TEN FAVORITE RECORDINGS FOR 2009

[Frisco]

A top ten (or 25) favorites of mine for the year. I put out a post back at the end of March but thought I'd start a new thread for the end of the year. Not one that really stood out for me but a lot (at least 25) that I found pretty enjoyable:

TRIO 3 WITH IRENE SCHWEIZER - THE BERNE CONCERT - INTAKT
Great band as a trio, when they're hitting on all cylinders, but Irene really serves to open things up and set fire to the music at times. Recalls the Reggie Workman Quartet with Oliver, Andrew, and Marilyn Crispell years ago on the Synthesis recording, my intro to Marilyn's genius.

MARILYN CRISPELL (AND OTHERS) - COLLABORATIONS 2004 & 2007 - LEO
Speaking of Marilyn, music here from two different dates, both heavily in the free improvisation vein. Both dates with Paal Nilssen-Love on drums.

SUN RA ARKESTRA - THE ANTIQUE BLACKS - ART YARD
Technically not a new issue but a rare, long OOP LP from Saturn. Recorded live in 1974, a really lively set with plenty of great Ra poetry, rocksichord, and even electric guitar. An additional track added to the original LP. With the deluge of Sun Ra issues/reissues, this one stands out. I've had a tape of it for years and was thrilled to see it issued on cd.

JOHN HEBERT - BYZANTINE MONKEY - FIREHOUSE 12
To me, John is one of (at least) two great under-recognized bassist/leaders, the other being Adam Lane. This record covers a lot of ground, a lot of moods, but all with a lot of life. Some pieces include three winds, Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, and Adam Kolker. Hebert teamed up with Nasheet Waits
and Satoshi Takeshi in rhythm section.

OKKYUNG LEE/STEVE BERESFORD/PETER EVANS - CHECK FOR MONSTERS - EMANEM
Excellent free improv recording. Soon after this release, Okkyung and Peter would join Urs Leimgruber at Roulette for an equally excellent trio date.

BRIAN GRODER/BURTON GREENE - GRODER AND GREENE - LATHAM
In addition to the leaders, Groder on trumpets and Greene on piano, Rob Brown and Adam Lane join the forces to put this one over the edge. Great playing all the way around.

DENNIS GONZALEZ - RENEGADE SPIRITS - FURTHERMORE
Furthermore has put out two really fine recordings from Dennis this year. This one is my favorite of the two. Heavy on percussion with the presence of Famoudou Don Moye, the recording brims with an intense spirit and joyfulness.

JOE MORRIS - COLORFIELD - ESP DISK
One of two new recordings featuring Joe on the guitar. The new quartet date on Aum Fidelity is excellent as well. But this one, in a trio with Steve Lantner on piano and Luther Gray on drums, is a bit more wide open and gives a great opportunity to hear Joe not only solo but dig into some nice group interplay with his partners. Which also reminds me of...........

JOE MORRIS/SIMON H FELL/ALEX WARD - THE NECESSARY AND THE POSSIBLE - VICTO
Venturing even deeper into free improvisational territory, this is a date that was part of the Victoriaville 2008 Festival and one that I would have loved to have seen live. I've never had the opportunity to hear Simon H Fell or Alex Ward perform and it sounds like they were in fine form in this trio date with Joe.

LOTTE ANKER/CRAIG TABORN/GERALD CLEAVER - LIVE @ THE LOFT - ILK MUSIC
In Detroit we had a chance to hear this trio at a festival and it caught fire in a way that a previous trio date on Leo did not. This recording captures that fire and intensity that all three displayed, locking in together for a seamless flow of creative energy.

That's ten, but there were plenty more that I think could just as easily have been in my top ten:

BILL DIXON - TAPESTRIES FOR SMALL ORCHESTRA - FIREHOUSE 12
DON CHERRY - LIVE AT CAFE MONMARTRE VOLUME 3 - ESP DISK
CLEAVER/TABORN/PARKER - FARMERS BY NATURE - AUM FIDELITY
AKI TAKASE & ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH - IRON WEDDING - INTAKT
DANIEL HUMAIR/JOACHIM KUHN/TONY MALABY - FULL CONTACT - BEE JAZZ
NU BAND - LOWER EAST SIDE BLUES - PORTER RECORDS
SOPHIE AGNEL - CAPSIZING MOMENTS - PSI
SATOKO FUJII & MYRA MELFORD - TRACE A RIVER - LIBRA
NICOLE MITCHELL BLACK EARTH STRINGS - RENEGADES - DELMARK
FRANK GRATKOWSKI - UNPLUGGED MIND - LEO
KLANG - TEA MUSIC - ALLOS DOCUMENTS
STELLARI STRING QUARTET - GOCCE STELLARI - EMANEM
STEVE SWELL - PLANET DREAM - CLEAN FEED
DAVID S WARE - SHAKTI - AUM FIDELITY
OLD DOG - BY ANY OTHER NAME - PORTER RECORDS

[spin_spin_Capote]

How about this:

Buffalo Collision, 'duck'



Buffalo Collision = Tim Berne + Hank Roberts + 2/3 of the Bad Plus band

Recipe for success, I'd say

[Freetoojazz]

Sorry, I don't have ten albums, but five. Here my top 5 of the year 2009:


Ex aquo #1:-Gary Burton - Quartet Live
Ex aquo #1:-Raphael Imbert - N_Y Project

2- Keith Jarrett - Testament (Paris/London)

3-Holland, Potter, Rubalcaba, Harland - Montery Quartet

4-Corea & McLaughlin - Five Peace Band Live

5-Paul Motian Trio 2000+Two - On Broadway vol. 5

[Frisco]

Sorry, I don't have ten albums, but five. Here my top 5 of the year 2009:


Ex aquo #1:-Gary Burton - Quartet Live
Ex aquo #1:-Raphael Imbert - N_Y Project

2- Keith Jarrett - Testament (Paris/London)

3-Holland, Potter, Rubalcaba, Harland - Montery Quartet

4-Corea & McLaughlin - Five Peace Band Live

5-Paul Motian Trio 2000+Two - On Broadway vol. 5

Who is Raphael Imbert? Never heard of him. Must be a nice record. I kinda lost touch with Gary Burton's music. He's up to good things here, I take it.

[Freetoojazz]

Who is Raphael Imbert? Never heard of him. Must be a nice record. I kinda lost touch with Gary Burton's music. He's up to good things here, I take it.

Hi Frisco,

He plays tenor saxophone , soparano and alto. He's a master of his instrument.

Here some links about Imbert:

http://www.myspace.com/raphaelimbert

http://ninespirit.org/spip.php?article2

[Mark of Cenla]

These are the only jazz albums I bought that came out in 2009.

Christian McBride & Inside Straight - Kind of Brown
Mike Clark - Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1
Brian Bromberg - It Is What It Is
Mike Stern - Big Neighborhood
Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette - Yesterdays
Carl Allen & Rodney Whitaker - Work to Do

Peace and goodwill.
Happy New Year!

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Although it came out in late 2008, I didn't get Sergey Kuryokhin's 7-CD set Absolutely Great! until early this year. Three of the CDs from it would make my top five list, so this is clearly in a category by itself.

More 2008 records discovered in this year below.

***********

Dailey & Vincent are too new to be considered the greatest bluegrass group of all time, but that may be the only objection. Their second album, Brothers From Different Mothers, came out this year and is my pick for album of the year, any genre.

Another great non-jazz album released this year was the Fania compilation of Larry Harlow's Greatest Hits. And I already had more than half of it!

***********

My ten favorite jazz albums from 2009, in order of impact and projected staying power:

1. Nels Cline -- Coward (a breathtaking and beautiful one-man show)

2. Livio Minafra -- La Flamma E Il Cristallo (brilliant sophomore album from Kuryokhin's heir apparent)

3. Mark Feldman -- Secrets (Uri Caine is smoking on this! With Cohen and Baron. BeBop and Hard Bop transformations of old Jewish melodies, best unmistakeably jazz album from Tzadik in years.)

4. Marc Ducret -- Le Sens De La Marche (Powerful, large ensemble free jazz flirting with lyricism from Tim Berne's guitarist. Ducret and vibraphonist Tom Gareil dazzle!)

5. Bill Frissell -- Disfarmer (Beautiful bittersweet Americana, with the strings from Unspeakable.)

6. Amy Yoshida/ Toshimaru Nakamura -- Soba To Bara (One of the most interesting voices of new music in a perfectly serendipitous setting.)

7. Jon Hassell -- Last Night The Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In The Street (Music so gentle it disappears completely unless you pay attention to it, and only then will it show you its beauty.)

8. Rashanim -- The Gathering (Hard driving acoustic string jazz/ rock.)

9. Dennis Gonzalez/ Joao Paulo -- Scape Grace (The art of the free and magisterial duo, spacious and beautiful.)

10. John Zorn -- O'o (The Gift/ Dreamers group, with their best album yet. Easy on the ears and fun.)

******

Also very much enjoyed:

Steve Kuhn -- Mostly Coltrane

Ellery Eskelin/ Sylvie Courvoisier -- Every So Often

Lisa Sokolov -- A Quiet Thing

Rabih Abou-Khalil -- Em Portugues

John Zorn -- Filmworks XXI/ Alhambra Songs

Cyro Baptista -- Infinito

Bobo Stenson -- Cantando

Dave Douglas -- Spirit Moves

Allen Toussaint -- The Bright Mississippi

Anat Cohen -- Poetica

Evan Parker -- Moment's Energy

**********

And 2008 albums I discovered this year and really liked (aside from the Kuryokhin):

Wayne Horvitz --One Dance Alone

Vassilis Tsabropoulos - Melos

Trio de Paz with Joe Locke -- Live at Jazz Baltica

Gary Smulyan -- High Noon

[Jesse]

Will Guthrie~ Spike-s [Picca-disk]

Radu Malfatti/Klaus Filip~ Imaoto [Erstwhile]

Ryu Hankil, Jin Sangtae, Choi Joonyong, Hong Chulki, Park Seungjun, Joe Foster,
Noid, Klaus Fliip, Dieb13, Kai Fagaschinski, Bonnie Jones,Mats Gustafsson,
Taku Sugimoto, Taku Unami, Iida Katsuaki, Toshimaru Nakamura ~ Relay: Archives 2007-2008 [Manual]

Vanessa Rossetto~ Dogs In English Porcelain [Music Appreciation]

Burkhard Stangl/Kai Fagaschinski~ Musik-Ein Portrait In Sehnsucht [Erstwhile]

Phil Durrant/Lee Patterson/Paul Vogel~ Buoy [Cathnor]

Keith Rowe~ Erstlive 007 [Erstwhile]

Asher Thal-Nir~ Miniatures [Sourdine]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fantastic releases on 3" this year:

Ryu Hankil/Bryan Eubanks~ 777 [Cathnor]

Daniel Jones//Jez riley French/Ivan Palackey~ Tierce [Engraved Glass]

Mike Shiflet~ Supreme Trading [Dokuro]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In jazz releases, Dennis Gonzalez' A Matter of Blood is fantastic, as is Joe McPhee's Alto. I caught a good Taylor Ho Bynum gig recently, at which he gave me a couple of strong releases, one with the wacky, off-center stylings of guitarist Mary Halvorson.I spent a lot of time revisiting jazz vinyl [nice collection amassed these past 30 years, if I do say so], with upgrades to my stylus and speakers.
My coveted jazz purchases for the new year are Henry Threadgill's new one on Psi, and the L-O-N-G overdue Threadgill Mosaic, most of which I have on vinyl, but still.

[walto]

An acquaintance of mine posted this on his blog. I don't know any of it....




1.Blood Brothers - Young Machetes

Surreal post-hardcore from the masters, awe inspiring lyrical dexterity combined with screeching fretwork, intelligent songwriting and amazing hooks.

2.Miocene - A Perfect Life With a View of the Swamp

A brutal assault on any and all musical conventions from this criminally underacknowledged (and now defunct) London metal band.

3.Autechre - Draft 7.30

Probably their best since Amber, never gets tired.

4.Thom Yorke - The Eraser

300% better than Radiohead have ever been: fragile, haunting songs that seem to constantly breach their own boundaries.

5.Jaguar Love - Take Me To the Sea

Ex-Blood Brothers go pop...and do it amazingly.

6.New Flesh - Universally Dirty

Stunning album from this forward thinking UK hip hop crew - firing on all cylinders, lyrics, rhythm and melody.

7.The Knife - Silent Shout

Shiver inducing melodic electronic pop from this brother-sister duo.

8.The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Tiger and the Duke

Impossibly-detailed post-hardcore glitch workout which always leaves me wanting more

9.Circle Takes the Square - As the Roots Undo

Stunning post-hardcore (again!) from this 3-piece...how 3 people can make a sound with this many levels is beyond me.

10.Annie Gosfield - Lost Signals and Drifting Satellites

Beautiful and haunting sonic machinery from this Avant composer.

[Frisco]

[FONT=Courier New][B]
10.Annie Gosfield - Lost Signals and Drifting Satellites
Beautiful and haunting sonic machinery from this Avant composer.
:

This the only one that I know. I loved it, bit it;s quite a few years old by now.

[walto]

It's his 'best of decade' list.

[Frisco]

It's his 'best of decade' list.

Really! Damn. WE missed a lot of good shit over the past ten years,

[Captain Hate]

I'll be a bit late on compiling my list since I got a *lot* of music for Christmas and have to wend my way through it; plus I got together with a few of my buds for a listening session and heard some nice stuff from Michael Attias and Corey Wilkes. I'm kind of surprised that nobody (granted it's not a large number listing here; and thanks for those that have) included Pluto Junkyard by Lucky 7s on Clean Feed, a label that's pretty much attained 80s era Black Saint status. Ditto for the Marty Ehrlich on Clean Feed and the Mary Halvorson Trio although that might have been what Jesse was referring to. No Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble Live @ Cafe Oto? WTF did you assholes listen to?

[Uli]

I'll be a bit late on compiling my list since I got a *lot* of music for Christmas and have to wend my way through it; plus I got together with a few of my buds for a listening session and heard some nice stuff from Michael Attias and Corey Wilkes. I'm kind of surprised that nobody (granted it's not a large number listing here; and thanks for those that have) included Pluto Junkyard by Lucky 7s on Clean Feed, a label that's pretty much attained 80s era Black Saint status. Ditto for the Marty Ehrlich on Clean Feed and the Mary Halvorson Trio although that might have been what Jesse was referring to. No Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble Live @ Cafe Oto? WTF did you assholes listen to?

Looking forwartd to your list, hateman. I am glad I haven't made one so I don't have to feel like an asshole. Glad you like the Corey Wilkes (assume you heard cries from da ghetto) I like it a lot too. I am lucky to hear these cats live almost on a weekly basis. I am glad you mentioned Lucky 7s as well. Yeah, Clean Feed is one of the hottest labels. Have you heard the Daniel Levin on that label? I think Jesse referred to a live Taylor Ho Bynum set and a disk of his with Mary Halvorson, but we will never know, he gone.

Here is the critics poll from the VV. Those who like to knock themselves out with lists the individual ballots of the participating critics are available on site

2009 Voice Jazz Critics' Poll: The Results

Tuesday, December 29th 2009 at 1:03pm
2009 Jazz Poll Ballots
Jazz Album of the Year

1. Vijay Iyer Trio, Historicity (ACT) 234 (33)

2. Henry Threadgill Zooid, This Brings UsTo, Volume 1 (Pi) 198.5 (30)


3. Joe Lovano Us Five, Folk Art (Blue Note) 150 (23)

4. Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam) 134 (22)

5. Steve Lehman Octet, Travail, Transformation, and Flow (Pi) 112 (17)

6. Keith Jarrett, Testament: Paris/London (ECM) 99.5 (14)

7. Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi (Nonesuch) 95.5 (15)

8. Miguel Zenón, Esta Plena (Marsalis Music) 75.5 (12)

9. Jim Hall & Bill Frisell, Hemispheres (ArtistShare) 73 (12)

10. John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside) 71.5 (10)

11. Bill Frisell, Disfarmer (Nonesuch) 63.5 (10)

12. Bill Dixon, Tapestries for Small Orchestra (Firehouse 12) 59.5 (9)

13. Wadada Leo Smith, Spiritual Dimensions (Cuneiform) 59 (10)

14. Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy, Spirit Moves (Greenleaf) 56 (9)

15. Jeff "Tain" Watts, Watts (Dark Key) 55 (11)

16. Charles Tolliver Big Band, Emperor March (Half Note) 55 (7)

17. Darius Jones Trio, Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) (AUM Fidelity) 51.5 (9)

18. David Binney, Third Occasion (Mythology) 50 (11)

19. Fly (Mark Turner–Larry Grenadier–Jeff Ballard), Sky & Country (ECM) 48.5 (10)

20. J.D. Allen Trio, Shine! (Sunnyside) 45 (8)

21. Linda Oh Trio, Entry (Linda Oh Music) 44.5 (7)

22. Branford Marsalis Quartet, Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music) 42.5 (7)

23. Kurt Elling, Dedicated to You: Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman (Concord) 42.5 (6)

24. Steve Kuhn Trio With Joe Lovano, Mostly Coltrane (ECM) 41 (9)

25. Robert Glasper, Double Booked (Blue Note) 40.5 (8)

26. Monterey Quartet (Dave Holland–Gonzalo Rubalcaba–Chris Potter–Eric Harland), Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF/Concord) 38 (7)

27. Von Freeman, Vonski Speaks (Nessa) 36 (4)

28. Gretchen Parlato, In a Dream (ObliqSound) 35 (6)

29. Martial Solal, Live at the Village Vanguard (Cam Jazz) 34 (6)

30. Chris Potter's Underground, Ultrahang (ArtistShare) 33.5 (7)

31. Ben Allison, Think Free (Palmetto) 33 (6)

32. Miroslav Vitous Group with Michel Portal, Remembering Weather Report (ECM) 32.5 (5)

33. Tom Harrell, Prana Dance (HighNote) 32 (5)

34. John Patitucci Trio, Remembrance (Concord) 30 (7)

35. David S. Ware, Shakti (AUM Fidelity) 28 (6)

36. Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, The Moment's Energy (ECM) 28 (4)

37. Tyshawn Sorey, Koan (482 Music) 27.5 (5)

38. Gary Burton–Pat Metheny–Steve Swallow–Antonio Sanchez, Quartet Live! (Concord) 27 (5)

39. Roswell Rudd, Trombone Tribe (Sunnyside) 26.5 (5)

40. James Moody, 4A (IPO) 26 (4)

40. Joshua Redman, Compass (Nonesuch) 26 (4)

42. Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Kind of Brown (Mack Avenue) 25 (4)

43. Fred Anderson, 21st Century Chase (Delmark) 24.5 (3)

44. Mulatu Astatke & the Heliocentrics, Inspiration Information, Vol. 3 (Strut) 24 (4)

45. Ravi Coltrane, Blending Times (Savoy Jazz) 23 (4)

46. Roy Hargrove Big Band, Emergence (Emarcy) 23 (3)

47. Melody Gardot, My One and Only Thrill (Verve) 22.5 (4)

48. Keith Jarrett–Gary Peacock–Jack DeJohnette, Yesterdays (ECM) 22 (5)

49. James Carter–John Medeski–Christian McBride–Adam Rogers–Joey Baron, Heaven on Earth (Half Note) 22 (3)

50. Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings, Renegades (Delmark) 21.5 (4)

Critics were asked to list 10 albums in descending order, with 10 points awarded for their #1, 9 for #2, etc. (On ballots where choices were listed alphabetically, each received 5.5 points.) The first bold number indicates total points; the number in parentheses is the tally of ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.

[Captain Hate]

Looking forwartd to your list, hateman. I am glad I haven't made one so I don't have to feel like an asshole.

Not to worry, Uli; I appreciate the posters' lists here because they come closest to echoing what I like to listen to so that means I get good ideas on what to pick up
.

Glad you like the Corey Wilkes (assume you heard cries from da ghetto) I like it a lot too.

Your assumption is correct. I only heard three cuts but liked what he and the rest of the group did a great deal.

Have you heard the Daniel Levin on that label?

No but I like what he's done on a CIMP release and with Bobby Zankel's large group previously.

[bluenoter]

2009 Voice Jazz Critics' Poll: The Results

Tuesday, December 29th 2009 at 1:03pm
2009 Jazz Poll Ballots
Jazz Album of the Year

. . . Critics were asked to list 10 albums in descending order, with 10 points awarded for their #1, 9 for #2, etc. (On ballots where choices were listed alphabetically, each received 5.5 points.) The first bold number indicates total points; the number in parentheses is the tally of ballots on which a CD appeared, which was used as a tiebreaker.

Also in the Village Voice:

2009 Jazz Poll: Tom Hull's Alternate, Unsettled Top 10
By Tom Hull
Tuesday, December 29th 2009 at 1:01pm

Great jazz records we caught, with apologies to those we missed


8. Dennis González Jnaana Septet, The Gift of Discernment (Not Two). A vast river of percussion, sanctified by gospel voice, with piano and trumpet clearing the way.

. . . I'd also like to point out that anything with Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Ellery Eskelin or Tony Malaby on tenor sax, Ken Filiano or John Hebert on bass, and/or Tom Rainey or Michael T.A. Thompson on drums is practically guaranteed to be superb.

 

[jazzfiend]

Current faves in no particular sequence:

Digital Primitives, Hum, Crackle, and Pop (Hopscotch)

David S. Ware, Shakti, (Aum Fidelity)

Ken Vandermark, Barry Guy, Mark Sanders, Fox Fire (Maya Recordings, 2 cd's)

J.D. Allen Trio, Shine (Sunnyside)

Joe Morris Trio, Wildlife, (Aum Fidelity)

Charles Gayle Trio, Forgiveness, (NotTwo)

Paul Dunmall Sun Quartet, Ancient and Future Airs, (Clean Feed)

John Hebert, Byzantine Monkey (Firehouse 12)

Corey Wilkes, Cries From Tha Ghetto (Pi Recordings)

Harris Eisenstadt Quintet, Canada Day (Clean Feed)


Also in heavy rotation:

Trio 3 + Geri Allen, At This Time (Intakt)

The Fully Celebrated, Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones(Aum Fidelity)

Greg Osby, 9 Levels (Inner Circle Music)

Lucky 7's, Pluto Junkyard (Clean Feed)

Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet, Things Have Got to Change (Clean Feed)

Joshua Redman, Compass (Nonesuch)

Vandermark 5, Annular Gift (NotTwo)

Steve Lehman Octet, Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi Recordings)

Jeff "Tain" Watts, Watts (Dark Key)

Monterey Quartet, Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Fest. (MJF/Concord)

Branford Marsalis Quartet, Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music)

Adam Lane, Lou Grassi, Mark Whitecage, Drunk Butterfly (Clean Feed)

[Frisco]

David S. Ware, Shakti, (Aum Fidelity)
Ken Vandermark, Barry Guy, Mark Sanders, Fox Fire (Maya Recordings, 2 cd's)
Joe Morris Trio, Wildlife, (Aum Fidelity)
Paul Dunmall Sun Quartet, Ancient and Future Airs, (Clean Feed)
John Hebert, Byzantine Monkey (Firehouse 12)
Harris Eisenstadt Quintet, Canada Day (Clean Feed)
Trio 3 + Geri Allen, At This Time (Intakt)
The Fully Celebrated, Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones(Aum Fidelity)
Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet, Things Have Got to Change (Clean Feed)
Vandermark 5, Annular Gift (NotTwo)
Adam Lane, Lou Grassi, Mark Whitecage, Drunk Butterfly (Clean Feed)

Nice list. I included the Ware and Hebert on my list but could have easily included all of the above that I edited from your full list. Some of the others I've not heard.

The Vandermark/Guy/Sanders is monstrous. I need to spend more time with it. The Joe Morris is great but I chose a couple of his others instead. Marty Ehrlich's is really nice, reminiscent of the Hemphill groups with Abdul Wadud.
I liked the Vandermark 5 but didn't find it as exceptional to his catalog. I found the Trio 3 with Geri Allen nice enough but conservative compared to the one with Irene Schweizer. If you've not heard that one yet, it's worth hearing.

So much good music unheard by open ears. We've got to find new ways for everyone to hear it.

[Gary Sisco]

Greg Osby's *9 Levels*

[Gary Sisco]

I liked these a lot:

Burkhard Stangl/Kai Fagaschinski -- Musik Ein Portrat In Sehnsucht
Christoff Kurzmann/Burkhard Stangl -- Neuschnee

[stonemonkts]

I haven't heard loads of 2009 releases, but the ones that stand out for me are:

Ben Allison - Think Free

Ran Blake - Driftwoods

Fred Hersch - Plays Jobim

Joe Morris - Colorfield

Bobby Pevite - Pan Atlantic

Cedar Walton - Voices Deep Within

Matt Wilson - That's Gonna Leave a Mark

[Root Doctor]

My favorites from the past year are in no particular order, although the jazz titles are listed first:

1) Dennis Gonzalez: A Matter of Blood (Furthermore)
2) Jeff Albert: Similar In the Opposite Way (Fora Sound)
3) Darius Jones Trio: Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) (AUM Fidelity)
4) Corey Wilkes: Cries From Tha Ghetto (Pi Recordings)
5) New Orleans Nightcrawlers: Slither Slice (Threadhead)
6) T. Jarrod Bonta: Jazz Offerings to the Schnauzer King (Music Room)
7) Starline Rhythm Boys: Masquerade for Heartache (Cow Island)
8) The Gourds: Haymaker! (Yep Roc)
9) Bottle Rockets: Lean Forward (Bloodshot)
10) Kim Lenz and Her Jaguars: It's All True (Riley)
11) Barrence Whitfield: Raw Raw Rough (Blood Red)
12) Terry Adams: Holy Tweet (Clang)
13) Terry Adams Rock and Roll Quartet: Crazy 8s (Clang)
14) BeauSoleil: Alligator Purse (Yep Roc)
15) Reigning Sound: Love and Curses (In the Red)
16) Big Jack Johnson: Katrina (Big Jack Music)
17) Rosie Flores: Girl of the Century (Bloodshot)
18) Arty Hill & the Long Gone Daddys: Montgomery on My Mind: The Hank EP (Cow Island)
19) Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women: s/t (Yep Roc)
20) Wayne Hancock: Viper of Melody (Bloodshot)

[cultchas]

Two albums for 2009 that merit every music lover's attention:

1. Marty Krystall - Silverscreen in Blue (K2B2 3869)
2. Buell Neidlinger - Basso Profundo (Vivace 8801)

[Gary Sisco]

I liked Ware -- Shakti (AUM-Fidelity)

[Xavier]

I like Dave Douglas's "Spirit Moves" which has a New Orleans/Lester Bowie Brass Fantasy feel to it. Great players, very different Douglas, who pulls it off with style.

[Bill Barton]

The Best Recordings of 2009
compiled by Bill Barton





Discs marked with an asterisk* are on my original 2009 Top Ten list prepared for KBCS Bellevue-Seattle 91.3 FM, www.kbcs.fm

Von Freeman: Vonski Speaks, Nessa

Satoko Fujii & Myra Melford: Under the Water, Libra

Moraine: Manifest Density, Moonjune

Fred Anderson: 21st Century Chase, Delmark

Hailey Niswanger: Confeddie, www.haileyniswanger.com

Mary Halvorson/Reuben Radding/Nate Wooley: Crackleknob, hatOLOGY

Austin Jazz Workshop Plays Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Mystery Note, AusJazz Music

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: Mama's House Live 35th Anniversary Project, Katalyst

Jacam Manricks: Labyrinth, Manricks Music Records

John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble: Eternal Interlude, Sunnyside











It was a great year for adventurous jazz on recordings, with major works by masters Bill Dixon, Henry Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith among the highlights.

Anyone who still thinks jazz is strictly a young person's art should listen to the powerful new recordings from octogenarian Chicago tenor saxophonists Fred Anderson and Von Freeman. If I had to rank my Best of the Year list in order of preference, Vonski Speaks and 21st Century Chase would be #1 and #2.

Some brief comments are included. Just because a disc lacks a comment doesn't mean that it is "less worthy."

Artist - title - label



Stefon Harris & Blackout - Urbanus - Concord
Strikes me as an inconsistent but notable recording. When it's good it's very, very good.
Allen Toussaint - Bright Mississippi - Nonesuch
Toussaint's exploration of trad jazz repertoire has that New Orleans thing plus remarkable playing by Don Byron, Marc Ribot, et al. A lovely recording.
Nels Cline - Coward - Cryptogramophone
A fascinating over-dubbed solo strings outing that moves in a variety of creative directions.
Alex Cline - Continuation - Cryptogramophone
The crowning jewel so far in Cline's discography. Richly textured, meditative and joy-filled, some of Myra Melford's and Peggy Lee's contributions here are among their finest recordings.
Henry Threadgill Zooid - This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 - Pi
One of the major composers in the music provides another chapter in his colorful story. Long overdue and highly recommended.
Rudresh Mahanthappa - Apti - Innova
A trio that provides an opportunity to appreciate Mahanthappa's fully developed technique, rich timbre and audacious ideas in a more "stripped-down" setting than other recent discs.
Wadada Leo Smith - Spiritual Dimensions - Cuneiform
An amazing two-CD set from a master. Not to be missed!
*Fred Anderson - 21st Century Chase - Delmark
Anderson and Kidd Jordan take tenor dialogues to new heights here. Recorded at Anderson's 80th birthday party at The Velvet Lounge, this is long-form improv at its most inspired.
John Moulder - Bifrost - Origin
"ECM-ish" guitar-led group with some fine compositions.
*Von Freeman - Vonski Speaks - Nessa
The Truth. Record of the year.
Aram Shelton's Fast Citizens - Two Cities - Delmark
This came out late in the year and my first impressions are very positive.
Juozas Milasius - Slow - Nemu
This Lithuanian guitarist has come up with an impressive solo disc: atmospheric, moody and occasionally quite noisy. A must for guitar fans.
Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown - Varmint - Cuneiform
Another end-of-the-year release that's going to take more than one more spin to digest. First impression? High on next year's list!
Samuel Blaser Quartet - Pieces of Old Sky - Clean Feed
Swiss trombonist with chops aplenty. A group that listens and breathes. One of the year's most
significant and enjoyable "discoveries" for me.
Viviane Houle - Treize - Drip Audio
Another genre-busting improv salade from Vancouver.
Minamo (Satoko Fujii & Carla Kihlstedt) - Kuroi Kawa-Black River - Tzadik
I'm still digesting this one and there's a lot to chew on. Lookin' like #1 on the 2010 list so far!
Charles Evans & Neil Shah - Live at Saint Stephens - Hot Cup
Bari sax/piano duo that provides many Bright Moments.
*Bill Dixon - Tapestries for Small Orchestra - Firehouse 12
A masterpiece (and I don't use the word lightly.) The music, audio/video production and graphics are A++ on this two-CD, one DVD set.
Andrew Green et al. - Narrow Margin - Microphonic
Azar Lawrence - Prayer for My Ancestors - Furthermore
*Mary Halvorson/Reuben Radding/Nate Wooley - Crackleknob - hatOLOGY
Roswell Rudd - Trombone Tribe - Sunnyside
Jimmy Bennington Trio - Another Friend: The Music of Herbie Nichols - ThatSwan!
Delightful and quirky with marvelous piano playing by David Haney.
Etienne Charles - Folklore - www.etiennecharles.com
Soulful, Caribbean folklore-inspired gumbo and my introduction to trumpeter Charles. He's an artist to watch.
Brian Groder & Burton Greene - Groder & Greene - Latham
*Jacam Manricks - Labyrinth - Manricks Music
He's a composer of enormous depth, sensitivity and imagination. One of this year's major "discoveries" for me.


*Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Mama's House Live: 35th Anniversary Project - Katalyst
Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse - Cries from Tha Ghetto - Pi
The edition of Kahil El'Zabar's EHE with Corey Wilkes is an often volcanic and always adventurous group. Captured "live," they absolutely tear it up. Wilkes' own Abstrakt Pulse combines groove and creativity in a very personal fashion. This man is playing The Truth.

Enrico Pieranunzi/Marc Johnson/Joey Baron - Dream Dance - Cam Jazz
A program of memorable original compositions by Pieranunzi. One of the finest working piano trios these days.
Bobby Bradford/Tom Heasley/Ken Rosser - Varistar - Full Bleed
Kudos to Heasley for this disc with the sadly little-documented Bradford. It was a good year for Bradford fans with this one plus the Nessa reissue.
*Austin Jazz Workshop - Mystery Note: AJW plays Rahsaan Roland Kirk - AusJazz
Rah's spirit lives on through recordings such as this one and Claire Daly's Rah Rah Rah. It's a living legacy rather than a museum piece. Alex Coke et al. let this music breathe.
The Brother Thelonious Quintet - Brother Thelonious - www.northcoastbrewing.com
Robert Glasper - Double Booked - Blue Note
James Weidman - Three Worlds - Inner Circle
Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings - Renegades - Delmark
Terence Blanchard - Choices - Concord
Blanchard's tapestry of spoken word from Dr. Cornel West and powerful music is his most compositionally fully-realized CD to date. If you think of him as a neo-con this disc may open your mind.
*Hailey Niswanger - Confeddie - www.haileyniswanger.com
Because of my personal tastes/interests and the niche focus of Bright Moments it's rare that a "mainstream" recording captures my imagination. This one did and continues to do so. At age 19, this Portland, Oregon native now studying at Berklee already has a personal sound and approach on alto saxophone. A promise of great things to come...
Josh Berman - Old Idea - Delmark



reissues:

Roscoe Mitchell - Nonaah - Nessa
Leo Smith - Spirit Catcher - Nessa
Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble - On the Beach - Katalyst
Roscoe Mitchell - The Solo Concert - Katalyst
Bobby Bradford with John Stevens and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble - Nessa
Lester Bowie - All the Numbers - Nessa
The Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble - Congliptious - Nessa
Steve Lacy - The Forest and the Zoo - ESP Disk

reissue label of the year:

Nessa



label of the year:

Delmark








Huge:

2009 was a year packed with creative, boundary-breaking "big band" or large ensemble releases. Eternal Interlude tops the list with compositions and playing at the very highest level. Sound Assembly's Edge of the Mind with music written by David Schumacher and J.C. Sanford is another of the year's highlights. The legacy of George Russell and Gil Evans is in good hands these days. Infernal Machines has been widely praised, and I praise it as well. It - and the more mainstream-oriented Groove's Mood - feature some of the year's best recorded solos in a big band context.

*John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble - Eternal Interlude - Sunnyside
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind - New Amsterdam
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Infernal Machines - New Amsterdam
Dave Rivello Ensemble - Facing the Mirror - Allora
Jentsch Goup Large - Cycles Suite - Fleur De Son
The Aggregation Under the Direction of Eddie Allen - Groove's Mood - www.EddieAllen.net
Abdullah Ibrahim & WDR Big Band Cologne - Bombella - Intuition/Sunnyside
Abdullah's beautiful compositions are center stage on this large ensemble recording. There are some breathtakingly gorgeous arrangements here. The promo release came out toward the end of the year. This will be a strong contender for the 2010 list.







Pacific Northwest:



Tom Varner - Heaven and Hell - Omni Tone
Ex-New Yorker, now Seattle resident's musical meditation on good and evil, post-9/11. This is a suite that sighs and thunders, contemplates and testifies. A major work. I hadn't had time to listen in-depth before compiling my KBCS 2009 Top Ten. It's a shoe-in for #1 on the list in 2010.
Tom Baker Quartet - Save - Present Sounds
The Tony Wilson Sextet - The People Look Like Flowers at Last - Drip Audio
Sunship - Sunship - (self-produced)
Search this one out. You won't be disappointed.
Not to be confused with the London-based band with the same name.
http://www.myspace.com/sunshipmusic
http://sunshipmusic.blogspot.com/
Stuart Dempster/Tom Heasley/Eric Glick Rieman - Echoes of Syros - Full Bleed
Beautiful ambient soundscapes with mutated tuba and prepared Rhodes...

Dennis Rea:
*Moraine - Manifest Density - Moonjune
Iron Kim Style - Iron Kim Style - (self-produced)
Guitarist Rea with two very different projects, Moraine tightly structured and Iron Kim Style wildly loosey goosey.

The October Trio + Brad Turner - Looks Like It's Going to Snow - Songlines
The Tiptons Sax Quartet – Laws of Motion - Zipa!/Spoot Music
Brilliant! Fun! Difficult to resist...
Bill Frisell - Disfarmer - Nonesuch
More melancholy Americana from Frisell. A lovely record
Reptet – Agendacide – Monktail (7” vinyl)


It was a very good year for Pacific Northwest guitar fans, with fine new recordings from Tom Baker, Brian Heaney with Sunship, Tony Wilson (Vancouver, BC), Bill Frisell and two from Dennis Rea.

[katz]

1. Joe McPhee - Angels, Devils & Haints
2. Wadada Leo Smith & Jack DeJohnette - America
3. In The Country - Whiteout
4. Evan Parker - The Moment's Energy
5. The Thing – Bag It!
6. Alberto Pinton – Chant
7. Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street
8. Offonoff - Slap & Tickle
9. John Zorn - O'o
10. Borah Bergman - Luminescence
11. Nobuyasu Furuya Trio – Bendowa
12. João Paulo & Dennis González - Scapegrace
13. Rodrigo Amado – Motion Trio
14. WHO Trio – Less Is More
15. Manuel Mota - Sings

[jazzfiend]

NEWS FLASH! STOP THE PRESSES!

A late addition for y'all:


Wadada Leo Smith, "Spiritual Dimensions" (2 live sets on 2 cd's)

Smith at his best, Vijay Iyer, John Lindberg, & Nels Cline are superb, and Aklaff is a fucking monster throughout. Crisply recorded with extended bass response (on Cuneiform).

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Vijay Iyer, John Lindberg, & Nels Cline are superb, and Aklaff is a fucking monster throughout.

Oooh, I really like the sound of that supporting cast!

[Captain Hate]

Ok, I still haven't finalized my list but have gotten some *great* ideas from this thread and will give my tentative list:

1. Live @ Cafe Oto: Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble
2. Collaborations: Crispell et al
3. Dragon's Head: Mary Halvorson Trio
4. Pluto Junkyard: Lucky 7s
5. Sirius Respect: The Respect Sextet Play the Music of Sun Ra & Stockhausen
6. The Moment's Energy: Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble
7. Retrograde: Atomic
8. Die Enttauschung
9. Elementary Dialogues: Eyal Maoz & Asaf Sirkis
10. A Matter of Blood: Dennis Gonzalez

Still left to hear that may nudge some of the others out:
Cries From Tha Ghetto: Corey Wilkes
Live at Tortona: Borah Bergman & Stefano Pastor
Secrets: Feldman et al (thanks to Sqdcs for making me aware of this)

Ones which I'll probably include in a 2010 list:
Things Have Got to Change: Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet
Renku in Coimbra: Michael Attias
Call Before You Dig: Sonore
House Full of Floors: Evan Parker
Bandwidth: Circulasione Totale Orchestra

Discs that were very good but didn't make the cut:
Sliptong: Baars/Henneman/Mengelberg
21st Century Chase: Fred Anderson (I enjoyed this a great deal but there was little significantly different from Fred and Kidd with different rhythm sections to differentiate this from the others. Plus Kidd seemed to get more solo space, not that there's anything wrong with that)
This Brings Us To volume 1: Henry Threadgill Zooid (again, very good but not anything markedly different from his two most recent releases)
Distil: Atomic/School Days
Travail, Transformation and Flow: Steve Lehman Octet
Secondary Deviations: Jacob William Quartet
Wakte Oglaka: Rechtern/Zinman/Wang/Cook

Outstanding discs from prior years I became familiar with in 2009:
Malphas: Courvoisier/Feldman
Black Ice & Propane: Erik Friedlander
Free Zone Appleby 2007: Parker/Angeli/Rothenberg
The Fat is Gone: Brotzmann/Nilssen-Love/Gustafsson
Kinsmen: Mahanthappa
Sibanye (We Are One): Moholo-Mohoho & Crispell (this was 2008, no?)