Episode 259: Expert’s Choice of Best Jazz Albums of 2023 Part 2
One skill we can develop when putting together radio shows, podcasts, or ‘mix-tapes’ is a way of allowing the energy to build. I think that, just like a great jazz solo, this episode seems to have a nice ‘arc’. It starts fairly low key and builds up in speed and intensity….ending with a sort of sweet sadness. Here are ten albums that have been on the ‘best of 2023″ lists of a number of reviewers. I play a track from the following albums (here stated in random order): Fred Hersch & Esperenza Spalding: Alive at the Village Vanguard Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons: Live At the Village Vanguard Jason Moran: From the Dancehall to the Battlefield Johnathan Blake: Passage Aaron Diehl and the Knights: Zodiac Suite (by Mary Lou Williams) Allison Miller: Zodiac Suite Noah Haidu: Standards Laila Biali: Your Requests Go Go Penguin: Everything is Going to Be Ok This is the second of what will turn out to be eight episodes of selected records of last year that at least one critic chose.