© 2024 WRTI
Your Classical and Jazz Source. Celebrating 75 Years!
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WRTI's Top 100 Jazz Countdown of 2016!

WRTI hosts J. Michael Harrison and Courtney Blue presented our annual countdown of last year's top 100 new jazz releases. Here's the list!

Sponsored by the 27th Annual Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest, March 31 to April 9, 2017.

  1. “Afrodesia” – Dr. Lonnie Smith – Evolution

  2. “For Curtis” – One For All – The Third Decade

  3. “Fantasy of You and Me in Love” – Tom Giacabetti – Tender Heart

  4. “Half the Battle” – Orrin Evans - #KnowingIsHalfTheBattle

  5. “Backyard Groove” – Kenny Garrett – Do Your Dance!

  6. “Picture Frame” – Organik Vibe Trio – Things We Did Last Summer

  7. “Ascona” – The Power Quintet – High Art

  8. “City Lights” – Joey Alexander – Countdown

  9. “There’s A Boat Dats Leavin Soon for New York” – Branford Marsalis w/ Kurt Elling – Upward Spiral

  10. “Body & Soul” – Oleg Kireyev & Keith Javors – The Meeting

  11. “Decisive Steps” – Mack Avenue SuperBand – Live! From the 2015 Detroit Jazz Festival

  12. “From This Moment On” – Bria Skonberg – Bria

  13. “Cassidy” – Dave Wilson Quartet – There Was Never

  14. “The Road Home” – Laurence Hobgood – Honor Thy Fathers

  15. “Dolphin Dance” – Dick Oatts/Mats Holmquist New York Jazz Orchestra – A Tribute to Herbie +1

  16. “Is That What You Think” – Fabrizio Sotti – Forty

  17. “A Spring Fantasy” – Herlin Riley – New Direction

  18. “Ask Me Now” – John Beasley – Monk’estra Vol. 1

  19. “Don’t Lose Your Steam” – Gregory Porter – Take Me to the Alley

  20. “I’ll Remember April” – Bill Charlap – Notes From New York

  21. “Too Good to Last” – Kandace Springs – Soul Eyes

  22. “Everybody’s Song But My Own” – Fred Hersch Trio – Sunday Night At The Vanguard

  23. “Dream Dancing” – Jeremy Pelt – #JiveCulture

  24. “Domingo” – Benny Golson – Horizon Ahead

  25. “Up Jumped Spring” – Hendrik Meurkins – Harmonicus Rex

  26. “And I Love Her” – Brad Mehldau Trio – Blues and Ballads

  27. “Ghost of a Chance” – Bob James & Nathan East – The New Cool

  28. “Bamboleo” – Dominick Farinacci – Short Stories

  29. “Seasoned Traveler” – Wayne Bergeron – Full Circle

  30. “People Will Say We’re In Love” – The Hot Sardines – French Fries and Champagne

  31. “Javanaise” – Hubert Laws & Jeffrey Biegel – Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano

  32. “No Money No Honey” – Charlie Hunter – Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth

  33. “A Hefti Dose of Bassie” – Patrick Williams – Home Sweet Home

  34. “What’s Going On” – Dave Stryker – Eight Track II

  35. “Groundwork” – Willie Jones III – Groundwork

  36. “Words” – Cyrille Aimee – Let’s Get Lost

  37. “That’s All” – Stacey Kent – Tenderly

  38. “Speak Low” – Antonio Hart – Blessings

  39. “The Very Thought of You” – Catherine Russell – Harlem On My Mind

  40. “The Traveller” – Amina Figarova – Blue Whisper

  41. “Perimeter” – Verve Jazz Ensemble – Perimeter

  42. “I’ve Got the World on a String” – Great American Music Ensemble – It’s All in the Game

  43. “Shuffle Boil” – Kenny Barron – Book of Intuition

  44. “Blondie’s Waltz” – George Coleman – A Master Speaks

  45. “Dig It” – Scott Tixier – Cosmic Adventure

  46. “Moon River” – Randy Napoleon – Soon

  47. “Oceans of Time” – The Cookers – The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart

  48. “A Gloomy Day” – Ella Gahnt – Third Stage Elegance

  49. “I’ll Remember April” – Kevin Hays New Day Trio – North

  50. “The Georgia Peach” – Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra – Basically Baker Vol. 2

  51. “Gardena” – Stryker/Slagle Band – Routes

  52. “Ummg” – The 14 Jazz Orchestra – Nothing Hard is Ever Easy

  53. “Faith Amongst the Unknown” – Cyrus Chestnut – Natural Essence

  54. “Colors for the Masters” – Steve Turre – Colors for the Masters

  55. “So Many Stars” – Eric Alexander – Second Impression

  56. “The Corners” – Robby Ameen – Days in the Night

  57. “Looking Back” – Christian Winther – Refuge in Sound

  58. “West” – Eric Hargett Trio – Steppin’ Up

  59. “Buddy Bolden’s Blues” – New Orleans Swamp Donkeys – Swamp Donkey

  60. “Seduction” – Lisa Hilton – Nocturnal

  61. “Hawaii Bathing Suit” – Peter Erskine –  Dr. Um

  62. “Clockwise” – Dena DeRose – United

  63. “Airegin” – Joe Chambers – Landscapes

  64. “Pure Imagination” – Jim Rotondi – Dark Blue

  65. “We In The House” – Lafayette Harris Jr. – Hangin’ with the Big Boys

  66. “So Simple A Beginning” – Renee Rosnes – Written in Rocks

  67. “This Could Be (For the Travelling Soul)” – Theo Croker – Escape Velocity

  68. “Waters of March” – Bill O’Connell – Heart Beat

  69. “Joy Waltz” – Chester Thompson Trio – Simpler Times

  70. “If I Only Had A Heart” – Michelle Lordi – Drive

  71. “Melodious Funk” – George Cables – George Cables Songbook

  72. “Un4Scene” – Jim Snidero – MD66

  73. “Celestelude” – Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life – Nihil Novi

  74. “Butterfly Samba” – Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band – Intenso!

  75. “Norwegian Wood” – Christian Tamburr – People Talk

  76. “Something’s Gotta Give” – Jane Monheit – The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald

  77. “Wonderland” – Hiromi – Spark

  78. “Hidden Pockets” – Peter Bernstein – Let Loose

  79. “Once I Had A Laugh” – Norah Jones – Day Breaks

  80. “Fanfare for the Common Man” – Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Make America Great Again!

  81. “Colorado River Song” – Rene Marie – Sound of Red

  82. “Before the Rain Comes” – Emma Larsson – Sing to the Sky

  83. “Strollin’” – Greg Abate & Phil Woods – Kindred Spirits: Live at Chan’s

  84. “Southern Dawn” – Lucian Ban – Songs from Afar

  85. “Serenata” – Kenny Burrell – The Road to Love

  86. “Second Opinion” – George Burton – The Truth of What I Am; The Narcissist

  87. “All My Trials” – Charles Lloyd – I Long to See You

  88. “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” – Five Play – Live at the Deer Head Inn

  89. “Quiescence” – Avishai Cohen – Into the Silence

  90. “Cuchifrito” – Carlos Henriquez – Bronx Pyramid

  91. “Tango Till They’re Sore” – Madeleine Peyroux – Secular Hymns

  92. “Made Up My Mind” – Laurin Talese – Gorgeous Chaos

  93. “Saturday Night Special” – The Clayton Brothers – Soul Brothers

  94. “121st Street” – Manuel Valera & Groove Square – Urban Landscape

  95. “Blue In Green” – Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra – Time/Life

  96. “When You Wish Upon A Star” – Gregory Porter – Jazz Loves Disney

  97. “All Through the Night” – Scott Hamilton w/ the Jeff Hamilton Trio – Live in Bern

  98. “That Sunday, That Summer” – Richie Cole – Plays Ballads and Love Songs

  99. “Staring At The Sun” – The Bad Plus – It’s Hard

    100. “Seraphim” – Chicago Jazz Philharmonic – Havana Blue