Editor's Choice

Dan Bilawsky's Best Releases Of 2013

Published: December 12, 2013

The annual rite of writing a "best of" list at All About Jazz is a most pleasurable and difficult task; pleasurable for the reflections on great art that come along with the task and difficult because of the need to make hard choices. I've been inspired by dozens of new jazz recordings this year, but I've whittled down the list to these eighteen albums. This year's list includes perennial favorites, critically acclaimed giants, oft-unheralded veterans, up-and-comers, virtual unknowns and more. As per usual, only albums that I reviewed at All About Jazz were up for consideration (Note: these albums are not ranked in order of preference):

Dave Holland Dave Holland b.1946 bass Prism (Dare2 Records)	Tierney Sutton Tierney Sutton b.1963 vocalist After Blue (BFM Jazz)	Alexis Cuadrado Alexis Cuadrado b.1971 bass A Lorca Soundscape (Sunnyside)
Nicky Schrire Nicky Schrire vocalist Space And TIme (Magenta Label Group)	Fred Hersch Fred Hersch b.1955 piano and Julian Lage Julian Lage guitar Free Flying (Palmetto Records)	Dick Hyman Dick Hyman b.1927 piano & Ken Peplowski Ken Peplowski b.1959 clarinet ...Live At The Kitano (Victoria)
Frank Wess Frank Wess 1922 - 2013 sax, tenor Magic 101 (IPO Recordings)	David Ake Bridges (Posi-Tone Records)	Jim Snidero Jim Snidero b.1958 sax, alto Stream Of Consciousness (Savant Records)
Ryan Keberle Ryan Keberle b.1980 trombone + Catharsis Music Is Emotion (Alternate Side Records)	Marc Cary Marc Cary piano For The Love Of Abbey (Motéma Music)	Kait Dunton Kait Dunton b.1983 piano Mountain Suite (Self Produced)
Heather Masse Heather Masse and Dick Hyman Dick Hyman b.1927 piano Lock My Heart (Red House)	Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra band/orchestra Bloom (19/8)	Nilson Matta Nilson Matta Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus (Motema Music)
Tommy Flanagan Tommy Flanagan 1930 - 2001 piano / Jaki Byard Jaki Byard 1922 - 1999 piano The Magic Of 2 (Resonance Records)	Duduka Da Fonseca Duduka Da Fonseca drums Trio New Samba Jazz Directions (Zoho Music)	3 Cohens 3 Cohens band/orchestra Tightrope (Anzic Records)