NPR Music: The Best of Jazz

NPR Music’s Jazz critics and reporters come together to share their favorite music of the year. Hear tracks from Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Nina Simone and more.

NPR Music: The Best of Jazz

NPR Music’s Jazz critics and staff pick the best albums of 2018 so far, from artists including Kamasi Washington, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Vijay Iyer, Joey Alexander, Bilal and more.

NPR Music’s picks for the best jazz albums of 2018

NPR Music’s picks for the best jazz albums of 2018 include records by Vijay Iyer, Makaya McCraven, Gregory Porter and more.

NPR Music’s favorite jazz tracks of 2018

It was a banner year for jazz, with strong releases by veteran artists like Wayne Shorter and required listening from newcomers such as pianist Brad Mehldau. We’ve gathered some of our favorite tracks of the year — including collaborations, reimaginings and originals — into one place.

NPR Music’s jazz artist of the year

For the past few years, we’ve asked you to tell us who your favorite jazz artist of the year is. This year, we’ve compiled a list of your collective favorites.

The Best Jazz Albums of 2018

It’s been a great year for jazz. We’ve seen new faces and old legends alike releasing incredible albums that have pushed the genre forward. In this article, we’ll be counting down the best jazz albums of 2018. From experimental to straight-ahead, there’s something for everyone on this list.

Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth

Two years after The Epic, saxophonist and bandleader Kamasi Washington returned with a new double album, Heaven and Earth. Where The Epic was a career-defining statement, a three-hour tour de force that displayed Washington’s range as an improvising soloist, composer and bandleader, Heaven and Earth feels like the next step in his evolution.

There are references throughout to both the celestial world above and the earthly one below, but the former is represented by expansive, otherworldly compositions like “Fists of Fury” and “The Space Travelers Lullaby,” while the latter is home to more intimate pieces like “Will You Sing” and “street Fighter Mas.” In between are blissful explorations of jazz tradition (“Hub-Tones”), straight-ahead funk (“F&@k Yeah”) and lyrical balladry (“iversary”). It all hangs together beautifully, thanks in part toWashington’s impeccable taste in collaborators. He surrounds himself here with some of the best young players in jazz, including pianist Brandon Coleman, bassist Miles Mosley, trombonist Ryan Porter, drummer Tony Austin and percussionist Patrice Quinn. They all rise to the occasion, but it’s Washington himself who soars highest of all.

Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings

Makaya McCraven is a drummer, composer and producer who likes to think of his studio as an instrument. He’s part of a new generation of jazz artists who are breaking the mold by melding jazz with hip-hop, R&B, rock and electronic music. On his latest album, Universal Beings, McCraven captures improvised live sessions with some of today’s most exciting jazz musicians, then chops up and rearranges the recordings into new compositions. The result is an electrifying and boundary-pushing document of the creative energy that’s pulsing through the jazz world right now.

Vijay Iyer Sextet – Far From Over

Far From Over is Vijay Iyer and his sextet’s third release on the ACT label, and it may be their best yet. Iyer has always been interested in tension and resolution — in exploring the space between opposites — and that’s what this band is all about. The group features some of the best young jazz musicians working today, including alto saxophonist Steve Lehman, trombonist Josh Roseman, violinist Mark Feldman and bassist Stephan Crump. Together, they create a sound that’s both familiar and fresh, comfortable and challenging.

The Bad Plus – Never Stop II

It’s been 10 years since The Bad Plus released their last album of original material, and they’re back with a vengeance on Never Stop II. Pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King have been playing together for two decades now, and their chemistry is as strong as ever. They’ve always had a knack for finding the emotional core of a tune and bringing it to the surface, and they do that again and again on this album. Whether it’s the ragged beauty of “Confirmation” or the Paul Simon-esque groove of ” leather,” they find new ways to make familiar territory feel fresh.

The Best Jazz Tracks of 2018

NPR Music’s Jazz Critics Pick The Best Albums, Songs, Reissues And More Of 2018. This Year’s List Includes Wayne Shorter, Kamasi Washington, Mary Halvorson, Jonah Lehrer, Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Ambrose Akinmusire, Makaya McCraven And More.

“The Call” by Kamasi Washington

Kamasi Washington’s “The Call” is one of the best jazz tracks of 2018. It’s a soaring, spiritual piece that showcases Washington’s stunning tenor saxophone playing. The track is taken from Washington’s album “Heaven and Earth,” which is one of the year’s best jazz albums.

“Fists of Fury” by Makaya McCraven

The past year has been one of great upheaval, and Makaya McCraven’s “Fists of Fury” serves as an anthem for our time. The track is built around a sample of Bruce Lee’s famous one-inch punch from the 1972 film Fist of Fury, with McCraven adding his own martial arts sound effects to the mix. The result is a thrilling collision of cultures that perfectly captures the zeitgeist.

“Good Morning” by Vijay Iyer

Vijay Iyer is one of United States’s most boundary-pushing pianists and composers, melding post-bop, classical music, hip-hop and various strains of South Indian music into a brilliant, deeply personal whole. On “Good Morning,” the lead track from his new solo album Far From Over, he distills all of those diverse elements into a gorgeous three-and-a-half minutes.

The song begins with a playful, skip-step melody that feels indebted to Thelonious Monk. But as Iyer dives deeper into the tune, it opens up into something more expansive and impressionistic — you can hear him exploring the full range of the piano’s dynamics and sonorities. It’s a brilliant solo performance that highlights Iyer’s masterful command of the instrument.

“Never Stop” by The Bad Plus

Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2001, the Bad Plus have been mavericks in the jazz world. They’re one of the only groups to achieve mainstream success while playing all-original music, and they’ve done it by rewriting the rules of jazz.

The Bad Plus’ new album Never Stop II is a perfect example of the group’s fearless approach to music. The album is a sequel to their 2010 release Never Stop, and it features some of the most ambitious music the group has ever recorded.

“Never Stop” is the lead track on Never Stop II, and it exemplifies the group’s willingness to push boundaries. The song starts with a delicate piano melody, but it quickly evolves into a raucous free-for-all. The Bad Plus show their mastery of dynamics on “Never Stop,” often shifting from serene beauty to explosive energy in the span of just a few measures.

It’s always exciting to hear a band like The Bad Plus push themselves creatively, and “Never Stop” is proof that they’re still at the top of their game.

The Jazz Artist of the Year

Jazz music has undergone a renaissance in recent years, and it’s now more popular than ever. With the popularity of shows like “The Get Down” and “Atlanta”, jazz has found a new audience. And with artists like Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, and Kendrick Lamar incorporating elements of jazz into their music, the genre is only going to continue to grow. So who is the best jazz artist of the year?

Kamasi Washington

Washington is a recipient of the 2018 MacArthur Fellowship, and his band The Next Step won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. He has collaborated with a number of high-profile artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Les McCann. Washington’s debut album, The Epic, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim. It was named one of the best albums of the year by several publications and earned Washington a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

Makaya McCraven

Makaya McCraven is one of the most innovative and exciting drummers in jazz today. Born in France and raised in Chicago, McCraven has developed a unique approach to music that combines elements of jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. His debut album, “In The Moment,” was released to critical acclaim in 2015, and he has since released two more albums, “Universal Beings” and “We’re New Again.” In 2019, McCraven was named NPR Music’s Jazz Artist of the Year.

Vijay Iyer

Pianist and composer Vijay Iyer has been named the recipient of the 2017 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. The honor comes with a no-strings-attached award of $625,000, to be paid out over five years.

Iyer is a polymath musician who performs solo and in a variety of ensembles, writes for orchestra and theater, and is deeply engaged in the study of music cognition. He’s also an outspoken advocate for increased racial and gender diversity in jazz and classical music.

Born in Aston, Pa., in 1971 to Indian immigrant parents, Iyer began playing classical piano at age 3 but soon became interested in jazz after hearing Oscar Peterson on the radio. He went on to attend Yale University, where he double majored in mathematics and physics before earning his Master’s degree in jazz studies from the Manhattan School of Music.

The Bad Plus

The Bad Plus is an American jazz trio consisting of bassist Reid Anderson, drummer Dave King, and pianist Ethan Iverson. They have been together since 2000, releasing a total of 13 albums.

Their first album, These Are the Vistas (2001), was a critical success, and their second album, Actuality (2003), was even better received. Their third album, Suspicious Activity? (2005), was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Album. Since then, the Bad Plus has continued to release albums that have received critical acclaim, including For All I Care (2008) and Made Possible (2012).

The Bad Plus is widely considered to be one of the best jazz groups currently active, and they were named NPR Music’s “The Jazz Artist of the Year” in 2017.