The 2016 Expanded Critics’ Poll

Artist of the Year, Best Composer: Wadada Leo Smith (photo by Scott Groller/courtesy of Cuneiform Records)

Best Vocal Group: Tillery (photo courtesy of the artist)

Best Guitarist: Julian Lage (photo by Justin Camerer)

For this annual companion poll to last issue’s top 50 critic’s picks, more than 30 of our regular contributors participated in a survey based on our yearly readers’ poll. Voters were asked to focus on artists’ achievements during 2016 rather than assessing entire careers.

Winners are bolded; runners-up are listed below in order of number of points. An asterisk* denotes a tie. |  Evan Haga, Editor