Free Jazz Blog's 2023 Top 10 Lists

So, here we are, standing on the precipice of a new year looking back at the current one -- who would have thought that would see the future catching up with the present so fast, especially with AI that can take artfully crafted prompts like "Santa delivering records for Christmas, excitement, painting style" and create stunning visualizations like the one above, in addition to generating an endless supply of confusing student essays. Fortunately, we haven't outsourced all our creativity to the machines yet. For example, the past year was a banner one for experimental and improvised music. Here is some anecdotal evidence: over the past 12 months, the Free Jazz Blog received at least two thousand requests for reviews and welcomed over 1.71 million visitors -- a testament to both the spirit and creativity of musicians around the world and a nod to the tireless effort that the collective's volunteer writers put into keeping the website humming.

Now, without further ado, we present the top 10 albums of the year from the Free Jazz Collective:

The Free Jazz Collective's Top 10 of 2023 (A - Z):

• Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
• Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)
• Fire Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect your Light (Impulse)
• King Übü Örchestrü – Roi (FMR, 2023)
• Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records, 2023)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation, 2023)
• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala, 2023)
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)

From each list, the most listed recordings were culled to produce the above list of top 10 recordings of the year. Our rules are simply, anything that appears on a list must have been reviewed on the site (or by the reviewer personally, somewhere). You can search for any of the recordings listed to read a review of the recording. As you check out the lists the collective will be busy voting on the top album from the list below to come up with our top album of the year, which we will present on January 1st.

And please, share your thoughts on 2023's rich offerings in the comments!

 

- Paul Acquaro 

 

Alphabetically by first name, the top 10's from the collective:

 

Eyal Hareuveni

• Fred Frith & Susana Silva Santos - Laying Demons to Rest (RogueArt)
• Peter Bruun, Søren Kjærgaard & Jonas Westergaard - Thēsaurós (Ilk Music)
• Satoko Fujii & Otomo Yoshihide - Perpetual Motion (Ayler)
• Glass Triangle - Blue and Sun-lights (Relative Pitch)
• Illegal Crowns - Unclosing (Out Of Your Head)
• Vasco Trilla - A Constellation Of Anomaly (Thanatosis Produktion)
• Jürg Frey (Quatuor Bozzini / Konus Quartett) - Continuité, fragilité, résonance (elsewhere)
  
• Marcelo dos Reis & Luís Vicente - (Un)Prepared Pieces for Guitar and Trumpet (Cipsela)
• John Butcher - The Very Fabric (Hittori)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond The Margins (Trost)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Dror Feiler - Maavak (Music & Noise 1980-2023, Volume 1 & 2) (iDEAL Recordings)

 

Ferruccio Martinotti

• Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
• Ceramic dog - Connection (Knockwurst)
• Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect your Light (Impulse) 
• jamie branch - Fly or die fly or die fly or die (World War) (International anthem)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation) 
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity) 
• Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra - Lightning Dreamers (International anthem) 
• The End - Why do you Mourn (Trost) 
• The Necks - Travel (Northern Spy) 

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Sam Rivers - Archive series (NoBusiness) 

Fotis Nikolakopoulos

1. Silke Eberhard &  Céline Voccia - Wild Knots (Relative Pitch)
2. Alabaster DePlume - Come With Fierce Grace (International Anthem)
3. Gerrit Hatcher - Solo Five (Kettle Hole Records)
4. Julius Amber – Close Up (Veto Records)
5. Jack Wright, Ben Bennett - Augur (Palliative Records)
6. Darius Jones - fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred) (Northern Spy, We Jazz)
7. Rudolph & Sorey -Archaisms (defkaz)
8. Sam Weinberg Trio w/ Chris Lightcap & Tom Rainey (Astral Spirits)
9. Anne Gillis + XT - Our(s) Bouture(s) (Art Into Life)
10. Rupp/Kneer/Fischerlehner - Puna (Klanggalerie)   

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

A few comments on the archival recordings: 2023 was M. Graves' year. Babi, the most important recording for  post-Ayler free jazz, was reissued for the first time on vinyl, plus Children of The Forest is a musical statement beyond explanations. 

I strongly believe that the NYC recording of Evan Parker solo did  not get the praise it deserves. Last but not least, the french  avant/free jazz/experimental trio of Axolotl from 1981 gets, finally, a  first ever reissue in any format. 

1. Milford Graves With Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover – Children Of The Forest (Black Editions Archives)
2. Evan Parker – NYC 1978 (Relative Pitch)
3. Axolotl - Abrasive (SouffleContinu Records)
   
   

Gary Chapin

1. Tim Berne/Hank Roberts/Aurora Nealand - Oceans And (Intakt)
2. Art Ensemble of Chicago - The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons d’Hiver) (Rogue Art)
3. Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)
4. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
5. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
6. Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala)
7. Ceramic Dog - Connection (Knockwurst Records)
8. Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim - Starling (self-release)
9. Fire Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
10. Marc Ducret - Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays the Music of Tim Berne (Out of Your Head)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Matthew Shipp Trio - Circular Temple (ESP-DSK)
• Sam River Archive Series (NoBusiness)

Guido Montegrandi

• Natural Information Society - Since Time is Gravity (Eremite, 2023)
• Bill Orcutt - Jump on It (Palilalia, 2023)
• The Pitch & Julia Reidy – Neutral Star (Miasmah, 2023)
• Wadada Leo Smith – Fire Illuminations (Kabell Records, 2023)
• Ove Volquartz, Gianni Mimmo, Peer Schlechta, John Hughes – Cadenza del Crepuscolo (Amirani, 2023)
• Fire! Orchestra – Echoes (Rune Grammofon, 2023)
• The Necks – Travel (Northern Spy 2023)
• Dave Sewelson, William Parker, Steve Hirsh – The Gate (Mahakala, 2023)
• Fred Frith & Susana Silva Santos – Layin Demons to Rest (RogueArt, 2023)
• Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano, Bill Orcutt – The Flower School (Palilalia, 2023)

Gregg Miller

• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala, 2023)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)
• Greg Davis & E. Jason Gibb - Steam Fence (Superpang, 2023)
• Rob Brown - Oceanic (Rogueart, 2023)
• Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation, 2023)
• Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (Balance Point Acoustics, 2023)
• Mat Maneri Quartet - Ash (Sunnyside Records, 2023)
• Peter Brötzmann, Majid Bekkas, Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts (ACT, 2023)
• Rempis Percussion Quartet - Harvesters (Aerophonic Records, 2023)
• The Coal - Recorded Remembered (Shhpuma, 2023)

Irena Stevanovska

1. The Necks - Travel (Northern Spy, 2023)
2. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon, 2023)
3. Village of the Sun - First Light (Gearbox, 2023)
4. Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - Family (We Jazz, 2023)
5. Ambrose Akinmusire - Beauty Is Enough (Origami Harvest, 2023)
6. The End - Why Do You Mourn (Trost Records, 2023)
7. Peter Brötzmann / Majid Bekkas / Hamid Drake - Catching Ghosts (ACT, 2023)
8. KVL - Vol 2 (Astral Spirits, 2023)
9. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse, 2023)
10. The Green Mean Machine - The Engine (Independent, 2023)

Jury Kobayashi

1. Joe Morris, Jeb Bishop, Nathan McBride: Tells or Terrier - (Not Two Records)
2. Maria Valencia: Compendio de Alfonías Abisales - (Relative Pitch)
3. gabby fluke-mogul, Nava Dunkelman - Likht (Relative Pitch)
4. Jaap Blonk, Damon Smith, Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (bpa)
5. Kris Tiner, Tatsuya Nakatani - The Magic Room (Epigraph Records)
6. Camila Nebbia - una ofrenda a la ausencia (Relative Pitch Records)
7. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
8. jaimie branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (Word War) (International Anthem)
9. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
10. Tomas Fujiwara - Pith (Out of Your Head)

Lee Rice Epstein

1. Darius Jones - fLuXkit Vancouver (its suite but sacred) (Northern Spy & We Jazz)
2. Anne Gillis + XT - Our/s Bouture(s) (Art Into Life)
3. Kate Gentile - Find Letter X (Pi Recordings)
4. GEORGE - Letters To George (Out of Your Head)
5. Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records)
6. John Zorn - Bagatelles, Vol. 13 - 16 (Tzadik  Records)
7. Ivo Perelman and Nate Wooley - Polarity 2 (Burning Ambulance)
8. Eddie Prévost/ N.O. Moore/ James O’Sullivan/ Ross Lambert- CHORD (Shrike Records)
9. João Almeida, Rodrigo Pinheiro & Vasco Furtado - Linae (Phonogram Unit)
10. Charlotte Keeffe's Right Here, Right Now Quartet - Alive! In The Studio (Discus Music) 

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Masada - 30th Anniversary Edition: The Complete Studio Master Takes (Tzadik)
• Milford Graves, Arthur Doyle, Hugh Glover - Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music - For Jemeel - Fire From the Road (2004–2005) (RogueArt)

Martin Schray

1. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
2. Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Schemen (Karl Records)
3. The End - Why Do You Mourn (Trost Records)
4. Xenofox - The Garden Was Empty (audiosemantics)
5. Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
6. King Übü Örchestrü 2021 – Roi (FMR)
7. Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano, Bill Orcutt – The Flower School (Palilalia Records)
8. jaimie branch - Fly Or Die Fly or Die Fly Or Die (World War) (International Anthem)
9. Rupp/Kneer/Fischerlehner - Puna (audiosemantics)
10. Louis Laurain - Le Bargy (three:four records)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy - Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse!)
• Sam Rivers Archive Series (NoBusiness)
• Peter Brötzman / Sabu Toyozumi - Triangle - Live at OHM 1987 (NoBusiness)

Matty Bannond

1. Anna Webber – Shimmer Wince (Intakt Records).
   
2. Ingrid Laubrock – The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic)
   
3. Ellen Arkbro and Johan Graden – I get along without you very well (Thrill Jockey, 2022)
4. Florian Arbenz – Conversation #8 Ablaze (Hammer)
5. Jessica Pavone – Spam Likely (577 Records)
6. The Green Mean Machine – The Engine (Independent)
   
7. Galumphing Duo – Contrast of Opposites (AMP Records)
8. Leo Genovese, Demian Cabaud and Marcos Cavaleiro – Estrellero (Sunnyside, 2023)
9. Arina Fujiwara – Neon (Independent, 2023)
10. fractus – fractus (Independent, 2023)
     

Nick Metzger

• Sven-Ake Johansson - Stumps (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu)
• James Brandon Lewis - Eye of I (Anti)
• Luís Vicente 4tet - House in the Valley (Clean Feed)
• Nava Dunkelman & gabby fluke-mogul - Likht (Relative Pitch)
• Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Rune Kitchen (Balance Point Acoustics)
• King Übü Örchestrü 2021 - Roi (FMR)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
• Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse)
• Sei Miguel - The Original Drum (Clean Feed)
• Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Graves/Doyle/Glover - Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Marion Brown Quartet - Mary Ann, Live In Bremen 1969 (Moosicus)
• John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy - Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse)

Nick Ostrum

• Satoko Fujii and Otomo Yoshihide – Perpetual Motion (Ayler)
• King Übü Örchestrü – Roi (FMR)
• Joëlle Léandre - Zurich Concert (Intakt, 2023)
  
• Marc Ducret - Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays the Music of Tim Berne (Out of Your Head Records)
• Eve Egoyan and Mauricio Pauly – Hopeful Monster (No Hay Discos)
• James Brandon Lewis Red Lilly Quartet – For Mahalia, With Love/These Are Soulful Days (Tao-Forms)
• Nava Dunkelman and gabby fluke-mogul – Likht (Relative Pitch)
• Tomas Fujiwara – Pith (Out of Your Head Records)
• Vasco Trilla & Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Singing Icons (Astral Spirits)
• Pascal Niggenkemper - Blòc (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Okay Temiz’s Oriental Wind – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (CazPlak)
• Milford Graves, Arthur Doyle, Hugh Glover – Children of the Forest (Black Editions Archive)
• Dror Feiler – Maavak: Music and Noise, 1980-2023 (Ideal Recordings)
  
  

Paul Acquaro
Akiri Sakata Entasis's set at Jazzwerstatt Peitz this fall acutally brought me to tears. The intensity that the quartet reached as Sakata summoned the demons with his furious spoken/shouted vocals was simply face melting. A friend in the audience said to me after, "I know a bit of Japanese, he was reciting his grocery list." Ok whatever, I'll have what he's cooking.

• Akiri Sakata Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost, 2023)
• Angelika Niescier / Tomeka Reid / Savannah Harris - Beyond Dragons (Intakt, 2023)
• Bushman’s Revenge - All the Better For Seeing You (Is It Jazz?, 2023)
• Daunik Lazro, Benjamin Duboc, Mathieu Bec - Standards Combustion (Dark Tree, 2023)
• Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records, 2023)
• Marcelo dos Reis - Flora (JACC, 2023) - write
• Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost, 2023)
• Silke Eberhard & Céline Voccia - Wild Knots (Relative Pitch)
• The Selva - Camarão-Girafa (Clean Feed, 2023)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Various Artists - Jazz in der DDR (Jazzwerstatt, 2023)
• Sam Rivers Archive Series (NoBusiness, 2023)
• Brötzmann / Van Hove / Bennink & Albert Mangelsdorff – Outspan No.1 / 2 (CienFuegos, 2023)
• Matthew Shipp - Circular Temple (ESP, 2023)
  
  

Troy Dostert

Titles that haven’t been reviewed at FJC were covered over at All About Jazz.

1. Sylvie Courvoisier - Chimaera (Intakt)
2. James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet - For Mahalia, With Love (Tao Forms)
3. Steve Lehman & Orchestre National de Jazz - Ex Machina (Pi)
4. Jo Lawry - Acrobats (Whirlwind)
5. Rodrigo Amado & the Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
6. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse!)
7. Henry Threadgill Ensemble - The Other One (Pi)
8. Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation (AUM Fidelity)
9. Trickster - Live in Brooklyn (Cygnus)
10. Ingrid Laubrock - The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic)

Stuart Broomer

• Susan Alcorn/José Lencastre/Hernâni Faustino - Manifesto (Clean Feed)
• Rodrigo Amado The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost)
• John Butcher - The Very Fabric (Hitorri)
• Daunik Lazro/Benjamin Duboc/Mathieu Bec - Standards Combustion (Dark Tree)
• Luís Lopes - Lisbon Paris: Stereo Noise Solo (Shhpuma)
• Pascal Niggenkemper - Blòc (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)
• Eddie Prévost/ N.O. Moore/ James O’Sullivan/ Ross Lambert- CHORD (Shriker Records)
• Eddie Prévost, et al. -  A Bright Nowhere: Complete Series (Matchless)
• Corey Smythe - Smoke Gets in your Eyes (Pyroclastic)
• Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince (Intakt)

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

• Sophie Agnel / Olivier Benoit / Daunik Lazro - Gargorium (2008-2009) (Fou Records) 
• Marteau Rouge (Foussat/Pauvros/Sato) & Evan Parker (2009) - Gift (Fou Records) 
• Bengt “Frippe” Nordström - Vinyl Box (Ni Vu Ni Connu)

Stef Gijssels

1. Ambrose Akinmusire - Beauty is Enough (Origami Harvest)
   
2. João Almeida, Rodrigo Pinheiro & Vasco Furtado - Linae (Phonogram Unit)
3. Kris Tiner & Tatsuya Nakatani - The Magic Room (Epigraph Records)
4. Marcelo dos Reis & Luís Vicente - (Un)Prepared Pieces for Guitar and Trumpet (Cipsela)
5. Ove Volquartz, Gianni Mimmo, Peer Schlechta & John Hughes - Cadenza Del Crepuscolo (Amirani)
6. Lina Allemano - Canons (Lumo Records)
7. Joëlle Léandre, Craig Taborn & Mat Maneri - hEARoes (RogueArt)
8. g a b b r o - The Moon Appears When The Water Is Still (Gabbro)
9. Ken Vandermark and Paul Lytton - Distant Cousins (Audiographic)
10. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
    

Historic/Archival/Reissued Recordings:

1. Wayne Horvitz, Butch Morris & Bobby Previte Trio - Live Forever, Vol. 2, NYC, Leverkusen 1988-1989 (Self-Released)
2. Alan Braufman - Live in New York City, February 8, 1975 (Valley Of Search)
3. Pyramid Trio - Visitation Of Spirits (NoBusiness)
4. Matthew Shipp - Circular Temple (ESP)

William Rossi

1. Fire! Orchestra - Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
2. Zoh Amba / Chris Corsano / Bill Orcutt - The Flower School (Palilalia Records)
3. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation)
4. Susana Santos Silva - All the Birds and a Telephone Ringing (Thanatosis)
5. Rodrigo Amado's The Bridge - Beyond the Margins (Trost Records)
6. Irreversible Entanglements - Protect Your Light (Impulse!)
7. hÄK / Danzeisen - hÄK / Danzeisen (Karlrecords)
8. Akira Sakata & Entasis - Live in Europe 2022 (Trost)
9. Pascal Niggenkemper - La vallée de l'étrange (Subran Musiques Aventureuses)
10. Fred Frith & Susana Santos Silva - Laying Demons to Rest (Rogue Art)