Best of...2005

[LWayne]

With the year quickly coming to an end, wanted to solicit some discussion on favorite jazz experiences in following categories:

New Releases

Artist Title Label

1 Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano "I Have The Room Above Her" ECM

2 Dave Holland Big Band "Overtime" Dare 2

3 Kurt Rosenwinkel "Deep Song" Verve

4 Kenny Wheeler "What Now?" CamJazz

5 Gerald Wilson Orchestra "In My Time" Mack Avenue

Reissues

Artist Title Label

1 Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane "Live at Carnegie Hall" Blue Note

2 Andrew Hill "Blue Note Select" Mosiac

3 Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker "Town Hall, New York City" Uptown

4 Bill Evans Trio "The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings" Riverside

5 Dave Liebman and Richie Bierach "Mosiac Select" Mosaic

Live Shows

1. Randy Weston & T.K. Blue @ An Die Musik, Baltimore on 12/10

2. Andrew Hill (solo piano) @ An Die Musik, Baltimore on 01/15

3. Kenny Barron & Turtle Island String Quartet @ Tri-C, Cleveland on 11/4

4. Tomasz Stanko Quartet @ HotHouse, Chicago on 03/16

5. Terrence Blanchard Sextet @ Manchester Craftsman's Guild, Pittsburgh on 10/15

Overall pretty good year for Jazz!

LWayne

[GregK]

I have to add the Miles Davis Cellar Door box to the list. This is much better than I was expecting

[Nate Dorward]

Haven't heard the Cellar Door set yet, but here's the "short" list of CDs I liked this year.

New releases

Sal Mosca, Thing-Ah-Majig, Zinnia

The Respect Sextet, Respect in You, Roister

Neal Caine, Backstabber’s Ball, Smalls Records

Frank Hewitt, Four Hundred Saturdays, Smalls Records

Frank Hewitt, Not Afraid to Live, Smalls Records

Anthony Braxton/Matt Bauder, 2 + 2 Compositions, 482 Music

Olaf Ton, Das dunkle Vermächtnis der goldenen Kuh, 2nd Floor

ROVA/Orkestrova, Electric Ascension, Atavistic

Tim Berne/Paraphrase, Pre-emptive Denial, Screwgun

Simon Fell, Compilation IV, Bruce’s Fingers

Simon Nabatov, A Few Incidences, Leo

Badland (Simon Rose/Simon H Fell/Steve Noble), The Society of the Spectacle, Emanem

James Finn, Inside Eye, Gingko Leaf

Roscoe Mitchell, Turn, RogueArt

Joey Sellers’ Jazz Aggregation, El Payaso, Nine Winds

Agusti Fernandez/Mats Gustafsson, Critical Mass, Psi

Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey Strings, Other Stories (Three Suites), 482 Music

MTKJ Quartet, Day of the Race, Nine Winds

Lindsey Horner, Don’t Count on Glory, Cadence

Sacha Perry, Eretik, Smalls Records

Vijay Iyer, Reimagining, Savoy

Unstable Ensemble, Embers, Family Vineyard

Bill Frisell, East/West, Elektra/Nonesuch

Keith Rowe, Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura, Otomo Yoshihide, Erstlive 005, Erstwhile

Fred Hess, Crossed Paths, Tapestry

Jim McAuley, Gongfarmer18, Nine Winds

Adam Lane, Vinny Golia, Vijay Anderson, Zero Degree Music, CIMP

Simon H. Fell/SFQ, Four Compositions, Red Toucan (mostly for the 2nd disc)

Keith Rowe/Burkhard Beins, ErstLive 001, Erstwhile

Randy Sandke and the Inside Out Band, Outside In, Evening Star

Bobo Stenson, Goodbye, ECM

Randy Sandke, Trumpet After Dark, Evening Star

Michaël Attias, Renku, Playscape

John Tchicai, Garrison Fewell, Tino Tracanna, Paolino Dalla Porta, Massimo Manzi, Big Chief Dreaming, Soul Note

James Finn, Plaza de Toros, Clean Feed

David Borgo, Ubuntu, Cadence

Stan Tracey, Evan Parker, Crevulations, Psi

Marco Kaeppeli, Fredi Luescher, Daniel Studer, Nomis, Altrisuoni

Hans Ulrik, Steve Swallow, Jonas Johansen, Tin Pan Aliens, Stunt

Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mother Tongue, Pi

Jon Easton with Don Messina and Bill Chattin, Cadence

Veryan Weston, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Gateway to Vienna, Emanem

Urs Leimgruber, Jacques Demierre, Barre Phillips, LDP – Cologne, Psi

Harris Eisenstadt, The Soul and Gone, 482 Music

Aram Shelton, Arrive, 482 Music

Matt Steckler, Persiflage, Innova

Jimmy Ghaphery, Jason Bivins, Ian Davis, Impermanence, Umbrella

Tony Bevan, Orphy Robinson, Ashley Wales, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Bruised, Foghorn

Frédéric Blondy, Jean-Sebastien Mariage, Dan Warburton, L’écorce dans la forêt, Creative Sources

Scott Rosenberg, Jim Baker, Anton Hatwich, Tim Daisy, New Folk, New Blues, 482 Music

Dino Saluzzi/Jon Christensen, Senderos, ECM

Ståhls Blå, Schlachtplatte, Moserobie

Kazue Sawai, Michel Doneda, Kazuo Imai, Lê Quan Ninh, Tetsu Saitoh, Une chance pour l’ombre, Victo

Reissues & discoveries

Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, At Carnegie Hall, Blue Note

John Coltrane, One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note, Impulse

Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945, Uptown

Clifford Thornton, The Panther and the Lash, America/Universal

Derek Bailey and Evan Parker, The London Concert, Psi

Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman, Song X: Twentieth Anniversary, Nonesuch

SME, A New Distance, Emanem

Jackie McLean, Consequence, Blue Note

John Stevens, New Cool, Emanem

Irène Schweitzer, Live at Taktlos, Intakt

[Chuck Nessa]

Just wanna point out a bunch of the stuff in LWayne's "reissue" list is being issued for the first time - maybe the majority. Don't have time to do the time counts.

So, what is a "reissue"?

[PHILLYQ]

I have to add the Miles Davis Cellar Door box to the list. This is much better than I was expecting

I've lstened to 2 1/2 discs so far of the Cellar Door and I thought the same thing. I was expecting good and I got great

[cannonball-addict]

Best New Jazz Releases of 2005

Scott Amendola Band - Believe (Cryptogramaphone)

Bad Plus - Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (Columbia/Sony-BMG)

James Carter - Out of Nowhere (Half Note)

Anat Cohen - Place and Time (Anzic)

Avishai Cohen - Trio and Ensemble At Home (Sunnyside)

Eldar - Eldar (Sony Classical)

John Ellis - One Foot in the Swamp (Hyena)

Avram Fefer/Bobby Few - Kindred Spirits (Boxholder)

Avram Fefer/Bobby Few - Heavenly Places (Boxholder)

Fieldwork - Simulated Progress (Pi)

The Frank and Joe Show - 66 2/3 (Hyena)

Michael Galasso - High Lines (ECM)

Richard Galliano New York Trio - Bohemia After Dark (Dreyfus)

Rick Germanson - You Tell Me (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Rosario Giuliani - Better Than Ever (Dreyfus)

Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra - Not In Our Name (Verve)

Dave Holland Big Band - Overtime (Dare2)

John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble - A Blessing (OmniTone)

Vijay Iyer - Reimagining (Savoy Jazz)

Charles Lloyd - Jumping the Creek (ECM)

Peter Martin - In the P.M. (MaxJazz)

Mulgrew Miller - Live at Yoshi's Vol. 2 (MaxJazz)

Mingus Big Band, Dynasty, Orchestra (Sue Mingus Music)

Ben Monder - Oceana (Sunnyside)

Jean-Michel Pilc - Live at Iridium (Dreyfus)

Bryn Roberts - Ludlow (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Deep Song (Verve)

SF Jazz Collective - self-titled (Nonesuch)

Louciana Souza - Duos II (Sunnyside)

David S. Ware - Quartets Live in the World (Thirsty Ear)

John Zorn - Classic Guide to Strategy Vol. 3 (Tzadik)

Best New World Releases of 2005

Amadou & Miriam - Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch)

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Government Magic (Afrosound)

Ry Cooder -- Chavez Ravine (Nonesuch)

Curumin -- Achados e Perdidos (Quannum Projects)

Daby Balde -- Introducing (World Music Network)

DJ Cheb i Sabbah -- La Kahena (Six Degrees Records)

Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim -- Ceasefire (World Music Network)

Konono No. 1 -- Congotronics (Ache/Crammed)

Madredeus -- Faluas Do Tejo -- (Blue Note)

Speak in Tones -- Subaro -- [self-released]

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch)

Boubacar Traore - Kongo Magni (World Village)

Various Artists -- Guitars of the Golden Triangle: Folk and Pop Sounds of Myanmar [burma] Vol. 2 (Sublime Frequencies

Various Artists -- Musique Populaire Africaine (Buda Musique)

Various Artists -- Mzansi Music: Young Urban South Africa (Trikont)

Various Artists -- Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk and Agit Pop from the Hermit Kingdom (Sublime Frequencies)

Waitiki -- Charred Mammal Flesh - Exotic Music for BBQ (self-released)

I could list hip-hop and folk too but I don't feel like typing any more. I definately recommend EVERYONE check out the Konono No. 1, Boubacar Traore, and Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. Talk about good time music.

Matt

[CJ Shearn]

PMG: The Way Up

Kurt Rosenwinkel: Deep Song

[mikeweil]

Let's call these outstanding finds a vault issue, as somebody suggested years ago. Just because it was recorded years ago, there's no logic in calling them re-issues.

My choice for vault issue of the year:

Monk & Trane at Carnegie Hall - but only beacuse I have yet to hear the Bird & Diz ....

Edited December 23, 2005 by mikeweil

[Nate Dorward]

Let's call these outstanding finds a vault issue, as somebody suggested years ago. Just because it was recorded years ago, there's no logic in calling them re-issues.

My choice for vault issue of the year:

Monk & Trane at Carnegie Hall - but only beacuse I have yet to hear the Bird & Diz ....

Mike--you can hear the entirety of the Bird/Diz concert if you check out David Brent Johnson (ghost of miles)' Night Lights archive online, as he did a feature on it a while back. I actually don't yet have it myself but have listened to it via that source (& plan to get the CD soon).

[LWayne]

I would also have to add Bill Frisell "East/West" to my original list as well as all of the Andrew Hill various re-issues (okay so some of them were never officially issued unless you count Mosaic box) to my list.

Reissue vs. Vault Issue-you get the drift.

LWayne

Edited December 23, 2005 by LWayne

[sal]

Several of my favorite new releases have already been mentioned. I'll add:

Wayne Shorter - "Beyond the Sound Barrier"

David Binney - "Bastion of Sanity"

Fred Anderson - "Blue Winter"

Jason Moran - "Same Mother"

Henry Grimes - "Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival"

Joe Lovano - "Joyous Encounter"

Marc Johnson - "Shades of Jade"

And as cliche as it may be to say by now, I must say that the big 3 discoveries of the year (Monk/Trane, Bird/Diz, Trane @ Half Note) truely made this one of the most memorable years in recent history for jazz recordings.

[BruceH]

It really was a remarkable year for vault issues, wasn't it?

[adam hill]

CRAIG HARRIS: Souls Within the Veil

This is a wonderful record, a musical homage to Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk.

Quite a line-up of players--highlighted, imo, by the solos of Steve Coleman and

Don Byron.

Hasn't gotten much press. Truly deserves to.

[Kalo]

Wow! These "short lists" sure are long.

And has there ever been a better year for "vault issues"?

I'm even considering a personal "vault excavation."

[Kalo]

CRAIG HARRIS: Souls Within the Veil

This is a wonderful record, a musical homage to Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk.

Quite a line-up of players--highlighted, imo, by the solos of Steve Coleman and

Don Byron.

Hasn't gotten much press. Truly deserves to.

I'd consider myself a Craig Harris fan, and will try to track down this issue. Also dig Coleman and Byron when they're inspired.

[Kalo]

Did anyone mention "The Fabulous Treniers -- The Hoss Allen Sessions"?

Or is they too crude?

Thanks, JSangry!

Edited December 24, 2005 by Kalo

[Alfred]

I bought a lot of old stuff on vinyl which doesn't fit in each of the categories.

New releases:

2005 was a very good year for ECM aficionados!

Johnson Marc Shades of jade

Wasilewski Marcin Trio

Stenson Bobo Goodbye

Gustavsen Tord The ground

Motian Paul I have the room above her

Katché Manu Neighborhood

Reissues:

Mosaic did a great job (as usual)!

Monk/Coltrane (the LP)

Jazz Crusaders

Basie

Hill (Select)

Pepper (Select)

Gordon (Select)

[montg]

2005 releases

David Binney: Bastion of Sanity (Criss Cross)--I was hipped to Binney by the folks on this board and what a fabulous discovery (for me). Great compositions, lots of energy and drama (love those vamps), with great playing by Binney. This was a real winner for me.

Ralph Peterson: Fo'tet Augmented (Criss Cross)--Technically, this may have been released late in 2004, but I'll include it. Don Byron sounds great on this. Relaxed and having fun. I love jazz recordings where the drummer's just a little bit out of control--thwacking away just a little too loudly for comfort--and that's Peterson. Bryan Carrott on vibes splashes colors all over the place, in a beautiful way.

SFJazz Collective (Nonesuch)--Some great compositions on this, particularly from Zenon and Rosnes. Bobby Hutcherson is fabulous and I love Brain Blade. Very well recorded and the energy from the audience is palpable.

Honorable Mention

Jason Moran: Same Mother (Blue Note)-- Good stuff.

Vijay Iyer: Reimagining (Savoy)--this one is growing on me. I really like the saxophonist on this.

I need to think about my vault 'best of'. to be continued..

[.:.impossible]

Ralph Peterson: Fo'tet Augmented (Criss Cross)--Technically, this may have been released late in 2004, but I'll include it. Don Byron sounds great on this. Relaxed and having fun. I love jazz recordings where the drummer's just a little bit out of control--thwacking away just a little too loudly for comfort--and that's Peterson. Bryan Carrott on vibes splashes colors all over the place, in a beautiful way.

I'll second this one.

[montg]

From the Vaults:

Art Pepper (Mosaic Select)

Bird/Diz at Town Hall

Edmond Hall--Petite Fleur

Harry Edison--Sweets

Count Basie (Mosaic)

Andrew Hill--Judgment

CRAIG HARRIS: Souls Within the Veil

This is a wonderful record, a musical homage to Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk.

Quite a line-up of players--highlighted, imo, by the solos of Steve Coleman and

Don Byron.

Hasn't gotten much press. Truly deserves to

Sound samples available here:

CraigHarris

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Wow! These "short lists" sure are long.

And has there ever been a better year for "vault issues"?

I'm even considering a personal "vault excavation."

As I remember it, 1986 was a pretty good year for vault reissues. That's the year that this load of Blue Notes came out:

Hank Mobley - Far away lands

Lee Morgan - The Rajah

Hank Mobley - Another workout

Grant Green - Born to be blue

Stanley Turrentine - Z T's blues

Hank Mobley - Straight no filter

Gene Harris & 3 Sounds - Babe's blues

Ike Quebec - Easy Living

None of those are as important as the three biggies this year but that is a SERIOUS bunch of vault items.

Another good year was 1979, when King in Japan started delving into the Blue Note vault and released

Sonny Clark - Blues in the night

Kenny Burrell - K B Blues

Grant Green - Matador

Sonny Clark - My conception

Kenny Burrell - Freedom

Grant Green - Gooden's corner

Wayne Shorter - The collector

Art Blakey - Pisces

Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique

Jackie McLean - Tippin' the scales

Bennie Green - Minor revelation

Curtis Fuller - Two bones

Hank Mobley - Poppin'

Grant Green - Oleo

Jackie McLean/Tina Brooks - Street singer

Lou Donaldson - Sweet Slumber (aka Lush life)

At the same time, UA were dipping into the Blue Note vault and coming up with another load

Lee Morgan - Sonic boom

Wayne Shorter - Soothsayer

Dexter Gordon - Clubhouse

Grant Green - Solid

Donald Byrd - Chant

Jimmy Smith - Confirmation

Stanley Turrentine - New time shuffle

Jackie McLean - Consequence

Hank Mobley - A slice of the top

Bobby Hutcherson - Spiral

and in the first weeks of 1980;

Lou Donaldson - Midnight sun

Andrew Hill - Dance with death

Lee Morgan - Taru

Grant Green - Nigeria

Two serious bunches of stuff. I think my vote goes to 1979....

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

PS and that's only Blue Note vaults.

MG

[adam hill]

Vijay Iyer: Reimagining (Savoy)--this one is growing on me. I really like the saxophonist on this.

That would be the wonderful Rudresh Mahanthappa, who has a couple of records under his own name

that are very strong (Vijay Iyer is on them too). These two cats are the best thing to happen to jazz in a very

long time.

[montg]

fwiw, the Jazztimes critics' poll:

New releases:

1. Monk/Coltrane

2.Diz/Parker Town Hall

3. Coltrane--Live at the Half Note

4.Sonny--9/11 Concert

5. Wayne Shorter-Beyond the Sound Barrier

6.Terrance Blanchard--Flow

7.Vijay Iyer--Reimagining

8. Motian/Frisell/Lovano--I Have the Room Above Her (ECM)

9. Tord Gustavesen--The Ground (ECM)

10. Brad Mehldau-Day is Done

Reissues:

1. Metheny/Ornette--Song X

2. Jelly Roll Morton Complete Library of Congress...

3. Miles--Cellar Door Sessions

4. Bill Evans--Complete Village Vanguard

5. Andrew Hill--Andrew!!

6. Sonny Sharrock--Black Woman

7. Woody Shaw --Live at Village Vanguard

8. Julian Priester -- Love, love

9. Various--100 years of jazz guitar (Columbia)

10. (tie) Basie (Mosaic), Don Cherry (Symphony for Improvisors), Hutcherson (Oblique)

[ep1str0phy]

Strong commendations for the Free America Series--both musically and a commercially. After years of shoddy/inconsistent BYG reissues, the haphazard handling of Black Lion, Freedom, ESP, and Savoy albums (to name a few), and--now--the unfortunate "autopilot" to which the Impulse catalogue has been subjected, Free America has provided a shining example of how to package, market, and respect early free jazz (granted available resources). At no time in recent memory have I been so comprehensively impressed by a single reissue program--and what great music! When all is said and done, it's enough to glory in the fact that major companies are capable of understanding that avant-garde jazz can (and, at its best, invariably is) a music of art, culture, and class. Bravo.

Edited December 30, 2005 by ep1str0phy