Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Jazz Editor, S. Duda Amazon.com Jazz editors S. Duda and Andrew Bartlett have selected the 11 best jazz recordings of 1999. Consider this a 10 best with a fringe on top, in recognition of jazz's time-signature play and rhythmic fluidity. You'll find Sam Rivers's sprawling big band, a lost Eric Dolphy session, and Brad Mehldau's latest piano trio display. This is the good stuff, straight, no chaser. 1. "Nine to Get Ready" Roscoe Mitchell http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000I73R/entertainmentsit An album of graceful intimacy fleshed out by the understated power of jazz's most profound, resourceful innovators, "Nine to Get Ready" is not just a showcase for Art Ensemble veteran Mitchell, it's a tour de grace from a brilliant ensemble pushed to create beauty on a fragile scale. A challengingly modern yet exquisitely refined set of modern jazz. 2. "Inspiration" Sam Rivers http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JJJ1/entertainmentsit Avant jazz stalwart Sam Rivers collected a blistering gang of performers (Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas, Hamiet Bluiett, Ray Anderson, and Baikida Carroll) for "Inspiration," an unpredictably rollicking yet thoughtfully modern big-band adventure. 3. "EBIOTO" Odean Pope Trio http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JWEN/entertainmentsit Hearing the interplay between bassist Tyrone Brown and tenor saxophonist Odean Pope on "EBIOTO," it's clear why a drummer as solid as Max Roach has enlisted the pair for his own bands since the late 1960s. Pope plays with a tonal thickness that viscerally recalls John Coltrane, and Brown tugs and shoves with the force and detail of Mingus. With drummer Craig McIver, Pope's "EBIOTO" is at once stripped down and jubilant in its pounce, close in spirit to the great trios of Sonny Rollins but still wholly distinct. 4. "The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4--Back at the Vanguard" Brad Mehldau http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JZMN/entertainmentsit Brad Mehldau is surely one of the most hailed pianists jazz has seen in the 1990s. His string of trio recordings, beginning in 1997 with "The Art of the Trio, Vol. 1" and peaking in 1999 with "The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4--Back at the Vanguard," presents a long, studied meditation on the piano trio. He plays with hair-raising energy, cascading over the keys, yet still finds space to slow down and count off each chord as if it were a lone haiku. 5. "Moonbird" Larry Golding Trio http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JPNU/entertainmentsit In a year that saw a number of hot new and reissued Hammond B3 organ albums, Larry Golding's stood out for its rambunctious momentum and infectious, swinging groove. Looking for something inventive, fun, and challenging? Slap this on and the world becomes a much funkier place. 6. "Live at the Glen Miller Cafe" AALY Trio with Ken Vandermark http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K4HI/entertainmentsit MacArthur "genius" award winner Ken Vandermark again teams with fellow iron-lung saxophonist Mats Gustafsson for a session featuring tunes by Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, and Vandermark. While this is certainly hard-charging "energy" jazz with plenty of sparks flying, Vandermark and company touch on melody and rhythm enough to keep the whole dangerous mess all moving forward. 7. "Conversations" Archie Shepp Meets Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IQN9/entertainmentsit The spirits of exploratory mischief and soulful commitment meet on this wonderful recording that pairs sax veteran Archie Shepp with Chicago's Ritual Trio. Featuring songs that are lit by the musician's joyful curiosity, "Conversations" is a document able to contain Shepp's blazing horn runs while also accommodating the band's intricate rhythmic conversations. 8. "Buck Jump" Dirty Dozen Brass Band http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000J2SH/entertainmentsit With "Buck Jump," the Dirty Dozen Brass Band have found their way back to the driving, horn-heavy sound that marks their best work. Producer John Medeski abets Gregory Davis & Co. in giving the music a raw edge, lit by trumpets and propelled by hard-swatted drums and incessant, party-ready marching rhythms supplied by tuba and bass drum. 9. "The Illinois Concert" Eric Dolphy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001IVKW/entertainmentsit This never-before-released gem brought the legend (and astonishing music) of Eric Dolphy back into sharp focus. Featuring the expansive piano thinking of a young Herbie Hancock, "The Illinois Concert" is striking not only in its amazing playing but also in the level of engagement shown by the entire ensemble. This is a special session. 10. "Romance with the Unseen" Don Byron http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001IVL6/entertainmentsit Throughout this recording, Byron's range, tone, and precision are nothing short of jaw dropping. Factor in Jack DeJohnette's restrained drumming and Bill Frisell's tasteful, everywhere-at-once guitar, and you have the makings of a remarkably coherent modern jazz album. Frisell is all over this gig, playing backward, forward, chords, solos, or comps, generating shimmering tone washes, all designed, it seems, to push Byron. Scrappy as always, Byron responds to the challenge by blowing pure, gorgeous jazz. 11. "Songs That You Can Trust" Rob Reddy's Honor System http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QENZ/entertainmentsit Alto saxophonist Rob Reddy has assembled a tremendous band for his newest album, "Songs That You Can Trust." He plays with a wry economy, phrasing solos so that they proceed with drama rather than flash. Trumpeter Eddie Allen and trombonist Josh Roseman make Reddy's band vibrantly jazzy, allowing bassist Dom Richards, guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, and drum phenomenon Pheeroan AkLaff to push the band's funkier side. It's an adventure that benefits fans of any jazz era. ****** You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Jazz Music section at Jazz ******
Search:
Keywords: