Jazz is supposed to be the music of discovery, and ‘Wood Blues’ captures the free jazz quartet [ahmed] in the very act of discovery.

Jon Anderson, Reza Khan, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and others appear on Ross Boissoneau’s Best of 2024 list, along with some he missed along the way.

‘Dark Horse’ and its subsequent tour arrived 50 years ago amid a period of conflict and uncertainty for George Harrison. But there were bright spots.

?’Shorter Notes’ from the Luca Gelli Organ Trio puts a greasy, soul-jazz spin on Wayne Shorter’s incomparable set of songs that work well in this kind of layout.

‘Eyes On The Horizon’ celebrates the pupil as much as former mentor Wadada Leo Smith, as Joe Fonda since set on a path that’s led him to the company of the best in highly creative, highly improvised jazz.

By distilling from ambitious artists like the Coltranes, Anthony Braxton, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor and others, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten was able to achieve his own, far-flung ambitions with ‘Breezy.’

Starting with his 2014 big label debut ‘Rising Son,’ Takuya Kuroda preserved the integrity of jazz as he stretches far beyond its tradition to make it embraceable for newer generations.

Preston Frazier’s 2024 Best of Jazz list includes Madeleine Peyroux, Nick Finzer, Bobby Broom, Chris Greene, Rachel Z and Jun Iida, among others.

The concept of making creative music solely with four reeded horns isn’t a new one but under Ivo Perelman’s direction, the concept has been thoroughly refreshed.

Peter Van Huffel gets with the German Kneer and the Greek Dimitriades in a combo that cuts across different countries, cultures and backgrounds to find a common vision in improvised music.