The past couple of years unveiled a whirlwind of political confusion that seems to have finally slopped over into the world of jazz music. Like many individuals, in 2019 artists felt the need to speak out across the mainstream social media platforms and use their somewhat wider reaching voices to animate a like-minded community as well as to question various actions taken and decisions made. But even beyond that, musicians have started to introduce prominent vocal passages in otherwise exclusively instrumental music—making their voices literally heard. While Jazz—like most musical genres and arguably to an even greater degree—has always been a haven for musicians and adepts to express and act out a sense of freedom, the vocally extroverted trend wasn't ever as prominent as it has been this year. Of course such a development is met with mixed opinions by the audience. But from a purely musical point of view there are at least as many treasures to be found in this year as in any other. People keep creating, they continue to strive for something new, something good, something original and they excel. there is no stopping them. The following list is in no particular order nor is it—or could ever be—complete. All of these albums were able to make a lasting impression and deserve your attention. The honorable mentions at the bottom of the page are merely my way of sneaking a second and third collection of excellent albums into what was supposed to be one compact list.