The Roots Music Report's
Top Contemporary Jazz Album Chart
for the Year of 2021
| Album Title | Band/Artist Name | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful | The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band | Groovy Panda |
| 2 | Baker's Circle | Dave Stryker | Strikezone |
| 3 | Straight from the Soul | Hannah Baiardi | Self-Release |
| 4 | Best Buddies | Troy Roberts | Toy Robot |
| 5 | 'Round Midnight (Re-Imagined) | Amber Weekes | Amber Inn Productions |
| 6 | I Told You So | Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio | Colemine |
| 7 | I Love Paris | Melbreeze | Blue Canoe |
| 8 | Ones Upon a Time | Paul Brown | Woodward Avenue |
| 9 | What I Meant to Say | Steve Million | Origin |
| 10 | Transmigration | Makram Aboul Hosn | Self-Release |
| 11 | Road Trip | Slide Attack | Self-Release |
| 12 | Art of Protest | Sonic Portraits Jazz Various Artists | Sonic Portraits Jazz |
| 13 | Tres Libre | Dan Moretti | Roots Grooves |
| 14 | Love is for All Time | Lorraina Marro | Self-Release |
| 15 | Caught in the Groove | Nils | Baja |
| 16 | SuperBlue (feat. Charlie Hunter) | Kurt Elling | Edition |
| 17 | Sentiment | Brendan Rothwell | Self-Release |
| 18 | Michael Stephenson Meets Alexander Claffy with His Trio | Michael Stephenson & Alexander Claffy | Celler Live |
| 19 | Finger Painting | Nick Colionne | Trippin N Rhythm |
| 20 | Keep Steppin Down | Brennen Schedler Quartet | Ruthanne |
| 21 | Nascentia (Birth) | Steve Slagle | Panorama |
| 22 | Restless | Jackson Potter | Wise Cat |
| 23 | Magic Dance: the Music of Kenny Barron | Greg Abate | Whaling City Sound |
| 24 | Countermelody | Evan Arntzen | Dot Time |
| 25 | A Centering Peace | Brian Woodruff Sextet | QJOG |
| 26 | Lost in a Dream | Kristin Callahan | Ivy Door |
| 27 | What's the Hurry | Kenny Washington | Lower 9th |
| 28 | Songs from the Deep | Eric Essix | Essential |
| 29 | Five Down Blues | The Kyle Asche Organ Trio | Cellar Live |
| 30 | The Lowdown | Ian Hendrickson-Smith | Cellar Live |
| 31 | In Harmony (Live) | Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller | Resonance |
| 32 | Future Stride | Emmet Cohen | Mack Avenue |
| 33 | My Original Plan | Joanie Pallatto | Southport |
| 34 | Monsters' Impromptu | Lee Heerspink | Self-Release |
| 35 | Musa | Lauren Henderson | Brontosaurus |
| 36 | The Story Behind the Story | David Boswell | My Quiet Moon |
| 37 | Wabi Sabi | The Tiptons Sax Quartet | Sowiesounds |
| 38 | Leimert Park After Dark | Bobby West | Soulville Sound |
| 39 | Somewhere Different | Brandee Younger | Impulse! |
| 40 | Quartet + (with Harlem Quartet) | Helen Sung | Sunnyside |
| 41 | Color and Passion | Blake Aaron | Innervision |
| 42 | Brotherhood | Belmondo Quintet | Jazz & People |
| 43 | Kinfolk 2: See the Birds | Nate Smith | Edition |
| 44 | Human Revolution | Zen Zadravec | Marmite |
| 45 | Live at No Black Tie Kuala Lumpur | Jeremy Monteiro, Jay Anderson and Lewis Nash | JazzNote |
| 46 | Jazzwords | Steve Million | SM Music |
| 47 | Roots - Tales of the Urban Yoda | Joe Bowden Project | Self-Release |
| 48 | Source | Nubya Garcia | Concord |
| 49 | Live at the Deer Head Inn | Jim Snidero | Savant |
| 50 | Soul Searchin' | Larry Carlton | Shanachie Ent |
| 51 | Montreal Jazz Trio | Montreal Jazz Trio | Odd Sound |
| 52 | Songs from My Father | Gerry Gibbs | Whaling City Sound |
| 53 | O Sole Mio! | Cory Weeds | Cellar Live |
| 54 | Are You Ready? | Jihee heo | OA2 |
| 55 | Look for the Light | Jeff Reed | Self-Release |
| 56 | The Garden | Rachel Eckroth | Rainy Days |
| 57 | Elevation | Sophia Smith Quartet | Self-Release |
| 58 | The Q Sessions | Christian McBride | Mack Avenue |
| 59 | Momentum | Gary Honor | Trippin N Rhythm |
| 60 | Flor | Gretchen Parlato | Edition |
| 61 | Connections | Matthew Whitaker | Resilience |
| 62 | A Love Sublime | Art Ruprecht | Self-Release |
| 63 | Hit It | BK Trio | Self-Release |
| 64 | Afrika Love | Alchemy Sound Project | Artists Recording Collective |
| 65 | Risin' Up | Adam Hawley | MBF Ent. |
| 66 | Something About Her | Marc Antoine | Shanachie |
| 67 | Hardcastle 9 | Paul Hardcastle | Trippin N Rhythm |
| 68 | Soundview | Bruce Harris | Cellar Live |
| 69 | The Dark Fire Sessions | Alex Brown | Self-Release |
| 70 | Alone Together (The Duets) | Michael Lington | Peak |
| 71 | Authentic Life | Richard Elliot | Shanachie |
| 72 | Fired Up! | Pieces of a Dream | Shanachie |
| 73 | Resonate | Lettuce | Round Hill |
| 74 | The Alchemist | Scott Reeves Quintet | Origin |
| 75 | Ain't Misbehavin' | Yamit and The Vinyl Blvd | Blue Tiger |
| 76 | Continuous | Miguel De Armas Quartet | Three Pines |
| 77 | Focus | Chris "Big Dog" Davis | Shanachie |
| 78 | Hindsight | Elsa Nilsson | Bumblebee Collective |
| 79 | My George Jones Songbook | Staci Griesbach | Self-Release |
| 80 | Fierce Heart | David Bach | Integrity Music |
| 81 | Tinted Sky | Bluey | Shanachie |
| 82 | Frozen in Time | Nicholas Brust | Fresh Sound |
| 83 | The Scrapper | John Sneider | Cellar Live |
| 84 | 6 | Oli Silk | Trippin N Rhythm |
| 85 | Pick Me Up off the Floor | Norah Jones | Blue Note |
| 86 | More Than a Song | CeCe Gable | Self-Release |
| 87 | Space Time | Jeff Lorber Fusion | Shanachie |
| 88 | Fool's Journey | Matt DeMerritt | Self-Release |
| 89 | Incontre (feat. Dayna Stephens, Sam Yahel & Jongkuk Kim) | Massimo Biolcati | Sounderscore |
| 90 | Everybody Knows | The Brianna Thomas Band | Self-Release |
| 91 | Unlayered | Enrique Haneine | Elegant Walk |
| 92 | Winter Sun | Mike Cohen | Blujazz |
| 93 | Soul Expedition | Keith Andrewv | Innervision |
| 94 | Solid | Boney James | Concord |
| 95 | Chicago Standard Time | Diane Delin | BluJazz |
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