The 2015 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll
Composer-bandleader Maria Schneider's The Thompson Fields and alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls tie for top album honors among 147 writers and broadcasters.
Music Lists
Latitudes: 10 Favorite Global Music Picks From 2015
This year, a plethora of mind-bendingly, cross-culturally deep albums and singles sparked our international music critic's imagination.
Recommended Dose: Our Favorite Dance Tracks Of 2015
Our two-hour mix featuring more than two dozen of the year's best dance tracks reflects an ever-shifting landscape that — through everything — stays true to the beat.
David Dye's Top 10 Albums Of 2015
This year, the World Cafe host fell for an eclectic mix of albums, including gems by Courtney Barnett, Kamasi Washington and Tame Impala.
Folk Alley's 10 Favorite Albums Of 2015
Jason Isbell was an obvious choice, as was Rhiannon Giddens. Can you guess who else made the cut?
NPR Music's 10 Favorite Electronic Albums Of 2015
From an American techno traditionalist to an omnivorous Norwegian wanderer, from ambient Canadian soundscapes to the Lisbon club scene, our favorite electronic albums of 2015 cross many borders.
NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015
Albums that we loved in 2015 swept us away, seduced us, reckoned with the politics that shape our moment or our nation and taught us something new about ourselves.
Latitudes: Our Favorite Global Music Right Now
After a trip to Havana this month, our global music specialist has her ears full of Cuban sounds — classical and jazz, electronic and folkloric. Hear the wave that new relations will release.
Recommended Dose: Our Favorite Dance Tracks From November
Hear a mix of the month's best electronic tunes, including new music from Robert Hood, Seven Davis Jr, Malory and more.
Billy Strayhorn In Five Songs
Though overshadowed during his own lifetime by his employer, Duke Ellington, the composer-arranger wrote more than 1,000 pieces. Here are takes on his most famous tunes.