Here are my Top 10 jazz/improv albums of 2024. Each of them made my life a little better this year, and I’m hoping they might do the same for you. “Compassion,” by Vijay Iyer (ECM) 1. ”Giant Beauty,” by [ahmed] (Fonstret): A box containing five CDs, with one extended performance per disc. Each begins simply enough, with the piano-bass-alto saxophone-drums quartet setting up an interpretation from composer Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s songbook.