20th annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll

January 26, 2026

2025 Ballot JazzWord
ArtsFuse

Ken Waxman (JazzWord)

NEW JAZZ ALBUMS (unranked)

  • Bruno Angelini – Sakina Abdou – Angelika Niescier, Lotus Flowers (Abalone) →
  • The Attic & Eve Risser, La Grande Crue (NoBusiness ’24) →
  • Antonio Borghini & Banquet of Consequences, Resta Chi Va (We Insist!) →
  • Michel Doneda – Lê Quan Ninh – Núria Andorrà, El Retorn De L’Escolta: A La Memòria De Marianne Brull (Fundacja Słuchaj) →
  • Floros Floridis – Matthias Bauer – Joe Hertenstein, Temporal Driftness (Evil Rabbit ’24) →
  • Fred Frith & Mariá Portugal, Matter (Intakt) →
  • The Hemphill Stringtet, Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill (Out of Your Head) →
  • Potsa Lotsa XL, Amoeba’s Dance (Trouble in the East) →
  • Kenny Wheeler Legacy, Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores (Greenleaf Music) →
  • Carlos “Zingaro” – Bruno Parrinha – Fred Lonberg-Holm – João Madeira, Enleio (4DaRecord) →

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL) (unranked)

  • Derek Bailey & John Stevens, The Duke of Wellington (1989, Confront Core) →
  • Dave Burrell & Sam Woodyard, The Lost Session: Paris 1979 (NoBusiness) →
  • Don Ellis, How Time Passes to Essence Revisited (1960-62, Ezz-Thetics ’24) →
  • Khan Jamal, Give the Vibes Some (1974, Souffle Continu) →
  • Daunik Lazro – Tristan Honsinger – Jean-Jacques Avenel, True & Whole Rhythms Au Danois 9 Mai 1982 (Fou) →

VOCAL

  • Amina Claudine Myers, Solace of the Mind (Red Hook) →

LATIN

  • Patricia Brennan, Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic) →
  • Camila Nebbia – Kit Downes – Andrew Lisle, Exhaust (Relative Pitch) →
  • Hery Paz, Fisuras (Carimbo Porta-Jazz) →

 DEBUT

  • Bloomers, Cyclism (Relative Pitch) →
  • Kovász, Fermentum (BMC) →
  • Spin & Spells, Spin & Spells (Gigantonium) →