Favorite Jazz and Other Concerts of 2023

[kh1958]

Jazz:

Charles McPherson Quintet, Smoke, NYC

Makaya McCraven In These Times, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Nicholas Payton/Mono Neon/Corey Fonville, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Jason Marsalis and Warren Wolf, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Vijay Iyer/Linda Oh/Tyshawn Sorey, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Chucho Valdes Quartet, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas

Trio Imagination (David Virelles, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille),  Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Charlie Gabriel and Roger Lewis Quintet, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Charles Lloyd Chapel Trio, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Kent Jordan, Marlon Jordan, Stephanie Jordan, Rachel Jordan, Family Tribute to Kidd Jordan, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Wadada Leo Smith, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Helen Gillet and Brian Haas, Virgin Hotel, New Orleans

African:

Sona Jobarteh, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Bassekou Kouyate and N'goni Ba, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Mdou Moctar, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Brazilian:

Vinicius Cantuaria, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville

Gabriel de Rosa, 3 Keys, New Orleans

Blues:

Deak Harp, Six Springs Live, Dallas

Tutu Jones, The Goat, Dallas

Shemekia Copeland, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas

Jackie Venson, African American Roots Music Festival, Fort Worth

Buddy Guy Farewell Tour, Majestic Theater, Dallas

[Steve Reynolds]

Too many to count

for sure top sets:

Crispell, Dresser & Hemingway / hard to say but probably the best most amazing show I’ve seen in quite some time.

BassDrumBone with Anderson, Helias & Hemingway

Zoh Amba, gabby fluke-mogul, Steve Gunn & Ryan Sawyer

Chuck Roth solo electric guitar three times plus a duo with Chloe Sobek. Plus duo with James McKain. Chuck Roth is the best young improvising young guitarist on the planet as far as I’ve heard. Watch out!!!!

Larry Ochs, Nels Cline & Gerald Cleaver

all sets with Joelle Leandre at Vision Fest / especially the larger group that ended the night. With Ingrid Laubrock, Steve Swell, Mat Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris etc.

Mat Maneri Quartet 4 concerts/ the best was second set at Jazz Gallery with Lucian Ban, Brandon Lopez & Randy Peterson

Michael Foster, Brandon Lopez & Joey Sullivan

Michael Foster, Brandon Lopez & Greg Kelley

Signe Emmuleth, James McKain, Brandon Lopez & a drummer I forgot her name

Tim Berne’s Sun of Goldfinger twice

Tim Berne, David Torn, Trevor Dunn & Tom Rainey

about 8-10 other Berne sets were also very good to excellent

Gerald Cleaver’s Black Host

Jones Jones: Larry Ochs, Mark Dresser & Vladimir Tarasov

Thumbscrew with Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara 

Brandon Lopez, Gerald Cleaver & Fred Moten

Fred Frith & Zeena Parkins 

Michael Attias, Kenneth Jiminez & Randy Peterson

Hery Paz, Joe Morris & Tom Rainey

Marta Warelis solo piano

Chris Cochrane band

Zoh Amba, Forbes Graham, Luke Stewart & gabby fluke-mogul

Fred Frith, Nava Dunkelman, Carla Kihlstedt & Theresa Wong

Ches Smith quartet with Mary Halvorson, Mat Maneri & Craig Taborn 

Tomeka Reid quartet with Mary Halvorson, Jason Roebke & Tomas Fujiwara 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Steve Reynolds

[kh1958]

1 hour ago, Steve Reynolds said:

 

Tomeka Reid quartet with Mary Halvorson, Jason Roebke & Tomas Fujiwara 

 

A similar group is appearing at Big Ears 2024; hopefully will get to see them.

Edited December 7, 2023 by kh1958

[jlhoots]

Immanuel Wilkins Quartet

Kirk Knuffke Trio

Lakecia Benjamin Quartet

[sidewinder]

Norma Winstone/Mark Lockheart/Nicky Illes Trio (Swanage, July)

Ron Carter Quartet (London, Nov)

The Cookers (London, Nov)

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by sidewinder

[Steve Reynolds]

3 hours ago, kh1958 said:

A similar group is appearing at Big Ears 2024; hopefully will get to see them.

Hopefully you see them. I saw them at The Stone about 6-7 feet from Mary:)

[Steve Reynolds]

Adding

Pavement in October from the rail

Yo La Tengo from last week from 3 rows standing from the stage

then last night

Ikue Mori, Craig Taborn, Lotte Anker & Ches Smith

saw Lotte 4 nights in 5 days. As great an improvising alto & soprano saxophonist as I’ve seen in quite some time. 
 

also forgot about John Zorn’s Cobra from early Fall. Top 5 show of the year.

[felser]

I went to one concert the entire year:  Al Stewart at Upper Merion Concerts Under the Stars.  Outdoors, 2 blocks from my house.  It was excellent.  He is still in fine form, and an amazing storyteller as well as gifted musician.

[tranemonk]

Charles McPherson @ Newport Jazz Festival, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet @ Regattabar, Cambridge, and surprisingly Diana Krall at Newport Jazz Festival. I hadn't seen her in a decade and forgot how different she sounds from most other singers today. 

[Gheorghe]

https://www.qartetoulilangthaler.at/uli-langthler/

 

I mostly go and listen to what fellow musicians are doin´ .  

My favourite bassist with his quartet featuring Austrian Star Percussionist Andi Steirer at Jazzforum Modling in octombrie 2023

Such a great group, and some highlights were a composition written by the leader´s daughter : "Ama´s Blues", and an absolutly outstanding version of Charlie Parker´s "Ah-Leu-Cha". And them there actual CD is great ! 

[kh1958]

15 hours ago, felser said:

I went to one concert the entire year:  

65 this year for me.

[mjazzg]

My concert going has necessarily and unfortunately dwindled considerably over recent years but in 2023 I enjoyed

Tyshawn Sorey - solo piano

The Necks

Charles Lloyd Ocean Trio

Makaya McCraven playing In Our Times

Peter Brotzmann Trio, his last concert. RIP

Nik Bartsch

Sophie Agnel

Nubya Garcia playing Focus

Matthew Halsall

And away from the Jazz/Improv world...

Jim Ghedi

Alva Noto

Works of Gerard Grisey

Jeremiah Chiu

Works of Gyorgy Ligeti

The John Martyn Project

[Steve Reynolds]

56 minutes ago, kh1958 said:

65 this year for me.

I wish I kept track. More than 65 this year. Probably close to a hundred sets or more. Best concert attending year for me ever. It’s been incredibly satisfying. The music in the areas that I love is better than ever. Golden Age. 
 

I never take for granted what was lost to the pandemic. Nothing like live music played by the greatest improvisers on the planet. I’m very fortunate to be at maybe the epicenter of the whole thing with great respect to London, Berlin & Chicago. Throw in Portugal, Warsaw and various other places around the world. But the downtown NYC and Brooklyn scenes are smoking hot and vibrant. The amount of amazing young musicians and the young people attending is very invigorating. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Steve Reynolds

[mjazzg]

2 hours ago, mjazzg said:

My concert going has necessarily and unfortunately dwindled considerably over recent years but in 2023 I enjoyed

Tyshawn Sorey - solo piano

The Necks

Charles Lloyd Ocean Trio

Makaya McCraven playing In Our Times

Peter Brotzmann Trio, his last concert. RIP

Nik Bartsch

Sophie Agnel

Nubya Garcia playing Focus

Matthew Halsall

And away from the Jazz/Improv world...

Jim Ghedi

Alva Noto

Works of Gerard Grisey

Jeremiah Chiu

Works of Gyorgy Ligeti

The John Martyn Project

And how did I forgot The Balimaya Project. Possibly concert of the year alongside the Brotzmann

[sidewinder]

Thinking about it, I would probably also add the following:

Rebecca Nash Group 'Redefining Element 78'

Corrie Dick Quintet

Both at the Swanage Jazz Festival and both interesting projects.

Also at Swanage - Tony Kofi and Dennis Rollins' excellent 70s Adderley Brothers Tribute.

[Steve Reynolds]

On 12/7/2023 at 10:01 AM, Steve Reynolds said:

Too many to count

for sure top sets:

Crispell, Dresser & Hemingway / hard to say but probably the best most amazing show I’ve seen in quite some time.

BassDrumBone with Anderson, Helias & Hemingway

Zoh Amba, gabby fluke-mogul, Steve Gunn & Ryan Sawyer

Chuck Roth solo electric guitar three times plus a duo with Chloe Sobek. Plus duo with James McKain. Chuck Roth is the best young improvising young guitarist on the planet as far as I’ve heard. Watch out!!!!

Larry Ochs, Nels Cline & Gerald Cleaver

all sets with Joelle Leandre at Vision Fest / especially the larger group that ended the night. With Ingrid Laubrock, Steve Swell, Mat Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris etc.

Mat Maneri Quartet 4 concerts/ the best was second set at Jazz Gallery with Lucian Ban, Brandon Lopez & Randy Peterson

Michael Foster, Brandon Lopez & Joey Sullivan

Michael Foster, Brandon Lopez & Greg Kelley

Signe Emmuleth, James McKain, Brandon Lopez & a drummer I forgot her name

Tim Berne’s Sun of Goldfinger twice

Tim Berne, David Torn, Trevor Dunn & Tom Rainey

about 8-10 other Berne sets were also very good to excellent

Gerald Cleaver’s Black Host

Jones Jones: Larry Ochs, Mark Dresser & Vladimir Tarasov

Thumbscrew with Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara 

Brandon Lopez, Gerald Cleaver & Fred Moten

Fred Frith & Zeena Parkins 

Michael Attias, Kenneth Jiminez & Randy Peterson

Hery Paz, Joe Morris & Tom Rainey

Marta Warelis solo piano

Chris Cochrane band

Zoh Amba, Forbes Graham, Luke Stewart & gabby fluke-mogul

Fred Frith, Nava Dunkelman, Carla Kihlstedt & Theresa Wong

Ches Smith quartet with Mary Halvorson, Mat Maneri & Craig Taborn 

Tomeka Reid quartet with Mary Halvorson, Jason Roebke & Tomas Fujiwara 

 

Drummer was Sofia Borges with Signe, James & Brandon

add the 2 large ensemble sets from Ikue Mori from last night

included Ches Smith, Sylvie, Satako Fujii, Erik Friedlander, Charmaine Lee, David Watson, Zeena Parkins and more. Composed pieces with incredibly exciting grooves & improvised madness. Brilliant genius level stuff. Top 5 show of 2023. 

[jlhoots]

Steve Earle