big Band The Broader Picture (Enja-Yellowbird Records)	Bill Frisell guitar, electric b.1951 " data-original-title="" title="">Bill Frisell When You Wish Upon... (Okeh Records)
Bobby Avey piano " data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Avey Inhuman Wilderness (Innervoice Jazz)	Joe Lovano drums b.1952 " data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano Classic! Live At Newport (Blue Note Records)	Ark Ovrutski bass, acoustic b.1963 " data-original-title="" title="">Ark Ovrutski Intersection (Origin Records)
Bokani Dyer piano " data-original-title="" title="">Bokani Dyer World Music (Self Produced)	Jonathan Finlayson trumpet " data-original-title="" title="">Jonathan Finlayson Moving Still (Pi Recordings)	Charles Lloyd saxophone b.1938 " data-original-title="" title="">Charles Lloyd I Long To See (Blue Note Records)
	Kurt Elling vocals b.1967 " data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Elling The Beautiful Day (Okeh Records)

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