The best jazz of 2016, according to Will Layman of Popmatters: Layman says 2016 was “yet another year in which the dire economic situation for creative musicians did not dampen their astonishing output.” He didn’t stick to the usual top 10 format and, instead, put together his top 10 pairs to pick his 20 best jazz records “identified in stylistic diads, ranked loosely from most sublime to merely breathtaking.” Layman’s top pair came “from a new master and an old one. One is clean and cool while still ripping with adventure and the other is a jumble of wonder.” Layman picked Moving Still by Jonathan Finlayson & Sicilian Defense and Old Locks and Irregular Verbs by Henry Threadgill’s Ensemble Double Up. You can sample the whole list here. H/t Marginal Revolution.