A new bizarre obsession seems to have taken hold, to join the Best Science Books one. Sad! No, happy!

I’ve also done lists for 2015 and 2016 and look forward to doing another for 2018 in twelve months time!

This particular post collects lists of “best of the year” jazz albums I’ve found across various websites. For the purposes of this project, I’m not giving each list its own post and showcasing the albums that are part of the list. That’s an awful lot of work, which I’m reserving for the science books project which is more core to the mission of this blog.

Note: I’ve included a few not-exclusively-jazz lists if they’ve happened to include either jazz sections or lots of jazz-ish items. If this project has any happy outcome, it would have to be my readers broadening their musical horizons by discovering great new music through these lists, the wider and more varied the better.

If I’ve missed any important list, please let me know in the comments. In particular, I’m really looking to expand my coverage beyond English-language lists. I’ve got a few in French and even on in Italian and I’d love get more. I”ll likely update this list of lists at least one more time, likely in the first or second week of January 2018.

Some additional resources: Metacritic Music Critic Top Ten Lists

My top 10 Albums? Not possible to come up with any sort of consistent permanents best list, but sure, here goes, in alphabetical order of course. And by “best” I really mean a few albums that made an impression. I’ll also concentrate on maybe a few that didn’t get as much attention in the lists above.

A Rift In Decorum, Ambrose Akinmusire

Eternal Stories, Michel Portal, Richard Héry, Xavier Tribolet, Quatuor Ebène

Far From Over, Vijay Iyer Sextet

Freedom Highway, Rhiannon Giddens

Infinitude, Christine & Ingrid Jensen w Ben Monder

Ladilikan, Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet

Live from the Fox Oakland, Tedeschi Trucks Band

Our Point Of View, Blue Note All-Stars

Signs LIVE!, Peter Bernstein Quartet

The Passion Of Charlie Parker, Various artists

Under the Influence Suite, Orchestre National de Jazz Montréal, Christine Jensen, dir.

Favourite concerts? A few of those too!

Coco Love Alcorn, Auer House (house concert)

Dave Liebman & Mike Murley Quartet, The Rex

Joel Frahm w/Turboprop, The Rex

Mike Downes Quartet, Gallery 345

DKV, The Burdock (TONE fest)

Christine and Ingrid Jensen / Infinitude, L’Astral (FIJM)

Joshua Redman Still Dreaming, Maison Symphonique (FIJM)

Lizz Wright, Monument National (FIJM)

Dave Young Quintet, The Rex

Lina Allemano Trio, Handlebar (KMJF)

A Tribute to Muddy Waters & Howling Wolf featuring Paul DesLauriers, Julian Fauth, Dylan Wickens, Guy Belanger and Jack de Keyzer, Danny Marks host, Hugh’s Room