Tom Hull
Any survey of new jazz will show the broad range of creation being produced by an extraordinary diversity of musicians. That’s because jazz has spread all around the world, bringing us together in peace (and sometimes even harmony).
It was not just networking that propelled William Parker into the front rank of bassists. He could generate such a huge and complex cascade of sound that he energized leaders from Cecil Taylor and Ivo Perelman to Zoh Amba.
For many years now, the Francis Davis Jazz Poll has collected brief lists of important jazz figures who passed in the previous year.
The special categories tend to get overlooked, or sampled erratically, in the new releases lists, so Francis Davis thought a nudge might help.
A roll call of some of the notable musicians who passed away lat year.
There exists a worldwide community of journalists and critics who depend on each other to keep tabs on the ever-expanding universe of jazz and it’s more-or-less-affiliated fringes and fusions, and this poll is one of our most effective — and most anticipated — resources.
This is the 17th annual edition of the Francis Davis Jazz Poll, finally named for its founder and guiding light. The Poll collates top-ten lists from 151 jazz critics and journalists, and as such provides a wealth of insight into and data about this past year in jazz.
Roll calls of some of the notable musicians who passed away this year.
Imperfect as it is, the 16th Annual Jazz Critics Poll offers a wealth of expert information unmatched anywhere else.
The 19th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll: The Nuts and Bolts
There is a lot of extraordinary jazz out there that few of us are noticing, myself included.
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