Home » Jazz Articles » Year in Review » Jack Bowers: Top 15 Albums of 2021

Jack Bowers: Top 15 Albums of 2021

By Jack Bowers
January 7, 2022
View read count

In spite of the Covid pandemic (and sometimes because of it!), 2021 was a splendid year for big-band albums, with eleven receiving 4 1/2-star reviews and one (Out on the Coast by the David Angel Big Band) earning five stars. The dominant dozen are listed here alongside top-rated smaller-group albums by Cory Weeds, Gerry Gibbs and Graham Dechter. One of the albums, Open World, by Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's Global Jazz Orchestra, was "virtually" recorded by musicians from seventeen countries, reaffirming that big bands can overcome almost any obstacles. We look forward to more of the same in 2022

Len Pierro

saxophone
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra
The Third Quarter
Walking Path Records

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
Bernstein Reimagined
MCG Jazz

Dan Bonsanti

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Bonsanti
Cartoon Bebop
Self Produced

David Angel

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">David Angel Big Band
Out on the Coast
Basset Hound Music

Cory Weeds

saxophone, alto
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Cory Weeds
O Sole Mio!
Cellar Records

The Saskatchewan All Star Big Band

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Saskatchewan All Star Big Band
Saskatchewan Suite
Chronograph Records

Mark Masters

arranger
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Masters
Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster
Capri Records

Mike LeDonne

organ, Hammond B3
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike LeDonne
It's All Your Fault
Savant Records

Bob Mintzer

saxophone
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Mintzer / WDR Big Band Cologne
Soundscapes
MCG Jazz

Gerry Gibbs

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios
Songs from My Father
Whaling City Sound

Andy Farber

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Farber Big Band
Early Blue Evening
ArtistShare

Graham Dechter

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Graham Dechter
Major Influence
Capri Records

Chad Lefkowitz-Brown

saxophone, tenor
b.1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Global Jazz Orchestra
Open World
Self Produced

Jim Knapp

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Knapp Orchestra
It's Not Business, It's Personal
Origin Records

Rodger Fox

trombone
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Rodger Fox Big Band
Plays New Zealand
TBone Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

A Tale of Two Genres: The Surprising...
< Previous

Breath By Breath
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.