The Glide 20 in Jazz: 2021’s 20 Best Jazz Albums

2021 was a very creative year as artists, frustrated by the lack of touring due to the pandemic, began to use their downtime productively, learning how to layer in parts remotely, taking advantage of home studios, and, in the end, developing many ambitious projects. The beginning of the year was especially marked by ambient, contemplative albums designed to bring calm from the fear and disorientation of the pandemic and that remained a major theme throughout the year. Another thread was that artists looked to their catalogs for inspiration that yielded some follow-up efforts and long-desired reunions as reflected in several of our choices. Beyond the reunions, the year also proved fertile for artists seeking those special ‘dream’ configurations as evidenced by Orrin Evans and Gerry Gibbs as just two examples. It was also a year where living legends such as Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Andrew Cyrille, and Charles Lloyd proved as vital as ever. Finally, it was the year of amazing trios from Joe Lovano to Pat Metheny to Chris Potter and, of course, the posthumous release from Chick Corea.

Artists are listed alphabetically by surname. Interestingly, only Charles Lloyd, Chick Corea, and Orrin Evans are repeats from our 2020 list, but Joel Ross, Christian McBride, and Immanuel Wilkins are still prominent, whether as sidemen or Honorable Mentions. This was an incredibly fertile year for Archival Discoveries and Reissues, so we are now listing them in a separate category. Of the Glide 20, four have received Grammy nominations for either the album or a solo performance within. (There are six more in the Honorable Mentions) Descriptions are mostly excerpted from the review but full reviews for all albums listed in all categories can be accessed by Search.

Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound (Blue Note) – Drummer Johnathan Blake (pictured above) has been a major force behind so many important albums and it’s only fitting that he gets the spotlight as the leader for his Blue Note debut, his fourth as a bandleader. Consider that the Philadelphia-raised artist has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, and countless others. He presents his composing skills in addition to his steady, fiery work on the traps. Of course, with his cred well established, he taps an elite group of collaborators for the band he dubbed Pentad. They are renowned bassist Dezron Douglas, Cuban-born keyboardist David Virelles and two of Blue Note’s rising young talents, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and vibraphonist Joel Ross.

Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective and The Turtle Island Quartet– Absence (Blue Note) Trumpeter and composer Blanchard describes the results as akin to a chamber jazz ensemble. The project was initiated before the onset of the pandemic at UCLA where Blanchard is on faculty as a gesture of gratitude toward Wayne Shorter. The album is essentially about compositions, both Shorter’s and Shorter’s influence on those of Blanchard. Blanchard gives his band plenty of room to improvise and to arrange the compositions. E-Collective members are pianist Fabian Almazan, guitarist Charles Altura, bassist David Ginyard, and drummer Oscar Seaton. Turtle Island Quartet is led by violinist/artistic director David Balakirshnan and includes violinist Gabe Terracciano, violaist Benjamin von Gutzeit and cellist Malcolm Parson. There are five Shorter tunes combined with originals from Blanchard, Altura, Balakrishnan of Turtle Island, and two by Ginyard. Almazan does the arrangements of Shorter’s “The Elders” and “When It Was Now.” (Two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Terence Blanchard for Best Improvised Jazz Solo on “Absence”)

Bright Dog Red – In Vivo (Ropeadope) – Much is made about improvisation or playing in the moment. While some bands pay casual reference to those phrases, as if to think it will improve their credibility, Bright Dog Red (BDR) makes it their mantra. They are the epitome of in-the-moment playing. So, if you thought that studio recordings could give them the loops, layers, and effects – or, said another way, an arsenal of gimmicks to produce their singular sound, this live recording, In Vivo, proves otherwise. Even when the question was posed to the leader, Joe PIgnato, his response was that the approach was the same, just that they cannot edit the live recording, which is an end-to-end performance. 

Charged Particles featuring Tod Dickow – Play the Music of Michael Brecker – Live at the Baked Potato – (Summit Records) – This live date with San Francisco tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow has Charged Particles and Dickow in a heartfelt tribute to the late saxophonist Michael Brecker. Charged Particles includes leader and drummer Jon Krosnick (also of Lunar Octet), pianist Murray Low, and bassist Aaron Germain. This is a highly energetic date, enjoyable both on its own merits and for the opportunity for listeners to revisit Michael Brecker’s glorious catalog. Dickow and Charged Particles do him proud. Liner notes are from jazz journalist Bill MIlkowski who just penned the authoritative book on Brecker – Ode to a Tenor Titan – The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker (Backbeat Books 2021).

Chick Corea Akoustic Band – LIVE (Concord) – With drummer Dave Weckl and bassist John Patitucci, in both passion and intricacy, the outstanding playing here is comparable to Corea’s Trilogy titles from 2014 and 2019, with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade But it’s a measure of the nuance in this musicianship that the Akoustic trio’s interplay is so distinctly different than the others’ on standards like “In A Sentimental Mood” as well as Corea originals such as  “Eternal Child,” . It’s not that one is superior to the other in terms of reaction time in transitions or the fluidity in exchanges of and embroidery upon melodic and rhythmic themes. But there’s a noticeably easygoing, informal air the bandleader shares with Patitucci and Dave Weckl (via the inside photo of the three in fraternal celebration) compared to the more dignified atmosphere radiating from the other threesome. ((Two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and for Chick Corea’s Best Improvised Jazz Solo on “Humpty Dumpty.”)

Andrew Cyrille – The News (ECM) – Legendary drummer Andrew Cyrille released his ECM debut as a leader in 2016, when he was 76, marking a kind of late-career renaissance. That spacious, highly acclaimed in-the-mold-of ECM album, The Declaration of Musical Independence, featured an intergenerational quartet with Bill Frisell on guitar, ERic Teitelbaum on synthesizers and piano, and Ben Street on bass. Cyrille had planned to reconvene this same group in 2019, but Teitelbaum’s health issues precluded it, and sadly he passed away last year. So, Cyrille, now an octogenarian himself, enlisted another brilliant pianist and keyboardist, Cuban-born David Virelles, for The News. Frisell’s lush tones and Cyrille’s understated playing create a brightness which the Darth Vader-like Virelles, counteracts with his emphasis on dark, lower register chords and haunting phrases. The leader serves as a spiritual guiding light with a presence so subtle characterized by light snare taps, cymbal flourishes, and frequent use of brushes throughout that one might easily guess that Frisell, with his three compositions or Virelles, with his unmistakable presence, may indeed be the leader. 

Orrin Evans Quartet – The Magic of Now (Smoke Sessions) – Pianist, composer, and all-around organizer Evans put together an acoustic quartet he had long wanted to record with, composed of acclaimed veterans and a youthful rising star. They are in-demand bassist Vicente Archer, renowned drummer Bill Stewart, and 23-year-old fellow Philadelphian, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, who composed three of the pieces and that, as much as anything, makes this one a keeper. Never having played together as a unit, it’s remarkable how locked in these four superior musicians are. This is “in the moment” jazz at its best, as the title indicates. 

Kenny Garrett – Sounds from the Ancestors (Mack Avenue) – In several interviews, Garrett has spoken about the concept for the album, but these words stand out – “The concept initially was trying to get some of the musical sounds that I remembered as a kid growing up- sounds that lift your spirit like John Coltrane, ‘A Love Supreme’, Aretha Franklin, ‘Amazing Grace’, Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On’, and the spiritual side of the church. When I started to think about them, I realized it was the spirit of my ancestors.”  To further elaborate, these are not only the jazz, R&B, and gospel sounds from America, but Garrett includes music from France, Cuba, Nigeria, and Guadeloupe. The core ensemble for the recording are the same musicians who accompanied him at his electrifying 2021 Newport Jazz Fest and Detroit Jazz Fest sets. They are pianist Vernell Brown, Jr., bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Ronald Bruner, and percussionist Rudy Bird. 

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios – Songs from My Father (Whaling City Sound) – This outing returns to the trio configurations as he pays homage to his 96-year-old father, Terry Gibbs, one of the last living architects of bebop and an innovator on the vibraphone. Gerry selects 18 tunes from his dad’s discography, giving them a more contemporary sheen spread across 2 CDs. Notably, this project also features one of the late Chick Corea’s compositions, “Tango for Terry,” and two arrangements done specifically for this album. Gerry Gibbs tapped several legendary players, three NEA Jazz Masters and perhaps two or three future ones, informing these luminous trios – Corea and Ron Carter, Kenny Barron and Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen and Larry Goldings, and Geoff Keezer and Christian McBride along with percussionist Kyeshie Gibbs. (Received Grammy nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for Kenny Barron on “Kick Those Feet”)

Harold Mabern – Mabern Plays Coltrane (Smoke Sessions) – Pianist Mabern felt such a special reverence for Coltrane that age was not going to slow him down a bit. Drummer Joe Farnsworth described Mabern as a vortex through which everything flowed on this date, further calling the sessions intense and saying that just having Mabern on the stage elevated the spirit of the music tenfold. The other band members playing in this spirited session are Vincent Herring (alto saxophone), Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), Steve Davis (trombone), and John Webber (bass) – in essence, the Harold Mabern Quartet plus two (Herring and Davis). This is a welcome addition to Mabern’s catalog, shining a light on his lengthy career that doesn’t receive enough accolades. Here, less than two years from his passing, Mabern’s talent shines as bright as it ever has.

Brad Mehldau and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – Variations on a Melancholy Theme (Nonesuch) – A musician of less intensity and ingenuity than pianist/composer Brad Mehldau might well be overwhelmed in performing with an orchestra. But if Variations on a Melancholy Theme proves anything, it is those two major components of Mehldau’s artistic persona that complement the virtues of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Executed with supreme dignity and grace, the project is a multi-faceted piece of beauty and, as such, constitutes a salve for the mind, the heart, and the soul.

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels – Tone Poem (Blue Note) – Iconic saxophonist Lloyd is again in the company of two extraordinary guitarists who often play together, Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz (pedal steel). Together with his Charles Lloyd Quartet cohorts, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, Lloyd presents The Marvels without guest vocalists for the first time on these nine songs featuring new Lloyd originals alongside pieces by Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Leonard Cohen, Gabor Szabo, and Bola de Nieve. (Note: the first Marvels album had vocals from Willie Nelson and Nora Jones). Following the tradition and being a contemporary of Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders, Lloyd was steeped in spirituality from his beginnings but has become today arguably the strongest spiritual force in the music. (You’ll note a thread of spirituality running through these selections.)

Joe Lovano Tapestries – Garden of Expression (ECM) – Saxophonist and composer Lovano again teams with ECM stalwart pianist Marilyn Crispell and fellow Cleveland native Carmen Castaldi on drums, for a program of minimal tone poems that explore musical space and its relationship to silence. Lovano shaped pieces that in his words would best display the trio’s unique qualities of “peaceful, non-aggressive delivery.” On his use of playing the saxophone and gongs simultaneously stretching back to his album Tones, Shapes, and Colors, he says “These two recordings – Trio Tapestry and Garden of Expression – are the only albums I’m on that include real moments of silence from the whole group.” At times Garden of Expression will remind listeners of chamber music, imbued with sound colors so carefully articulated by the trio. It will set your imagination spinning with its hushed sequences, suspenseful passages, and soothing ambience. 

Pat Metheny – Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) – (Modern Recordings) A natural extension of the restless creativity that’s earmarked Metheny’s endeavors over the years, this collaboration the fourth in a series of such peer-to-peer partnerships and it gains additional novelty by dint of its three-man lineup: featuring Metheny on various guitars and bass guitar, with keyboardist James Francies and drummer Marcus Gilmore, it is the bandleader’s first such foray with such an instrumental configuration since his early days in Kansas City(other trios have included only bass and drums). To say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is at once a high compliment and considerable understatement. (Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album)

Chris Potter Circuits Trio – Sunrise Reprise (Edition) – Saxophonist Chris Potter follows up his 2019 Circuits Trio Circuits as pianist/keyboardist James Francies and drummer Eric Harland, both bandleaders themselves, return in one of today’s high-profile trios. Potter surrenders most of the rhythm duties to his bandmates but much of a multi-instrumental approach remains, delivering layers, textures, and colorful effects. Potter plays tenor and soprano saxes, clarinets, flutes, sampler/keyboards while Francies weaves in plenty of both acoustic piano and electronic backdrops with his multi-hued keyboard approach. The music is deeply intense, provocative, and even in a few spots touching on some of the spirituality we associate with Coltrane. That’s likely because some of the issues that became so universal this past year, the Black Lives Matter movement, the climate crisis, and the world in the throes of a health pandemic bear some similarities to those of Coltrane’s era.

Pharoah Sanders, Floating Points & London Symphony Orchestra – Promises (Luaka Bop) – Okay, this is arguably not a jazz album although other prestigious outlets have deemed it such too, what with the presence of the iconic spiritual force Pharoah Sanders, the first time you will find Sanders on a recording in 15 years, and in an unconventional setting, to say the least. The project is the brainchild of Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points, who has been called “the baron of immersive beats” and “one of contemporary music’s most forward-thinking talents” by two prestigious publications. A restless, ever-evolving producer and composer, Shepherd has toured with the band and holds a doctorate in neuroscience. The third piece of this incomparable sound experience is the ever-willing London Symphony Orchestra. The music creates a trance-like, reflective mood that just washes over the listener that could only be created with the convergence of these three principals. The elements of jazz, electronica, and classical merge forces but don’t expect this sound to necessarily fall into any of those camps. Chances are you have never heard anything quite like this.

Archie Shepp and Jason Moran – Let My People Go (Archieball) – Two jazz giants of two generations have come together for a collaborative project. Let My People Go, a duo recording by saxophonist Archie Shepp and pianist Jason Moran, compiled from a series of duet performances from 2017 and 2018. The 83-year-old Shepp has been a force in the jazz world for six decades. This is a collection of Negro spirituals along with such classics as “Isfahan,” “Wise One,” “Lush Life” and “’Round Midnight.” Shepp plays soprano, tenor, and sings on several of the tunes. The opener and single “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” essays a somber take where Shepp emotes requisite anguish on both the soprano and vocals while Moran supports it in bluesy fashion. Shepp’s deep voice and phrasing reflects the wise sage that he is. As the opening cut on the album, it sets the stage for what follows, many of which sound like two friends alternately musing or conversing. There are lighter moments and even laughter in a couple of spots, but the takeaway is ultimately spiritual and reverent.

Sons of Kemet – Black to the Future (Impulse!) – This is the fourth album for the quartet Sons of Kemet, defined by the unique configuration of Shabaka Hutchings on tenor, Theon Cross on tuba, and the twin drummers –Edward Wakili-Hick and Tom Skinner. They blend traditional jazz, the contemporary sounds of London street jazz, and grime with strains from the Caribbean. The four of them can whip a crowd into a frenzy with their intense jamming as witnessed at Newport Jazz Fest in 2019 and by audiences globally. Black to the Future is the kind of important statement that ranks with the Impulse! label’s Archie Shepp’s Attica Blues or John Coltrane’s iconic song, “Alabama.” While previous Sons of Kemet albums have emphasized the danceable club vibe, Black to the Future confronts cultural themes, borne in part from the George Floyd murder and the global protests that followed. Much like Hutchings focused his Ancestors effort, We Are Sent Here By History, on the destruction of humanity, this one decries blatant racism and urges Blacks to take stock of their future now, before it’s too late. To emphasize these messages a host of guests appear – Grammy nominate UK poet Joshua Edelin, Jazz warrior UK saxophonist Steve Williamson, Chicago bandleader/vocalist Angel Bat Dawid and American poet Moor Mother, legendary British Grime MC D Double E (“For the Culture’), British artist/trapper/spoken word artist Kojey Radical (“Hustle”), and others.

Sunwatcher Quartet – The Eightfold Path (Little (i) Music) – This is the reunion of Jeff Lederer’s Sunwatcher Quartet, which had a widely hailed debut in 2011. Joining the leader are organist and pianist Jamie Saft, legendary bassist Steve Swallow who was not part of the initial quartet (Buster Williams was), and drummer Matt Wilson, forming practically a super group by progressive jazz standards. The sessions began when Hudson Valley native Saft began recording projects in his yard, not his home studio. After inviting Lederer to one of these sessions, the saxophonist thought it was the right time to reconvene the Sunwatcher Quartet, originally conceived to honor Lederer’s main inspirer, Albert Ayler. The fun and connectivity of playing together is palpable as the quartet delivers a range of emotions with stellar performances throughout. These are some of the most creative players on their instruments and while most attention will focus on Lederer and Saft, a focus on the ‘sum of the parts’ is even more invigorating.

Miguel Zenón – The Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman (Digital release only) – Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, altoist Miguel Zenón commemorates Ornette Coleman’s 91st birthday featuring an international quartet, all with connections to Zenón, who had never played together in this configuration for these sessions recorded live in Switzerland. The concert features tenor saxophonist Ariel Bringuez, bassist Demian Cabaud, and drummer Jordi Rossy. Note the chord-less unit without piano or guitar, modeled on Ornette’s iconic quartet early with Dewey Redman on tenor and rhythm section of Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones for his 1968 Blue Note recording New York Is Now! The interplay throughout is energetic, inspired, and spot-on even through some tricky rhythms, reflecting the leader’s comment about feeding off the audience’s energy. (Zenón has a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for his other digital release, El Arte Del Bolero, which we were unable to cover on these pages)

Honorable Mentions

Greg Abate Magic Dance – The Songs of Kenny Barron

Franco Ambrosetti – Lost Within In

Gary Bartz & Jazz Is Dead Jazz Is Dead – 6

James Francies – Purest Form

Benito Gonzalez – Sing to the World

Jon Gordon – Stranger Than Fiction

Alan Harris – Kate’s Soulfood

Jazzmeia Horn- Dear Love

Julian Lage – Squint

Christian McBride and Inside Straight – Live at the Village Vanguard

Makaya McCraven – Deciphering the Message

Arturo O’Farrill – Dreaming In Lions

Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band Soul – Conversations

Peirrick Pedron – Fifty-fifty

Red Kite – Apophenian Bliss

Renee Rosnes – Kinds of Love

Joel Ross – Who Are You?

Mike Pride, Jamie Saft, Brad Jones – I Hate Work

Dr. Lonnie Smith – Breathe

Nate Smith Kinfolk 2 – See the Birds

Dayna Stephens- Pluto Juice

Veronica Swift – This Bitter Earth

The Baylor Project- Generations

Weedie Braimah – Hands of Time

Brandee Younger – Somewhere Different

Archival Releases/Reissues

Hasaan Ibn Ali Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album and Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers First Flight to Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings

Roy Brooks Quintet –Understanding

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Live in Seattle

Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller – In Harmony

Keith Jarrett – Facing You

Harold Land – Westward Bound

Lee Morgan – The Complete Live at the Lighthouse (Box Set)

Oscar Peterson – Live in Helsinki 1987

Jim Snidero – Strings

Lenny Tristano – Personal Recordings (Box Set)

Special thanks to Doug Collette for assisting in compiling