After much contemplation and reflection, here’s my top 20 albums from 2021 – my 10 favorites plus another 10 Honorable Mentions. 2021 ended up being a terrific year for progressive music, and the vibrant albums that came our way were a stark contrast and welcome respite from the state of the world last year. May the state of things in 2022 get much better, and the music stay just as great!
1 Ches Smith – Path of Seven Colors
Smith’s fusion of jazz harmony and Haitian chants and rhythms is my #1 album of the year. Powerful, enchanting – an inventive album with a singular sound.
2 Patricia Brennan – Maquishti
Don’t let the quietness of Brennan’s music fool you – her playing is structured, intelligent, rigorous, and beautiful. This album came out at the start of the year, and managed to stick with me throughout 2021.
3 East Axis – Cool With That
The perfect free jazz record. Devoid of cliche, constantly moving, always inventive.
4 Sara Schoenbeck – Sara Schoenbeck
Schoenbeck plays music chess with nine partners on nine tracks, each a captivating duet. With each performance she makes a great case for her bassoon and for careful listening to an understated future classic.
5 Fuubutsushi – Shiki
Fortunately, Fuubutsushi spared me from picking one of their four seasonally-themed albums recorded during 2020-2021 by putting them all in one massive release, Shiki. A resource of beauty and peace in a year where both seemed scarce.
6 Darius Jones – Raw Demoon Alchemy
Jones’ solo recital is focused and intense, an intimate document of a great concert. Like the best live albums, Jones makes tangible a moment in time, immortalizing the act of creation.
7 Sō Percussion – Stay On It
Julius Eastman is seeing a needed renaissance, and Stay On It was one of two notable performances of Eastman work from 2021. Featuring parade rhythms and a descent into cacophony, Stay On It is a joyous celebration in a year that needed joy.
8 Blacktop Presents – Some Good News
Link to Cafe Oto Website
Pat Thomas was both a new discovery and a revelation to me in 2021. I could have chosen either his live album with [Ahmed] or the studio album with [Ism], but Some Good News gets the nod for its wild sonic exploration and the classic William Parker/Hamid Drake rhythm section.
9 Henry Threadgill – Poof
This would probably be my album of the year, except it also sounds a lot like, well, a bunch of other Henry Threadgill albums. Really not a bad thing – his unique compositions, trademark intensity, and searing saxophone tone are all on full display. If you don’t know Threadgill, a great place to start.
10 Amir ElSaffar- Rivers of Sound: The Other Shore
Each song twists and turns in unexpected ways in this fusion of Middle Eastern themes and an expanded ensemble playing advanced jazz harmony. A great adventure.
Honorable mention:
11 Erica Dohi – I, Castorpollux
12 Artifacts Trio – …and then there’s this
13 Anna Webber – Idiom
14 Peter Eldh and Koma Saxo – Live
15 Wadada Leo Smith – The Chicago Symphonies
16 Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber – Angels Over Oakanda ~ Digital Edition
17 Nate Woolley – Mutual Aid Music
18 New Muse 4tet – Blue Lotus
19 Irreversible Entanglements – Open The Gates
20 Stephanie Nilles – I pledge allegiance to the flag, the white flag