Free Jazz Blog's Top 10s of 2022

Winter Landscape with CDs, by DALL-E

By Paul Acquaro

I am assuming that by now you have heard about the surprisingly advanced writing capability of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence. My first thought (like I assume many others) was "well, that's it, there goes another irreplaceable profession." However, embracing my mantra of being the change that I fear, I asked the AI to help me out and "write an introduction to a top 10 list of avant garde and creative jazz recordings from 2022." Aside from that "experimental jazz fusion" quip (machines can be quite cold!), the AI did a perfectly anodyne job. So, without further ado, here is ChatGPT:

Welcome to our top 10 list of avant garde and creative jazz recordings from 2022! This list highlights the best of the current jazz scene, featuring a diverse array of styles, sounds, and influences. From experimental jazz fusion to free-form improvisation, these recordings showcase the overwhelming creativity of the jazz world. As you explore each of these recordings, you'll find something unique and inspiring in each one. So, let's dive in and explore the top 10 avant garde and creative jazz recordings of 2022!

Granted, ChatGPT isn't privy to all the nuances of our work here, so let me editorsplain ... below you will find the top 10 lists from the writers of the Free Jazz Collective -- the intrepid, open-eared engineers behind the Free Jazz Blog. From each list, the most listed recordings were culled to produce the following list of top 10 recordings of the year. Our rules are simply, anything that appears on a list must have been reviewed by someone on the blog (or by the reviewer personally, somewhere). So, you will be able to search for any of the recordings here and read a review of the recording. Our next step is to collectively vote on the top album from the list below for our top album of the year, which we will present on January 1st.

We also welcome your thoughts on the top recordings of 2022 in the comments.

Drawn from the lists below, the Free Jazz Blog's 2022 Top 10:

• ATTIC (Rodrigo Amado / Gonçalo Almeida / Onno Govaert) - Love Ghosts (NoBusiness Records)

• Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas, Gerry Hemingway – Bathing Music (Veto Records)

• Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra - Eurythmia (Clean Feed)

• Fred Moten, Brandon López, Gerald Cleaver - Moten/Lopez/Cleaver (Relative Pitch Records/Reading Group)

• James Brandon Lewis Quartet – MSM: Molecular Systematic Music - Live (Intakt)

• Kobe Van Cauwenberghe - Ghost Trance Septet plays Anthony Braxton (el NEGOCITO Records)

• Myra Melford Fire and Water Quintet - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Art)

• Pat Thomas & XT (Paul Abbott and Seymour Wright) - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut)

• Wadada Leo Smith - The Emerald Duets (TUM Records)

• Zoh Amba - Bhakti (Mahakala Music)

And now, alphabetically by first name, the top 10's from the writers...

Eyal Hareuveni

• Ruben Machtelinckx + Arve Henriksen - A Short Story (Aspen Edities)

• Kobe Van Cauwenberghe - Ghost Trance Septet plays Anthony Braxton (el NEGOCITO)

• Gordon Grdina’s Haram - Night’s Quietest Hour (AttaBoyGirl)

• Torben Snekkestad / Søren Kjærgaard - Another Way of the Heart (Trost)

• Gammelsæter & Marhaug - Higgs Boson (Ideologic Organ)

• René Lussier - Au diable vert (ReR Megacorp/Circum Disc)

• Mats Gustafsson & NU Ensemble - Hidros 8 - Heal (Trost)

• Paal Nilssen-Love Circus - Pairs of Three (PNL)

• Gerry Hemingway - Afterlife (Auricle)

• Satoko Fujii - Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams (Libra)

Historical

• Brötzmann / Van Hove / Bennink – Jazz In Der Kammer Nr.71 (Deutsches Theater / Berlin / GDR / 04 / 11 / 1974) (Trost)

• Brötzmann / Bennink - Schwarzwaldfahrt (Trost, Book + Disc)

• Daunik Lazro / Jouk Minor / Thierry Madiot / David Chiésa / Louis-Michel Marion - Sonoris Causa  (NoBusiness)

Book

• Markus Müller - FMP: The Living Music (Wolke)

Fotis Nikolakopoulos

• Pat Thomas & XT (Seymour Wright, Paul Abbott) with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Edition Gamut)

• Küchen/ Fernández / Kaučič - The Steps That Resonate (Not Two Records)

• Agnel/ Butcher - La Pierre Tachée (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu)

• Dave Rempis/ Avreeayl Ra - Bennu (Aerophonic Records)

• Leroux/Van Isacker/Vanderstraeten – Als Ik Niets Meer Van De Kano Zie (Aspen Edities)

• Susie Ibarra & Tashi Dorji – Master Of Time (Astral Spirits)

• Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas, Gerry Hemingway – Bathing Music (Veto Records)

• Masked Pickle - 7 (Relative Pitch Records)

• Rachel Musson, N O Moore, Olie Brice, Eddie Prévost - Under the Sun (Matchless Recordings)

• Andy Moor & Tommaso Rolando - Sessione Pre Angiou (Torto Editions)

Historical

• Masayuki Takayanagi, New Direction - Station '70: Call In Question / Live Independence (Black Editions)

• Akira Sakata & Takeo Moriyama - Mitochondria (Trost Records)

• Peter Brötzmann/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions Archive, 2021)

Book

• Markus Müller – FMP: The Living Music (Wolke)
  For anyone interested in European Improvisation
  

Gary Chapin Mary Halvorson - Amarylis/Belladona (Nonesuch) Julie Tippets and Martin Archer - Illusion (Discus) Matthew Shipp and Chad Fowler - Old Stories (Mahakala) Daniel Carter, Ayumi Ishito, Eric Plaks, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar - Open Question, Volume 1 (577) Fred Moten, Brandon Lopez, Gerald Cleaver - Moten/Lopez/Cleaver (Relative Pitch / Reading Group) Ivo Perelman - Reed Rapture in Brooklyn (Mahakala) Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell - One More, Please (Intakt) Liba Villavecchia Trio - Zaidín (Clean Feed) Nate Wooley - Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes (Pyroclastic) Kobe Van Cauwenberghe - Ghost Trance Septet Plays Anthony Braxton (el Negocito) Historical Julius Hemphill - The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony (New World, 2021) Gregg Miller The Attic - Love Ghosts (NoBusiness Records) Martin Küchen - Utopia (Thanatosis Produktion) Matthew Shipp Trio - World Construct (Esp-Disk)  Adams, Dunn, Haas - Future Moons (Ansible Editions) The International Nothing - Just None of Those Things (Ftarri) Pedro Alves Sousa - Má Estrela (Shhpuma) Anna Kaluza & Jan Roder - Am Frankfurter Tor (Relative Pitch) Wadada Leo Smith - The Emerald Duets (Tum) Forbes Graham - Another Day, Another Vector (Relative Pitch) Cameron/Horne/Flaten/Thomas - Place is the Space (Personal Archives) Guido Montegradi Bill Orcutt - Music for Four Guitars (Palilalia) Pat Thomas & XT (Seymour Wright, Paul Abbott) with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut) Rob Mazurek - Father's Wing (RogueArt) Fire! - Requiēs (Rune Grammofon) Thurston Moore, Mats Gustafsson, Stephen O'Malley – Born Without Word/At A Worn (Slowboy, 2021) N. O. Moore - Llanfechain (Scatter) Derviche – Murs Absurdes (Ayler) Historical William Parker - Universal Tonality (Centering Records/AUM Fidelity) Soft Machine – Facelift - France & Holland (Cuneiform Records)

Keith Prosk

• Jacob Wick - Standards (Full Spectrum Records)

• Jessica Pavone - When No One Around You is There but Nowhere to be Found (Relative Pitch Records)

• Fred Moten, Brandon López, Gerald Cleaver - Moten/Lopez/Cleaver (Relative Pitch Records/Reading Group)

• Hugjiltu 胡格吉乐图 - Cycle 循环 (Dusty Ballz)

• gabby fluke-mogul, Joanna Mattrey - Oracle (Relative Pitch Records)

• Markus Eichenberger & Christoph Gallio - Unison Polyphony (ezz-thetics)

• Kobe Van Cauwenberghe - Ghost Trance Septet plays Anthony Braxton (el NEGOCITO Records)

Lee Rice Epstein

• Fred Moten, Brandon López, Gerald Cleaver - Moten/López/Cleaver (Relative Pitch/Reading Group)
  From the moment I heard this, I was under its spell. López and Cleaver are brilliant improvisers, and Moten’s poetry is some of the most evocative and captivating in recent years.

• 2. Pat Thomas & XT (Paul Abbott and Seymour Wright) - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut)
  As I wrote earlier this year, this album is “deliriously engaging, frenetic and charged with a hot energy that burns brilliantly.” Months later, it burns as brightly as ever. I’ve listened to it dozens of times and will surely listen to it dozens more.

• 3. Myra Melford Fire and Water Quintet - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Art)
  A couple months ago, I caught Melford’s quintet live at the Angel City Jazz Festival. Already the music leapt from the speakers, and live, the quintet was every bit as energetic and delightful.

• 4. Wadada Leo Smith - The Emerald Duets (TUM Records)
  Another banner year for the great Wadada Leo Smith, and the music on The Emerald Duets seemed like the peak amidst his highest mountains. Politically engaged, philosophical, and deeply felt, this set of trumpet-drummer duets is an instant classic.

• 5. Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra - Eurythmia (Clean Feed)
  I’ve been waiting for the proper recording of Risser’s Red Desert Orchestra since I first saw clips, shortly after the release of her landmark White Desert Orchestra. Its arrival surpassed expectations, textured and thrilling and fulfilling any and all promise.

• 6. The Attic (Rodrigo Amado / Gonçalo Almeida / Onno Govaert) - Love Ghosts (NoBusiness Records)
  It’s impossible to deny Amado’s Refraction Solo (Live at Church of The Holy Ghost) is one of the all-time best solo albums. The Attic trio slightly nudged ahead on my personal list as they remain one of the most incredible free trios. Love Ghosts, recorded just before the pandemic, is all fire and heart.
  

• 7. Survival Unit III - The Art of Flight: For Alvin Fielder (Astral Spirits)
  As mentioned in the liner notes, this was recorded the same night as McPhee’s final performance with the great Alvin Fielder. That Survival Unit III’s finest should be dedicated to his memory is lovely and poetic.
  

• 8. Kirk Knuffke Trio - Gravity Without Airs (Tao Forms)
  A spectacular double album from Knuffke, Michael Bisio, and Matthew Shipp. Bisio is something of a connective tissue between Knuffke and Shipp, on their first recording together, but the comfort and ease the trio displays gives the feeling of a long-time conversation, inviting audiences to listen deeply and linger at length.
  

• 9. Ra Kalam Bob Moses & Damon Smith - Purecircle (Balance Point Acoustics)
  Smith has a catalog filled with fantastic duos, and this one featuring the legendary Moses is truly exceptional. Each of them is a sensitive and inspired improvisor, and Purecircle is daring, rich, and dynamic.

• 10. Daniel Carter, Ayumi Ishito, Eric Plaks, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar – Open Question, Volume 1 (577 Records)
  I’m not sure what I expected once Carter and Ishito teamed-up, but through Playfield and now their Open Question quintet, they seem to have unlocked something exciting in each other. I continue to look forward to anything they might be working on, and I really hope to hear more from this group soon.

Historical

• Cecil Taylor - The Complete, Legendary, Live Return at The Town Hall NYC November 4, 1973 (Oblivion Records)

• Peter Brötzmann / Fred Van Hove / Han Bennink - Jazz in der Kammer Nr. 71 (Trost)

• Curlew - CBGBs, NYC, 1987 (Cuneiform)

Martin Schray
(In order):

1. Pat Thomas & XT (Seymour Wright, Paul Abbott) with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut)

2. Zoh Amba - Bhakti (Mahakala Music)

3. Oxbow feat. Peter Brötzmann - An Eternal Reminder of Not Today: Live at Moers (Trost)

4. Ballister - Chrysopoeia (Not Two)

5. McPhee Marker - McPhee Marker (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

6. Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin - Ghosted (Drag City)

7. Zoh Amba (with William Parker and Francisco Mela) - O Life, O Light Vol. 1  (577 Records)

8. Rodrigo Amado - Refraction Solo (Trost)

9. Myra Melford - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Art)

10. Keiji Haino - My lord Music, I most humbly beg your indulgence in the hope that you will do me the honour of permitting this seed called Keiji Haino to be planted within you (Purple Trap / Black Editions)

Historical

• Albert Ayler - Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental)

• Peter Brötzmann / Fred Van Hove / Han Bennink - Jazz in der Kammer Nr. 71 (Trost)

• Derek Bailey - Domestic Jungle (Scatter)

• Peter Brötzmann/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions Archive, 2021)

Matty Bannond

1. Georg Demel Quartett – Pale Blue Dot (Unit Records, 2021)

2. Spacepilot – Hycean Worlds (Orbit 577)

3. Taxi Consilium – Spiritual Car Wash (PMGJazz)

4. Wolves and Mirrors – Wolves and Mirrors (Klaeng Records, 2021)

5. Zoh Amba – Bhakti (Mahakala Music)

6. Basher – Doubles (Sinking City Records)

7. Adams, Dunn, Haas – Future Moons (Ansible Editions)

8. Marta Warelis – a grain of Earth (Relative Pitch)

9. Denis Gäbel – The Good Spirits Part 2 (Mons Records)

10. Volker Jaekel – Short Stories (Jazzwerkstatt, 2021)

Nick Metzger

• Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Enrico Rava - 2 Blues for Cecil (TUM Records, 2021)

• Tyler Mitchell featuring Marshall Allen - Dancing Shadows (Mahakala)

• Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Art)

• Ra Kalam Bob Moses & Damon Smith - Purecircle (Balance Point Acoustics)

• Fred Moten, Brandon López, Gerald Cleaver - Moten/Lopez/Cleaver (Relative Pitch Records/Reading Group)

• Isaiah Collier & Michael Shekwoaga Ode - I Am Beyond (Division 88)

• Die Hochstapler - Beauty Lies Within (Umlaut)

• Pat Thomas & XT (Seymour Wright, Paul Abbott) with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut)

• James Brandon Lewis - MSM Molecular Systematic Music (Live) (Intakt, 2022)

• Makaya McCraven - In These Times (International Anthem)

Historical

• Cecil Taylor - The Complete, Legendary, Live Return at The Town Hall NYC November 4, 1973 (Oblivion Records)

• Albert Ayler - Revelations - The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental)

• Elton Dean Quartet (Dean, Tippett, Miller, Moholo) - On Italian Roads (Live at Teatro Cristallo, Milan, 1979) (British Progressive Jazz, 2022)

• William Parker - Universal Tonality (Centering Records/AUM Fidelity)

Nick Ostrum

• Wendy Eisenberg – Bloodletting (OOYH, 2021)

• I AM (Isaiah Collier & Michael Shekwoaga Ode) – BEYOND (Division 81)

• Wills McKenna / Norman W. Long / Ishmael Ali / Bill Harris – Anemoi (Amalgam)

• Joe McPhee – Route 84 Quarantine Blues (Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021)

• New Monuments – Language is the Skin (Torn Light)

• Fred Moten/Lopez/Gerald Cleaver – S/T (Relative Pitch)

• Mali Obomsawin – Sweet Tooth (OOYH)

• Eldritch Priest - Omphaloskepsis (Halocline Trance)

• Wadada Leo Smith – Emerald Duets (TUM)

• URUK – Ame (Live at Artacts) (Trost)
  
  

Historical

• Peter Brötzmann/Han Bennink/Fred van Hove – Jazz in der Kammer 1974 (Trost)

Paul Acquaro

• Myra Melford - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Arts)

• Rodrigo Amado - Refraction Solo (Trost)

• Samo Salamon - Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar (Samo Records)

• Anna Kaluza & Jan Roder - Am Frankfurter Tor (Relative Pitch)

• Cécile Cappozzo Quintet - Hymne d'automne (Ayler)

• James Brandon Lewis Quartet - MSM Molecular Systematic Music (Live) (Intakt)

• José Lencastre - Common Ground (Phonogram Unit)

• Patricia Brennan - More Touch (Pyroclastic)

• Dave Gisler Trio with jaimie branch and David Murray - See You Out There (Intakt Records)

• Colin Stetson, Billy Martin, Elliott Sharp & Payton MacDonald - Void Patrol (Infrequent Seams)
  
  

Historical

• Cecil Taylor - The Complete, Legendary, Live Return at The Town Hall NYC November 4, 1973 (Oblivion Records, 2022)

• Soft Machine – Facelift - France & Holland (Cuneiform Records, 2022)

• Sam Rivers - Caldera (NoBusiness, 2022)

• Peter Brötzmann / Fred Van Hove / Han Bennink - Jazz in der Kammer Nr. 71 (Trost)

Books

• Markus Müller – FMP: The Living Music (Wolke)

• Phil Freeman - Ugly Beauty (John Hunt)

Sammy Stein

• Mats Gustafsson and Tony Lugo - Vertical (Superpang)

• Tyler Mitchell featuring Marshall Allen - Dancing Shadows (Mahakala)

• Sothiac Feat Paul Jolly (with Phase 3) - Superluna (33Xtreme)

• Tamarisk - Plays a Word for Sun (Waveform Alphabet)

• The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus (Edition)

• Kobe Van Cauwenberghe - Ghost Trance Septet plays Anthony Braxton (El Negocito)

• Ivo Perelman (and many others) - Reed Rapture in Brooklyn (Mahakala Music)

• Sun Ra Arkestra - Living Sky (Omni)

• MC3 - Sounds of The City (Phonocene)

• Mats Gustafsson and NU Ensemble - Archival Series 002 (Self release)

Historical

• Peter Brötzmann, Milford Graves & William Parker - Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions Archive, 2021, recorded 2002)

• Albert Ayler - Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 ( Fondation Maeght Recordings)

Stef Gijssels Rob Mazurek - Father's Wing (RogueArt) Wadada Leo Smith – The Emerald Duets (TUM) Pedro Alves Sousa - Má Estrela (Shhpuma Records) Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund - Space (Relative Pitch) Almeida, Gibson, Melo Alves, Trilla, Vicente - Dog Star (Spontaneous Music Tribune, 2021) Joe McPhee, Jen Clare Paulson, Brian Labycz – The Mystery J (Corbett vs Dempsey, 2021) Torben Snekkestad & Søren Kjærgaard - Another Way of the Heart (Trost) Myra Melford - For the Love of Fire and Water (Rogue Art) ÜberMartin Küchen - Utopia (Thanatosis Produktion) Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas & Gerry Hemingway Trio - Bathing Music (Veto) Stuart Broomer John Butcher/ Angharad Davies/ Matt Davis/ Dominic Lash/ Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga - nodosus (Empty Birdcage Records) Cécile Cappozzo Quintet - Hymne d'automne (Ayler Records) Keiji Haino - My lord Music, I most humbly beg your indulgence in the hope that you will do me the honour of permitting this seed called Keiji Haino to be planted within you (Purple Trap / Black Editions) hyper.object (Rodrigo Pinheiro/ João Almeida/ Carlos Santos/ Hernâni Faustino/ João Valinho) - inter.independence (Phonogram Unit) Rachel Musson, N O Moore, Olie Brice, Eddie Prévost - Under the Sun (Matchless) John Oswald, Henry Kaiser, Paul Plimley - At One Time (Improvisations for Cecil Taylor) (Metalanguage, 2021) Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy (Eremite) Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra – Eurythmia (Clean Feed) Pat Thomas & XT (Seymour Wright, Paul Abbott), with Will Holder - "Akisakila" / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (Edition Gamut) Nate Wooley Columbia Ice Fields - Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes (Pyroclastic Records) Historical Derek Bailey - Domestic Jungle (Scatter) Peter Brötzmann/ Milford Graves/ William Parker - Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions Archive, 2021) (recorded 2002) Daunik Lazro, Jouk Minor, Thierry Madiot, David Chiesa, Louis-Michel Marion - Sonoris Causa (No Business) (recorded 2003) Book Markus Müller - FMP: The Living Music (Wolke)

Troy Dostert

1. Tyshawn Sorey Trio +1 (With Greg Osby), Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism (Pi Recordings)

2. Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double, March (Firehouse 12)

3. James Brandon Lewis Quartet – MSM: Molecular Systematic Music - Live (Intakt)

4. Eve Risser Red Desert Orchestra - Eurythmia (Clean Feed)

5. Sélébéyone - Xaybu: The Unseen (Pi Recordings)

6. Pat Thomas and XT - “Akisakila”/Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees)(Edition Gamut)

7. Ches Smith - Interpret It Well (Pyroclastic)

8. Zoh Amba - Bhakti (Mahakala Music)

9. Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet - For the Love of Fire and Water (RogueArt)

10. The Attic (Rodrigo Amado, Gonçalo Almeida, and Onno Govaert) - Love Ghosts (NoBusiness)

William Rossi

• Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi - “Caught in the dilemma of being made to choose” This makes the modesty which should never been closed off itself Continue to ask itself: “Ready or not?” (Black Truffle, 2022)

• Ben LaMar Gay - Certain Reveries (International Anthem, 2022)

• Mats Gustafsson & NU Ensemble - Hidros 8 - Heal (Trost Records, 2022)

• Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas & Gerry Hemingway Trio - Bathing Music (Veto, 2022)

• Antoine Chessex, Francisco Meirino, Jérôme Noetinger - Maiandros (Cave12, 2022)

• Wolves and Mirrors - Wolves and Mirrors (Klaeng Records, 2021)

• Fire! with Stephen O'Malley and David Sandström - Requiēs (Rune Grammofon, 2022)

• Wadada Leo Smith - The Emerald Duets (TUM Records, 2022)

• Mali Obomsawin - Sweet Tooth (Out Of Your Head Records, 2022)

• Mind Fiber - Ya Cha Ban (Dusty Ballz, 2022)