After the encouraging response we received to last year’s inaugural full-length Critics’ Poll, we decided to make it an annual tradition. Our regular contributors were asked to vote in the same categories that make up our yearly Readers’ Poll, ranking their top five choices in each. The poll focuses on artists’ achievements during 2011, as opposed to their careers in whole.
Winners below are bolded; runners-up are listed in order of number of points. THE EDITORS
BEST OF ALL
Artist of the Year
∙ Sonny Rollins
∙ Jason Moran
∙ Joe Lovano
∙ Esperanza Spalding
∙ Rudresh Mahanthappa
New Artist
∙ Ambrose Akinmusire
∙ Ben Williams
∙ Warren Wolf
BEST GROUPS
Acoustic Group
∙ Charles Lloyd New Quartet
∙ Joe Lovano Us Five
∙ James Farm
∙ Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette
∙ Jason Moran & the Bandwagon
Contemporary/Electric Group
∙ Return to Forever IV
∙ Medeski, Martin & Wood/Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood*
∙ The Robert Glasper Experiment
∙ Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Samdhi
∙ Yellowjackets
[*MMW and MSMW tied for second place. Combined, they would have won the category.]
Big Band
∙ Maria Schneider Orchestra
∙ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
∙ Mingus Big Band
∙ Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band
∙ Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
Vocal Group
∙ The Manhattan Transfer
∙ Afro Blue (Howard University)
∙ Take 6
Blues Artist
∙ Buddy Guy
∙ Tedeschi Trucks Band
∙ Eric Clapton
∙ North Mississippi All-Stars
BEST OF THE JAZZ INDUSTRY
Record Label
∙ ECM
∙ Sunnyside
∙ Blue Note
∙ Concord Music Group
∙ Pi Recordings
Festival
∙ Montreal International Jazz Festival
∙ Newport Jazz Festival
∙ Monterey Jazz Festival
∙ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
∙ Undead Jazzfest
Nightclub
∙ Village Vanguard
∙ Jazz Standard
∙ Birdland
∙ Yoshi’s (Oakland & San Francisco)
∙ Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
BEST OF MEDIA
Book
∙ New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans by John Swenson (Oxford University Press)
∙ Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice by Tad Hershorn (University of California Press)
∙ What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years by Ricky Riccardi (Pantheon Books)
∙ All the Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennettby David Evanier (Wiley)
∙ Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz by Benjamin Cawthra (University of Chicago Press)
Film/DVD/TV Series
∙ Treme (HBO Original Series)
∙ Jazz Icons Series 5 (Reelin’ in the Years/Mosaic DVDs)
∙ Icons Among Us (Four-Disc Edition/CD-ROM Study Guide) (IndiePix)
Syndicated Radio Program
∙ The Checkout With Josh Jackson (WBGO)
∙ Jazz After Hours With Jim Wilke (PRI)
∙ JazzSet With Dee Dee Bridgewater (NPR)
∙ Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired (SiriusXM)
BEST MUSICIANS
Trumpet
∙ Ambrose Akinmusire
∙ Dave Douglas
∙ Terence Blanchard
∙ Wynton Marsalis
∙ Nicholas Payton
Trombone
∙ Wycliffe Gordon
∙ Steve Turre
∙ Robin Eubanks
∙ Steve Davis
∙ Josh Roseman
Clarinet
∙ Anat Cohen
∙ Don Byron
∙ Paquito D’Rivera
∙ Ken Peplowski
∙ Chris Speed
Tenor Saxophone
∙ Sonny Rollins
∙ Joe Lovano
∙ Charles Lloyd
∙ JD Allen
∙ Chris Potter
Alto Saxophone
∙ Rudresh Mahanthappa
∙ Miguel Zenón
∙ Lee Konitz
∙ David Binney
∙ Steve Coleman
Soprano Saxophone
∙ Dave Liebman
∙ Branford Marsalis
∙ Wayne Shorter
∙ Jane Ira Bloom
∙ Jane Bunnett
Baritone Saxophone
∙ Gary Smulyan
∙ James Carter
∙ Claire Daly
∙ Ronnie Cuber
∙ Hamiet Bluiett
Flute
∙ Nicole Mitchell
∙ Henry Threadgill
∙ Charles Lloyd
∙ Jane Bunnett
∙ Jamie Baum
Violin
∙ Regina Carter
∙ Jenny Scheinman
∙ Mark Feldman
∙ Jean-Luc Ponty
∙ Billy Bang
Piano
∙ Jason Moran
∙ Brad Mehldau
∙ Vijay Iyer
∙ Keith Jarrett
∙ Chick Corea
Electric Keyboards
∙ Chick Corea
∙ Uri Caine
∙ Craig Taborn
∙ Robert Glasper
∙ John Medeski
Organ
∙ Dr. Lonnie Smith
∙ Joey DeFrancesco
∙ Larry Goldings
∙ Gary Versace
∙ John Medeski
Guitar
∙ Bill Frisell
∙ John Scofield
∙ Julian Lage
∙ Kurt Rosenwinkel
∙ Pat Metheny
Acoustic Bass
∙ Christian McBride
∙ Ron Carter
∙ Dave Holland
∙ Charlie Haden
∙ Ben Allison
Electric Bass
∙ Stanley Clarke
∙ Steve Swallow
∙ Matthew Garrison
∙ Christian McBride
∙ Victor Wooten
Vibraphone
∙ Stefon Harris
∙ Gary Burton
∙ Jason Adasiewicz
∙ Warren Wolf
∙ Joe Locke
Drums
∙ Roy Haynes
∙ Paul Motian
∙ Jack DeJohnette
∙ Eric Harland
∙ Jeff “Tain” Watts
Percussion
∙ Poncho Sanchez
∙ Cyro Baptista
∙ Zakir Hussain
∙ Sammy Figueroa
∙ Airto Moreira
MaleVocalist
∙ Kurt Elling
∙ Tony Bennett
∙ Freddy Cole
∙ Theo Bleckmann
∙ José James
Female Vocalist
∙ Gretchen Parlato
∙ Dianne Reeves
∙ Tierney Sutton
∙ Cassandra Wilson
∙ René Marie
Miscellaneous Instruments (banjo, harmonica, cello, oud, et al.)
[four winners]
∙ Béla Fleck
∙ Erik Friedlander
∙ Gregoire Maret
∙ Toots Thielemans
Arranger
∙ Vince Mendoza
∙ Maria Schneider
∙ John Hollenbeck
∙ Bob Belden
∙ Guillermo Klein
Composer
∙ Maria Schneider
∙ Ambrose Akinmusire
∙ John Hollenbeck
∙ Darcy James Argue
∙ Wayne Shorter
