In terms of music and life, it seemed to me that 2022 was in many ways an extension of 2020 and 2021.  Opportunities for straight ahead jazz seemed to be fewer and farther between as the industry embraced music that sports more extreme outlooks.  As a full time educator and active musician, my time for enjoying music has become limited these days, so quite honestly the time I do have is devoted to music that truly moves me and that is usually material within the swing tradition.  As such, my list of favorite new recordings for 2022 is slim.  But I have decided to focus on music that often gets overlooked and make that my muse.  So, this list includes a deep dive into what inspires me: the ever-growing vinyl reissue market. 

Top New Music Releases 2022:

Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart- Perpetual Pendulum (Smoke Sessions)

Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau/Christian McBride/Brian Blade- LongGone (Nonesuch)

Ron Carter- Finding the Right Notes: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (In+Out Records)

Steve Davis- Bluesthetic (Smoke Sessions)

Tony Monaco- Four Brothers (Chicken Coup)

Brian Lynch- Songbook Vol.1: Bus Stop Serenade (Hollistic MusicWorks)

Top Discoveries of 2022:

Elvin Jones- Revival: Live at Pookie’s Pub (Blue Note)

Ahmad Jamal- Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1964 (Jazz Detective)

Ahmad Jamal- Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1965-1966 (Jazz Detective)

Pepper Adams- Live at Room at the Top (Real to Reel)

Top Vinyl Reissues of 2022:

Blue Mitchell- Bring It Home to Me (Blue Note Tone Poet)

Harold Vick- Steppin’ Out (Blue Note Tone Poet)

Grant Green- Feelin’ the Spirit (Blue Note Tone Poet)

Bobby Hutcherson- Stick-Up (Blue Note Tone Poet)

Roy Brooks- Roy Brooks Beat (Verve By Request)

Bill Evans- You Must Believe in Spring (Craft Recordings)

Mongo Santamaria- Sofrito (Craft Recordings)

Yusef Lateef- The Three Faces of Yusef (Riverside-Vinyl Me Please)

Melvin Sparks- Spark Plug (Prestige-Vinyl Me Please)

Lee Morgan- Take Twelve (Jazzland- Vinyl Me Please)

Phineas Newborn, Jr.- Here is Phineas (Atlantic- Vinyl Me Please)