Your Top Ten of 2009

[GA Russell]

It's that time of year again! Time to review what has come out in the past twelve months that is the creme de la creme for you.

Here are my 10 picks, in the order in which I got them.

Bill Henderson - Beautiful Memory

Clifton Anderson - Decade

Art Pepper - The Art History Project

Kobie Watkins - Involved

John Surman - Brewster's Rooster

Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge - Off & On

John Abercrombie - Wait Till You See Her

Quartet San Francisco - QSF Plays Brubeck

Here Comes The Nice Guy Trio

Dana Hall - Into the Light

Honorable Mention:

Enrico Rava - New York Days

Al Hood - Just a Little Taste

What say you?

[kh1958]

Ben Allison--Think Free (Palmetto)

Von Freeman--Vonski Speaks (Nessa)

Chico Hamilton--Twelve Tones of Love (Joyous Shout)

Tom Harrell--Prana Dance (High Note)

Magos Herrera (with Aaron Goldberg and Lionel Loueke)--Distancia (Sunnyside)

Vijay Iyer Trio--Historicity (Act)

Azar Lawrence--Prayer for My Ancestors (Furthermore)

The Jazz Tribe (Ray Mantilla, Bobby Watson, Jack Walrath, Xavier Davis, Curtis Lundy, Victor Lewis)--Everlasting (Red)

Charnett Moffett--The Art of Improvisation (Motema)

Lonnie Smith--Rise Up (Palmetto)

Honorable mentions: Avery Sharpe Trio with Onaje Allan Gumbs--Autumn Moonlight (JKNM)

Go Home (Ben Goldberg, Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola, Ron Miles) (BAG)

Blues: Otis Taylor (with Jason Moran and Bandwagon)--Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs (Telarc)

Brazil: Ceu--Vagarosa (Urban Jungle)

[save0904]

This was a real good year for jazz imho.

Tom Harrell Prana Dance

Keith Jarrett Paris/London: Testament

Tomasz Stanko Dark Eyes

Steve Kuhn /w Joe Lovano Mostly Coltrane

Donny McCaslin Declaration

Enrico Rava New York Days

David S. Ware Shakti

Josh Berman Old Idea

Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet Things Have Got To Change

Joshua Redman Compass

[mjazzg]

in no particular order, except for the first two which were the most enjoyed

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble - No now is so (FMR)

Rob Mazurek Quintet - Sound is (Delmark)

Dennis Gonzalez - A matter of blood (Furthermore)

Daniel Levin Quartet - Live at Roulette (Clean Feed)

Steve Lehmann Octet - Travail, transformation and flow (Pi records)

Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored: returned (ECM)

Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith - Abbey Road Quartet (Treader)

AMM with John Butcher - Trinity (Matchless)

Mary Halvorson - Dragon's head (Firehouse 12)

Vijay Iyer - Historicity (ACT)

three re-releases of note:

Yusef Lateef - at Cranbrook and elsewhere (Cherry Red)

Manfred Schoof - Resonance (ECM)

Leo Smith - Spirit catcher (Nessa)

looking at the list, thank heavens for small independent labels!

[WorldB3]

My Top 10 for the year:

Diego Barber - Calima

Medeski, Martin and Wood - Radiolarians II

Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street

Stefano Bollani - Stone in the Water

Alex Cline - Continuation

John Surman - Brewster's Rooster

Monterey Quartet - Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival

Enrico Rava - New York Days

Keith Jarret - Yesterdays

Joe Lovano Us Five - Folk Art

Re-Issue: Kind Of Blue (Sony Legacy two disc edition with Miles 58 sessions)

[Larry Kart]

My Village Voice Jazz Poll ballot:

Ten best new releases:

1) "Vonski Speaks" -- Von Freeman (Nessa)

2) "For the Last Time" -- Ruby Braff (Arbors)

3) "Old Idea" -- Josh Berman (Delmark)

4) "Friendly Pants" -- Akira Sakata and Chikamorachi (Family Vineyard)

5) "Varmint" -- Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown (Cuneiform)

6) "Tea Music" -- James Falzone's Klang (Allos Documents)

7) "Grant Stewart Plays the Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn" -- Grant Stewart (Sharp Nine)

8) "Lucky Thompson, New York City, 1964-65" (Uptown)

9) "Deep Lee" -- Lee Konitz and Minsarah (Enja)

10) "Crazy 'Bout Red-Head Mamas" -- Le Rois du Fox-Trot (Stomp Off)

Top three reissues

1) "All the Numbers" -- Lester Bowie (Nessa)

2) "Congliptious" -- Roscoe Mitchell (Nessa)

3) "Spirit Catcher" -- Leo Smith (Nessa)

[papsrus]

Haven't focused too much on new music this year -- (understatement) -- but two releases absolutely deserve 5-star mention:

1. Von Freeman--Vonski Speaks (Nessa)

2. Alexander Hawkins Ensemble - No now is so (FMR)

(I have Josh Berman -- Old Ideas (delmark) on order and can safely anticipate that it would make my top 10 list, given that I have only two releases on there now.)

[sal]

Seemingly like many others, I didn't buy a whole lot of music this year. But these three new releases really stand out for me:

Von Freeman - "Vonski Speaks"

Matt Wilson - "That's Gonna Leave A Mark"

Fly - "Sky & Country"

[.:.impossible]

Lots of stuff on these lists that I really look forward to checking out. Some of it is on order already...

I'd like to hear more about this MMW project since this is the first I've read of it. WorldB3, what's the deal?

Really want to get the Berman, Hawkins, and Rolldown releases as budget allows.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I'd like to hear more about this MMW project since this is the first I've read of it. WorldB3, what's the deal?

C., That MMW Radiloarians series is some of their best work IMO. III is my favorite and then reverse. Big new box set coming this week as well. Saw them a few weeks back and they were unstoppable!

[relyles]

I did not hear a lot of new releases in 2009. I spent most of my music budget filling in holes in the collection. With that said, here is the list (in alphabetical order) I submitted for Jazz Inside Magazine.

Chris Byars - Blue Lights - The Music of Gigi Gryce - SteepleChase

Stacy Dillard - One - Smalls Records

Fly - Sky & Country - ECM

Von Freeman - Vonski Speaks - Nessa Records

Satoko Fujii & Myra Melford - Under The Water - Libra

Jimmy Greene - Mission Statement - Sunnyside

Tom Harrell - Prana Dance - HighNote

Vijay Iyer - Historicity - ACT Music

Trio 3 + Geri Allen - At This Time - Intakt

Frank Wess - Once Is Not Enough - Labeth

Edited December 8, 2009 by relyles

[clifford_thornton]

I was very close to putting At This Time into my Davis list.

Once my to-review shelf gets cleaned out I will be grabbing a copy of Vonski Speaks. Can't wait to hear it (again).

[WorldB3]

I'd like to hear more about this MMW project since this is the first I've read of it. WorldB3, what's the deal?

C., That MMW Radiloarians series is some of their best work IMO. III is my favorite and then reverse. Big new box set coming this week as well. Saw them a few weeks back and they were unstoppable!

While I don't have III yet (I need to get it soon) I will say Radiloarians II is the best album MMW ever made and its the album I kind of always wanted them to make.

I think what makes it so great is that before they went into the studio to cut these tracks they toured with them for a year so they had the optimal arraignments and familiarity with them for the improvisations as opposed to the normal way of recording a brand new song for a album and they having the tracks develop into something better later on tour.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I'd like to hear more about this MMW project since this is the first I've read of it. WorldB3, what's the deal?

C., That MMW Radiloarians series is some of their best work IMO. III is my favorite and then reverse. Big new box set coming this week as well. Saw them a few weeks back and they were unstoppable!

While I don't have III yet (I need to get it soon) I will say Radiloarians II is the best album MMW ever made and its the album I kind of always wanted them to make.

I think what makes it so great is that before they went into the studio to cut these tracks they toured with them for a year so they had the optimal arraignments and familiarity with them for the improvisations as opposed to the normal way of recording a brand new song for a album and they having the tracks develop into something better later on tour.

I missed the pre-larians shows but I was just blown away at the musicianship they are now so comfortable with.

Medeski is the Dick Butkus of the groove!

[clifford_thornton]

Here's mine.

[GA Russell]

Here's mine.

I didn't know that your first name really is Clifford!

[clifford_thornton]

Yes indeed!

[jeffcrom]

Well, I don't feel that I've heard enough new releases to make a list of 10, but here are six, including some that haven't been mentioned yet:

Von Freeman - Vonski Speaks (Nessa)

John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble - Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside)

Panorama Jazz Band - Come Out Swingin' (PR)

Steve Lehman - Travail, Fransformation, and Flow (Pi)

Tom McDermott - New Orleans Duets (Rabadash)

Fly - Sky and Country (ECM)

I'll be seeking out some of the others folks have listed.

[kh1958]

I see that Fly has been mentioned by several people--it's in my to be listened to pile--I should get to it soon.

[GA Russell]

You can listen to Fly's Sky & Country at lala here:

http://www.lala.com/#album/432627039264011...Sky_%26_Country

[okierambler]

This has been a good year for new releases, but if I have to list just ten then these are the ones:

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Infernal Machines

Andy Sheppard - Movements In Colour

Jon Hassell - Last night the moon came dropping its clothes in the street

John Hollenbeck - Eternal Interlude

Stefano Bolliani Trio - Stone in the Water

John Surman - Brewster's Rooster

John Zorn / The Dreamers - O'o

Diego Barber - Calima

Masada Quintet w/ Joe Lovano - Stolas: Book of Angels Vol. 12

Christophe Pays - Ellipse

Edited December 16, 2009 by okierambler

[John Tapscott]

Haven't heard as many new CD's this year; but here's ten that I really enjoyed.

in alphabetical order

Ruby Braff - For the Last Time (Arbors)

Bob Florence Limited Edition - Legendary (Mama)

Von Freeman - Vonski Speaks (Nessa)

Freddie Hubbard - Without a Song (Blue Note)

Dick Hyman - In Concert At the Old Mill Inn (Sackville)

Joe Locke/David Hazeltine Quartet - Mutual Admiration Society 2 (Sharp Nine)

Andy Martin/Scott Whitfield - A Tribute to Carl Fontana Set 1 (Woofy)

Rosanno Sportiello - It Amazes Me (Sackville)

Grant Stewart Plays the Muisc of Ellington and Strayhorn (Sharp Nine)

Phil Woods - The Childrens' Suite (Jazzed Media)

If I had to choose one it would be the Woods - a really exceptional piece of work.

Honorable Mention: Phil Kelly and the NW Prevailing Winds - Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles (Origin)

- haven't had this one long enough or listened to it enough to let it knock out one of the above - but it's a good one.

[LWayne]

My top 10 new releases (just changed to add the new Odean Pope that I bought recently in Germnay. It is outstanding!):

Artist Title Label

1 Fly Sky & Country ECM

2 The Monterey Quartet Live at the 2007 Jazz Festival Monterey Jazz Festival

3 Chris Potter & Underground Ultrahang ArtistShare

4 Henry Threadgill This Brings Us to, Volume 1 Pi Recordings

5 Tom Harrell Prana Dance High Note

6 Odean Pope Odean's List In & Out

7 Enrico Rava New York Days ECM

8 Joe Lovano Us Five Blue Note

9 Paul Motian Trio 2000 Plus Two On Broadway, Volume 5 Winter & Winter

10 Frank Kimbrough & Joe Locke Verrazano Moon Omnitone

Happy Holidays

LWayne

[.:.impossible]

Is the Kimbrough Locke duet?

[clifford_thornton]

I just got the Von from Nessa - too late to make my "list" but it's an unbelievable corker. Considering that in 2002 I arrived late to the concert heavily jetlagged and can only remember its greatness through an indistinct fog, this document is very helpful. The version of "Summertime" is un-fucking-believable. Thanks to Nessa for keeping the flame alive!