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73rd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll: 2026I voted on May 13, 2025 (deadline May 15). 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 no more than 10 points). My usual practice is to first scan through the nominees, and jot down any that strike me as likely. Sometimes I used to add some names that I felt should have been nominated (but that takes a lot of extra time and effort. 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. But if you limit yourself to specialists and they become as marginal as flautists. I've long copied the albums lists down to use as checklists: they help me find things to listen to, and I'm curious what they take seriously and what not. That's a lot of work, which helps explain why this takes me so long. In 2025 I started copying down all of their ballot nominations. I may do that selectively below. We'll see how it goes. I've generally italicized names I voted for in first-pass lists. For a while, I tried to track adds and deletes to the ballots, but I gave up on that after the bass section. Before then, * indicated a new name to the ballot. I did manage to include all of the ballot nominees below. Time on ballot: 2:30PM-2:30AM (less TV, food, and walking the dog that's probably 9 hours); resumed 12:00 next day, with guitar done, bass next. Finished at 6:12 PM, after changing my methodology around 3:00 PM. I figure that adds up to about 14-15 hours. Not my idea of a cost-effective exercise, even if I learn a few things. 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 2025 winners: Anthony Braxton (C), Jack DeJohnette (R), Tito Puente (V). I have a tracking file, listing all of the previous winners, and many others I've considered as candidates (but that part hasn't been updated in quite some time). 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. (I was tempted to add a note in the "write in" mentioning Russell and Rudd, but then thought of adding Misha Mengelberg, then realized the list could be much longer. Maybe I should write that up for Substack?) 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), Steve Lehman (3), Miguel Zenon (2). I wrote Rodrigo Amado in last year, and could have done so again. First pass: Kenny Barron, Patricia Brennan, Kris Davis, Bill Frisell, Mary Halvorson, Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman, James Brandon Lewis, Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran, Chris Potter, Matthew Shipp, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Henry Threadgill, Immanuel Wilkins, Miguel Zenon. Also on ballot: Ambrose Akinmusire, Jon Batiste, Brian Blade, Johnathan Blake*, Terence Blanchard, Terri Lyne Carrington, Bill Charlap, Etienne Charles*, Billy Childs, Anat Cohen, Jacob Collier, Orrin Evans, Béla Fleck, Sullivan Fortner, Stefon Harris, Kenny Garrett, Fred Hersch, Shabaka [Hutchings], Samara Joy, Julian Lage, Joe Lovano*, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Allison Miller, Nicole Mitchell, Arturo O'Farrill, Aaron Parks, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Joshua Redman, Renee Rosnes, Cécile McLorin Salvant, esperanza spalding, Kamasi Washington. Rising Star -- Jazz Artist: Kevin Sun (5), Adam O'Farrill (3) Luke Stewart (2). First pass: Isaiah Collier, Adam O'Farrill, Joel Ross, Luke Stewart, Kevin Sun; dropped: Peter Evans, Immanuel Wilkins. Also on ballot: Joey Alexander, Lakecia Benjamin, Emmet Cohen, Jacob Collier, Paul Cornish, Theo Croker, Theon Cross, 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, Alex LoRe*, Chien Chien Lu, Simon Moullier, Riley Mulherkar, Endea Owens, Elena Pinderhughes, Samora Pinderhughes, Julius Rodriguez, Jamison Ross, Christian Sands, Veronica Swift, Micah Thomas, Isaiah J. Thompson, Miki Yamanaka, Brandee Younger; dropped: Etienne Charles, Angel Bat Dawid. Jazz Album of the Year (April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026): See The Best Jazz Albums of 2025 for my actual picks, supplemented with whatever's applicable from my 2026 list. Limiting myself to albums nominated, I voted for:
Other A-list albums on ballot (18, so 21 in total [22 in 2024-25):
Other new jazz releases that I've heard (90; 73 in 2024-25):
Other albums on the ballot I hadn't heard before voting (47; 43 in 2024-25; I may add grades as I listen to items on the list, but I don't need more files to try to keep updated):
I had 91 A/A- albums on my 2025 list (down from 110 in 2024), so that's a fair approximation of a year's worth of listening. With 21 A/A- records on their ballot, that leaves 70 that they missed. Their screwy eligibility rules won't change the numbers much, and aren't worth qualifying. My 2026 list already includes 36 A/A- albums (down from 46 in 2025), 13 of them jazz (down from 23 in 2025, which suggests I'm paying less attention to jazz this year). 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: 1; A-: 20; B+(***): 27; B+(**): 30; B+(*): 21; B: 12; unheard: 47. Those numbers, by the way, are very close to the 2024-25 grade breakdown, except for B, which is up from 1 to 12. I managed to hear most of these (111/158, or 70.2%, which is up a bit from last year's 68.3%, but still down from the previous year's 84.4%). Historical Album (April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026):
Other A-list records nominated (4, so 7 total):
Other historical jazz releases that I've heard (15):
Other historical albums on the ballot I hadn't heart before voting (17, plus 7 I've heard in previous editions, grades noted):
Ballot breakdown by my grades (extra is grades for previous editions): A: 0; A-: 7; B+(***): 9; B+(**): 6; B+(*): 3; B: 1; unheard: 17 (or 24), making the heard share 26/43 (60.4%) or 33/50 (66%), vs. 66.7% last year, 57.5% the year before. A lot of the new editions of previously heard albums are vinyl reissues. I haven't heard any of these reissues on vinyl, but when something I haven't heard gets a vinyl reissues (especially on Craft or Blue Note), I usually stream it, and count it as heard. Jazz Group: Fieldwork (5), Miguel Zenón Quartet (3). Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (2). I'm rarely inclined to pick groups with named leaders, as that loses much of the meaning of "group." (On the other hand, the Zenón Quartet topped my album list.) In the following, name changes under the same leader aren't flagged.First pass: Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society, Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber, The Cookers, Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Fieldwork, Mary Halvorson Amaryllis, ICP Septet, James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Lux Quartet, The Messthetics + James Brandon Lewis*, Thumbscrew, Miguel Zenón Quartet. Other nominees: Eddie Allen's Push*, Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet, Artemis, The Bad Plus, Kenny Barron Songbook Quartet*, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin The Baylor Project, Terence Blanchard & The E-Collective, The Bobby Broom Trio, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, Burnt Sugar-The Arkestra Chamber*, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science*, James Carter Organ Trio, Bill Charlap Trio*, Etienne Charles & Creole Soul, Billy Childs Quartet, Stanley Clarke *N* 4Ever, Gerald Clayton Trio, Emmet Cohen Trio, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Kris Davis Trio, Django Allstars*, Orrin Evans Tarbaby, Bill Frisell Trio, Kenny Garrett and Sounds From the Ancestors, The Greyboy Allstars, Mark Guiliana Quartet, Billy Hart Quartet, Fred Hersch Trio, Monika Herzig's SHEroes, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, Hot 8 Brass Band*, Vijay Iyer Trio, Darius Jones Trio, Ryan Keberle's Reverso, Kurt Knuffke Trio*, Julian Lage Trio, Lettuce*, Dave Liebman Expansions, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Joe Lovano Paramount Quartet, Rudresh Mahanthappa's Hero Trio, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Pedrito Martinez Group, Christian McBride & Ursa Major, Charles McPherson Quintet*, Brad Mehldau Trio, Myra Melford's Fire And Water Quintet, Pat Metheny Side-Eye, Joshua Redman Quartet, The David Murray Quartet, Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio*, Arturo O'Farrill Trio, The Philadelphia Experiment, Tomeka Reid Quartet, Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet, John Santos Sextet, Kendrick Scott Quintet, 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, Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio, Helen Sung Trio, SuperBlue (Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter), Craig Taborn/Tomeka Reid/Ches Smith*, Henry Threadgill-Vijay Iyer-Dafnis Prieto, Trio aRT (Pheeroan akLaff-Scott Robinson-Julian Thayer), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Harriet Tubman*; dropped: Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Tom Harrell Quartet, Dave Holland Trio, The Dayna Stephens Quartet. Rising Star Jazz Group: Irreversible Entanglements (5), Binker and Moses (3), Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble (2). First pass: Binker and Moses, Patricia Brennan Septet*, Irreversible Entanglements, Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, 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, Nels Cline Consentrik Quartet*, Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few, Yussef Dayes Experience, Aaron Diehl Trio, DOMi & JD Beck, Doxas Brothers, Ezra Collective, Béla Fleck-Edmar Catañeda-Antonio Sanchez Trio, Sullivan Fortner Trio, GoGo Penguin, Mary Halvorson Canis Major*, 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, 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, Altin Sencalar*, Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, SLM [SML?], 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, Ghost Train 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, Tommy Igoe's Birdland Big Band*, Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Ingrid Laubrock 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, Anthony Wilson Nonet. Rising Star Large Ensemble: Meg Okura Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble (5), Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (3), Silke Eberhard Potsa Lotsa XL (2). First pass: Silke Eberhard Potsa Lotsa XL, Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, Meg Okura Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble*, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra; dropped: Ghost Train Orchestra, Paal Nilssen-Love Large Ensemble. Other nominees: Idris Ackamoor's Ankhestra, Alex "Apolo" Alaya Big Band, Alchemy Sound Project, The Awakening Orchestra, Brussels Jazz Orchestra*, Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, Cecilia Coleman Big Band, Amalie Dahl's Dafnie EXTENDED*, Josephine Davies Enso Ensemble, Steven Feifke Big Band, Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra*, Sean Imboden Large Ensemble*, Jazzrausch Bigband, Julian Joseph Big Band, Jihye Lee Orchestra, Gareth Lockrane Big Band*, Jacob Mann Big Band, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra*, 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 Jazz Ensemble, Ben Paterson Jazz Orchestra*, People's Liberation Big Band, Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra*, Dave Rivello Ensemble, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, David Sanford Big Band, Igmar Thomas' Revive 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; dropped: Tommy Igoe's Birdland Big Band, Ingrid Laubrock Orchestra, Allison Miller & One O'Clock Lab Band. Trumpet: Kirk Knuffke (5), Wadada Leo Smith (3), Peter Evans (2). I thought of voting for Adam O'Farrill here, but he's still on the Rising Star ballot (without much competition), so I voted for him there. First pass: Ambrose Akinmusire, Steven Bernstein, Dave Douglas, Peter Evans, Jonathan Finlayson, Kirk Knuffke, Brian Lynch Rob Mazurek, Nils Petter Molvær, Adam O'Farrill, Enrico Rava, Wadada Leo Smith, Terell Stafford, Natsuki Tamura, Nate Wooley. Also on ballot: Herb Alpert, Yazz Ahmed*, Luca Aquino*, Ronald Baker*, Darren Barrett, Juraj Bartos*, Maurice Brown, Terence Blanchard, Fabrizio Bosso, Randy Brecker, Etienne Charles, Avishai Cohen, Theo Croker, John Daversa, Philip Dizack, Mathias Eick, Dominick Farinacci, Tom Harrell, Keyon Harrold, Eddie Henderson, Marquis Hill, Ingrid Jensen, Sean Jones, Takuya Kuroda*, Josh Lawrence, Wynton Marsalis, Nadje Noordhuis, Jason Palmer, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Dan Rosenboom*, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Alex Sipiagin, Charles Tolliver, Diego Urcola, Corey Wilkes; dropped: Jaimie Branch, Claudio Roditi. Rising Star Trumpet: Adam O'Farrill (5), Laura Jurd (3), Chad McCullough (2). Last year I wrote in Linda Allemano and Steph Richards, who had been inexplicably dropped from the ballot. They are absent again, while a large number I've never heard of are on the ballot. First pass: Benny Benack III, Alex Dörner, Laura Jurd, Chad McCullough, Adam O'Farrill. Also on ballot: David Adewumi, Brownman Ali, Sebastian Burneci, Summer Camargo, Milena Casado*, Mederic Collignon, Remi Cormier, daoud*, Giveton Gelin, Colin Hancock*, Anthony Hervey, Alfonso Horne*, Anthony Hervey*, Julien Knowles, Laura Jurd, Stuart Mack, Russ Macklem, Hermon Mehari, Riley Mulherkar, Audrey Powne, John Raymond, Wallace Roney Jr., Chloe Rowlands, Javier Santiago, Jonathan Saraga, Jawwaad Taylor, Emma-Jean Thackray, Rachel Therrien, Kenny Warren, Brandon Woody; promoted: Yazz Ahmed, Ronald Baker, Juraj Bartos, Takuya Kuroda, Dan Rosenboom; dropped: Luca Aquino, Bart Maris. Trombone: Steve Swell (5), Samuel Blaser (3) Joe Fiedler (2). First pass: Mats Äleklint, Jeb Bishop, Samuel Blaser, *Joe Fiedler, Curtis Fowlkes, Jacob Garchik, Marshall Gilkes, Craig Harris, Ryan Keberle, George Lewis, *Steve Swell, Steve Turre. Where's Ray Anderson? (my write-in in 2025). Also on ballot: Tim Albright, Shannon Barnett, James Burton, Chris Crenshaw, Natalie Cressman*, Steve Davis, Michael Dease, Brian Drye, Robert Edwards, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Robin Eubanks, John Fedchock, Alan Ferber, Nick Finzer, David Gibson, Wycliffe Gordon, Conrad Herwig, Sara Jacovino, Malcolm Jiyane, Tokunori Kajiwara, Robinson Khoury, Willem de Koch, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Nils Landgren, Delfeayo Marsalis, Elliot Mason, Naomi Moon-Siegel*, 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; dropped: Slide Hampton. Rising Star Trombone: Kalia Vandever (5), Natalie Cressman (3), Reut Regev (2). Very few names I recognize among the nominees. In 2025, I did all write-ins: Reut Regev, Brian Drye, Jennifer Wharton. The latter two were already on the main list. First pass: Natalie Cressman, Altin Sencalar, Kalia Vandever. Also on ballot: Nick Adema*, 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, Luke Malewicz*, 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 Nørstebø, Anoushka Nanguy, Javier Nero, Audrey Ochoa, Rita Payés, Alex Paxton, Rahsaan Salaam, Angel Subero, Beserat Tafesse, Rosie Turton, Filippo Vignato, 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 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 give them a pass. Dropping Liebman from the ballot is inexplicable. While I prefer his tenor to his soprano, he plays a lot of the latter, and I've come to respect him for it. First pass: Jane Bunnett, Jan Garbarek, Christine Jensen, *Sam Newsome, *Evan Parker, Steve Wilson; dropped: Dave Liebman (WTF?). 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, Sam Gendel*, Jimmy Greene*, Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Donny McCaslin, Roscoe Mitchell, Ted Nash, Aurora Nealand, Russ Nolan, Greg Osby, Émile Parisien, Peyton Pleninger, Tineke Postma*, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Walter Smith III, Marcus Strickland, Ricky Washington*, John Wojciechowski. Rising Star Soprano Saxophone: Alfredo Colón (5), Jasmine Lovell-Smith (3), Steven Lugerner (2). I voted for Jason Robinson last year, not on ballot this year. First pass: Alfredo Colón, Jasmine Lovell-Smith, Steve Lugerner, Marius Søfteland Neset. Also on ballot: Abdias Armenteros, Dan Blake, Brent Birckhead, Nicola Caminiti, Jasper Dutz, Nicole Glover*, Luigi Grasso*, 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, Ben Solomon, Matt Stubbs, Alexa Tarantino, Yuma Uesaka, Ricky Washington, Audrey Welber-Lafferty; promoted: Sam Gendel, Tineke Postma, Ricky Washington; dropped: Nick Adema, Trish Clowes, Jason Robinson, Tomoki Sanders. Alto Saxophone: Miguel Zenon (5). Steve Lehman (3). Dave Rempis (2). Very competitive category.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, Sarah Hanahan*, Donald Harrison, Antonio Hart, Vincent Herring*, Sherman Irby, Christine Jensen, Nicole Johänntgen*, Grace Kelly, Jessica Lurie*, Charles McPherson, Angelica Niescier*, Émile Parisien*, Tineke Postma*, Chris Potter, Matana Roberts, Jaleel Shaw*, 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, Luigi Grasso*, Danny Janklow, Nicole Johänntgen, Brian Krock*, Remy Le Boeuf, David Leon, Alex LoRe*, Godwin Louis, Nicole McCabe*, Jasmine Myra, Aurora Nealand, Hailey Niswanger, Logan Richardson, Alison Shearer*, Jonathan Suazo, Erena Terakubo, Luise Volkmann; promoted: Sarah Hanahan, Jessica Lurie, Émile Parisien, Tineke Postma. Tenor Saxophone: David Murray (5), James Brandon Lewis (3), Ivo Perelman (2). In the past I've written in Rodrigo Amado (still not on ballot, and far from the only top-tier player omitted). First pass: JD Allen, Jerry Bergonzi, James Carter, Avram Fefer, Joel Frahm, Billy Harper, Jon Irabagon, James Brandon Lewis, Charles Lloyd, Joe Lovano, Tony Malaby, Branford Marsalis, David Murray, Evan Parker, Ivo Perelman, Houston Person, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Shabaka, Archie Shepp, Mark Turner; dropped: Dave Liebman. Also on ballot: Melissa Aldana, Eric Alexander, Teodross Avery, Rahsaan Barber, Don Braden, Geof Bradfield, Isaiah Collier*, Alabaster dePlume, Chet Doxas, John Ellis, Wayne Escoffery, Nubya Garcia, Mats Gustafsson, Jimmy Greene, Javon Jackson, Ben Kono, Timo Lassy, Ingrid Laubrock, Donny McCaslin, Bill McHenry, Tobias Meinhart*, 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). I've previously written in Edwin Bayard. First pass: Zoh Amba, Abraham Burton, Julieta Eugenio, Binker Golding, Maria Grand, Linda Sikhakhane, Kevin Sun. Also on ballot: Abdias Armenteros, Dan Blake, Chelsea Carmichael, Matt Carmichael, Trish Clowes, Xhosha Cole, Alfredo Colón, Roxy Coss, Stacy Dillard, Ben Flocks*, Nicole Glover*, Morgan Guerin, Colin Hancock*, Alex Hitchcock*, De'Sean Jones, Rico Jones*, Adam Larson, Emilio Modeste, Angela Morris*, Willie Morris, Marius Søfteland Neset, Rico Ortiz*, Tivon Pennicott, Jeremy Powell*, Neta Raanan, Emma Rawicz, Troy Roberts, Ada Rovatti, Aaron Shaw*, Ben Solomon, Cecilie Strange, Camille Thurman, Yuma Uesaka; promoted: Isaiah Collier; dropped: Alexa Tarantino. Baritone Saxophone: Ken Vandermark (5), Rudi Mahall (3), Vinny Golia (2). First pass: Tim Berne, James Carter, Ronnie Cuber, Vinny Golia, Mats Gustafsson, Alex Harding, Charlie Kohlhase, Brian Landrus, Rudy Mahall, Dave Rempis, Scott Robinson, Josh Sinton, Gary Smulyan, John Surman, Ken Vandermark; dropped: Claire Daly. Also on ballot: Frank Basile, Céline Bonacina, Michael Dease*, Ben Ellman, Andrew Hadro*, 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: Charles Evans (5), Jonah Parzen-Johnson (3), Leigh Pilzer (2). I don't recognize anyone else on the nominee list. First pass: Charles Evans, Jonah Parzen-Johnson; promoted: Michael Dease. Also on ballot: Larry Bustamante, Jasper Dutz, Josh Lee, Austin Falvey, Jimmy Farace*, Jay Flat, Linda Fredriksson, Luigi Grasso*, 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; dropped: Andrew Hadro. Clarinet: Marty Ehrlich (5) Ken Peplowski (3), Chris Speed (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, Chris Byars*, Beth Custer, Angel Bat Dawid, Paquito D'Rivera, Chet Doxas*, Oran Etkin, James Falzone, Avram Fefer, Victor Goines, Ted Hogarth, Todd Marcus, Gabriele Mirabassi, Ted Nash, Aurora Nealand, Michel Portal, Matana Roberts, Sam Sadigursky*, Shabaka, Andy Statman, Jesper Thilo, Harvey Wainapel, Dr. Michael White. Rising Star Clarinet: Mike McGinnis (5), Lucas Pino (3), Jerome Cymerman (2). First pass: Joachim Badenhorst, Jeremiah Cymerman, Mike McGinnis, Lucas Pino; promoted: Chris Byars, Marius Søfteland Neset. Also on ballot: Sheldon Brown, Daniel Cohen, Jeremiah Cymerman, Jasper Dutz, Chloe Feoranzo, Jean-Marc Foltz, Nico Gori, Luigi Grasso, Patrick Holmes, Josh Johnson, Doreen Ketchens, Tim Laughlin, Steven Lugerner*, Jason Scott, Giacomo Smith, Connor Stewart, Yuma Uesaka; promoted: Chet Doxas, Sam Sadigursky. Flute: Juhani Aaltonen (5), Nicole Mitchell (3), Henry Threadgill (2). First pass: Juhani Aaltonen, Robert Dick, Shabaka Hutchings, Nicole Mitchell, James Newton, Lew Tabackin, Henry Threadgill, Anna Webber. Also on ballot: Jamie Baum, Lakecia Benjamin, T.K. Blue, Andrea Brachfeld, Jane Bunnett, Jeff Coffin, Charles Compo, Anne Drummond, Michel Edelin, Marty Ehrlich, Douglas Ewart, Tia Fuller, Frank Gratkowski, Holly Hofmann, Naïssam Jalal, Ben Kono, Hubert Laws, Dave Liebman, Charles Lloyd, Magic Malik, Dave McMurray, Roscoe Mitchell, Ted Nash, 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, Isaiah Collier Nubya Garcia, Itai Kriss. Also on ballot: Andre 3000, Chris Bullock, Fernando Brox*, Laura Cocks*, Xhosha Cole, Alfredo Colon, Braxton Cook*, Anne Drummond, Gabrielle Garo*, Evan Francis, Naissam Jalal, Josh Johnson, De'Sean Jones, Grace Kelly, Samantha Kochis*, Ben Kono, Gareth Lockrane, Magic Malik, David Mason*, Mthunzi Mvubu, Hadar Noiberg, Tamar Osborn, Noah Preminger, Tom Reese, Mayu Saeki, Geni Skendo, Connor Stewart, Wil Swindler, Alexa Tarantino, Maria Toro, Ricky Washington* Leland Whitty. Piano: Matthew Shipp (5), Myra Melford (3), Satoko Fujii (2). First pass: Kenny Barron, George Cables, Uri Caine, 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, David Virelles. Also on ballot: Monty Alexander, Fabian Almazon*, Lynne Arriale, Jon Batiste, Karl Berger, Stefano Bollani, Joey Calderazzo, Marc Cary, Gerald Clayton, Emmet Cohen, Romain Collin*, George Colligan*, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Cowherd*, Zaccai Curtis, Jo Ann Daugherty, Benoit Delbecq, Chano Domínguez, Aaron Diehl, Yelena Eckemoff, Taylor Eigsti, Eliane Elias, Sullivan Fortner, Leo Genovese, Tania Giannouli*, Robert Glasper, Benny Green, Dan Grissett*, Tord Gustavesen, Herbie Hancock, David Hazeltine*, Art Hirahara, Geoffrey Keezer, Harold López-Nussa, Nduduzo Makhathini*, Brian Marsella*, Peter Martin*, Yoko Miwa*, Dan Nimmer, Aaron Parks, Luis Perdomo, Danilo Pérez, Enrico Pieranunzi, Jean-Michel Pilc*, Eric Scott Reed, Gonzalo Rubalcaba*, Marta Sánchez*, Edward Simon*, Carmen Staaf, Bobo Stenson, Helen Sung, Gwylim Symcock*, Dan Tepfer, Elio Villafranca*, Michael Wollny*, Sam Yahel*. Rising Star Piano: Alexander Hawkins (5), Kaja Draksler (3), Margherita Fava (2). First pass: Kaja Draksler, Margherita Fava, Alexander Hawkins, Elias Stemeseder, Marta Warelis, promoted: Nduduzo Makhathini, Marta Sánchez, Michael Wollny. Also on ballot: Alfa Mist, Luther Allison, Joe Alterman, Laila Biali, Kris Bowers, Tyler Bullock II, Caelan Cardello*, Esteban Castro*, Paul Cornish, Jamael Dean, Eldar Djangirov, Bikini Dyer, Rachel Eckroth, Cenk Essen*, Lawrence Fields, James Francies, Amaro Freitas, Beka Gochiashvili, Brandon Goldberg, Philip Golub, Cameron Graves, Morgan Guerin, Tigran Hamasyan, Connie Han, Sam Harris*, Kevin Hays*, Ashley Henry, Justin Kauflin, Michael King, Lex Korten, Pat Leary, Pascal Le Boeuf, Thomas Linger*, Shai Maestro*, Luke Marantz*, Brian Marsalla, Sean Mason, Fergus McCreadie, Steve Okonski, Zaccae'us Paul, Luis Perdomo*, Mathis Picard, Samora Pinderhughes, Julius Rodriguez, Ben Rosenblum, Christian Sands*, Julian Shore*, Jahari Stampley*, Sultan Stevenson, Gwylim Symcock, Micah Thomas, Isaiah J. Thompson, Fraser Urquhart, Matthew Whitaker, Jordan Williams*, Deanna Witkowski, Miki Yamanaka, Younee; promoted: Romain Collin, Tania Giannouli, Elio Villafranca. 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: Fabian Almazon*, Jacob Anderskov*, Jim Baker, Jon Batiste, Jim Beard, John Beasley, Marco Benevento*, Matthew Bourne*, Marc Cary, Brian Charette, Brandon Coleman*, Jacob Collier*, Benoit Delbecq*, Kit Downes*, Yelena Eckemoff*, Neal Evans*, James Francies, Lafayette Gilchrist*, Robert Glasper, Larry Goldings, Herbie Hancock, Kevin Hays*, Cory Henry, Hiromi, Wayne Horvitz, Gary Husband, Geoffrey Keezer, David Kikoski*, Scott Kinsey*, Jason Lindner, Brian Marsella*, Matt Mitchell, Eddie Palmieri, Luis Perdomo*, Danilo Pérez, Patrice Rushen, Omar Sosa, Florian Weber*, Bugge Wesseltoft, Frank Woeste*. Rising Star Electronic Keyboard: Elias Stemseder (5), Elliot Galvin (3), Jeremiah Chiu (2). After about 8 hours in such minutiae, I'm running out of care, so just going with whoever I voted for last year, when I probably didn't care either. [PS: Slipped Chiu in for Javier Santiago.] First pass: Joe Armon-Jones, Jeremiah Chiu*, Elliot Galvin, Javier Santiago, Elias Stemeseder; promoted: Florian Weber. Also on ballot: Joe Alterman*, Jeff Babko, Marco Benevento, Matthew Bourne, Gerald Clayton*, Paul Cornish, Matt Cunitz, Brittany Davis*, Jamael Dean, DOMi, Thembi Dunjana, Lawrence Fields, Amaro Freitas, Beka Gochiashvili, Phillip Gollub, Cameron Graves, Morgan Guerin, DJ Harrison, Ashley Henry, Michael King, Nick Maclean, Luke Marantz*, Sean Mason, Fergus McCreadie, Alfa Mist, Zaccae'us Paul, Mathis Picard, Samora Pinderhughes*, Jahari Stampley*, Macie Stewart, Isaiah J. Thompson*, Mamiko Watanabe, Florian Weber, Matthew Whitaker, Kamaal Williams, Adrian Younge*; promoted: Jacob Anderskov, Brandon Coleman, Jacob Collier, Scott Kinsey, Brian Marsella, Frank Woeste. Organ: Gary Versace (5), Mulatu Astatke (3), Mike LeDonne (2). First pass: Mulatu Astatke*, Pat Bianchi, Brian Charette, Larry Goldings, Alexander Hawkins*, Mike LeDonne, John Medeski, Amina Claudine Myers, Jamie Saft, Gary Versace. Also on ballot: Brian Auger, Jeff Babko*, Joe Bagg*, Wil Blades*, Lucas Brown*, Brian Coogan*, Barbara Dennerlein, Erik Deutsch*, Kit Downes, Yelena Eckemoff*, Neal Evans*, Diego Figueiredo*, Chris Foreman*, Jon Hammond*, Bill Heid*, Cory Henry, Gerard Gibbs*, Jared Gold, Wayne Horvitz, Booker T. Jones, Kyle Koehler*, Delvon Lamarr, Gregory Lewis*, Shedrick Mitchell*, Tony Monaco, Ron Oswanski*, Ben Paterson*, Radam Schwartz*, Adam Scone*, Rhoda Scott, Vince Seneri*, Bobby Sparks II*, Ståle Storløkken, Craig Taborn, Chester CT Thompson*, Charlie Wood*, Raphael Wressnig*, Sam Yahel*. Rising Star Organ: Akiko Tsuruga (5), Ben Paterson (3), Adrian Younge (2). Last year's picks were all promoted, leaving me with an empty first pass. As noted, Tsuruga died Sept. 13, 2025, so I don't know what business he has in the "Rising Star" category. First pass: Ben Paterson*, Akiko Tsuruga*, Adrian Younge*; promoted: Alexander Hawkins, Radam Schwartz, Vince Seneri. Also on ballot: Jim Alfredson*, Pete Benson*, Gerald Clayton*, Desarae Dee*, Erik Deutsch, Justin Dillard*, Rachel Eckroth, Jesse Fischer, Carey Frank*, Gerard Gibbs, Morgan Guerin, Sonny Gullage*, Kiran Gupta*, Atsuko Hashimoto, Chris Hazelton, Brian Ho*, L.J. Holomon*, Chok Kerong, Mike King*, Kyle Koehler, Shoko Nagai*, Ron Oswanski, Adam Pryor*, Yonatan Riklis*, Adam Scone, Jake Sherman, Dan Souvigny*, Bobby Sparks, Akiko Tsuruga, Matthew Whitaker, Pernell Wise Jr.*, Charlie Wood, Raphael Wressnig; promoted: Jeff Babko, Joe Bagg, Will Blades, Brian Coogan; dropped: Dan Fogel. Guitar: Jeff Parker (5), Mary Halvorson (3), Marc Ribot (2). First pass: Rez Abbasi, Howard Alden, Peter Bernstein, Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Gordon Grdina, Mary Halvorson, Eric Hofbauer*, John McLaughlin, Hedvig Mollestad*, Joe Morris, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Jeff Parker, Marc Ribot, John Scofield. Also on ballot: Charles Altura*, Paul Bollenbeck, Jakob Bro, Bobby Broom, Joe Cohn, Francesco Diodati*, Kevin Eubanks, Nir Felder, Bruce Forman, Jonathan Freilich, Pasquale Grasso, Joel Harrison, John Hart, Gilad Hekselman, Charlie Hunter, Henry Kaiser, Jonathan Kreisberg, Julian Lage, Nguyên Lê, Lionel Loueke, Romero Lubambo, Sylvain Luc, Lage Lund, Ava Mendoza*, Pat Metheny, Ben Monder, Mike Moreno, Tisziji Munoz, Robin Nolan*, Miles Okazaki, Chico Pinheiro, Anthony Pirog, John Pizzarelli, Dani Rabin*, Nate Radley, Adam Rogers, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Reg Schwager, Yotam Silberstein*, Matthew Stevens, Dave Stryker, Ralph Towner, Mark Whitfield, Stephane Wrembel; dropped: Susan Alcorn, Russell Malone. Rising Star Guitar: Wendy Eisenberg (5), Gregg Belisle-Chi (3), Brandon Seabrook (2). Again, last year's picks all got promoted. First pass: Gregg Belisle-Chi, Wendy Eisenberg, Ant Law, Brandon Seabrook; promoted: Gordon Grdina, Eric Hofbauer, Ava Mendoza, Hedvig Mollestad, Matthew Stevens. Also on ballot: Cecil Alexander, Quentin Angus, Reinier Baas*, Charlie Ballantine, Horace Bray, Collin Cook, Graham Dechter, Daniel Delorenzo, Paul Figueiredo, Yoav Eshed*, Russell Gelman-Sheehan*, Matt Gold, Jocelyn Gould*, Celisse Henderson, Rob Luft*, Max Kutner*, Mike Lettieri*, Max Light, Matteo Mancuso [Mateo Mansco?], Steve Marquette*, Louis Matute*, Joshua Meader*, Camila Meza, Emmanuel Michael*, Tom Ollendorff*, Mattihis Pascaud*, Leandro Pellegrino, Andy Pitcher, Matteo Prefumo, Andrew Renfroe*, Jesse Van Ruller, Rotem Sivan, Emma-Jean Thackray, Andreas Varady*, Hristo Vitchev, Joe Williamson, Dan Wilson, Sam Wilson*, Cory Wong, Ella Zirina*; promoted: Charles Altura, Francesco Diodati, Robin Nolan, Yotam Silberstein, ; dropped: Gabor Lesko, Jaume Llombart, Curtis Stewart. Bass: William Parker (5), Peter Washington (3), John Hébert (2). First pass: Joshua Abrams, Ben Allison, Arild Andersen, Ron Carter, Stephan Crump, Mark Dresser, Ray Drummond, Moppa Elliott, Michael Formanek, Ingebrigt Håker 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, Scott Colley*, Stephan Crump, Luques Curtis, Jeff Denson, Brandi Disterheft*, Dezron Douglas, Kermit Driscoll, Trevor Dunn, Kyle Eastwood, Petter Eldh*, Essiet Okon Essiet, Joe Fonda, Kris Funn, Hans Glawischnig*, Larry Grenadier, Brad Jones, Marion Hayden*, Carlos Henriquez, Jasper Høiby*, Corcoran Holt, Derrick Hodge, Robert Hurst, Anne Mette Iversen, Michael Janisch, Jeff Johnson, Mimi Jones, John Lee, Brandon Lopez, Wojtek Mazolewski*, Lisa Mezzacappa*, Billy Mohler, Miles Moseley*, François Moutin, Yasushi Nakamura*, Linda May Han Oh, Michael Olatuja*, Darek Oles, Jamie Ousley, John Patitucci, Matt Penman, Matt Perrine, Barre Phillips, Bruno Råberg, Harish Raghavan*, Nat Reeves, Rufus Reid, Jorge Roeder, Reuben Rogers, Todd Sickafoose, James Singleton, Damon Smith, Clark Sommers, esperanza spalding, Ike Sturm, Noriko Ueda*, Matt Ulery, Eric Wheeler, Rodney Whitaker, Ben Williams, Martin Wind, David Wong*, Victor Wooten. Rising Star Bass: Russell Hall (5), Mali Obosawim (3), Nick Dunston (2). First pass: Nick Dunston, Russell Hall, Kyle Motl, Mali Obomsawin. Also on ballot: Tyrone Allen II, Alex "Apolo" Ayala*, Rosa Brunello*, Caylen Bryant, Daniel Casimir, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere, Rashaan Carter, Magali Datzira*, Destiny "Lé Queen" Diggs*, Gabriele Evangelista, Ben Feldman, Marika Galea, Noah Garabedian, Aston Gaston Joya, Devon Gates*, Gastón Joya*, Nick Jozwiak, Mark Lewandowski, Kaisa Mäensivu, Hannah Marks, Liany Mateo, Jonathan Michelle, Yasushi Nakamura, Pascal Niggenkemper, Philip Norris, Endea Owens, Junius Paul, Harish Raghavan, Andrew Randazzo, Sean Riddle, Max Ridley, Sebastian Rios, Rick Rosato, Amina Scott, Ben Smith, Ellen Andrea Wang, Gary Wang, Lex Warshawsky; promoted: Brandi Disterheft, Hans Glawischnig, Marion Hayden, Brandon Lopez, Lisa Mezzacappa, Miles Mosley, David Wong; dropped: Russell Archer [Vicente Archer added], Petter Eldh, Peter Harris, Sigurd Hole, Jodi Proznick. Electric Bass: Melvin Gibbs (5), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (3), Nate McBride (2). Much overlap with acoustic bassists, most of whom are much better known on acoustic, making it hard to keep them separate. (Same with electric keyboards.) 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, Anders Christensen*, Stanley Clarke, Avishai Cohen, Magali Datzira*, Carlitos Del Puerto*, Jeff Denson, Moppa Elliot, John Lee, Kris Funn, Henry Franklin, Matthew Garrison, James Genus, Larry Grenadier, Derrick Hodge, Dieter Ilg*, Shahzad Ismaily, Michael Janisch, Mimi Jones, Joe Lally*, Michael League*, Tim Lefebvre, Tony Levin, Matt Lux*, Tarus Mateen, Christian McBride, Federica Michisanti, Marcus Miller, Linda May Han Oh, Michael Olatuja*, Pino Palladino, Felix Pastorius, Junius Paul, Mike Pope, Kaveh Rastegar*, Nat Reeves, Jason Roebke*, Jorge Roeder*, Skulli Sverrisson*, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Tarry, Katie Thiroux, Thundercat, Victor Wooten. Rising Star Electric Bass: Farida Amadou (5) Brandon Lopez (3), Kim Cass (2). First pass: *Farida Amadou, Kim Cass*, Brandon Lopez; Mali Obomsawin, promoted: Chris Morrissey; dropped: Tommy Babin. Also on ballot: Rosa Brunello*, Daniel Casimir, Conor Chaplin, Mohini Dey*, Ron English, Hadrien Feraud, Marika Galea, David Ginyard Jr.*, Kinga Glyk, Ruth Goller*, Dieter Ilg, Joe Lally, Henrik Linder, Matt Lux, Reed Mathis, Al McDowell, Ciara Moser, Mono Neon, Mali Obomsawin, Rocco Palladino*, Michael Pipoquinha, Andrew Randazzo*, Brandon Rose*, Skulli Sverisson, Tal Wilkenfeld*, Sam Wilkes*; promoted: Anders Christensen, Carlitos Del Puerto, Michael Olatuja, Kaveh Rastegar, Jason Roebke, Jorge Roeder, dropped: Decebal Badila, Zurab Gagnidze. Violin: Jason Kao Hwang (5), Meg Okura (3), Carlos Zingaro (2). First pass: Sam Bardfeld, Mark Feldman, Jason Kao Hwang, Eyvind Kang, Carla Kihlstedt, Mat Maneri, Meg Okura, Jessica Pavone, Jenny Scheinman, Aaron Weinstein, Carlos Zingaro. Also on ballot: Darol Anger*, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Sarah Bernstein, Andrew Bird*, Zach Brock, Regina Carter, Sara Caswell, Theo Ceccaldi, Joe Deninzon*, Erica Dicker*, Melanie Dyer, Chris Garrick*, Jeff Gauthier, Jerry Goodman, Christian Howes, Gregor Huebner*, Fung Chern Hwei*, Majid Khaliq*, Frederika Krier*, Ola Kvernberg*, Tcha Limberger*, Daniel John Martin*, Diane Monroe, Florin Niculescu*, Costel Nitescu*, Mark O'Connor, Tomoko Omura, Dominique Pifarély*, Jean-Luc Ponty, Evan Price*, Arun Ramamurthy, Dayren Santamaria*, Mateusz Smoczynski*, Mazz Swift, Tscho Theissing* Rob Thomas*, Mads Tolling, Michal Urbaniak, Aurore Voilqué*, Phil Wachsmann, Jesse Zubot*; dropped: Sandra Poindexter, Anatol Stefanet. Rising Star Violin: Szilard Mezei (5), Gabby Fluke-Mogul (3), Scott Tixier (2). First pass: Gabby Fluke-Mogul (listed twice), Szilárd Mezei, Scott Tixier; promoted: Ola Kvernberg, Jesse Zubot. Also on ballot: Jorge Amado, Jason Anick, Adam Baldych, Johanna Burnheart, Maureen Choi, Billy Contreras*, Anais Drago, Leonor Falcon, Chiara Fasi*, Ledah Finck, Nora Germain, Alexander Hargreaves*, Aline Homzy, Clément Janinet, Bernadette Kellerman, Jeremy Kittel*, Kristin Lee, Fiona Monbet, Marcus Moore, Sana Nagano, Sergiu Pavlov*, Elizabeth Rodríguez, Chazlen Rook*, Layth Sidiq, Eva Slongo*, Curtis Stewart, Macie Stewart, Ben Sutin, Lisi Wright, Zara Zaharieva, Leah Zeger*; promoted: Joe Deninzon, Erica Dicker, Chris Garrick, Majid Khaliq, Dayren Santamaria, Mateusz Smoczynski, Tscho Theissing, dropped: Joanna Mattrey, Ben Powell. Drums: Hamid Drake (5), Jim Black (3), Gerald Cleaver (2). First pass: Joey Baron, Han Bennink, Jim Black, Gerald Cleaver, Andrew Cyrille, Tim Daisy, Jack DeJohnette (RIP), 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, Justin Brown*, Otis Brown III*, Obed Calvaire, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Chambers, Billy Cobham, Henry Cole, Chris Corsano*, Adam Cruz, Duduka DaFonseca, Kabir Dalawari, Chris Dave, Jon Deitemyer*, Peter Erskine, Joe Farnsworth, Al Foster (RIP), Steve Gadd, Devin Gray*, Rodney Green, Mark Guiliana, Terreon Gully, Dana Hall, Jeff Hamilton, Eric Harland, Ari Hoenig, McClenty Hunter Jr.*, Yoron Israel, Jerome Jennings*, Willie Jones III, Alex Kautz, Vladimir Kostadinovic*, Christian Lillinger*, Makaya McCraven, Stanton Moore, Kresten Osgood*, Kassa Overall*, Ulysses Owens Jr., Dafnis Prieto, Reggie Quinerly, Mike Reed, Herlin Riley, Karriem Riggins, Seb Rochford*, Adonis Rose, Joe Saylor*, Kendrick Scott, Robert Searlight*, Mark Sherman*, Nate Smith, Vincent Sperrazza*, Bill Stewart, E.J. Strickland, Shirazette Tinnin, Johnny Vidacovich*, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Dan Weiss, Nate Wood; dropped: Justin Faulkner, Roy Haynes (RIP), Albert "Tootie" Heath (RIP). Rising Star Drums: Moses Boyd (5), Sarathy Korwar (3), Lesley Mok (2). First pass: Moses Boyd, Yussef Dayes Marcus Gilmore*, Sarathy Korwar, Leslie Mok, promoted: Devin Gray, Kresten Osgood. Also on ballot: Jonathan Barber, JD Beck, Domo Branch*, 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, Sanah Kadoura, Myles Manzanza, Allan Mednard, Sun Mi-Hong, Curtis Nowosad, Jonathan Pinson, TJ Reddick, Jamison Ross*, Tomoki Sanders, Michael Shekwoaga Ode, Kweku Sumbry, Sarah Thawer, Justin Tyson, Mark Whitfield Jr.; promoted: Justin Brown, Otis Brown III, McClenty Hunter Jr., Jerome Jennings, Christian Lillinger, Kassa Overall, Ulysses Owens Jr., Seb Rochford, Joe Saylor, Vincent Sperrazza, dropped: Tony Austin, Márcio Bahia, Garth Powell, Asaf Sirkis, Jamire Williams, Rudolfo Zuniga. From this point on, I'm going to change the methodology. I'm still going to copy the nominee lists, but I'm not going to try to figure out promotions, adds, and deletions. I may not bother with sorting out a "first pass" tier. I'll probably just vote for whoever I voted for last time (if they're still on the ballot). Hopefully that will help speed things up, as I'm already past the ten hour mark. Percussion: Kahil El'Zabar (5), Kevin Diehl (3), Adam Rudolph (2). First pass: Han Bennink, Mino Cinelu, Kevin Diehl, Hamid Drake, Kahil El'Zabar, Kate Gentile, Trilok Gurtu, Susie Ibarra, Marilyn Mazur, Bob Moses, Adam Rudolph, Michael Zerang. Also on ballot: Alex Acuña, Brian Andres, JoVia Armstrong, Manolo Badrena, Roger Baird, Cyro Baptista, Rogério Boccato, Weedie Braimah, Alex Cline, Sheila E, Harris Eisenstadt, Pete Escovedo, Sammy Figueroa, Eli Fountain, Raphael Geronimo, Abraham Gomez-Delgado, Cris Haas, Mauricio Herrera, Giovanni Hidalgo, Myungo Jackson, Kevin Bujo Jones, Carolyn Koebel, Tupac Mantilla, Armando Marçal, Tupac Mantilla, Pedrito Martinez, Nitin Mitta, Ravish Momin, Airto Moreira, Keita Ogawa, Gumbi Ortiz, Luisito Quintero, Edward Perraud, Dafnis Prieto, Luisito Quintero, Michele Rabbia, Daniel Sadownick, Poncho Sanchez, Bobby Sanabria, John Santos, Ches Smith, Vladimir Tarasov, Chad Taylor, Tom Teasley, Jon Wikan, Mauricio Zottarelli. Rising Star Percussion: Sarathy Korwar (5), Rajna Swaminathan (3), Bex Burch (2). First pass: Bex Burch, Sarathy Korwar, Rajna Swaminathan; promoted: JoVia Armstrong. Also on ballot: Amaury Acosta, Giancarlo Anderson, Victor Garcia, Emil Karlsen, Gabriel "Gabo" Lugo, James Maddren, Al Murray, Manolito Rodriguez, Willy Rodriguez, Tomoki Sanders, Negah Santos, Kweku Sumbry, Roberto 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: Sergio Armaroli, Tom Beckham, Karl Berger, Sasha Berliner, Joe Chambers, Christopher Dell, Mike Dillon, Chris Dingman, Erik Charlston, Tomas Fujiwara, Behn Gillece, Luca Gusella, Gunter Hampel, Stefon Harris, Jim Hart, Jay Hoggard, Jason Marsalis, Hendrik Meurkens, Tony Miceli, Simon Moullier, Corey Mwamba, Kjell Nordeson, Tito Puente Jr., Steve Roehm, Mattias Såhl, Taiko Saito, Cecilia Smith, Christian Tamburr, Saverio Tasca, Tom Teasley, Ben Thomas, Warren Wolf, Hristo Yotsov. Rising Star Vibes: Chien Chien Lu (5), Carolyn Trowbridge (3), Yuhan Su (2). First pass: Chien Chien Lu, Yuhan Su, Carolyn Trowbridge, promoted: Kjell Nordeson, Christian Tamburr. Also on ballot: Lolly Allen, Jalen Baker, Bex Birch, Eduardo Cardinho, Alexey Chizhik, Jacques di Costanzo, Smith Dobson, Lucas Dorado, Miguel Gaetan, Victor Garcia, Sae Hashimoto, Alexander Johnson, Marcos Lopez, Takafumi Nikaido, Keita Ogawa, Isaiah Petrie, Mike Pinto, Preyas Roy, Negah Santos, Peter Schlamb, Selendis Sebastian, Thaddeus Tukes, Alexis Valet, Wayne Williams, Lewis Wright. 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: Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (Adjuah bow, siren, sirenette, Adjuah trumpet/reverse flugelhorn), Jon Batiste (melodica/harmonaboard), Anouar Brahem (oud), James Carter (bass saxophone), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Paolo Damiani (cello), Toumani Diabaté (kora), Akua Dixon (cello), Dave Easley (pedal steel), Béla Fleck (banjo), Helen Gillet (cello), Wycliffe Gordon (tuba), Gordon Grdina (oud), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Hamilton de Holanda (mandolin), Jon Irabagon (sopranino saxophone), Brian Landrus (bass clarinet), Okkyung Lee (cello), Steve Lehman (sopranino), Urs Leimgruber (sopranino), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar), Janel Leppin (cello), Howard Levy (harmonica), Charles Lloyd (tarogato), Joe Lovano (tarogato), Todd Marcus (bass clarinet), Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica), Marcus Miller (bass clarinet), Ikue Mori (laptop), Nils Økland (Hardanger fiddle), Ed Partyka (tuba), Matt Perrine (sousaphone), Chris Potter (bass clarinet), Maxine Roach (viola), Hank Roberts (cello), Scott Robinson (bass saxophone), Dino Saluzzi (bandoneón), Sarah Schoenbeck (bassoon), Brandon Seabrook (banjo), Vincent Peirani (accordion), Arkady Shilkloper (French horn), Ballaké Sissoko (kora), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Colin Stetson (bass saxophone), Chris Thile (mandolin), Steve Turre (shells), Ben Wendel (bassoon), Amanda Whiting (harp), Stevie Wonder (harmonica), Min Xiao-Fen (pipa), Katherine Young (bassoon), John Zorn (Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ). Rising Star Miscellaneous Instrument: Val Jeanty (turntables/sound sculpture) (5) Nils Økland (hardanger fiddle) (3), Alina Bzhezhinska (harp) (2). First pass: Alina Bzhezhinska (harp), Val Jeanty (turntables/sound sculpture), Nils Økland (hardanger fiddle); promoted: Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Katherine Young (bassoon). Also on ballot: Joao Barradas (accordion), Bex Burch (gyil), Valentin Ceccaldi (cello), Chris Combs (pedal steel guitar), Leon Foster Thomas (steelpan), Elliot Galvin (toy piano/electronics), Mathias Heise (harmonica), Daniel Herskedal (tuba), Jacqueline Kerrod (harp), DoYeon Kim (gayageum), Joy Lapps (steel pan), Steven Lugerner (bass clarinet), Mighty Michael Mendelson (harmonica), Anatole Muster (accordion), Aurora Nealand (accordion), Vincent Peirani (accordion), Yvonnick Prené (harmonica), Emily Rach Beisel (bass clarinet), Mariam Rezaei (turntables), Jeremy Rose (bass clarinet), Ben Rosenbaum (accordion), Tali Rubinstein (recorder), Ryan Shultz (bass trumpet), Vincent Ségal (cello), Shabaka (Shakuhachi), Sophye Soliveau (harp), Melinda Sullivan (tap dance percussion), Alexa Tarantino (alto flute), Joseph Tawadros (oud), David Virelles (celeste), Caleb Wheeler (Stritch). Female Vocalist: Sheila Jordan (5), Catherine Russell (3), Fay Victor (2). First pass: Dee Alexander, Patricia Barber, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Sheila Jordan (RIP), 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, Aimée Allen, Laila Biali, Iva Bittová, Janice Borla, Betty Bryant, Paloma Dineli Chesky, Sienna Dahlen, Dena DeRose, Denise Donatelli, Dominique Eade, Madeline Eastman, Kat Edmonson, Sinne Eeg, Sidsel Endresen, Rachell Ferrell, Lisa Fischer, Roberta Gambarini, Melody Gardot, Sara Gazarek, Magos Herrera, Sofia Jernberg, Samara Joy, Rebecca Martin, Kate McGarry, Sarah McKenzie, Camila Meza, Amina Claudine Myers, Youn Sun Na, Judy Niemack, Gretchen Parlato, Joanna Pascale, Flora Purim, Sofia Rei, Lisa Rich, Teri Roiger, Sara Serpa, Jen Shyu, Judy Silvano, Claudia Solal, Tessa Souter, Luciana Souza, esperanza spalding, Kandace Springs, Mary Stallings, Becca Stevens, Tierney Sutton, Veronica Swift, Cassandra Wilson, Norma Winstone, Lucy Woodward, Lizz Wright, Libby York, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Alice Zawadzki. Rising Star Female Vocalist: Champian Fulton (5), Lady Blackbird (3), Bria Skonberg (2). First pass: Champian Fulton, Amirtha Kidambi, 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, Natalie Cressman, Christie Dashiell, Brittany Davis, Darynn Dean, Elina Duni, Ganavya, Hilary Gardner, Momoko Gill, Vanisha Gould, Caity Grygory, Lauren Henderson, Alfie Jackson, Aubrey Johnson, Eugenie Jones, Laura Kinsella, Laufey, Jo Lawry, Allegra Levy, Halie Loren, Michelle Lordi, Lucía, Sasha Masakowski, Zara McFarlane, Clara Moreno, Alexis Morrast, Ekep Nkwelle, Alicia Olatuja, Audrey Powne, Carmen Souza, Helen Svoboda, Emma-Jean Thackray, Sarah Thorpe, Camille Thurman, Kari van der Kloot, April Varner, Charenée Wade, Ellen Andrea Wang, Lucy Yeghiazaryan. Male Vocalist: Anthony Joseph (5), John Pizzarelli (3), Benny Benack III (2). First pass: Benny Benack III, Theo Bleckmann, Giacomo Gates, Anthony Joseph, John Pizzarelli, Dwight Trible, James Blood Ulmer, Kenny Washington. Also on ballot: Casey Abrams, Lorin Benedict, Andy Bey (RIP), Bilal, João Bosco, John Boutté, C. Anthony Brown, Jacob Collier, Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Cullum, Kurt Elling, Allan Harris, José James, Paul Jost, David Linx, Seth MacFarlane, Bobby McFerrin, Michael Mayo, Phil Minton, Leslie Odom Jr., Johnny O'Neal, Gregory Porter, Jamison Ross, Sachal Vasandani, Ben Williams. Rising Star Male Vocalist: Jamie Davis (5), Fred Moten (3), Billy Valentine (2). First pass: Jamie Davis, Tyreek McDole, Fred Moten, Billy Valentine. Also on ballot: Chief Adjuah, Christien Bold, Dean Bowman, Pierre L. Chambers, Peter Cincotti, Braxton Cook, Ori Dagan, Jeremy Davenport, Jeff Denson, Alan Hampton, Ashley Henry, Steven Herring, Grzegorz Karnas, Phillip Manuel, Tom Misch, Ola Onabule, Kassa Overall, Samora Pinderhughes, Jordan Rakei, Julius Rodriguez, Alex Samaras, Vuyo Sotashe, Akin Soul, Milton Suggs, Loren Thomas, JD Walter, Doug Wamble. Composer: John Zorn (5), Henry Threadgill (3), Tim Berne (2). Having very little skill at separating composition from performance, I tend to look to people who get others to play their works. First pass: Ben Allison, Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Moppa Elliott, Satoko Fujii, Mary Halvorson, Dave Holland, Steve Lehman, James Brandon Lewis, Jason Moran, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Henry Threadgill, John Zorn. Also on ballot: Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, JD Allen, Darcy James Argue, Lynne Arriale, Lucian Ban, Nik Bärtsch, Terence Blanchard, Barbara Bruckmüller, Taylor Ho Bynum, Sharel Cassity, Vladimir Chekasin, Billy Childs, Kris Davis, Dave Douglas, Yelena Eckemoff, Amir ElSaffar, Bill Frisell, Jacob Garchik, Mike Gibbs, Robert Glasper, Ben Goldberg, Benny Golson, Tom Harrell, Fred Hersch, François Houle, Jon Irabagon, Vijay Iyer, Christine Jensen, Guillermo Klein, Ingrid Laubrock, Michael Leonhart, Brian Lynch, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jim McNeely (RIP), Brad Mehldau, Myra Melford, Vince Mendoza, Pat Metheny, Roscoe Mitchell, Arturo O'Farrill, Chuck Owen, Aaron Parks, Matt Pavolka, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Tomeka Reid, Dave Rivello, Renee Rosnes, Jenny Scheinmann, Maria Schneider, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, esperanza spalding, Kamasi Washington, Ben Wendel, Immanuel Wilkins, Miguel Zenon. Rising Star Composer: Kevin Sun (5), Meg Okura (3), Marta Sanchez (2). First pass: Miho Hazama, Meg Okura, Marta Sanchez, Kevin Sun, David Virelles, Anna Webber. Also on ballot: Yazz Ahmed, Melissa Aldana, Thana Alexa, Fabian Almazan, Vilhelm Bromander, Francesco Cafiso, Summer Camargo, Etienne Charles, Claire Cope, Roxy Coss, Paolo Damiani, daoud, Angel Bat Dawid, Chet Doxas, Nick Dunston, Petter Eldh, Cenk Esen, Steven Feifke, Amina Figarova, Jonathan Finlayson, James Francies, Tia Fuller, Phillip Golub, Joel Harrison, Stephen Philip Harvey, Mark Hendry, Marquis Hill, Florian Hoefner, James Ilgenfritz, Cassie Kinoshi, Michael League, Pascal Le Boeuf, Remy Le Boeuf, Jihye Lee, David Leon, Alex LoRe, Sean Mason, Louis Matute, Makaya McCraven, Gentiane MG, Eric Oberstein, Samora Pinderhughes, Fergus Quill, Eve Risser, Jason Robinson, Joel Ross, 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, Alan Broadbent, Miho Hazama, John Hollenbeck, Jim McNeely (RIP), Ted Nash, William Parker, Tyshawn Sorey, Ryan Truesdell. Also on ballot: Joshua Abrams, Peter Apfelbaum, Omer Avital, Guy Barker, Django Bates, John Beasley, Lakecia Benjamin, Carla Bley (RIP), Geof Bradfield, Terri Lyne Carrington, James Carter, Migel de la Cerna, Billy Childs, John Clayton, Christophe Dal Sasso, John Daversa, Orbert Davis, Amir ElSaffar, Allen Farnham, Alan Ferber, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, 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, Allen Lowe, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Myra Melford, Bob Mintzer, Vince Mendoza, Arturo O'Farrill, Chuck Owen, Ed Palermo, Ed Partyka, Dafnis Prieto, Dave Rivello, Mathias Ruegg, Antonio Sanchez, Jenny Scheinmann, Todd Sickafoose, esperanza spalding, Helen Sung, Sergi Vergés, Brent Wallarab, Kamasi Washington, Anna Webber, 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, Remy Le Boeuf, Obed Calvaire, Brian Carpenter, Jacob Collier, Chris Crenshaw, Marike Van Dijk, Steven Feifke, Amina Figarova, Nubya Garcia, Kyle Gordon, Stephen Philip Harvey, Carlos Henriquez, Brian Krock, Michael League, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Michael Leonhart, Makaya McCraven, Nick McLean, Miles Okazaki, Adam O'Farrill, Kassa Overall, Ulysses Owens Jr., Noah Preminger, Fergus Quill, Christian Sands, Omar Thomas, Ben Wendel, Miles Wright. Record Label: No Business (5), Intakt (3), Pi (2). First pass: AUM Fidelity, Clean Feed, Cuneiform, ECM, Firehouse 12, HighNote, *Intakt, International Anthem, No Business, Origin, Out of Your Head, *Pi, Pyroclastic, Rogue Art, Savant, SteepleChase, Sunnyside, TUM, Tzadik. Also on ballot: 577, ACT, Aerophonic, Anti-, Anzic, ArtistShare, Astral Spirits, AUM Fidelity, Basin Street, Biophilia, Blue Canoe, Blue Note, Brownswood, Burning Ambulance, Calligram, Candid, CAM Jazz, Cellar Live Music Group, Clean Feed, Columbia Legacy, Concord, Criss Cross Jazz, Cryptogramophone, Decca, Delmark, District 81, Dot Time, Emarcy, Edition, Elemental, Enja, Fresh Sound New Talent, Gearbox, Giant Step Arts, Greenleaf Music, Hat Hut, Impulse!, Jazz Is Dead, Jazz Detective, Losen, Luaka Bop, Mack Avenue, MaxJazz, MCG Jazz, MoonJune, Mosaic, Motéma, Newvelle, Nonesuch, Origin, OKeh, Orenda, Outside In Music, Palmetto, Posi-Tone, Relative Pitch, Resonance, 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, 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, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, 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, Fabian Almazan, Daymé Arocena, Jeff Baker, Moses Boyd, Geof Bradfield, Sun Chung, Sonny Daze, Dezron Douglas, 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, Jerome Sabbagh, Marta Sánchez, Chris Schlarb, Matthew Stevens, Emma-Jean Thackray, Ryan Truesdell, Matt Ulery, Cory Wong, Nate Wooley, Jesse Zubot. Blues Artist or Group: Maria Muldaur (5), Robert Finley (3), Taj Mahal (2). I've been writing Muldaur in for some years now. First pass: Marcia Ball, Eric Bibb, Shemekia Copeland, Guy Davis, Robert Finley, 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., Robert Cray, Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, Tinsley Ellis, Eric Estrin and the Nightcats, 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, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Doug Wamble. Blues Album (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026): I normally limit myself to the nominees, but I've only heard one nominated album I rated as high as B+(***), so I decided to write two better albums in:
Other albums on ballot I've heard (1, so 2 total):
Unheard albums on ballot (32):
Ballot breakdown by my grades: A-: 0; B+(***): 1; B+(**): 1; B+(*): 0 unheard: 32. I do a poor job of tracking blues albums (2/34, or 5.8%), but I should catch up some with this checklist. On the other hand, I'd like to suggest they did a poor job of nominating good albums. Going back over my tracking files, here are the blues-tagged new albums released in this period that I have heard and rated (there are also some reissues/vault jobs, by Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, and Eli "Paperboy" Reed).
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, Jason Isbell, Janelle Monáe, The Roots, 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 Castañeda, 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, Rickie Lee Jones, Khruangbin & Vieux Farka Touré, Angela Kidjo, Kendrick Lamar, Laufey, Bettye LaVette, 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, Antonio Sanchéz, SatchVai, Somi, Jorji Smith, Willow Smith, Tank and the Bangas, The Third Mind, Ralph Towner, Red Baraat, 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):
These were my top-rated 2025 non-jazz albums from the nominee list, but note that they actually finished { 9, 33, 35 } in my The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2025. I didn't have to interpolate any 2026 albums, as none of the A- albums that were nominated came out in 2026. Other albums on ballot I've heard (39, so 42 total):
Other unheard albums on ballot (12):
Ballot breakdown by my grades: A-: 12; B+(***): 6; B+(**): 7; B+(*): 12; B: 4; B-: 1; unheard: 12. These are all over the place, but I've heard 42/54 (77.7%). Post-Poll CommentsDownbeat Readers Poll |