 Avenging Angel It’s always tempting to list the “Best” CDs of the year, and indeed I have often put out such a list. But I can’t really determine the “best” – here it is, already January 2012, and there are still many 2011 releases waiting in my “review” stacks, and maybe just as many that can be found on other’s lists that I don’t even have on hand. Perusing the “best of” lists from Downbeat and Jazz Times, I must confess that there are a lot of acclaimed recordings that I still need to hear. I can, however, list my favorites within the boundaries of my listening opportunities in the past year. (And if this seems like a long list, the major jazz magazines usually list 50!) And I will forgo the desire to come up with my “top ten” and instead list my Big 3 and a couple local favorites, followed by another group that I find impossible to differentiate but easy to recommend. (Links provided to reviews posted on Jazz Police where available)
Andrea’s CDs of the Year  Family - Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel (ECM). Not only did Craig’s first solo release—a set of spontaneous improvisations—land on many “best of” lists for 2011, it was one of only two recordings from any genre that made Slate’s list of cultural icons of the first decade of the 21st century. Avenging Angel is a mini-epic, a series of mostly short sound experiments in which Taborn takes a specific idea (“detail”) and explores possibilities from multiple directions without losing the listener, altering small components that allow the music –and the mood—to move.
- Three Cohens, Family (Anzic). One by one, the three Cohen siblings--Yuval, Anat, and Avishai—left their native Israel to study American jazz at Berklee. With Yuval back in Israel, the Three Cohens might not perform together as often as they would like, but when they do, that familial bond adds to the musical magic, and their third ensemble release (with a stellar New York rhythm section of pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Gregory Hutchinson) fills the air with a crackling intensity and harmonies that would please Ellington, Mingus and Schneider. The addition of legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks on two tracks adds to the charm. Of all the recordings I enjoyed this year, Family is the one that has remained in the car’s CD player the longest. And it’s still there.
 Karrin Allyson©Andrea Canter - Karrin Allyson, Round Midnight (Concord). With the dangerous concept of an all-ballads album, Allyson boldly and elegantly succeeds in touching the universal human vulnerability through the songs of jazz giants (Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk), Songbook standards (Landesman and Wolf, Johnny Mandel), film and show tunes (Charlie Chaplin, Carroll and McCarthy, Stephen Sondheim) and pop (Paul Simon, Gordon Jenkins, Anthony Newly). In her commentary, Allyson asks the listener to imagine a lonely visitor in a dark jazz club. Round Midnight indeed brings the listener into that “small dark club” where a lone singer recounts lost loves and missed opportunities, poking at our moments of dark regret, but with a romantic heart. She sings to us as if no one else is in the room. When we leave the club, the darkness is gone. It’s morning.
This was an outstanding year for new recordings from Twin Cities’ musicians, from vocalists to piano trios to big bands. I find it impossible to select my favorite handful. But I can zero in on two:  In the Bubble
- Bryan Nichols, Bright Places. On his first recording as leader, pianist Bryan Nichols presents a set of 9 original compositions that highlight the breadth and depth of his imagination. Bright Places simmers, answering the question posed by one of the song titles, “Are You Making Future Music?” Yes, definitely! The quintet features some of the brightest talents in the regions, with saxophonists Michael Lewis and Brandon Wozniak, bassist James Buckley, and drummer J.T. Bates. The two-sax format at times gives the ensemble the orchestral power of a little big band, at other times a framework for horn-centric counterpoint.
Best CD I Overlooked in 2010 - Gregory Porter, Water (Motema). Maybe I was under water. I missed this one even though it garnered Porter a 2011 Grammy nomination (Best Jazz Vocal Album), a rare feat for a debut recording. While critical reviews in the past year mention Nat King Cole, Joe Williams and Donny Hathaway, I sometimes hear traces of contemporary Sachal Vasandani and, more often, the interpretive style and tone of Kurt Elling. Of course any of these influences bode well for Porter’s future, which will be further on display when his next Motema recording hits the streets in February. I won’t procrastinate the second time around.
Sleeper of the Year - Dionne Warwick, Only Trust Your Heart (MPCA). Despite her 70 years and her five decades of performing and recording in pop, soul and R&B veins, Dionne still possesses one of the most emotive voices in American music. She can still move you with a sigh, with a whisper, with phrasing that transcends genre. And who expected her first collection of jazz songs (from the pen of Sammy Cahn) to be so, well, jazzy?
DVD of the Year - E. Katsenelenbogen/Andre Ivanovich, Pictures at an Exhibition: American Premiere at Jordan Hall (DVD, 2011, Eyran Records). Take two virtuoso pianists, one from Russia who has excelled in the classical realm, one an Israeli immigrant who, from his home base in Boston, has excelled as a jazz soloist, and let them alternately interpret the iconic Pictures at an Exhibition. Plenty of footage and soundtrack to make your eyes as well as your ears swoon.
Recommended Releases From the National Scene (listed alphabetically)  Dead Cat Bounce©Andrea Canter - Geri Allen, A Child Is Born (Motema) (a few tracks with voices…. but primarily a solo effort)
- Bill Carrothers, Excelsior (Out Note)
- Fred Hersch, Alone at the Vanguard (Palmetto)
- Keith Jarrett, Rio (ECM)
- Brad Mehldau, Live in Marciac (Nonesuch)
- Jean-Michel Pilc, Essentials (Motema)
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Faith (5Passion)
- Dan Tepfer, Goldberg Variations/Variations (Sunnyside)
- Denny Zeitlin, Labyrinth (Sunnyside)
Ensemble recordings that deserve repeated listenings: - Lynne Arriale, Convergence (Motema)
- Gary Burton New Quartet, Common Ground (Mack Avenue)
- Bill Carrothers Trio, Live at the Village Vanguard (Pirouet)
- Chick Corea/Stefano Bollani, Orvieto (ECM)
- Chick Corea/Stanley Clarke/Lenny White, Forever (Concord)
- Shane Endsley and the Music Band, Then the Other (Low Electrical Records)
- James Farm (Redman, Parks, Penman, Harland), James Farm (Nonesuch)
- Benny Green, Source (Jazz Legacy)
- Geoffrey Keezer/Peter Sprague, Mill Creek Road (SBE Records)
- Konitz, Mehldau, Haden, Motion, Live at Birdland (ECM)
- Charles Lloyd/Maria Farantouri, Athens Concert (ECM)
- Joe Lovano & Us Five, Bird Songs (Blue Note)
- Pat Mallinger, Home on Richmond (PJM Records)
- Jimmy Owens, The Monk Project (IPO)
- Pilc/Hoening/Moutin, Threedom (Motema)
- Matt Slocum Trio, After the Storm (Chandra Records)
- Terell Stafford, This Side of Strayhorn (MaxJazz)
- Walt Weiskopf Quartet, Live (Capri)
- Kenny Werner, Balloons (Half Note)
- Jessica Williams Trio, Freedom Trane (Origin)
- Woody Witt, Pots and Kettles (Blue Bamboo Music)
Vocal jazz is always a crowded field, but a few rise high above the rest:
 Bryan Nichols©Andrea Canter Minnesota-Made There was no shortage of fine recordings from Twin Cities artists this year: And of special note, Pazz, the final recording from the late Christine Rosholt, released less than a month before her untimely death in late December. It’s hard to classify it as a jazz album as the pop and R&B flavors are so up front. Surely it was the genre-shifting local/vocal surprise of 2011. For more of Andrea's "favorites" in the realm of jazz (gigs, books, youth performances and more), see JazzINK. |
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Thursday, 17 May 2012
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