The 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll results have arrived. Mary Halvorson's About Ghosts tops the list of New Jazz Albums, which also includes Ambrose Akinmusire's honey from a winter stone and Cécile McLorin Salvant's Oh Snap. Topping the list of Vocal Jazz Albums are Salvant and Oh Snap at No. 1 there.

About Ghosts features eight new compositions by guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis, the improvisatory band featured on her critically praised albums Amaryllis, Belladonna, and Cloudward: Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles join the ensemble on five tunes, and Halvorson adds Pocket Piano synthesizer overdubs on a number of tracks. The album was produced and mixed by Deerhoof's John Dieterich. “Thrilling; no matter how many times I return, this album feels like a fresh expedition," writes Nate Chinen, naming it the No. 1 Jazz Album of the Year on The Gig. About Ghosts was recognized on many year-end lists including The Quietus, Jazzwise, Mojo, PopMatters, Slate, Guardian, NPR, and more.

Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s album honey from a winter stone, which he calls a “self-portrait,” features improvisational vocalist Kokayi, pianist Sam Harris, Chiquitamagic on synthesizer, drummer Justin Brown, and the Mivos Quartet. “For arguably the most technically gifted trumpeter of his generation, a lot of Ambrose Akinmusire’s breakthroughs actually come from letting go of standards and structures," says the New York Times. "Lately Akinmusire has been making some of the most intimate, spellbinding music of his career.” The album is up for a GRAMMY Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album and made year's best lists from Nate Chinen, The Wire, Mojo, DownBeat, Jazzwise, Echoes, Record Collector, and Pandora.

Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Oh Snap comprises 12 very personal songs by the singer/composer (plus a cover of a verse from the Commodores’ 1977 hit “Brick House”) mostly recorded outside of a traditional studio environment. The songs showcase her genre-spanning tastes and influences from her 1990s childhood in Miami—from boy bands to grunge to classical to folk—and include party tracks with beats, samba grooves, and quiet folk songs. The album features longtime collaborators Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, and Kyle Poole, plus cameos from singers June McDoom and Kate Davis. Oh Snap made year’s best lists from Slate and Jazzwise.