Half of the ten recordings on this list are either solo efforts (pianist Delbecq, vibraphonist/marimba player Brennan) or duets (tenor saxophonist Modirzadeh with pianists Kris Davis, Craig Taborn, and Tyshawn Sorey; the Futari duo of pianist Satoko Fujii and vibraphonist Taiko Saito; and soprano saxophonist and drummer Allison Miller). They share an inward-looking sensibility and a commitment to exploring intimate relationships with a single instrument or a single collaborator. Their ostensible simplicity grants us entry into transcendental spaces full of surprising musical forms. The larger ensembles noted here—the trios of saxophonist Lovano with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi, and trumpeter Smith with drummer Graves and bassist Laswell; the quintets led by clarinetist Goldberg and pedal steel player Alcorn; and Braxton’s sprawling 11-hour collection of sextets, septets, and a nonet—offer divergent pathways to the sublime. The instrumental combinations are unconventional, none more so than those that breathe life into Braxton’s thorny compositions—trumpets, tuba, cello, accordion, aerophones, saxophones, and harps, with no piano, bass, or drums—for the monumental set of the year.   

1. Anthony Braxton: 12 COMP (ZIM) 2017. Firehouse 12 Records.

2. Hafez Modirzadeh: Facets. Pi Recordings. 

3. Ben Goldberg: Everything Happens to Be. BAG Production Records.

4. Futari: Beyond. Libra. 

5. Benoît Delbecq: The Weight of Light. Pyroclastic.

6. Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry: Garden of Expression. ECM.

7. Jane Ira Bloom and Allison Miller: Tues Days. Outline. 

8. Wadada Leo Smith with Milford Graves and Bill Laswell: Sacred Ceremonies. TUM.

9. Susan Alcorn Quintet: Pedernal. Relative Pitch. 

10. Patricia Brennan: Maquishti. Valley of Search.