Gregory Porter’s “All Rise” was the Number-1 album in KCCK’s Top 88 jazz releases of 2020. Nubya Garcia’s “Source” was Number-88. Here’s the list of everything else in between.
1. Gregory Porter “All Rise” (Blue Note)
2. Artemis “Artemis” (Blue Note)
3. Carl Saunders “Carl Saunders, Jazz Trumpet” (Summit)
4. Leni Stern ”4” (Leni Stern)
5. John DiMartino “Passion Flower: The Music of Billy Strayhorn” (Sunnyside)
6. Erik Jekabson Sextet “One Note at a Time” (Wide Hive)
7. Pat Metheny “From This Place” (Nonesuch)
8. James Dreier & Ritmocano “Iowa Friends, Cuban Music” (James Dreier)
9. Dick Hyman & Ken Peplowski “Counterpoint: Lerner & Loewe” (Arbors Jazz)
10. Dena DeRose “Ode to the Road” (High Note)
11. Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal “Double Dealin’” (Shanachie)
12. Al Di Meola “Across the Universe” (Ear Music)
13. Lolly Allen “Coming Home” (OA2)
14. John Scofield “Swallow Tales” (ECM)
15. Christopher’s Very Happy Band “While We Wait” (Chris Merz)
16. Kat Edmondson “Dreamers Do” (Mri)
17. Eddie Daniels “Night Kisses: A Tribute to Ivan Lins” (Resonance)
18. Bill Frisell “Valentine” (Blue Note)
19. Pearl Django “Simplicity” (Modern Hot)
20. Spyro Gyra “Vinyl Tap” (Amherst)
21. Alain Mallet “A Wake of Sorrow Engulfed in Rage” (Origin)
22. Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra “Jazz Party” (Troubador Jass)
23. Christian McBride Big Band “For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver” (Mack Avenue)
24. Ian Shaw “What’s New” (Silent Wish)
25. Big Band of Brothers “A Jazz Celebration of the Allman Brothers” (New West)
26. Lakecia Benjamin “Pursuance: The Coltranes” (Rope A Dope)
27. Ernesto Cervini “Tetrahedron” (Anzic)
28. Christian Sands “Be Water” (Mack Avenue)
29. Theo Hill “Reality Check” (Posi-Tone)
30. Michael Wolff “Bounce” (Sunnyside)
31. Sinne Eeg “We’ve Just Begun” (BFM)
32. Roberto Fonseca “Yesun” (Mack Avenue)
33. Gilfema “Three” (Sounderscore)
34. Airmen of Note “Air Power” (U.S. Air Force)
35. Joey Alexander “Warna” (Verve)
36. Fahir Atakoglu “For Love” (Far & Here)
37. Gogo Penguin “Gogo Penguin” (Blue Note)
38. Kenny Washington “What’s the Hurry” (Lower 9th)
39. Maceo Parker “Soul Food: Cooking with Maceo” (Mascot)
40. Jan Harbeck Quartet “The Sound the Rhythm” (Stunt)
41. Eric Alexander “Eric Alexander with Strings” (High Note)
42. Jimmy Cobb “Remembering U” (Jimmy Cobb World)
43. Aaron Diehl “The Vagabond” (Mack Avenue)
44. Albare “Albare Plays Jobim” (Alfi)
45. Christopher Hollyday “Dialogue” (Jazzbeat)
46. Christian Tamburr “The Awakening” (Christian Tamburr)
47. Posi-Tone Swingtet “One for 25” (Posi-Tone)
48. Alexa Tarantino “Clarity” (Posi-Tone)
49. The Flying Horse Big Band “Florida Rays” (Flying Horse)
50. Bobby Watson “Keepin’ It Real” (Smoke Sessions)
51. Kenny Barron & Dave Holland Trio “Without Deception” (Dare2)
52. Massimo Biolcati “Incontre” (Sounderscore)
53. Nick Finzer “Cast of Characters” (Outside In)
54. Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson & Gary Bartz “Bird at 100” (Smoke Sessions)
55. Jeremy Pelt “The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1” (High Note)
56. Vanderlei Pereira & Blindfold Test “Vision for Rhythm” (Jazzheads)
57. Michael Olatuja “Lagos Pepper Soup” (Whirlwind)
58. Will Bernard “Freelance Subversive” (Rope-a-Dope)
59. Harold Lopez-Nussa “Te Lo Dije” (Mack Avenue)
60. Troy Roberts “Stuff I Heard” (Toy Robot)
61. South Florida Jazz Orchestra “Cheap Thrills: The Music of Rick Margitza” (Summit)
62. Jason Tiemann “T-Man” (T-Man)
63. Brian Andres Trio Latino “Mayan Suite” (Bacalao)
64. John Beasley “MONKestra Plays John Beasley” (Mack Avenue)
65. Tower of Power “Step Up” (Artistry)
66. Eddie Henderson “Shuffle and Deal” (Smoke Sessions)
67. Monika Herzig “Eternal Dance” (Savant)
68. Snorre Kirk Quartet “Tangerine Rhapsody” (Stunt)
69. Carmen Lundy “Modern Ancestors” (Afrasia)
70. Jake Reed “Reed Between the Lines” (Real & Imagined)
71. Cory Weeds Quartet “Day by Day” (Cellar)
72. Karrin Allyson “Shoulder to Shoulder” (eOne)
73. Dave Askren and Jeff Benedict “Paraphernalia” (Tapestry)
74. Frank Basile/Sam Dillon Quintet “Two Part Solution” (Cellar)
75. Joe Farnsworth “Time to Swing” (Smoke Sessions)
76. Harold Mabern “Mabern Plays Mabern” (Smoke Sessions)
77. Dan McCarthy “City Abstract” (Origin)
78. Andy Milne & Unison “the reMission” (Sunnyside)
79. Shuffle Demons “Crazy Time” (Stubby)
80. Michael Zilber “East West: Music for Big Bands (Origin)
81. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers “Just Coolin’” (Blue Note)
82. Bill Cunliffe Trio “Sunrise Over Molokai” (Metre)
83. Jose Rizo’s Mongorama “Mariposas Cantan” (Saungu)
84. Markus Rutz “Blueprints Figure One: Frameworks” (OA2)
85. John Stein “Watershed” (Whaling City Sound)
86. Dave Stryker with Bob Mintzer & the WDR Big Band “Blue Soul” (Srikezone)
87. Wayne Escoffery “The Humble Warrior” (Smoke Sessions)
88. Nubya Garcia “Source” (Concord)