1. Jason Moran Ten (Blue Note) 376.5 (50)
2. Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green Apex (Pi) 259 (34)
3. Mary Halvorson Quintet Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12) 175.5 (27)
4. Charles Lloyd Quartet Mirror (ECM) 150 (23)
5. Henry Threadgill’s Zooid This Brings Us to, Vol. 2 (Pi) 131 (22)
6. Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden Jasmine (ECM) 122 (21)
7. Steve Coleman & Five Elements Harvesting Semblances and Affinities (Pi) 112.5 (21)
8. Vijay Iyer Solo (ACT) 109 (17)
9. Geri Allen Flying Toward the Sound (Motéma) 105 (17)
10. Paul Motian Lost in a Dream (ECM) 90.5 (14)
12. Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth Deluxe (Clean Feed) 83.5 (13)
13. Brad Mehldau Highway Rider (Nonesuch) 78 (13)
14. Myra Melford’s Be Bread The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12) 77 (12)
15. James Moody 4B (IPO) 77 (11)
16. Randy Weston & His African Rhythms Sextet The Storyteller (Motéma) 76 (11)
17. Mostly Other People Do the Killing Forty Fort (Hot Cup) 70 (9)
18. Marc Ribot Silent Movies (Pi) 69.5 (11)
19. Fred Hersch Trio Whirl (Palmetto) 65 (15)
20. Regina Carter Reverse Thread (E1) 61 (10)
21. Claudia Quintet Royal Toast (Cuneiform) 57 (11)
22. Danilo Perez Providencia (Mack Avenue) 56 (9)
23. Christian Scott Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (Concord) 53 (9)
24. Nels Cline Singers Initiate (Cryptogramophone) 52 (9)
25. Microscopic Septet Friday The Thirteenth: The Micros Play Monk (Cuneiform Records) 46.5 (9)
26. Tomasz Stanko Quintet Dark Eyes (ECM) *46 (7)
27. Michael Formanek The Rub and Spare Change (ECM) 45.5 (9)
28. Rudresh Mahanthappa & Steve Lehman Dual Identity (Clean Feed) 42 (8)
29. Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things Stories and Negotiations (482 Music) 41.5 (10)
30. Tom Harrell Roman Nights (High Note) 40 (7)
31. Irene Kral Second Chance (Jazzed Media) 39 (5)
32. Bill Charlap & Renee Rosnes Double Portrait (Blue Note) 38.5 (7)
33. Steve Lacy November (Intakt) 38 (6)
34. William Parker Organ Quartet Uncle Joe’s Spirit House (Centering) 37.5 (5)
35. Ideal Bread Transmit: Volume 2 of the Music of Steve Lacy (Cuneiform) 36 (8)
36. Billy Bang Prayer for Peace (TUM) 35 (8)
37. John Escreet Don’t Fight the Inevitable (Mythology) 35 (6)
38. Evan Parker-Barry Guy-Paul Lytton-Peter Evans Scenes in the House of Music (Clean Feed) 34.5 (4)
39. Jason Adasiewicz Sun Rooms (Delmark) 34 (6)
39. Kris Davis-Ingrid Laubrock-Tyshawn Sorey Paradoxical Frog (Clean Feed) 34 (6)
41. William Parker I Plan to Stay a Believer: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield (AUM Fidelity) 33 (5)
42. Guillermo Klein Domador de Huellas: Music of “Cuchi” Leguizamon (Sunnyside) 32 (8)
43. Lee Konitz New Quartet Live at the Village Vanguard (Enja) 31.5 (5)
44. Nels Cline Dirty Baby (Cryptogramophone) 31.5 (4)
45. Wadada Leo Smith & Ed Blackwell The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer (Kabell) 30 (7)
46. Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society (Heads Up) 29 (5)
47. Either/Orchestra Mood Music for Time Travellers (Accurate) 27.5 (6)
48. Bad Plus Never Stop (E1) 27 (9)
Points (Ballots)
49. Chucho Valdes & the Afro.Cuban Messengers Chucho’s Steps (Four Quarters) 27 (5)
50. Pat Metheny Orchestrion27 (4)
*Includes 10 (1) from 2009.
Critics were asked to list 10 albums in descending order, with 10 points awarded for their
#1, 9 for #2, etc. (On ballots where choices were listed alphabetically, each received 5.5 points.)
The first bold number indicates total points; the number in parentheses is the tally of ballots on
which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.
1. Henry Threadgill/Air The Complete Novus and Columbia Recordings (Mosaic) 99 (43)
2. Miles Davis Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Columbia/Legacy) 63 (29)
3. Stan Getz & Kenny Barron People Time: The Complete Recordings (Sunnyside) 50 (22)
4. Ahmad Jamal Trio The Complete Argo Sessions 1956–62 (Mosaic) 41 (18)
5. John Carter & Bobby Bradford The Complete Revelation Sessions (Mosaic Select) 35 (17)
6. Philly Joe Jones & Dameronia Look, Stop and Listen (Uptown) 16 (7)
7. Duke Ellington The Complete 1932–1940 Brunswick,
Columbia, and Master Recordings (Mosaic) 14 (6)
8. Sun Ra Heliocentric Worlds (ESP-Disk) 13 (8)
9. Nat King Cole Riffin’ (Hip-O-Select) 13 (6)
9. Jemeel Moondoc The Muntu Recordings (No Business) 13 (6)
Critics were asked to list three reissues in descending order, with three points awarded for
#1, 2 for #2, and 1 for #3. The first bold number indicates total points; the number in parentheses tallies ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.
1. Cassandra Wilson Silver Pony (Blue Note) 11
2. Irene Kral Second Chance (Jazzed Media) 7
2. Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society (Heads Up) 7
4. Theo Bleckman I Dwell in Possibility (Winter & Winter) 6
4. Dee Dee Bridgewater Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959):
To Billie with Love from Dee Dee (Emarcy) 6
4. Rebecca Martin When I Was Long Ago (Sunnyside) 6
7. Catherine Russell Inside This Heart of Mine (World Village) 5
8. Norma Winstone Stories Yet to Tell (ECM) 4
1. Lisa Mezzacappa’s Bait & Switch What Is Known (Clean Feed) 5
1. Gregory Porter Water (Motema) 5
3. Eric Harland Voyager, Live by Night (Space Time) 4
1. Chucho Valdes & the Afro-Cuban Messengers Chucho’s Steps (Four Quarters) 17
2. Guillermo Klein Domador de Huellas: Musica del Cuchi Leguizamon (Sunnyside) 13
3. Conrad Herwig The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock (Half Note) 9
4. Danilo Perez Providencia (Mack Avenue) 6
5. Paquito D’Rivera Panamericana Suite (MCG) 4
For Best Vocal, Debut, and Latin albums, critics were asked to name one album apiece,
with no point system.