8. Charles Lloyd Trios: Chapel (Blue Note)

Charles Lloyd, at 84, is still a seeker. He has conceived a new ensemble format, the drummerless trio, and expressed it in three personnel configurations on three new recordings. All are among the top jazz albums of 2022. Chapel is favored here because it beautifully juxtaposes two dissimilar languages of lyricism (Lloyd’s and Bill Frisell’s), and because Thomas Morgan, who used to be the best young bass player in jazz, is now the best bass player, period. THOMAS CONRAD