![GRAMMY NOMINEE Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society: Dynamic Maximum Tension Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album THE BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023 “A work of stunning eclecticism and complexity, but thoroughly accessible, elastic with swing.” — Slate THE 10 BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023 “Simply some of the most exciting music being made right now […] it’s breathtaking to listen to.” — Stereogum THE BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023 “His latest may just be his best. Argue has a crack band of long-standing and a sensibility that is his own.” — PopMatters THE 50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 “Practically explodes with big ideas […] a double album that reinvigorates the big-band tradition with a modern metabolism.” — NPR](https://darcyjamesargue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DMT-GRAMMY-Nomination-Banner-FYC.png)
I’ve been blown away by the year-end accolades for Dynamic Maximum Tension. In addition to our GRAMMY nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, our album has been named to Best of the Year lists by NPR, Slate, Stereogum, PopMatters, and JazzTrail. Here’s what critics are saying in their Best of ’23 roundups:
THE 50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023
“Dynamic Maximum Tension, his most expansive and ambitious statement with the band, practically explodes with big ideas […] a double album that reinvigorates the big-band tradition with a modern metabolism.”
— Nate Chinen, NPR
THE BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023
“One of the era’s top big-band composers […] this, his fourth album, is his best to date: a work of stunning eclecticism and complexity, but thoroughly accessible, elastic with swing.”
— Fred Kaplan, Slate
THE 10 BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023
“Simply some of the most exciting music being made right now. […] Argue’s music shifts and whirls like an entire galaxy in orbit around itself, and it’s breathtaking to listen to. I love this record.”
— Phil Freeman, Stereogum
STANDOUT JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023 CAME FROM RISING YOUNG TALENTS AND LEGENDS ALIKE
“It may be a stretch to say this Vancouver-bred composer and band leader has singlehandedly reinvented big-band music. But not by much, as this dazzling, unfailingly creative album vividly attests.”
— George Varga, The San Diego Union Examiner
THE 17 BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023
“The title Dynamic Maximum Tension could be a review, as the music is in constant flux […] as different voices and sonorities weave, bob, and vie for attention. Argue has a crack band of long-standing and a sensibility that is his own. Every time he releases something new, ears should go on alert.”
— Will Layman, PopMatters
THE BEST 30 JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2023
“A celebration of big band magnificence, characterized by sterling layering taste, solid movements, and expertly seamless passages.”
— Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail
THE 18th ANNUAL FRANCIS DAVIS JAZZ POLL
Top 5 New Album
Plus, “Mae West: Advice” was named one of NPR’s Best Songs of 2023!
Thanks to all who have supported this labor of love — I’m so grateful to everyone who has given it a listen!