Glide’s Best Jazz Albums Of 2022: Julian Lage, Emmet Cohen, Will Bernard, Bill Frisell, Anders Koppel, Makaya McCraven & More

Julian Lage- image courtesy of the artist

2022 was a major sense, a comeback year as festivals reappeared and artists resumed touring. We here at Glide made a more concerted effort to focus on edgier releases as you’ll notice in our list. In the past, we’ve used a more democratic approach in terms of including big bands, Latin and vocals. This time around, it is based more on simply what impacted us. If there’s a need to point to any major theme, there are two – tributes and trios. So, in comparison to the past couple of years, this list may feature some different names as well as familiar ones.  It was an outstanding year for Archival Discoveries, especially for the Record Store Day in April (you may want to search for that piece separately as it also includes Reissues which we are not listing here. 

Artists are listed alphabetically by surname. Of the Jazz Glide 20, four have received Grammy nominations for either the album or a solo performance within. Descriptions are mostly excerpted from the review but full reviews for albums marked with an * can be accessed by Search. Intentionally all but two of these twenty were reviewed in Glide.

Melissa Aldana12 Stars (Blue Note) *

The Chilean-born, Brooklyn-based tenor saxophonist, delivers a profoundly expressive album that embraces emotions surrounding childrearing, familial forgiveness, acceptance, and self-love. Producing the album is Norwegian guitarist Lage Lund, who surely puts his stamp on the sound, and joins the acclaimed pianist Sullivan Fortner, drummer Kush Abadey, and longtime collaborator, bassist Pablo Menares. 

The eight pieces, feature tributes to moments of trials and triumph during 2020, a major period of self-reflection for so many of us. Although Aldana cites Sonny Rollins as her major mentor, these contemplative and emotive tunes bear more similarity to Wayne Shorter.  In any case, this is Aldana focusing acutely on her own sound, which remains expressively pure throughout, lyrically centered, free of any aggressive blowing or traditional “swing.” It reads, as intended – a continuous journey of her different mood phases. Deeply crafted, with the balance tilted toward composition rather than improvisation, Aldana paints evocative tapestries. 

Joey Alexander Origin (Mack Avenue)

Origin, his debut for Mack Avenue Records, is already his sixth as a leader and first album of entirely original material. While part of Alexander’s success and appeal lie in his immense talents at such a youthful age, his music is sophisticated jazz with rich melodic and harmonic interplay, free of gimmicks or commercial overtures. The caliber of his accompanying bandmates would accept nothing less.

Alexander returns with the rhythm tandem from his last album, Larry Grenadier (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums) with exceptional guests Gilad Hekselman on guitar and Chris Potter on saxophones augmenting select tracks. Alexander also adds a new flourish, playing Fender Rhodes for just the second time on record (the first being last year’s single, “Salt”). The impressive takeaways here are his gorgeous harmonics, his willingness to be explorative and to intently listen to his bandmates rather than being overly demonstrative. He’s already attained a level of maturity well beyond his years.

Will BernardPond Life (Bognata Music) *

Moving on from the easygoing simplicity of the 2021 trio outing Ancient Grains, Will Bernard has now bravely undertaken an expedition into more exploratory realms. Aided and abetted by similarly courageous musicians including keyboardist John Medeski, saxophonist Tim Berne, and bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Ches Smith, the prolific guitarist/composer leads the way for musicians as liberated as he is, their interactions sans undue expectations or constrictive boundaries.

These players adhere to only those limits imposed by their potent chemistry. Long-time fans of Will Bernard have no doubt learned how he can confound preconceptions and expectations from record to record in a total of twelve under his own name. While Pond Life presents a listening experience distinctly different from the prior album, the alternately challenging and accessible nature of this music.

Jacob Bro/Joe Lovano – Once Around the Room – Tribute to Paul Motian (ECM)*

Motian was the ideal artist for the dream-like ethereal sounds often captured by the ECM label on which this tribute Once Around the Room appears. His melodies seem to drift like shrouds of mist above a foundation, sometimes shifting but more often sturdy. It’s the kind of music that places a premium on listening and group interplay rather than a series of solos. Harmonics are more important than melody; the collective sonic is more important than the composition itself.

Two of Motian’s fervent disciples, Danish guitarist Jakob Bro from the Paul Motian Band, and Joe Lovano, who was part of Motian’s trio with Bill Frisell, co-lead this tribute. The two well-credentialed leaders gather a unique configuration consisting of two double bassists – Larry Grenadier and Thomas Morgan, electric bassist Anders Christensen, and two drummers – Joey Baron and Jorge Rossy, all of whom had worked together at various times and share the ECM aesthetic.

Terri Lyne Carrington – New Standards, Vol. 1 (Candid)*

We’re not yet sure how many albums will result from Terri Lyne Carrington’s new endeavor, as she developed a New Standards Lead Sheet Songbook that features 101 songs by female composers that will be published on September 15 by Hal Leonard. Commensurate with this timing, we have this recording, Vol. 1, from her elite band and multiple guests.

The core band for this session represents gender diversity as it has Carrington on drums with pianist Kris Davis, bassist Linda May Han Oh, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, and longtime Carrington collaborator, guitarist Matthew Stevens. Like the Carrington project just issued with Wayne Shorter, Leo Genovese, and Esperanza Spalding live at the Detroit Jazz Fest in 2017 (covered here), this also appears on Candid Records. New Standards, Vol. 1 also features a host of guests, both female, and male (see full review). Carrington’s New Standards, Vol 1. ushers in a new important chapter in jazz and a Grammy nomination.

Terri Lyne Carrington/Leo Genovese/Wayne Shorter/Esperanza Spalding Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival (Candid)*

This is the one-time-only performance of a jazz supergroup captured at The Detroit Jazz Festival in 2017.  Not only is it one of the last live dates from Wayne Shorter, but his performance (we now know worthy enough to earn a Grammy nomination), especially his lyrical interplay with Esperanza Spalding’s vocals is remarkable. Joining those three is keyboardist Leo Genovese, who replaced the late Geri Allen, who was originally to be part of the group. 

The elite talents of these four made this performance special as they had little time to rehearse, sallying forth with the utmost trust in each other and blurring the lines between composition and improvisation, ensemble passages, and soloing. There are just five pieces here, six if one purchases the double viny; LP version.  Yet the Shorter/Spalding composition “Endangered Species,” which courses through many moods and textures runs beyond 21 minutes and is the best example of free-form exploration.

Emmet CohenUptown in Orbit (Mack Avenue) *

Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen picks up where he left off with his 2021 Future Stride, while continuing to augment his trio with a couple of terrific horns on select tracks for Uptown in Orbit. The album takes its inspiration from Cohen’s current residence in Harlem, near where Duke Ellington lived, and specifically to Duke’s album, Blues in Orbit (Columbia, 1960) Joining his regular trio mates, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, are fiery trumpeter Sean Jones and the ever-energetic altoist Patrick Bartley. Cohen consistently has a way of playing old-school music in new inventive ways. He’s at the vibrant intersection of the old and new all at once. Unequivocally, his trio is one of the best out there in a crowded field of piano trios. Jones and Bartley fit right in with this energetic group.

Andrew Cyrille/William Parker/Enrico RavaBlues2Cecil (TUM)*

You’ll notice that this trio of jazz elders is paying tribute to the pioneering pianist Cecil Taylor without a piano player. Yet, each of these legendary players spent separate time recording and performing with Taylor. Drummer Andrew Cyrille and bassist William Parker spent the longest “continuous” stretch of time in the Cecil Taylor Unit and related groups, but flugelhornist Enrico Rava played with Taylor in his later years, including some engagements that included Parker. Remarkably though, this is the first time this trio has recorded together. Some fans of avant-garde or free jazz even find Cecil Taylor’s music a bit inaccessible, let alone the mainstream crowd. Don’t let that be a deterrent here. Cyrille, Parker, and Rava deliver beautifully executed music that is enthralling throughout.

Bill FrisellFour (Blue Note) *

Guitarist Bill Frisell, on his third recording for Blue Note, expands the quiet, explorative music he delivered on 2020’s Valentine through a much different instrumental configuration. Much of the music is about loss, the deep ties of friendship, and a few that point to renewal. The music leans far more into contemporary jazz than into the kind of folk and Americana we associate with Frisell, but traces do remain. There are 13 tracks, all composed by Frisell, nine of which are new and four reinvented from previous recordings.

five of these tracks feature clarinet, electric guitar, piano, and drums – not a configuration one often hears. The music is highly textural and melodic, eschewing the conventional head-solo-solo-head but instead collectively building variation off melodies, or in some case, simply off chords. Four stands among the tallest in Frisell’s storied catalog and should be destined for classic status. 

Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple DoubleMarch (Firehouse) *

Drummer/composer Tomas Fujiwara has been working with several of the kindred spirits in his sextet, Triple Double, for the past two decades. His relationship with cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, who also doubles up instruments in his sextets, fellow drummer Gerald Cleaver, guitarists Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi along with Bynum. Together they comprise Fujiwara’s Triple Double. Essentially, it’s two trumpet-guitar-drum trios that bounce off each other, sometimes in unison but more often in different but coherent enough harmonic directions. This is challenging music both to play and to listen to.  It’s both within and without the boundaries of what many associates with jazz, rendered by today’s brightest innovators.

Kirk Knuffke TrioGravity Without Airs (TAO Forms) *

Sometimes the terminology can be misleading or unintentionally confining. Any description of cornetist Kirk Knuffke is usually preceded by “avant-garde,” even his self-descriptions. While Knuffke’s new project, this expansive double-disc, Gravity Without Airs, is filled with music that would fit that description, it also has more than its fair share of accessible, harmonically gorgeous music that those who shun most avant-garde music would enjoy. This is the kind of melodic, mysterious, intimate, and dynamic music that should have broader appeal beyond just avant-garde fanatics.

The configuration of the trio is unique – a cornet, double bass, and piano. Bassist Michael Bisio and pianist Matthew Shipp are Knuffke’s collaborators in what may well be the only trio of its kind. This is as complete a listening experience as one could have – beauty, darkness, jubilation, intensity, contemplation, power and subtlety.  It’s all here in this remarkable recording, one that deserves listens from a broader audience beyond just those devoted to edgier material.

Anders KoppelMulberry Street Symphony (Unit) *

The prolific Danish composer Anders Koppel, a household name in his own country for his theatre, film, ballet, and over 150 scores for various classical ensembles, pays homage to his fellow countryman, the famed photographer and social reformer Jacob Riis, who emigrated to the states in 1870.

This may come across as hyperbole to some, but Mulberry Street Symphony induces similar evocative moods and visual imagery as such major works like Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown & Beige (1943), Miles Davis-Gil Evans’ Sketches of Spain (1960), and in more contemporary terms, but equally as stunning, Mehmet Sanikol’s & What’s Next?’s The Rise Up (2020) (covered on these pages) or the lesser known Claus Ogerman-Michael Brecker collaboration Cityscape (1982).

Julian Lage View With a Room (Blue Note) *

Guitarist Julian Lage reaffirms his prolific creative output with his second album for Blue Note Records View With A Room. Notwithstanding a title too clever by half, it hearkens positively back to the guitarist’s handful of earlier studio records as a solo artist for the Mack Avenue label: like 2016’s Arclight, this one further documents his progression as a composer, musician, and recording artist. The musicians appearing alongside the frontman include long-time accompanists bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King: they were invaluable contributors to Julian’s acclaimed 2021 Blue Note debut Squint.

Acting as a catalyst within these familiar alliances is the considerable presence of modern six-string wizard Bill Frisell on seven of the ten cuts. Just as the structure to these tunes is self-evident, so too is there a framework in place for this album overall. In that context, the ‘View With A Room’ phrase makes more sense, literally and figuratively; Julian and company are constantly but quietly shifting their perspective(s) as they play and, in so doing, they alter the perceptions of their listeners. It’s an ever-so-nuanced process that might well also sum up Lage’s approach to his recording career.

Makaya McCraven – In These Times (International Anthem)

It’s no accident that drummer and multi-instrumentalist Makaya McCraven has made three consecutive Newport appearances, each of his sets offering something vastly different than the other. The same is true for his last three albums, his 2020 We’re New Again, in which he reimagined Gil Scott-Heron’s last album, his 2021= Blue Note Deciphering the Message, adding hip-hop beats and creative embellishments to classic Blue Note recordings, and now for the Paris-born, Massachusetts-raised, and Chicago-based innovator, this one which rivals his breakout 2018 Universal Beings. It may just be a tad better as his signature textures and rhythms reach new harmonic levels with the musicians he’s assembled for the date versatile vibraphonist Joel Ross, imaginative harpist Brandee Younger, and frequent collaborators – bassist Junius Paul, alto= saxophonist Greg Ward, and guitarist Jeff Parker. It’s often been said that the best players can be quickly identified in just a few notes or beats. Makaya is one of them. He has a singular, readily identifiable style.

Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau/Christian McBride/Brian Blade Long Gone (Nonesuch) *

If Long Gone proves nothing else, it is that the rekindling of chemistry between Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade, as represented on 2020’s ‘Round Again, was no fluke. Indeed, when taken together, these two releases pose the question of whether there has ever been such a reunion of elevated pedigree in the jazz oeuvre: John Coltrane’s come-and-go with Miles Davis’ in the Sixties comes to mind, but this four-way regrouping would appear to be a phenomenon unto itself. That said, the foursome picks up right where they left off literally and figuratively. As with its predecessor, this record is very much akin to the occasion wherein old friends meet up again after a prolonged interval apart and, in very short order, find out that the traits that first brought them together not only remain in plentiful supply but have grown all the more abiding with the passage of time.

Jussi ReijonenThree Seconds/Kolmen Toista (Challenge)

If you were to know that the leader has lived in Finland, Jordan, Tanzania, Oman, Lebanon and the United States, your curiosity about the music on Jussi Reijonen’s Three Seconds/Kolme Toista would pique your curiosity. Add to that the unusual instrumentation and background of the players in his nonet: Jason Palmer on trumpet and flugelhorn; Bulut Gülen on trombone; Layth Sidiq, violin; Naseem Alatrash, cello; Utar Artun, piano; Kyle Miles, bass; Keita Ogawa, percussion; and Vancil Cooper on drums.

Call it a transcultural suite but understand that Reijonen is not trying to be clever; the music is deeply personal, a cathartic release of coming to grips with his own identity and personal crises before and after the pandemic. This is a dazzling 42 minutes – a journey unlike any other that somehow feels much longer. Simply brilliant, unique, and compelling.

Antonio Sanchez- Bad Hombre Volume II (Arts Music)

Sanchez is many things – composer, producer, drummer, provocateur, visionary, and multi-instrumentalist. The four-time Grammy winner returns here with all those attributes except perhaps provocateur on this sequel to his 2017 Grammy-winning release, Bad Hombre. While that effort was overtly political, this is a major change, thus the title, Shift. The album is a cross-cultural collaboration featuring his favorite singer-songwriters wherein he deconstructs and reimagines their material. Sanchez, lauded as a drummer, may have never envisioned himself playing guitar, bass, mandolin, ukulele, and oud; yet plays all those instruments and more as well as sings on the project.

There are 16 tracks featuring this dizzying list of guests – Ignacio Lopez Tarso (2), Dave Mathews and Pat Metheny, Ana Tijoux, Becca Stevens, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, MARO, SONICA, Lila Downs (2), Thana Alexa, Meshell Ndegeocello, Silvana Estrada, Kimbra, and Rodrigo y Gabriela. The concept is to feature the drums and the voice as equal musical partners, so the drum tracks are often layered much like guitar, voices, and keyboards in highly produced projects. The result is one of the most exciting cross genres projects roots in the jazz genre in years.

Ches SmithInterpret It Well (Pyroclastic) *

Considering that drummer/vibraphonist/composer Ches Smith did not debut as a leader until his 2016 The Bell on ECM, he has certainly been prolific in the years since. His debut featured pianist Craig Taborn and violaist Mat Maneri for a trio recording which he now expands to a quartet with the addition of renowned guitarist Bill Frisell.

Given the instruments involved and Frisell’s penchant for loops and effects, this quartet adroitly delivers textures, layers, and an array of sonics that are often spellbinding. These are minimal compositions that allow freedom for these improvisers. Just when it seems placid, the next piece will rustle you out of your hypnotic state. This is far from the typical head-solo-solo-head format as there is rarely a solo; instead, we find the players reacting to each other and sharing new ideas along the way.

Immanuel Wilkins – The 7th Hand (Blue Note) *

The young saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins set a high bar for himself with his 2020 debut, Omega. Debuts from young artists rarely draw much attention but Wilkins benefits by being on the premiere Blue Note label.

Omega introduced his quartet with Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Johns on bass and Kwebu Sumbry on drums. Flutist Elena Pinderhughes and the Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble appear on select tracks. The 7th Hand reveals even more of Wilkins’ artistry, deeply embracing Black music, citing his elders, and in so doing, demonstrating a stronger commitment to the spiritual aspects of channeling improvisation through a higher power than heard on his first effort. He further cements his growing reputation as one of the strongest contemporary forces in this music.

Miguel ZenónMusica de las Americas (Miel Music) *

Alto saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón is best known for combining innovation with the folkloric and traditional music of his native Puerto Rico. On Música de Las Américas Zenón further broadens his scope in a wide-ranging project inspired by the history of the American continent (think North, Central, and South): not only before European colonization but the resulting aftereffects. Leading his enduring quartet – pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole, Zenón also tapped the Puerto Rican ensemble Los Pleneros de La Cresta to contribute their unmistakable rhythms with additional contributions by Paoli Mejías on percussion, Daniel Díaz on congas, and Victor Emmanuelli on barril de bomba. This is a masterwork that erases any lingering doubt that Miguel Zenón is one of the most influential and innovative musicians of these times.

Honorable Mentions

Alex AcunaGifts
Bright Dog RedUnder the Porch
Bruce BishopA Dream Set Free
Matt Choboter’s HypnopmpiaSleep Inertia
Roxy CossDisparate Parts
Avram Fefer QuartetJuba Lee
Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill StewartPerpetual Pendulum
Gordon GrdinaThe Music of Tim Berne
The HeadhuntersSpeakers in the House
Gilad HekselmanFar Star
Boris KozlovFirst Things First
Azar LawrenceNew Sky
Kirk LightseyLive at Smalls Jazz Club
Charles LloydTrio of Trios (3) Chapel, Ocean, Sacred Thread
Diego RiveraMestizo
Joel Ross Parable of the Poet
OGJB QuartetOde to O
Scott SawyerChange of Scene
Greg Spero & VariousThe Chicago Experiment
Doug WambleBlues in the Present Tense
Bobby WatsonBack Home in Kansas City
Fabian Wilman TrioBalance
Olli HirvonenKielo
Gerald ClaytonBells of Sand

Archival Releases
Pepper AdamsPepper Adams and The Tommy Banks Trio
Albert AylerRevelations- The Complete ORTF Recordings
Chet Baker TrioLive in Paris – The Radio France Recordings
Dave Brubeck Trio Live from Vienna 1967
Donald Byrd Cookin’ Live at Montreux 1973
Bill EvansMorning Glory, Inner Spirit (2)
Ahmad JamalEmerald City Nights ’63-64 and ’65-66 (2)
Elvin Jones Revival: Live at Pookie’s Pub
John McLaughlinThe Montreux Years
Charles MingusMingus- The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s
William ParkerUniversal Tonality
Oscar Peterson TrioOn a Clear Day – Live in Zurich 1971
Cecil Taylor The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert 
Tony WilliamsPlay or Die

A special thanks for Doug Collette for his assistance with this list

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