Each year, JAZZIZ asks its critics, contributors and editors to sift through the recordings they’ve listened to over the past 12 months (give or take) and come up with a list of their 10 favorites. We also ask them to select one recording that rose above the rest and write a brief explanation of why it tops their list. The following is an entry from 2024.
Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few
The Almighty (Division 81)
How is it possible that Isaiah Collier is only 26? Since his debut album in 2018, the saxophonist has demonstrated a maturity and wisdom beyond his age. Even if you didn’t know that his aim with this record was to explore the divine energies that guide our existence, the music itself would have you believing in the transcendent. A Chicago native, Collier honors the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians’ (AACM) dictum to create Great Black Music. In this case, five pieces that are intense, tender and soulful — it’s thrilling from start to finish. Let his spirit move you.
— John Frederick Moore
