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73rd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll: 2025I voted on May 9-10, 2025 (deadline May 12). I keep track of what I've done in this file, which started off as an edit on last year's file. In past years, I've been known to spend a couple days sorting through the many ballot questions, but lately I've been cutting corners. But the older I get, the less I feel like putting any serious work into this exercise. They use SurveyMonkey for the polling. For each category, they offer several dozen nominations, as well as allowing write-in votes. In each category, they allow you to divide 10 points among up to three candidates. I've typically picked three, awarding 5, 3, and 2 points (which used to be the rule, but now you can do 5-5-0 or 5-4-1 or some other combination using less than 10 points). My usual practice is to first scan through the nominees, and jot down any that strike me as likely. Sometimes I'll also add some names that I felt should have been nominated. Some of the categories, like Jazz Artist, I find annoyingly undefined, and some, like Jazz Group, horribly cluttered. Some instrument slots are hugely competitive (e.g., piano, bass, drums), and some are so sparse or marginal (flute) I don't care for anyone. Some (electric bass and keyboards, soprano sax) are often populated by artists who mostly play something else -- limit yourself to specialists and they become as marginal as flautists. Veterans Committee Hall of Fame: I got an invite for this in 2022, but they didn't publish results, and it didn't appear on my later ballots. I wrote quite a bit about it in my 2022 notes. Hall of Fame: Excludes previous winners, including 2024 winners: Charles Lloyd (C), John McLaughlin (R). My votes: Anthony Braxton (5), Wadada Leo Smith (3), Henry Threadgill (2). First pass: I'll copy the whole ballot, then sort them into five tiers (*new on ballot this year):
They didn't select any new members from their Veterans Committee last year. I can think of many names who should be considered there, and many more that should be added to the current ballot. Two that I've actually cast write-in ballots for are George Russell and Roswell Rudd. I've listed many more in past years' files, but don't have time for that here. Jazz Artist: I assume this is someone who did monumental work during the last year or two, but I never quite know what that means. James Brandon Lewis (5), Rodrigo Amado (3), Steve Lehman (2). First pass: Kenny Barron, Kris Davis, Bill Frisell, Mary Halvorson, Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman, James Brandon Lewis, Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran, Matthew Shipp, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Henry Threadgill, Miguel Zenon. Also on ballot: Ambrose Akinmusire, Jon Batiste, Brian Blade, Terence Blanchard, Terri Lyne Carrington, Bill Charlap, Billy Childs, Anat Cohen, Jacob Collier, Orrin Evans, Béla Fleck, Sullivan Fortner, Stefon Harris, Kenny Garrett, Fred Hersch, Shabaka Hutchings, Samara Joy, Julian Lage, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Allison Miller, Nicole Mitchell, Arturo O'Farrill, Aaron Parks, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Renee Rosnes, Cécile McLorin Salvant, esperanza spalding, Kamasi Washington. Rising Star -- Jazz Artist: Kevin Sun (5), Luke Stewart (3), Adam O'Farrill (2). First pass: Isaiah Collier, Peter Evans, Adam O'Farrill, Luke Stewart, Kevin Sun, Immanuel Wilkins. Also on ballot: Joey Alexander, Lakecia Benjamin, Etienne Charles, Emmet Cohen, Jacob Collier, Paul Cornish, Theo Croker, Theon Cross, Angel Bat Dawid, Aaron Diehl, Jeremy Dutton, Shuteen Erdenebaatar, Julieta Eugenio, Steven Feifke, James Francies, Nubya Garcia, Vanisha Gould, Pasquale Grasso, Tigran Hamasyan, Miho Hazama, Jazzmeia Horn, Laufey, Chien Chien Lu, Simon Moullier, Riley Mulherkar, Endea Owens, Elena Pinderhughes, Samora Pinderhughes, Julius Rodriguez, Jamison Ross, Joel Ross, Christian Sands, Veronica Swift, Micah Thomas, Isaiah J. Thompson, Miki Yamanaka, Brandee Younger. Jazz Album of the Year (April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025): See The Best Jazz Albums of 2024 for my actual picks, supplemented with whatever's applicable from my 2025 list. Limiting myself to albums nominated, I voted for:
Other A-list albums on ballot (19, so 22 in total):
Other new jazz releases that I've heard (73):
Other albums on the ballot I hadn't heart before voting (43):
I had 110 A/A- albums on my 2024 list, so that's a fair approximation of a year's worth of listening. With 22 A/A- records on their ballot, that leaves 88 that they missed. Their screwy eligibility rules won't change the numbers much, and aren't worth qualifying. My 2025 list already includes 46 A/A- albums, 23 of them jazz, but also April-May releases that they would have found ineligible. Suffice it to say that they've missed a lot of good records. As for what they picked, here's the ballot breakdown by my grades: A: 0; A-: 22; B+(***): 23; B+(**): 28; B+(*): 21; B: 1; unheard: 43. I managed to hear most of these (93/136, or 68.3%, down quite a bitfrom 84.4% in 2024). Historical Album (April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025):
Other A-list records nominated (5, so 8 total):
Other historical jazz releases that I've heard (15):
Other historical albums on the ballot I hadn't heart before voting (11):
Ballot breakdown by my grades (extra is grades for previous editions): A: 1; A-: 7; B+(***): 6; B+(**): 6; B+(*): 2; B: 1; unheard: 11. I didn't hear very much here (22/33, or 66.7%, but up from 57.5% in 2024). From here down, * in a first pass list is someone I voted for. Jazz Group: Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (5), Lux Quartet (3), Thumbscrew (2). I'm rarely inclined to pick groups with named leaders, as that loses much of the meaning of "group." Last year I wrote Irreversible Entanglements in here. The ballot offerings seem especially weak here. First pass: Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber, The Cookers, *Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, ICP Septet, James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet, *Lux Quartet (Myra Melford, Allison Miller, Dayna Stephens, Scott Colley), *Thumbscrew. Other nominees: Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet, Artemis, The Bad Plus, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, The Baylor Project, The Bobby Broom Organi-sation, Terence Blanchard & The E-Collective, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, Terri Lyne Carrington's New Standards, James Carter Organ Trio, Etienne Charles & Creole Soul, Billy Childs Quartet, Stanley Clarke *N* 4Ever, Gerald Clayton Trio, Emmet Cohen Trio, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Kris Davis Trio, Orrin Evans Quintet, Bill Frisell Trio, Bill Frisell's GOOD DOG, Kenny Garrett and Sounds From the Ancestors, The Greyboy Allstars, Mark Guiliana Quartet, Tom Harrell Quartet, Billy Hart Quartet, Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis, Fred Hersch Trio, Monika Herzig's SHEroes, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, Dave Holland Trio, Vijay Iyer Trio, Darius Jones Trio, Ryan Keberle's Catharsis, Julian Lage Trio, Dave Liebman Expansions, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry, Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas' Soundprints, Rudresh Mahanthappa's Hero Trio, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Pedrito Martinez Group, Christian McBride's New Jawn, Brad Mehldau Trio, Myra Melford's Fire And Water Quintet, Pat Metheny Side-Eye, Redman Mehldau McBride Blade: A MoodSwing Reunion, The David Murray Quartet, Arturo O'Farrill Trio, The Philadelphia Experiment, Tomeka Reid Quartet, Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet, John Santos Sextet, Kendrick Scott Oracle, SFJAZZ Collective, Matthew Shipp Trio, Nate Smith Kinfolk, Walter Smith III's WS3 Quartet, Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos, The Soul Rebels, Snarky Puppy, esperanza spalding, Spinifex, The Dayna Stephens Quartet, Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio, Helen Sung Trio, Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter: SuperBlue, Henry Threadgill Ensemble, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Miguel Zenón Quartet. Rising Star Jazz Group: Irreversible Entanglements (5), Binker and Moses (3), Natural Information Society (2). First pass: *Binker and Moses, *Irreversible Entanglements, Luke Stewart Silt Trio. Other nominees: Joey Alexander Trio, Lina Allemano Four, Artifacts, BadBadNotGood, Black Art Jazz Collective, Blue Lab Beats, Bright Dog Red, Butcher Brown, Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few, Yussef Dayes Experience, Aaron Diehl Trio, DOMi & JD Beck, Doxas Brothers, Ezra Collective, Béla Fleck, Edmar Catańeda, Antonio Sanchez Trio, Sullivan Fortner Trio, GoGo Penguin, Connie Han Trio, History Dog, The Hot Sardines, Jazzmeia Horn And Her Noble Force, Kind Folk, Knats, KOKOROKO, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Christian Lillinger/Christopher Dell/Jonas Westergaard Trio, Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, Nduduzo Makhathini Trio, Mammal Hands, Simon Moullier Trio, New Jazz Underground, Parlor Greens, Peace Flag Ensemble, Portico Quartet, Rachel & Vilray, Joel Ross Quartet, Christian Sands Trio, Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, Sugar Bomb, Ben Williams Band, Moses Yoofee Trio. Large Ensemble: Satoko Fujii Orchestra (5), Fire! Orchestra (5), Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra (2). First pass: *Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra, Anthony Brown's Asian-American Jazz Orchestra, Exploding Star Orchestra, *Fire! Orchestra, *Satoko Fujii Orchestra, ICP Orchestra, Sun Ra Arkestra. Other nominees: Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Count Basie Orchestra, John Beasley's MONK'estra, Karl Berger Creative Music Workshop Orchestra, Brussel's Jazz Orchestra, Buselli/Wallarab Orchestra, Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Anat Cohen Tentet, Danish Radio Big Band, John Daversa Big Band, DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Amir ElSaffar Rivers of Sound, Maria Faust Sacrum Facere, John Fedchock New York Big Band, Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Russell Gunn & The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, Miho Hazama's M_Unit, Mike Holober & the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, Joel Harrison +18, Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Christian McBride Big Band, Metropole Orkest, Mingus Big Band, NDR Big Band, Arturo O'Farrill and the Latin Jazz Ensemble, Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal, Orchestre National de Jazz (France), Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge, Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band, Ed Palermo Big Band, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Ryan Truesdell Gil Evans Project, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Vienna Art Orchestra, Bill Warfield and the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra, WDR Big Band Cologne. Rising Star Large Ensemble: Silke Eberhard Potsa Lotsa XL (5), Paal Nilssen-Love Large Ensemble (3), Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (2). First pass: *Silke Eberhard Potsa Lotsa XL, Ghost Train Orchestra, *Paal Nilssen-Love Large Ensemble, Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, *Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Dropped from ballot: Miho Hazama's M_unit. Other nominees: Idris Ackamoor's Ankhestra, Alex "Apolo" Alaya Big Band, Alchemy Sound Project, The Awakening Orchestra, Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, Cecilia Coleman Big Band, Josephine Davies Enso Ensemble, Steven Feifke Big Band, Tommy Igoe's Birdland Big Band, Jazzrausch Bigband, Julian Joseph Big Band, Ingrid Laubrock Orchestra, Jihye Lee Orchestra, Jacob Mann Big Band, Allison Miller & One O'Clock Lab Band, Dan Pugach Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf Assembly of Shadows, Michael Leonhart Orchestra, Maraca & His Latin Jazz All Stars, Diane Moser's Composers Big Band, Ed Partyka Big Band, People's Liberation Big Band, Dave Rivello Ensemble, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, David Sanford Big Band, Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band, Webber/Morris Big Band, Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble, Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, John Yao's 17-Piece Instrument. Trumpet: Wadada Leo Smith (5), Kirk Knuffke (3), Dave Douglas (2). First pass: Steven Bernstein, *Dave Douglas, Peter Evans, *Kirk Knuffke, Brian Lynch Rob Mazurek, Nils Petter Molvćr, *Wadada Leo Smith, Terell Stafford, Natsuki Tamura, Nate Wooley. Also on ballot: Ambrose Akinmusire, Herb Alpert, Darren Barrett, Jaimie Branch, Maurice Brown, Terence Blanchard, Fabrizio Bosso, Randy Brecker, Etienne Charles, Avishai Cohen, Theo Croker, John Daversa, Philip Dizack, Mathias Eick, Dominick Farinacci, Jonathan Finlayson, Tom Harrell, Keyon Harrold, Eddie Henderson, Marquis Hill, Ingrid Jensen, Sean Jones, Josh Lawrence, Wynton Marsalis, Nadje Noordhuis, Adam O'Farrill, Jason Palmer, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Enrico Rava, Claudio Roditi, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Alex Sipiagin, Charles Tolliver, Diego Urcola, Corey Wilkes. Rising Star Trumpet: Chad McCullough (5), Lina Allemano (3), Steph Richards (2). My 2024 picks (Jonathan Finlayson, Lina Allemano, Steph Richards) were all dropped from the ballot in 2025. Finlayson, along with several others, made it to the main ballot, but Allemano and Richards just got dropped, so I wrote them in. I don't immediately recognize almost a third of the new names on the ballot. First pass: Alex Dörner, *Chad McCullough. Also on ballot: Yazz Ahmed, David Adewumi, Brownman Ali, Luca Aquino, Ronald Baker, Juraj Bartos, Benny Benack III, Sebastian Burneci, Summer Camargo, Mederic Collignon, Remi Cormier, Giveton Gelin, Anthony Hervey, Takuya Kuroda, Julien Knowles, Laura Jurd, Stuart Mack, Russ Macklem, Bart Maris, Hermon Mehari, Riley Mulherkar, Audrey Powne, John Raymond, Wallace Roney Jr., Dan Rosenboom, Chloe Rowlands, Javier Santiago, Jonathan Saraga, Jawwaad Taylor, Emma-Jean Thackray, Rachel Therrien, Kenny Warren, Brandon Woody. Trombone: Steve Swell (5), Ray Anderson (3) Joe Fiedler (2). First pass: Mats Äleklint, Jeb Bishop, Samuel Blaser, *Joe Fiedler, Curtis Fowlkes, Marshall Gilkes, Craig Harris, Ryan Keberle, George Lewis, *Steve Swell, Steve Turre. Where's Ray Anderson? Also on ballot: Tim Albright, Shannon Barnett, James Burton, Chris Crenshaw, Steve Davis, Michael Dease, Brian Drye, Robert Edwards, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Robin Eubanks, John Fedchock, Alan Ferber, Nick Finzer, Jacob Garchik, David Gibson, Wycliffe Gordon, Slide Hampton, Conrad Herwig, Sara Jacovino, Malcolm Jiyane, Tokunori Kajiwara, Robinson Khoury, Willem de Koch, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Nils Landgren, Delfeayo Marsalis, Elliot Mason, Ed Neumeister, Ed Partyka, Gianluca Petrella, Ryan Porter, Yves Robert, Josh Roseman, JC Sanford, Trombone Shorty, Papo Vázquez, Ron Westray, Wayne Wallace, Jennifer Wharton, Scott Whitfield, Big Sam Williams, Nils Wogram, John Yao. Rising Star Trombone: Reut Regev (5), Brian Drye (3), Jennifer Wharton (2). First pass: Natalie Cressman. Dropped without moving up: Brian Drye, JC Sanford, Jennifer Wharton. Again, a lot of the names here (probably most) are unknown to me. Also on ballot: Donavan Austin, Chris Bates, Gina Benalcázar-López, Sam Blakeslee, Mariel Bildsten, Hailey Brinnel, Daniel Bruno, Reggie Chapman, Andy Clausen, Frank Cohen, Haik Demirchian, Nick Depinna, Evan Dexter, Emily "Freddie" Fredrickson, Melissa Gardiner, Chris Glassman, Nick Grinder, Lexi Hamner, Nanami Haruta, Jon Hatamiya, Joshua Holcomb, Rory Ingham, Raymond James Mason, Darius Christian Jones, Isaac Kaplan, Haruka Kikuchi, Andrew Kim, Corey King, Kalun Leung, Aubrey Logan, Addison Maye-Saxon, Jacob Melsha, Denzel Mendoza, Ido Meshulam, Nick Mesler, Eric Miller, Jeffrey Miller, Pablo Muller-Santiago, Henrik Munkeby Nřrstebř, Anoushka Nanguy, Javier Nero, Audrey Ochoa, Rita Payés, Alex Paxton, Rahsaan Salaam, Altin Sencalar, Angel Subero, Beserat Tafesse, Rosie Turton, Filippo Vignato, Kalia Vandever, Corey Wilcox. Soprano Saxophone: Evan Parker (5), Sam Newsome (3), Dave Liebman (2). Many of the more famous names on the ballot are mainly tenors who -- I blame Coltrane, and maybe Shorter -- occasionally take a turn on soprano, so I tend to skip them, but there are few specialists, and a couple play enough soprano to convince me. First pass: Jane Bunnett, Jan Garbarek, Christine Jensen, *Dave Liebman, *Sam Newsome, *Evan Parker, Steve Wilson. Also on ballot: Teodross Avery, Jane Ira Bloom, T.K. Blue, James Carter, Sharel Cassity, Yuval Cohen, Isaiah Collier, Ravi Coltrane, Roxy Coss, Wayne Escoffery, Tia Fuller, Kenny Garrett, Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Donny McCaslin, Roscoe Mitchell, Ted Nash, Aurora Nealand, Russ Nolan, Greg Osby, Émile Parisien, Peyton Pleninger, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Walter Smith III, Marcus Strickland, John Wojciechowski. Rising Star Soprano Saxophone: Jason Robinson (5), Alfredo Colón (3), Steven Lugerner (2). I voted for Aurora Nealand last year, not on ballot this year. First pass: *Alfredo Colón, Jasmine Lovell-Smith, *Steve Lugerner, Marius Sřfteland Neset, *Jason Robinson. Also on ballot: Nick Adema Abdias Armenteros, Dan Blake, Brent Birckhead, Nicola Caminiti, Trish Clowes, Jasper Dutz, Sam Gendel, Morgan Guerin, Danny Janklow, David Leon, Kira Linn, Alex LoRe, Tobias Meinhart, Emilio Modeste, Hailey Niswanger, Chris Oatts, Tineke Postma, Jeremy Powell, Neta Raanan, Emma Rawicz, Tomoki Sanders, Ben Solomon, Matt Stubbs, Alexa Tarantino, Yuma Uesaka, Ricky Washington, Audrey Welber-Lafferty. Alto Saxophone: Steve Lehman (5), Miguel Zenon (3). Jim Snidero (2). First pass: Marshall Allen, Michaël Attias, Gary Bartz, Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Mike DiRubbo, Benjamin Herman, Jon Irabagon, Darius Jones, Oliver Lake, *Steve Lehman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Charles McPherson, Roscoe Mitchell, Ted Nash, Greg Osby, Dave Rempis, *Jim Snidero, Henry Threadgill, Bobby Watson, Immanuel Wilkins, Steve Wilson, *Miguel Zenón, John Zorn. Also on ballot: Greg Abate, Lakecia Benjamin, David Binney, Sharel Cassity, Andrew D'Angelo, Paquito D'Rivera, Caroline Davis, Silke Eberhard, Maria Faust, Tia Fuller, Kenny Garrett, Jon Gordon, Frank Gratkowski, Donald Harrison, Antonio Hart, Sherman Irby, Christine Jensen, Grace Kelly, Charles McPherson, Chris Potter, Matana Roberts, Alexa Tarantino, Jeremy Udden, Will Vinson, Greg Ward, John Wojciechowski. Rising Star Alto Saxophone: Silke Eberhard (5), Josh Johnson (3). Owen Broder (2). First pass: *Owen Broder, Alfredo Colón, *Silke Eberhard, *Josh Johnson, Nick Mazzarella, Angelika Niescier. Also on ballot: Patrick Bartley, Brent Birckhead, Francesco Cafiso, Nicola Caminiti, Rachel Cohen, Braxton Cook, Devin Daniels, Sarah Hanahan, Danny Janklow, Nicole Johänntgen, Remy Le Boeuf, David Leon, Godwin Louis, Jessica Lurie, Jasmine Myra, Aurora Nealand, Angelika Niescier, Hailey Niswanger, Émile Parisien, Tineke Postma, Logan Richardson, Jonathan Suazo, Erena Terakubo, Luise Volkmann. Tenor Saxophone: James Brandon Lewis (5), David Murray (3), Houston Person (3). Last year I wrote in Rodrigo Amado (still not on ballot, and far from the only top-tier player omitted). First pass: JD Allen, James Carter, Avram Fefer, Joel Frahm, Shabaka Hutchings, Jon Irabagon, *James Brandon Lewis, Dave Liebman, Charles Lloyd, Joe Lovano, Tony Malaby, *David Murray, Evan Parker, Ivo Perelman, *Houston Person, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Archie Shepp, Mark Turner. Also on ballot: Melissa Aldana, Eric Alexander, Teodross Avery, Rahsaan Barber, Jerry Bergonzi, Don Braden, Geof Bradfield, Alabaster dePlume, Chet Doxas, John Ellis, Wayne Escoffery, Nubya Garcia, Mats Gustafsson, Jimmy Greene, Billy Harper, Javon Jackson, Ben Kono, Timo Lassy, Ingrid Laubrock, Branford Marsalis, Donny McCaslin, Bill McHenry, Marc Mommaas, Noah Preminger, Jerome Sabbagh, David Sánchez, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Skerik, Walter Smith III, Chris Speed, Dayna Stephens, Grant Stewart, Marcus Strickland, Ohad Talmor, Kamasi Washington, Anna Webber, Ben Wendel, John Wojciechowski. Rising Star Tenor Saxophone: Kevin Sun (5), Zoh Amba (3), Binker Golding (2). Last year I wrote in Edwin Bayard. First pass: *Zoh Amba, Abraham Burton, Julieta Eugenio, *Binker Golding, Maria Grand, *Kevin Sun. Also on ballot: Abdias Armenteros, Dan Blake, Chelsea Carmichael, Matt Carmichael, Trish Clowes, Xhosha Cole, Isaiah Collier, Alfredo Colón, Roxy Coss, Stacy Dillard, Morgan Guerin, De'Sean Jones, Adam Larson, Emilio Modeste, Willie Morris, Marius Sřfteland Neset, Tivon Pennicott, Neta Raanan, Emma Rawicz, Troy Roberts, Ada Rovatti, Linda Sikhakhane, Ben Solomon, Cecilie Strange, Alexa Tarantino, Camille Thurman, Yuma Uesaka. Baritone Saxophone: Ken Vandermark (5), Rudi Mahall (3), Vinny Golia (2). First pass: Tim Berne, James Carter, Ronnie Cuber, Claire Daly, *Vinny Golia, Mats Gustafsson, Alex Harding, Charlie Kohlhase, Brian Landrus, *Rudy Mahall, Dave Rempis, Scott Robinson, Josh Sinton, Gary Smulyan, John Surman, *Ken Vandermark. Also on ballot: Frank Basile, Céline Bonacina, Ben Ellman, Patience Higgins, Ted Hogarth, Grace Kelly, Stephen Doc Kupka, Roger Lewis, Jason Marshall, Dave McMurray, Morgan Price, Jon Raskin, Roger Rosenberg, Adam Schroeder, Lauren Sevian, Karen Sharp, Gary Smulyan, Colin Stetson. Rising Star Baritone Saxophone: Michael Dease (5), Charles Evans (3), Jonah Parzen-Johnson (2). First pass: *Michael Dease, *Charles Evans, *Jonah Parzen-Johnson. Also on ballot: Larry Bustamante, Jasper Dutz, Josh Lee, Austin Falvey, Jay Flat, Linda Fredriksson, Andrew Hadro, BJ Jansen, Josh Lee, Tony Lustig, Jason Marshall, Tim McKay, Paul Nedzella, Hunter Pullen, Jason Sharp, Henry Solomon, Tim Stocker, Tim Sullivan, Jeff Suzda, Alexa Tarantino, Lo "LUCY" Wood, Courtney Wright. Clarinet: Marty Ehrlich (5) Ken Peplowski (3), Louis Sclavis (2). First pass: Don Byron, Evan Christopher, Anat Cohen, Eddie Daniels, *Marty Ehrlich, Ben Goldberg, Francois Houle, David Krakauer, Jeff Lederer, Rudi Mahall, Michael Moore, *Ken Peplowski, Michel Portal, Ned Rothenberg, *Louis Sclavis, Chris Speed, Gianluigi Trovesi, Ken Vandermark. Also on ballot: Ab Baars, Beth Custer, Angel Bat Dawid, Paquito D'Rivera, Oran Etkin, James Falzone, Avram Fefer, Victor Goines, Ted Hogarth, Shabaka Hutchings, Todd Marcus, Gabriele Mirabassi, Ted Nash, Aurora Nealand, Michel Portal, Matana Roberts, Andy Statman, Jesper Thilo, Harvey Wainapel, Dr. Michael White. Rising Star Clarinet: Mike McGinnis (5), Chris Byars (3), Lucas Pino (2). First pass: Joachim Badenhorst, *Chris Byars, *Mike McGinnis, Marius Sřfteland Neset, *Lucas Pino. Also on ballot: Sheldon Brown, Daniel Cohen, Jeremiah Cymerman, Chet Doxas, Jasper Dutz, Chloe Feoranzo, Jean-Marc Foltz, Nico Gori, Luigi Grasso, Patrick Holmes, Josh Johnson, Doreen Ketchens, Tim Laughlin, Sam Sadigursky, Jason Scott, Giacomo Smith, Connor Stewart, Yuma Uesaka. Flute: Juhani Aaltonen (5), Nicole Mitchell (3), Henry Threadgill (2). First pass: *Juhani Aaltonen, Shabaka Hutchings, *Nicole Mitchell, Lew Tabackin, *Henry Threadgill, Anna Webber. Also on ballot: Jamie Baum, Lakecia Benjamin, T.K. Blue, Andrea Brachfeld, Jane Bunnett, Jeff Coffin, Charles Compo, Robert Dick, Anne Drummond, Michel Edelin, Marty Ehrlich, Douglas Ewart, Tia Fuller, Frank Gratkowski, Holly Hofmann, Naďssam Jalal, Ben Kono, Hubert Laws, Dave Liebman, Charles Lloyd, Magic Malik, Dave McMurray, Roscoe Mitchell, Ted Nash, James Newton, Elsa Nilsson, Jorge Pardo, Elena Pinderhughes, Bart Platteau, Logan Richardson, Ali Ryerson, James Spaulding, Jiri Stivin, Biggi Winkelte, Steve Wilson. Rising Star Flute: Zoh Amba (5), Nubya Garcia (3), Itai Kriss (2). I'm tempted to say None here. Kriss appears twice on ballot. First pass: Zoh Amba, Nubya Garcia, Itai Kriss. Also on ballot: Andre 3000, Chris Bullock, Xhosha Cole, Isaiah Collier, Alfredo Colon, Anne Drummond, Evan Francis, Naissam Jalal, Josh Johnson, De'Sean Jones, Grace Kelly, Ben Kono, Gareth Lockrane, Magic Malik, Mthunzi Mvubu, Hadar Noiberg, Tamar Osborn, Noah Preminger, Tom Reese, Mayu Saeki, Geni Skendo, Connor Stewart, Wil Swindler, Alexa Tarantino, Maria Toro, Leland Whitty. Piano: Matthew Shipp (5), Satoko Fujii (3) Myra Melford (2). First pass: Kenny Barron, George Cables, Bill Charlap, Marilyn Crispell, Kris Davis, Orrin Evans, *Satoko Fujii, Fred Hersch, Abdullah Ibrahim, Vijay Iyer, Brad Mehldau, *Myra Melford, Matt Mitchell, Jason Moran, Marta Sánchez, *Matthew Shipp, Craig Taborn, Chucho Valdés, Davie Virelles. Also on ballot: Monty Alexander, Lynne Arriale, Jon Batiste, Karl Berger, Stefano Bollani, Joey Calderazzo, Marc Cary, Gerald Clayton, Emmet Cohen, Sylvie Courvoisier, Zaccai Curtis, Jo Ann Daugherty, Benoit Delbecq, Chano Domínguez, Aaron Diehl, Yelena Eckemoff, Taylor Eigsti, Eliane Elias, Sullivan Fortner, Leo Genovese, Robert Glasper, Benny Green, Tord Gustavesen, Herbie Hancock, Art Hirahara, Geoffrey Keezer, Harold López-Nussa, Dan Nimmer, Aaron Parks, Luis Perdomo, Danilo Pérez, Enrico Pieranunzi, Eric Reed, Carmen Staaf, Bobo Stenson, Helen Sung, Dan Tepfer. Rising Star Piano: Marta Sánchez (5), Alexander Hawkins (3), Kaja Draksler (2). First pass: *Kaja Draksler, Margherita Fava, *Alexander Hawkins, Nduduzo Makhathini, *Marta Sánchez, Elias Stemeseder, Marta Warelis, Michael Wollny. Also on ballot: Alfa Mist, Luther Allison, Joe Alterman, Laila Biali, Kris Bowers, Tyler Bullock II, Romain Collin, Paul Cornish, Jamael Dean, Eldar Djangirov, Bikini Dyer, Rachel Eckroth, Margherita Fava, Lawrence Fields, James Francies, Amaro Freitas, Tania Giannouli, Beka Gochiashvili, Brandon Goldberg, Philip Golub, Cameron Graves, Morgan Guerin, Tigran Hamasyan, Connie Han, Ashley Henry, Justin Kauflin, Michael King, Lex Korten, Pat Leary, Pascal Le Boeuf, Brian Marsalla, Sean Mason, Fergus McCreadie, Steve Okonski, Zaccae'us Paul, Mathis Picard, Samora Pinderhughes, Julius Rodriguez, Ben Rosenblum, Sultan Stevenson, Gwylim Symcock, Micah Thomas, Isaiah J. Thompson, Fraser Urquhart, Elio Villafranca, Matthew Whitaker, Deanna Witkowski, Miki Yamanaka, Younee. Keyboards: Jamie Saft (5), Leo Genovese (3), Russ Lossing (2). First pass: Nik Bärtsch, Django Bates, Uri Caine, George Colligan, *Leo Genovese, *Russ Lossing, John Medeski, *Jamie Saft, Matthew Shipp, Craig Taborn, Gary Versace. Also on ballot: Jim Baker, Jon Batiste, Jim Beard, John Beasley, Marc Cary, Brian Charette, Zaccai Curtis, Benoit Delbecq, Kit Downes, Yelena Eckemoff, James Francies, Robert Glasper, Larry Goldings, Herbie Hancock, Cory Henry, Hiromi, Wayne Horvitz, Gary Husband, Geoffrey Keezer, Jason Lindner, Matt Mitchell, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Pérez, Patrice Rushen, Omar Sosa, Bugge Wesseltoft. Rising Star Electronic Keyboard: Elias Stemseder (5), Elliot Galvin (3), Javier Santiago (2). First pass: Joe Armon-Jones, *Elliot Galvin, *Javier Santiago, *Elias Stemeseder, Florian Weber. Also on ballot: Jacob Anderskov, Jeff Babko, Marco Benevento, Matthew Bourne, Brandon Coleman, Jacob Collier, Paul Cornish, Matt Cunitz, Jamael Dean, DOMi, Thembi Dunjana, Lawrence Fields, Amaro Freitas, Beka Gochiashvili, Phillip Gollub, Cameron Graves, Morgan Guerin, DJ Harrison, Ashley Henry, Michael King, Scott Kinsey, Nick Maclean, Brian Marsella, Sean Mason, Fergus McCreadie, Alfa Mist, Zaccae'us Paul, Mathis Picard, Macie Stewart, Mamiko Watanabe, Florian Weber, Matthew Whitaker, Kamaal Williams, Frank Woeste. Organ: Amina Claudine Myers (5), Gary Versace (3), Brian Charette (2). Note: Ballot is screwed up with a second copy of nominees -- only significant differnce was that the late Carla Bley appeared in the second set, suggesting it was left over from a previous year. (Although, throughout the ballot are various names of departed musicians, some recent ones with death dates noted, others with no note -- some, like Bley here, with previous dates dropped.) First pass: Pat Bianchi, *Brian Charette, Larry Goldings, Mike LeDonne, John Medeski, *Amina Claudine Myers, Jamie Saft, *Gary Versace. Also on ballot: Brian Auger, Barbara Dennerlein, Kit Downes, Cory Henry, Jared Gold, Wayne Horvitz, Booker T. Jones, Delvon Lamarr, Tony Monaco, Rhoda Scott, Stĺle Storlřkken, Craig Taborn. Rising Star Organ: Alexander Hawkins (5), Radam Schwartz (3), Vince Seneri (2). First pass: Alexander Hawkins, Radam Schwartz, Vince Seneri. Also on ballot: Jeff Babko, Joe Bagg, Pete Benson, Will Blades, Brian Coogan, Erik Deutsch, Rachel Eckroth, Jesse Fischer, Dan Fogel, Gerard Gibbs, Morgan Guerin, Atsuko Hashimoto, Chris Hazelton, Chok Kerong, Kyle Koehler, Ron Oswanski, Ben Paterson, Adam Scone, Jake Sherman, Bobby Sparks, Akiko Tsuruga, Matthew Whitaker, Charlie Wood, Raphael Wressnig. Guitar: Jeff Parker (5), Gordon Grdina (3), Marc Ribot (2). First pass: Rez Abbasi, Howard Alden, Peter Bernstein, Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, *Gordon Grdina, Mary Halvorson, John McLaughlin, Joe Morris, Wolfgang Muthspiel, *Jeff Parker, *Marc Ribot, John Scofield. Also on ballot: Susan Alcorn, Paul Bollenbeck, Jakob Bro, Bobby Broom, Joe Cohn, Kevin Eubanks, Nir Felder, Bruce Forman, Jonathan Freilich, Pasquale Grasso, Joel Harrison, John Hart, Gilad Hekselman, Charlie Hunter, Henry Kaiser, Jonathan Kreisberg, Julian Lage, Nguyęn Lę, Lionel Loueke, Romero Lubambo, Sylvain Luc, Lage Lund, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Ben Monder, Mike Moreno, Tisziji Munoz, Miles Okazaki, Chico Pinheiro, Anthony Pirog, John Pizzarelli, Nate Radley, Adam Rogers, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Reg Schwager, Matthew Stevens, Dave Stryker, Ralph Towner, Mark Whitfield, Stephane Wrembel. Rising Star Guitar: Gordon Grdina (5), Hedvig Mollesen (3), Eric Hofbauer (2). First pass: Wendy Eisenberg, *Gordon Grdina, *Eric Hofbauer, Ava Mendoza, *Hedvig Mollestad, Brandon Seabrook, Matthew Stevens. Also on ballot: Cecil Alexander, Charles Altura, Quentin Angus, Charlie Ballantine, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Horace Bray, Collin Cook, Graham Dechter, Daniel Delorenzo, Francesco Diodati, Paul Figueiredo, Matt Gold, Celisse Henderson, Ant Law, Gabor Lesko, Max Light, Jaume Llombart, Mateo Mansco, Camila Meza, Robin Nolan, Leandro Pellegrino, Andy Pitcher, Matteo Prefumo, Jesse Van Ruller, Brandon Seabrook, Yotam Silberstein, Rotem Sivan, Curtis Stewart, Emma-Jean Thackray, Hristo Vitchev, Joe Williamson, Dan Wilson, Cory Wong. Bass: William Parker (5), Peter Washington (3), Arild Andersen (2). First pass: Joshua Abrams, Ben Allison, Arild Andersen, Ron Carter, Stephan Crump, Mark Dresser, Ray Drummond, Moppa Elliott, Michael Formanek, Ingebrigt Hĺker Flaten, John Hébert, Dave Holland, Cecil McBee, Christian McBride, Thomas Morgan, William Parker, Eric Revis, Luke Stewart, Peter Washington, Buster Williams. Also on ballot: Casey Abrams, Jay Anderson, Vicente Archer, Gregg August, Michael Boone, Georg Breinschmid, Matt Brewer, Gerald Cannon, Bruno Chevillon, Stanley Clarke, John Clayton, Avishai Cohen, Stephan Crump, Luques Curtis, Jeff Denson, Dezron Douglas, Kermit Driscoll, Trevor Dunn, Kyle Eastwood, Essiet Okon Essiet, Joe Fonda, Kris Funn, Larry Grenadier, Brad Jones, Carlos Henriquez, Corcoran Holt, Derrick Hodge, Robert Hurst, Anne Mette Iversen, Michael Janisch, Jeff Johnson, Mimi Jones, John Lee, Brandon Lopez, Billy Mohler, François Moutin, Linda May Han Oh, Darek Oles, Jamie Ousley, John Patitucci, Matt Penman, Matt Perrine, Barre Phillips, Bruno Rĺberg, Nat Reeves, Rufus Reid, Jorge Roeder, Reuben Rogers, Todd Sickafoose, James Singleton, Damon Smith, Clark Sommers, esperanza spalding, Ike Sturm, Matt Ulery, Eric Wheeler, Rodney Whitaker, Ben Williams, Martin Wind, Victor Wooten. Rising Star Bass: Brandon Lopez (5), Russell Hall (3), Petter Eldh (2). First pass: *Petter Eldh, *Russell Hall, *Brandon Lopez. Also on ballot: Tyrone Allen, Russell Archer, Caylen Bryant, Daniel Casimir, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere, Rashaan Carter, Brandi Disterheft, Nick Dunston, Gabriele Evangelista, Ben Feldman, Marika Galea, Noah Garabedian, Aston Gaston Joya, Hans Glawischnig, Marion Hayden, Peter Harris, Sigurd Hole, Nick Jozwiak, Mark Lewandowski, Kaisa Mäensivu, Hannah Marks, Liany Mateo, Lisa Mezzacappa, Jonathan Michelle, Miles Mosley, Kyle Motl, Yasushi Nakamura, Pascal Niggenkemper, Philip Norris, Mali Obomsawin, Endea Owens, Junius Paul, Jodi Proznick, Harish Raghavan, Andrew Randazzo, Sean Riddle, Max Ridley, Sebastian Rios, Rick Rosato, Amina Scott, Ben Smith, Ellen Andrea Wang, Gary Wang, Lex Warshawsky, David Wong. Electric Bass: Melvin Gibbs (5), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (3), Meshell Ndegeocello (2). First pass: Trevor Dunn, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, *Melvin Gibbs, Nate McBride, *Meshell Ndegeocello, John Patitucci, Steve Swallow, *Jamaaladeen Tacuma. Also on ballot: Casey Abrams, Richard Bona, Brian Bromberg, Stanley Clarke, Avishai Cohen, Jeff Denson, Moppa Elliot, John Lee, Kris Funn, Henry Franklin, Matthew Garrison, James Genus, Larry Grenadier, Derrick Hodge, Shahzad Ismaily, Michael Janisch, Mimi Jones, Tim Lefebvre, Tony Levin, Tarus Mateen, Christian McBride, Federica Michisanti, Marcus Miller, Linda May Han Oh, Pino Palladino, Felix Pastorius, Junius Paul, Mike Pope, Nat Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Tarry, Katie Thiroux, Thundercat, Victor Wooten. Rising Star Electric Bass: Farida Amadou (5) Chris Morrissey (3), Tommy Babin (2). First pass: *Farida Amadou, *Tommy Babin, Brandon Lopez, *Chris Morrissey. Also on ballot: Decebal Badila, Daniel Casimir, Conor Chaplin, Anders Christensen, Carlitos Del Puerto, Ron English, Hadrien Feraud, Zurab Gagnidze, Marika Galea, Kinga Glyk, Dieter Ilg, Joe Lally, Henrik Linder, Matt Lux, Reed Mathis, Al McDowell, Ciara Moser, Mono Neon, Mali Obomsawin, Michael Olatuja, Michael Pipoquinha, Kaveh Rastegar, Jason Roebke, Jorge Roeder, Skulli Sverisson. Violin: Jason Kao Hwang (5), Jenny Scheinman (3), Carlos Zingaro (2). First pass: Sam Bardfeld, Mark Feldman, *Jason Kao Hwang, Eyvind Kang, Carla Kihlstedt, Mat Maneri, *Jenny Scheinman, Aaron Weinstein, *Carlos Zingaro. Also on ballot: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Sarah Bernstein, Zach Brock, Regina Carter, Sara Caswell, Theo Ceccaldi, Melanie Dyer, Jeff Gauthier, Jerry Goodman, Christian Howes, Diane Monroe, Mark O'Connor, Tomoko Omura, Sandra Poindexter, Jean-Luc Ponty, Arun Ramamurthy, Anatol Stefanet, Mazz Swift, Mads Tolling, Michal Urbaniak, Phil Wachsmann. Rising Star Violin: Szilard Mezei (5), Jesse Zubot (3), Gabby Fluke-Mogul (2). First pass: Gabby Fluke-Mogul, Ola Kvernberg, Szilárd Mezei, Scott Tixier, Jesse Zubot. Also on ballot: Jorge Amado, Jason Anick, Adam Baldych, Johanna Burnheart, Maureen Choi, Joe Deninzon, Erica Dicker, Anais Drago, Leonor Falcon, Ledah Finck, Chris Garrick, Nora Germain, Aline Homzy, Clément Janinet, Bernadette Kellerman, Majid Khaliq, Kristin Lee, Joanna Mattrey, Fiona Monbet, Marcus Moore, Sana Nagana, Jessica Pavone, Ben Powell, Elizabeth Rodríguez, Dayren Santamaria, Layth Sidiq, Mateusz Smoczynski, Curtis Stewart, Macie Stewart, Ben Sutin, Tscho Theissing, Lisi Wright, Zara Zaharieva, Jesse Zubot. Drums: Jim Black (5), Hamid Drake (3). Chad Taylor (2),First pass: Joey Baron, Han Bennink, *Jim Black, Gerald Cleaver, Andrew Cyrille, Tim Daisy, Jack DeJohnette, *Hamid Drake, Tomas Fujiwara, Billy Hart, John Hollenbeck, Francisco Mela, Allison Miller, Lewis Nash, Paal Nilsson-Love, Tom Rainey, Rudy Royston, Ches Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, *Chad Taylor, Nasheet Waits, Kenny Washington, Matt Wilson. Also on ballot: Cindy Blackman Santana, Brian Blade, Johnathan Blake, Moses Boyd, Jaimeo Brown, Obed Calvaire, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Chambers, Billy Cobham, Henry Cole, Adam Cruz, Duduka DaFonseca, Kabir Dalawari, Chris Dave, Peter Erskine, Joe Farnsworth, Justin Faulkner, Al Foster, Steve Gadd, Rodney Green, Mark Guiliana, Terreon Gully, Dana Hall, Jeff Hamilton, Eric Harland, Roy Haynes, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Ari Hoenig, Yoron Israel, Willie Jones III, Alex Kautz, Makaya McCraven, Stanton Moore, Ulysses Owens Jr., Dafnis Prieto, Reggie Quinerly, Mike Reed, Herlin Riley, Karriem Riggins, Adonis Rose, Kendrick Scott, Nate Smith, Bill Stewart, E.J. Strickland, Shirazette Tinnin, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Dan Weiss, Nate Wood. Rising Star Drums: Devin Gray (5), Moses Boyd (3), Kresten Osgood (2). Major upheaval here as they graduated all of my 2024 picks, and replaced them with a lot of people I've never heard of. First pass: *Moses Boyd, *Devin Gray, Sarathy Korwar, *Kresten Osgood. Also on ballot: Tony Austin, Márcio Bahia, Jonathan Barber, JD Beck, Justin Brown, Otis Brown III, Jeremiah Collier, Chris Corsano, Graham Costello, Jeremy Dutton, Joe Dyson, Nazir Ebo, Justin Faulkner, Camille Gainer-Jones, Yissy Garcia, Sofia Goodman, Kayvon Gordon, Savannah Harris, Eddie Hick, McClenty Hunter Jr., Sanah Kadoura, Jerome Jennings, Christian Lillinger, Myles Manzanza, Allan Mednard, Sun Mi-Hong, Leslie Mok, Curtis Nowosad, Kassa Overall, Ulysses Owens Jr., Jonathan Pinson, Garth Powell, TJ Reddick, Seb Rochford, Tomoki Sanders, Joe Saylor, Michael Shekwoaga Ode, Asaf Sirkis, Vincent Sperrazza, Kweku Sumbry, Sarah Thawer, Justin Tyson, Mark Whitfield Jr., Jamire Williams, Rudolfo Zuniga. Percussion: Kahil El'Zabar (5), Hamid Drake (3), Kevin Diehl (2). First pass: Han Bennink, Mino Cinelu, *Kevin Diehl, *Hamid Drake, *Kahil El'Zabar, Kate Gentile, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Susie Ibarra, Marilyn Mazur, Bob Moses, Adam Rudolph, Michael Zerang. Also on ballot: Alex Acuńa, Brian Andres, Jovia Armstrong, Manolo Badrena, Roger Baird, Cyro Baptista, Rogério Boccato, Alex Cline, Sheila E, Harris Eisenstadt, Pete Escovedo, Sammy Figueroa, Abraham Gomez-Delgado, Cris Haas, Giovanni Hidalgo, Kevin Bujo Jones, Tupac Mantilla, Pedrito Martinez, Nitin Mitta, Ravish Momin, Airto Moreira, Dafnis Prieto, Michele Rabbia, Daniel Sadownick, Poncho Sanchez, Bobby Sanabria, John Santos, Ches Smith, Vladimir Tarasov, Chad Taylor, Jon Wikan. Rising Star Percussion: Sarathy Korwar (5), Rajna Swaminathan (3) JoVia Armstrong (2). First pass: JoVia Armstrong, Sarathy Korwar, Rajna Swaminathan. Also on ballot: Amaury Acosta, Weedie Braimah, Eli Fountain, Mauricio Herrera, Chris Joris, Carolyn Koebel, Krunoslav Levacic, James Maddren, Armando Marçal, Al Murray, Keita Ogawa, Gumbi Ortiz, Garth Powell, Luisito Quintero, Tomoki Sanders, Negah Santos, John Slitti, Kweku Sumbry, Rodolfo Suniga, Robert Vizcaíno Jr. Vibraphone: Jason Adasiewicz (5), Patricia Brennan (3), Warren Smith (2). First pass: *Jason Adasiewicz, Mulatu Astatke, *Patricia Brennan, Joe Locke, Matt Moran, Steve Nelson, Joel Ross, Ches Smith, *Warren Smith, Kenny Wollesen. Also on ballot: Karl Berger, Sasha Berliner, Joe Chambers, Christopher Dell, Chris Dingman, Tomas Fujiwara, Behn Gillece, Gunter Hampel, Stefon Harris, Jason Marsalis, Hendrik Meurkens, Simon Moullier, Taiko Saito, Cecilia Smith, Tom Teasley, Ben Thomas, Warren Wolf. Rising Star Vibes: Christian Tamburr (5), Chien Chien Lu (3), Kjell Nordeson (2). First pass: *Chien Chien Lu, *Kjell Nordeson, *Christian Tamburr. Also on ballot: Lolly Allen, Jalen Baker, Tom Beckham, Sasha Berliner, Tyler Blanton, Alexey Chizhik, Mike Dillon, Smith Dobson, Jim Hart, Sae Hashimoto, Bernard Maseli, Jon Metzger, Rolando Morales-Matos, Corey Mwamba, Alfredo Naranjo, Mike Pinto, Steve Roehm, Peter Schlamb, Yuhan Su, Thaddeus Tukes, Wayne Williams, Lewis Wright, Hristo Yotsov. Miscellaneous Instrument: Tomeka Reid (cello) (5), Theon Cross (tuba) (3), Gary Versace (accordion) (2). First pass: Rabih Abou Khalil (oud), Edmar Castaneda (Colombian harp), *Theon Cross (tuba), Erik Friedlander (cello), Richard Galliano (accordion), Gordon Grdina (oud), Peggy Lee (cello), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Grégoire Maret (harmonica), Myra Melford (harmonium), David Murray (bass clarinet), Andrea Parkins (accordion), *Tomeka Reid (cello), Marcus Rojas (tuba), *Gary Versace (accordion), Brandee Younger (harp). Also on ballot: Jon Batiste (melodica/harmonaboard), Anouar Brahem (oud), James Carter (bass saxophone), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Toumani Diabaté (kora), Akua Dixon (cello), Béla Fleck (banjo), Wycliffe Gordon (tuba), Jon Irabagon (sopranino saxophone), Brian Landrus (bass clarinet), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar), Howard Levy (harmonica), Charles Lloyd (tarogato), Todd Marcus (bass clarinet), Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica), Marcus Miller (bass clarinet), Ikue Mori (laptop), Ed Partyka (tuba), Chris Potter (bass clarinet), Hank Roberts (cello), Scott Robinson (bass saxophone), Dino Saluzzi (bandoneón), Sarah Schoenbeck (bassoon), Brandon Seabrook (banjo), Colin Stetson (bass saxophone), Chris Thile (mandolin), Steve Turre (shells), Ben Wendel (bassoon), Min Xiao-Fen (pipa). Rising Star Miscellaneous Instrument: Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello) (5), Val Jeanty (turntables/sound sculpture) (3) Jason Stein (bass clarinet) (2). First pass: *Val Jeanty (turntables/sound sculpture), *Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), *Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Katherine Young (bassoon). Also on ballot: Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar), Joachim Badenhorst (bass clarinet), Joao Barradas (accordion), Alina Bzhezhinska (harp), Washboard Chaz (washboard), Chris Combs (pedal steel guitar), Paolo Damiani (cello), Helen Gillet (cello), Matthias Heise (harmonica), DoYeon Kim (gayageum), Okkyung Lee (cello), Dana Leong (cello), Steven Lugerner (bass clarinet), Aurora Nealand (accordion), Vincent Peirani (accordion), Matt Perrine (sousaphone), Maxine Roach (viola), Ben Rosenbaum (accordion), Vincent Ségal (cello), Antonio Serrano (harmonica), Shabaka (Shakuhachi), Arkady Shilkloper (French horn), Ballaké Sissoko (kora), Alexa Tarantino (alto flute), David Virelles (celeste), Ben Wendel (bassoon), Amanda Whiting (harp). Female Vocalist: Fay Victor (5). Catherine Russell (3), Lisa Sokolov (2).First pass: Patricia Barber, Jazzmeia Horn, Sheila Jordan, Stacey Kent, Diana Krall, Carmen Lundy, Nellie McKay, Madeleine Peyroux, Dianne Reeves, *Catherine Russell, Cécile McLorin Salvant, *Lisa Sokolov, *Fay Victor. Also on ballot: Cyrille Aimée, Thana Alexa, Karrin Allyson, Dee Alexander, Aimée Allen, Laila Biali, Janice Borla, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Iva Bittová, Dena DeRose, Denise Donatelli, Dominique Eade, Madeline Eastman, Sinne Eeg, Sidsel Endresen, Rachell Ferrell, Lisa Fischer, Roberta Gambarini, Melody Gardot, Sara Gazarek, Magos Herrera, Samara Joy, Kate McGarry, Sarah McKenzie, Camila Meza, Youn Sun Na, Judy Niemack, Gretchen Parlato, Joanna Pascale, Flora Purim, Sofia Rei, Teri Roiger, Sara Serpa, Jen Shyu, Tessa Souter, Luciana Souza, esperanza spalding, Becca Stevens, Tierney Sutton, Veronica Swift, Cassandra Wilson, Norma Winstone, Lizz Wright, Libby York, Alice Zawadzki. Rising Star Female Vocalist: Champian Fulton (5), Lady Blackbird (3), Bria Skonberg (2). First pass: *Champian Fulton, *Lady Blackbird, *Bria Skonberg, Nicole Zuraitis. Also on ballot: Alyssa Allgood, Laura Anglade, Daymé Arocena, Camille Bertault, Alexia Bomtempo, Hailey Brinnel, Buika, Gabrielle Cavassa, Melanie Charles, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Christie Dashiell, Elina Duni, Kat Edmonson, Hilary Gardner, Vanisha Gould, Lauren Henderson, Amirtha Kidambi, Laura Kinsella, Laufey, Jo Lawry, Halie Loren, Michelle Lordi, Lucía, Sasha Masakowski, Zara McFarlane, Clara Moreno, Alexis Morrast, Ekep Nkwelle, Alicia Olatuja, Audrey Powne, Carmen Souza, Kandace Springs, Emma-Jean Thackray, Sarah Thorpe, Camille Thurman, Kari van der Kloot, April Varner, Charenée Wade, Ellen Andrea Wang, Lucy Yeghiazaryan. Male Vocalist: John Pizzarelli (5), James Blood Ulmer (3), Giacomo Gates (2). First pass: Theo Bleckmann, *Giacomo Gates, *John Pizzarelli, Dwight Trible, *James Blood Ulmer, Kenny Washington. Also on ballot: Casey Abrams, Benny Benack III, Andy Bey, Bilal, Theo Bleckmann, Joăo Bosco, John Boutté, Jacob Collier, Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Cullum, Kurt Elling, Allan Harris, José James, Paul Jost, Bobby McFerrin, Phil Minton, Leslie Odom Jr., Johnny O'Neal, Gregory Porter, Jamison Ross, Sachal Vasandani, Ben Williams. Rising Star Male Vocalist: Anthony Joseph (5), Jamie Davis (3), Billy Valentine (2). First pass: Jamie Davis, Billy Valentine. Also on ballot: Bilal, Christien Bold, Dean Bowman, Pierre L. Chambers, Peter Cincotti, Braxton Cook, Ori Dagan, Jeremy Davenport, Jeff Denson, Vincent Gardner, Alan Hampton, Ashley Henry, Steven Herring, Grzegorz Karnas, Paul Marinaro, Michael Mayo, Tyreek McDole, Fred Moten, Ola Onabule, Samora Pinderhughes, John Proulx, Milton Suggs, Loren Thomas, JD Walter, Doug Wamble. Composer: John Zorn (5), Henry Threadgill (3), Steve Lehman (2). First pass: Ben Allison, Tim Berne, Steve Coleman, Moppa Elliott, Satoko Fujii, Dave Holland, *Steve Lehman, James Brandon Lewis, Jason Moran, Wadada Leo Smith, *Henry Threadgill, *John Zorn. Also on ballot: Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, JD Allen, Darcy James Argue, Lynne Arriale, Lucian Ban, Nik Bärtsch, Terence Blanchard, Anthony Braxton, Barbara Bruckmüller, Taylor Ho Bynum, Vladimir Chekasin, Billy Childs, Kris Davis, Dave Douglas, Amir ElSaffar, Bill Frisell, Jacob Garchik, Mike Gibbs, Robert Glasper, Benny Golson, Mary Halvorson, Tom Harrell, Fred Hersch, François Houle, Vijay Iyer, Christine Jensen, Guillermo Klein, Michael Leonhart, Brian Lynch, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jim McNeely, Brad Mehldau, Myra Melford, Vince Mendoza, Pat Metheny, Roscoe Mitchell, Arturo O'Farrill, Aaron Parks, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Dave Rivello, Renee Rosnes, Maria Schneider, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Tyshawn Sorey, esperanza spalding, Kamasi Washington, Anna Webber, Immanuel Wilkins. Rising Star Composer: Kevin Sun (5), Marta Sanchez (3), Anna Webber (2). First pass: Miho Hazama, *Marta Sanchez, *Kevin Sun. David Virelles, *Anna Webber,Also on ballot: Yazz Ahmed, Melissa Aldana, Thana Alexa, Fabian Almazan, Francesco Cafiso, Summer Camargo, Etienne Charles, Roxy Coss, Paolo Damiani, Angel Bat Dawid, Chet Doxas, Steven Feifke, Amina Figarova, Jonathan Finlayson, James Francies, Tia Fuller, Phillip Golub, Mark Hendry, Marquis Hill, Florian Hoefner, James Ilgenfritz, Cassie Kinoshi, Ingrid Laubrock, Pascal Le Boeuf, Remy Le Boeuf, Jihye Lee, Makaya McCraven, Gentiane MG, Meg Okura, Samora Pinderhughes, Eve Risser, Joel Ross, Marta Sanchez, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, Reg Schwager, Edward Simon, Ches Smith, Walter Smith III, Clark Sommers, Becca Stevens, Marcus Strickland, Elio Villafranca, Greg Ward. Arranger: Steven Bernstein (5), Tyshawn Sorey (3), Miho Hazama (2). First pass: Darcy James Argue, Steven Bernstein, Miho Hazama, John Hollenbeck, Ted Nash, William Parker, Tyshawn Sorey. Also on ballot: Joshua Abrams, Peter Apfelbaum, Omer Avital, Django Bates, John Beasley, Lakecia Benjamin, Carla Bley, Geof Bradfield, Alan Broadbent, Terri Lyne Carrington, James Carter, Migel de la Cerna, Billy Childs, John Clayton, John Daversa, Orbert Davis, Amir ElSaffar, Alan Ferber, Sullivan Fortner, Satoko Fujii, Mike Gibbs, Robert Glasper, Victor Goines, Gil Goldstein, Gordon Goodwin, Dayramir Gonzalez, Stefon Harris, Mike Holober, Christine Jensen, Michael Leonhart, Oded Lev-Ari, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jim McNeely, Myra Melford, Bob Mintzer, Vince Mendoza, Arturo O'Farrill, Chuck Owen, Ed Palermo, Ed Partyka, Dafnis Prieto, Dave Rivello, Mathias Ruegg, Antonio Sanchez, Esperanza Spalding, Helen Sung, Ryan Truesdell, Sergi Vergés, Kamasi Washington, Miguel Zenón. Rising Star Arranger: Jonathan Finlayson (5), Jihye Lee (3), Allison Miller (2). First pass: *Jonathan Finlayson, *Jihye Lee, *Allison Miller. Also on ballot: Lauren Elizabeth Baba, Obed Calvaire, Jacob Collier, Chris Crenshaw, Steven Feifke, Amina Figarova, Kyle Gordon, Carlos Henriquez, Brian Krock, Michael League, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Michael Leonhart, Makaya McCraven, Nick McLean, Miles Okazaki, Adam O'Farrill, Ulysses Owens Jr., Noah Preminger, Christian Sands, Anna Webber, Ben Wendel, Miles Wright. Record Label: No Business (5), Intakt (3), Pi (2). First pass: AUM Fidelity, Clean Feed, ECM, Firehouse 12, HighNote, *Intakt, *NoBusiness, Origin, *Pi, Pyroclastic, RogueArt, Savant, SteepleChase, Sunnyside, TUM, Tzadik. Also on ballot: 577, ACT, Aerophonic, Anti-, Anzic, ArtistShare, Astral Spirits, Basin Street, Biophilia, Blue Canoe, Blue Note, Brownswood, Calligram, Candid, CAM Jazz, Cellar Live Music Group, Columbia Legacy, Concord, Criss Cross Jazz, Cryptogramophone, Cuneiform, Decca, Delmark, Dot Time, Emarcy, Edition, Elemental, Enja, Firehouse 12, Fresh Sound New Talent, Gearbox, Giant Step Arts, Greenleaf Music, Hat Hut, Impulse!, International Anthem, Jazz Is Dead, Jazz Detective, Losen, Luaka Bop, Mack Avenue, MaxJazz, MCG Jazz, MoonJune, Mosaic, Motéma, Newvelle, Nonesuch, OKeh, Orenda, Out of Your Head, Outside In Music, Palmetto, Posi-Tone, Relative Pitch, Resonance, Rogue Art, Ropeadope, The Royal Potato Family, Rune Grammofon, Savoy Jazz, SmallsLIVE, Smoke Sessions, Sony Masterworks, Storyville, Truth Revolution, Ubuntu, Verve, We Jazz, Whaling City Sound, Whirlwind, Zoho. Producer: John Zorn (5), Don Was (3), Mark Free (2). First pass: Dave Douglas, *Mark Free, Bill Laswell, *Don Was, Cory Weeds, *John Zorn. Also on ballot: Ben Allison, Ambrose Akinmusire, Brian Bacchus, John Beasley, Terri Lyne Carrington, Michael Cuscuna, Kris Davis/David Breskin, Manfred Eicher, Zev Feldman, Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, Dave Holland, Charlie Hunter, Larry Klein, Oded Lev-Ari, Siegfried Loch, Elaine Martone, Christian McBride, Makaya McCraven, Jeremy Pelt, Matt Pierson, Al Pryor, Damon Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Paul Stache, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Miguel Zenón. Rising Star Producer: Taylor Ho Bynum (5), John Corbett (3), Pedro Costa (2). First pass: *Taylor Ho Bynum, *John Corbett, *Pedro Costa, Liberty Ellman, Spike Wilner. Also on ballot: JD Allen, Ben Allison, Fabian Almazan, Daymé Arocena, Jeff Baker, Moses Boyd, Geof Bradfield, Sun Chung, Dezron Douglas, Liberty Ellman, Leo Feigin, Sara Gazarek, Derrick Hodge, Josh Johnson, Henry Kaiser, Jimmy Katz, Ryan Keberle, Michael League, Michael Leonhart, Steven Lugerner/Ross Eustis, Lage Lund, Terrace Martin, Chad McCullough, Myra Melford, Kassa Overall, Ulysses Owens Jr., Aaron Parks, Marta Sánchez, Chris Schlarb, Matthew Stevens, Emma-Jean Thackray, Ryan Truesdell, Matt Ulery, Cory Wong, Nate Wooley, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Jesse Zubot. Blues Artist or Group: Maria Muldaur (5), Swamp Dogg (3), Taj Mahal (2). First pass: Marcia Ball, Eric Bibb, Guy Davis, Sue Foley, Corey Harris, *Taj Mahal, Bobby Rush, *Swamp Dog, Otis Taylor, James Blood Ulmer. Also on ballot: Tab Benoit, Elvin Bishop, Joe Bonamassa, Billy Branch, Eden Brent, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Cedric Burnside, Chris Cain, The Cash Box Kings, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Popa Chubby, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Robert Cray, Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, Tinsley Ellis, Eric Estrin and the Nightcats, Robert Finley, Samantha Fish, Robben Ford, Ruthie Foster, Eric Gales, Billy F. Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Keb' Mo', Little Freddie King, Janiva Magness, John Mayall, North Mississippi Allstars, Coco Montoya, Charlie Musselwhite, Gov't Mule, Fantastic Negrito, Eddie 9V, Abdalla Oumbadougou, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, Johnny Rawls, Duke Robillard, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Slash, Otis Taylor, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Doug Wamble. Not on ballot (among many others): Lurrie Bell, Guy Davis, Maria Muldaur. Blues Album (April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025): I've heard very few blues albums from this period, none A- or higher, so these B+(***) are the best I can vote for:
Other albums on ballot I've heard (3, so 6 total):
Unheard albums on ballot (47):
Ballot breakdown by my grades: A-: 0; B+(***): 3; B+(**): 2; B+(*): 1 unheard: 47. I do a poor job of tracking blues albums (6/53, or 11.3%), but I should catch up some with this checklist. Beyond Artist or Group: Dua Lipa (5), Kim Gordon (3), Billie Eilish (2). This is their peculiar term for what I call "non-jazz," a distinction I only make because so much of what I write about is explicitly jazz that everything else totals maybe a third of my listening. First pass: Beyoncé, Big Thief, Ceramic Dog, *Dua Lipa, *Billie Eilish, Rhiannon Giddens, *Kim Gordon, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Kendrick Lamar, Bettye LaVette, Janelle Monáe, Taylor Swift, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young. Also on ballot: Andre 3000, Arooj Aftab, Roxana Amed, Fiona Apple, Jon Batiste, The Baylor Project, Björk, Ruben Blades, Butcher Brown, De La Soul, Edmar Castańeda, Jacob Collier, Cimafunk, The Coward Brothers (Elvis Costello & T Bone Burnett), Lana Del Rey, DOMi & JD Beck, Bob Dylan, Béla Fleck, Melody Gardot, Robert Glasper, Joe Henry, Brittany Howard, Incognito, Jason Isbell, Rickie Lee Jones, Khruangbin & Vieux Farka Touré, Angela Kidjo, Laufey, Lettuce, Ivan Lins, La Loma, London Experimental Ensemble, The Messthetics, Van Morrison, Milton Nascimento and esperanza spalding, Meshell Ndegeocello, Anderson.Paak, Hermeto Pascoal, Corinne Bailey Rae, Bonnie Raitt, Raye, The Roots, Antonio Sanchéz, SatchVai, Somi, Jorji Smith, Willow Smith, Tank and the Bangas, The Third Mind, Ralph Towner, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Thee Sacred Souls, Thundercat, Tower of Power, Trombone Shorty, Sofi Tukker, Caetano Veloso, Void Patrol, The Waterboys, Wilco, Yo La Tengo. Beyond Album (April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025):
Other albums on ballot I've heard (46, so 49 total):
Other unheard albums on ballot (20):
Ballot breakdown by my grades: A-: 7; B+(***): 9; B+(**): 18; B+(*): 15; unheard: 20. These are all over the place, but I've heard 49/69 (71.1%). Post-Poll CommentsDownbeat Readers Poll |