Another really good year for jazz releases, and as with the past few years it was dominated by great independent releases rather than major label offerings. Christian Scott, Dave Holland, the Clayton Brothers and Rudresh Mahanthappa continued their run of outstanding musical output, while some relatively unknown players (outside of the jazz world, anyway) put out some great albums. The picks are a varied bunch, but the one common strain is that all these artists continue to move modern jazz forward in new and exciting ways.
It was a tough call for album of the year between Pathways and Apex. In the end, though, I am such a big fan of Mahanthappa’s recent work, and his collaboration with the veteran Bunky Green just continues to blow me away every time I listen to it. It just edged out the exciting live energy of the amazing band that Dave Holland put together for yet another amazing entry in his ever expanding jazz discography. As always, these are my personal favorites for the year and by no means dismisses the fantastic work of the many great jazz artists who put out meaningful and outstanding work over the past 12 months. I would love to hear your comments on these picks. Enjoy !!
(#10) Christian Scott – “Yesterday You Said Tomorrow” : 2010 : Concord Jazz
Christian Scott – “American’t”
(#9) Cory Weeds – “The Many Deeds of Cory Weeds” : 2010 : Cellar Live
(#8) Jeremy Pelt – “Men of Honor” : 2010 : Highnote
(#7) Scott Dubois – “Black Hawk Dance” : 2010 : Sunnyside
(#6) Jae Sinnett – “Theatre” : 2010 : J-Nett Music
Jae Sinnett – “Straight Around The Corner”
(#5) Ted Nash & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra – “Portrait in Seven Shades” : JALC Records
(#4) Clayton Brothers – “The New Song and Dance” : 2010 : ArtistShare
Clayton Brothers – “The New Song and Dance”
(#3) Pat Bianchi – “Back Home” : 2010 : Doodlin’ Records
(#2) Dave Holland Octet – “Pathways” : 2010 : Dare2 Records
Dave Holland Octet – “Ebb and Flow”
(#1) Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green – “Apex” : 2010 : Pi Recordings
That “Corner Kisses” tune by Cory Weeds is fantastic! Damn! Nice selection!
Yah, Cory Weeds is the real deal. If you dig the vibe on “The Many Deeds…” definitely check out his last 2 albums as well. They are just as impressive.