IT’S TOP TEN TIME!!!

Basically, there are two lists of people: those who make lists, and those who don’t. Badda Boom!

Me, I LOVE lists! On my refrigerator door used to be a picture of Fredric Chopin next to one of Franz Liszt, and underneath it read “Chopin Liszt”. THAT’S MAKING A LIST!

OK, enough of the bad jokes. One of the joys of doing a site like this is connecting with the various other jazz journalists and finding out which albums tickled their collective fancies the past year. It’s sort of like buying a used text book and wondering why certain points were highlighted when I never would have considered that part important. What do they see that I missed? It’s a great way to both see how someone else thinks musically and to also broaden your palate. Hey, if Yanow, Conrad or Turner etc liked something, maybe I should check it out!

If you’re new to jazz, the best idea is to find which albums are listed numerous times. That tells you something about the music, and is usually a great place to start.

After you’re done with this list, feel free to contact me about my lists about my top ten pizzas, pitchers, jazz clubs, baseball parks, baseball teams, quarterbacks, quarter pounders…ooh, the joy of making a list.

One of my favorite vacations was driving around Texas and Arkansas with another family. With the wives and kids in the back of the van, my buddy and I spent the entire time taking turns driving and creating all kinds of “Top Ten” list categories and then having a wonderful time filling them up to pass the time. By the end of the two weeks we were both gloriously suffering from laryngitis. What a way to go!

Anyway, dig in!

1) George Harris

Jimmy Cobb: The Original Mob (Smoke Sessions)

Nancy Harrow: Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues (Fresh Sound)

Eleni Karaindrou:Medea (ECM)

Chubby Jackson: Ooh! What An Outfit! (Uptown Records)

Romero Lubambo: So (Sunnyside)

The Keynote Jazz Collection 1941-1947 (Fresh Sound)

Dee Daniels: Intimate Conversations (Origin Records)

Lili Boniche: Tresors De La Musique Judeo-Arabe(World Village Records)

Dayna Stephens: Peace (Sunnyside)

Rodney Whitaker: When We Find Ourselves Alone (Mack Avenue)

2)John McDonough/Down Beat, NPR, Northwestern University Music Dept

Sonny Rollins Road Shows 3 – Doxie

Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Live Recordings – Mosaic

Mostly Other People Do the Killing (MOPDTK): Kind of Blue

Charlie Haden-Jim Hall – Impulse!

Lennie Tristano-Lee Konitz;Warne Marsh – Uptown

Kenny Baron-Dave Holland – Impulse!

Tony Bennett-Lady Gaga – Cheek to Cheek – Columbia

Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band – Life in the Bubble

Keith Jarrett – Charlie Haden – Last Dance  (ECM)

Tierney Sutton – After Blue – BFM Jazz

3)Mark F. Turner /Freelance Writer /Allaboutjazz.com

Marko Churnchetz – Devotion (Whirlwind)
Enoch Lee – Finish Line (Self Produced)
Miguel Zenon – Identities Are Changeable (Miel Music )
Jason Moran – All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller (Blue Note)
Elizabeth Shepherd – Signal (Linus Entertainment)
Joshua Redman – Trios Live (Nonesuch)
Tigran Hamasyan – Shadow Theater (Sunnyside)
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band – Landmarks (Bluenote)
Ambrose Akinmusire – The imagined savior is far easier to paint (Bluenote)
Wadada Leo Smith – The Great Lakes Suites (Tum)

4)Scott Yanow

Louis Armstrong – Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings – Mosaic

Chick Corea – Triology – Concord

Akua Dixon – Akua Dixon – Akua’s Music

Echoes Of Swing – Blue Pepper – ACT

Clifford Jordan – The Complete Strata East Sessions – Mosaic

Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories – Resonance

Freda Payne – Come Back To Me Love – Artistry Music

Carl Saunders – America – Summit

Three Cohens – Tightrope – Anzic

Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra – A Beautiful Friendship – Summit

 

5)Dave Kunian

Audio One – Midwest School – powerful and passionate versions of Hard Blues and Yoyo win me over

Aurora Nealand and Royal Roses – Lookback Transmission – killer swing/trad that makes it live today.

Henry Butler/Steven Bernstein Hot 9 – Viper’s Drag – Serious jazz that has some humor and very danceable.

Shotgun Jazz Band – Don’t Give Up the Ship – trad jazz played by people who sound like it is a matter of life and death

Marc Ribot – Live At The Village Vanguard – wild and dug in.

Bud Powell – Birdland 1953 – bebop at its best in a live setting

Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories – love hearing what Slugs Saloon sounded like.

John Coltrane – Live at Temple – Intense and rewarding.  I’ll be getting something out of this recording for a long time.

Miguel Zenon – Identities Are Changeable – Combines a great premise and great music without sacrificing either

Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter 3: River Run Thee – Sound rich and provocative

 

6)Thomas Conrad

 

1. Ambrose Akinmusire: The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint (Blue Note)
2. Sonny Rollins: Road Shows, Volume 3 (Doxy/OKeh)
3. Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: Last Dance (ECM)
4. Wadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suites (TUM)
5. Jane Ira Bloom: Sixteen Sunsets (Outline/Pure Audio)
6. Indigo Mist: That the Days Go By and Never Come Again (RareNoise)
7. Doctor 3: Doctor 3 (Jando)
8. Avishai Cohen’s Triveni: Dark Nights (Anzic)
9. Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joakim Milder: Spark of Life (ECM)
10. Marc Ribot Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi)

Out Loud (Triple Point)

8)Mark Corroto / AllAboutJazz.com

1. James Brandon Lewis - “Divine Travels” (O’Keh)
2. Martin Wind Quartet - “Turn Out the Stars” (What If? Music)
3. Matthew Shipp - “I’ve Been Many Places” (Thirsty Ear)
4. Jason Adasiewicz’ - Sun Rooms “From The Region” (Delmark Records)
5. Adam Lane´s Full Throttle Orchestra - “Live in Ljubljana” (Clean Feed)
6. Wayne Horvitz - "At The Reception" (Songlines)
7. Jason Yeager Trio - “Affirmation” (Inner Circle Music)
8. Ken Vandermark/Audio One - “The Midwest School” (Audiographic Records)
9. Maichael Blake - Tiddy Boom (Sunnyside)
10. Steve Wilson/Lewis Nash - “Duologue” (MCG Jazz)

10) Michael G. Nastos/Cadence Magazine
JASON ADASCIEWICZ-SUN ROOMS From The Region (DELMARK)
THE COOKERS Time & Time Again (MOTEMA)
MARY HALVORSON Reverse Blue (RELATIVE PITCH)
IBRAHIM ELECTRIC Rumours From Outer Space (ILK)
GUILLERMO KLEIN Live At The Village Vanguard (SUNNYSIDE)
RAYMOND MACDONALD/MARILYN CRISPELL Parallel Moments
(BABEL)
ELLEN ROWE Courage Music (PKO)
ROTEM SIVAN For Emotional Use Only (FRESH SOUND/NEW TALENT)
WADADA LEO SMITH The Great Lakes Suite (TUM)
ROSEANNA VITRO Clarity – The Music Of Clare Fischer (RANDOM ACT)
HISTORICAL
JOHN COLTRANE Offering – Live At Temple University (IMPULSE/
RESONANCE)
JIMMY GIUFFRE 3 & 4 New York Concerts (ELEMENTAL)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Creative Music Studio; Archive Collections, Vol. I
(INNOVA)

11) Lyn Horton

1. Darius Jones, Oversoul Manual, AUM Fidelity;
2. Joe McPhee, Glasses, Corbett & Dempsey;
3. Wadada Leo Smith, The Great Lakes Suite, TUM Records;
4. Chad Taylor & Rob Masurek, Locus, Northern Spy;
5. Jason Roebke Octet, High/Red/Center, Delmark;
6. Matthew Shipp Trio, Root of Things, Relative Pitch;
7. Dave Rempis, Darren Johnston, Larry Ochs, Spectral, Aerophonic Records;
8. Billy Bang & William Parker, Medicine Buddha, NoBusiness Recods
9. Darius Jone & Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder: The Darkseid Recital, AUM Fidelity;
10. Jason Adasiewicz’s SunRooms, From the Region, Delmark.

12) Ken Weiss/Cadence Magazine
Aurora Trio (Agusti Fernandez – Barry Guy – Ramon
Lopez) –  A Moments Liberty  (Maya)
Ken Thomson and Slow/Fast –  Settle  (NCM-East)
Connie Crothers –  Concert in Paris  (New Artists)
Christoph Irniger Pilgrim –  Italian Circus Story  (Intakt)
Phil Haynes –  No Fast Food/In Concert  (CornerStoreJazz)
Burton Greene with R*time –  Burton’s Time  (CIMP)
David Haney –  Solo  (CIMP)
Pete Robbins –  Pyramid   (Hate Laugh Music)
Tyshawn Sorey –  Alloy  (PI)
Yeahwon Shin –  Lua ya  (ECM)

13) Jason Bivins/Cadence Magazine
Marc Baron – Hidden Tapes (Potlatch)
Raoul Bjorkenheim – Ecstasy (Cuneiform)
Kyle Bruckmann’s Wrack – Awaits Silent Tristero’s Empire (Single Speed)
John Coltrane – Offering (Impulse)
Fred Frith/John Butcher – The Natural Order (Northern Spy)
(Elemental)
Barry Guy New Orchestra – Amphi/Radio Rondo (Intakt)
Wadada Leo Smith – The Great Lakes Suites (TUM
Aki Takase – La Planete (Intakt)
Toshiya Tsunoda/Manfred Werder – Detour (Erstwhile)

14)Don Lerman/Cadence Magazine

Bob Nieske 10 Fast Track (CIMP 396)
Scenes…But Not Heard (ORIGIN 82657)
Mike Dirubbo Threshold (KSANTO RECORDS KSR002)
Leslie Pintchik In The Nature of Things (PINCH HARD CD-002)
Daniel Szabo, Peter Erskine, Edwin Livingston A Song
From There (DSZABOMUSIC 1001)
Harvey Wainapel Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2 (JAZZMISSION RECORDS
# 13001)
Mitch Haupers Invisible Cities (LIQUID HARMONY MUSIC LHM
072014-1 CD)
Chris Biesterfeldt Urban Mandolin (BR1001)
Mette Juul Moon on My Shoulder (CALIBRATED MUSIC  CALI 123)
Dorothy Doring and Phil Mattson Compositions by Duke
Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (No label)

15) Jerome Wilson/Cadence Magazine
Jason Roebke Octet,  High/Red/Center, (Delmark)
Ingrid Laubrock Octet, Zurich Concert, (Intakt)
Charles Lloyd, Manhattan Stories, (Resonance)
Christina Dahl, Life’s Carousel, (Storyville)
Sylvie Courvoisier Trio, Double Windsor, (Tzadik)
Sarah Manning, Harmonious Creature, (Posi-Tone)
Katie Ernst, LIttle Words, (self-released)
Jason Adasiewicz’s Sun Rooms, From The Region, (Delmark)
The Bad Plus, The Rite Of Spring, (Sony Masterworks)
Mary Halvorson/Michael Formanek/Tomas Fujiwara,
Thumbscrew, (Cuneiform)

REISSUES
Cecil Taylor,  The Complete Collection 1956-1962,
(Enlightenment)
Hal Russell NRG Ensemble & Charles Tyler, Generation,
(Nessa)
Gary Burton, Seven Songs For Quartet And Chamber Orchestra, (ECM)
Kenny Wheeler, Gnu High, (ECM)
Ira Sullivan, Circumstantial, (Nessa)

16)Bernie Koenig/Cadence Magazine
Udo Schindler, Katherina Weber Spielzeit, Atemzeit,
Horizonzeit   (Unit Records  4484)
Torben Snekkestad, Barry Guy Slip, Slide, and Collide  (Maya
Recordings 1401)
Jim Dvork, Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders, Chris Mapp
Cherry Pickin’  (Slam 294)
Gorzycki & Gruchot Experimental Psychology (Fortune  0021013)
Frederic Blondy & Joe Rosenberg Rouge et Blanc  (Quark
Records   ORO2016)
Joe Rosenberg Ensemble Resolution (Quark no number)
Albert Beger, Gerry Hemingway There’s Nothing Better To Do
(Out Now 007)
Evan Parker   Georg Graewe Dortmund Variations (Nuscape)
Alexey Kruglov, Jaak Sooaar, Alexey Lapin, Oleg
Yudanov  Military Space  (Leo 675)
Glen Hall Live in Siberia  (TARSIER J02)

17) Larry Hollis/Cadence Magazine
ERIC ALEXANDER Chicago Fire (HIGHNOTE)
THE COOKERS Time and Time Again (MOTEMA)
OPUS 5 Progression (CRISS CROSS)
STEVE DAVIS For Real (POSITONE)
JOE FARNSWORTH My Heroes (VENUS)
CEDAR WALTON/FREDDIE HUBBARD Redfining the Moment (HIGHNOTE)
SCOTT HAMILTON Live at Smalls (SMALLSLIVE)
MIKE DIRUBBO/LARRY WILLIS Four Hands, One Heart (KSANTI)
ALEX SIPIAGIN From Reality and Back (5PASSION)
MEL BROWN B3 ORGAN GROUP More Today Than Yesterday (CDBABY)

REISSUES:
HERBIE HANCOCK/VSOP Five Stars (WOUNDED BIRD)
KENNY BURRELL Bluesin’ Around Sessions (ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS)
WEBSTER/HOLMES/MCCAN Groove (AMERICAN JAZZ CLASSICS)
JEREMY STEIG Flute Fever (INTERNATIONAL PHONOGRAPH)
MILES DAVIS QUINTET/SEXTET Radio Broadcasts ’58&’59 (RLR)
JOE PASS/LES MCANN Something Special (AMERICAN JAZZ CLASSICS)
FREDDIE REDD Redd’s Blues (BLUE NOTE JAPAN)
GRANT GREEN QUARTET Nigeria (ESSENTIAL JAZZ CLASSICS)
STAN GETZ England ’58/ Chicago ’57 (SOLAR)

CURTIS FULLER/SLIDE HAMPTON Two Bones (BLUE NOTE JAPAN)