Best of 2010 (Part 2)

Rudresh Mahanthappa was nothing if not noticeable this past year.  Besides one excellent and one very good "twin altos" CDs, he appeared with Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Ensemble and guitarist Nguyen Le's Saiyuki Trio, recorded with Danilo Perez, and more.  It's the "twin altos" projects that really hit the spot.  "Apex" (Pi Recordings) is his collaboration with septuagenarian Bunky Green - the music soars, roars, and pours from the 2 saxophonists. There is a smashing rhythm section of drummer Damion Reid and bassist Francois Moutin along with pianist Jason Moran - Jack DeJohnette appears on 4 tracks. The energy level is impressive as is the interplay and ideas. 
Mahanthappa's other duo was with Steve Lehman on "Dual Identity" (Clean Feed), a fiery program also fueled by Reid and featuring guitarist Liberty Ellman and bassist Matt Brewer. Both recordings are worth your attention.

Ted Hearne's "Katrina Ballads" (New Amsterdam), initially released as a download-only in 2008, received its "physical" release around the time of the 5th anniversary of the disastrous hurricane.  If anything, the music and the words (all taken from news reports) are just as striking and damning as they were on initial listening.

One "modern classical" CD I received but did not review was "10 Mysteries" (Tzadik) from guitarist/violist John King. His music is quite involving, making one pay attention as the string quartet Crucible (featuring King, violinists Cornelius Dufallo and Mark Feldman with cellist Alex Waterman) move effortlessly through the challenging material.  The title track is a 32+ minute, 9-part suite while the other 2 pieces feature "live" electronics - "Winds of Blood" gets 2 performances because of the chance nature of the electronic environment and that experimentation is thought-provoking and an intelligent manner in which to show how the music changes and grows off the page.

The newest release from Kronos Quartet, "Rainbow" (Smithsonian Folkways), features music and musicians from Central Asia including Afghan composer and rubab player Homayun Sakhi and Azerbaijani composer/vocalist/percussionist Alim Qasimov.  Mixing the Western "classical" string quartet sound with traditional Asian instruments might smack of elitism but here, this music is captivating, joyful, mesmerizing and unlike anything most Westerners have been exposed to.  


Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records released a slew of fine recordings in 2010.  My favorites include trombonist Mike Fahie's "Anima", the David Smith Quintet's "Anticipation", pianist Jeremy Siskind's lovely "Simple Songs (For When the World Seems So Strange)" and Owen Howard's "Drum Lore" (which I cited in Part 1.) Each CD is different yet each explores the boundless universe of modern jazz without sounding cliche-ridden, pompous or under-done. 

 The next 2 entries in the list come from British-born pianists.  Gwilym Simcock released the 2-CD set "Blues Vignette" ( Basho), displaying 3 distinct sides of his musical personality.  Disk 1 features 8 solo piano works that blend numerous styles, never sounding phony or forced.  The final 2 tracks on the CD feature cellist Cara Berridge on Simcock's "Suite for Cello and Piano."  While purists might find any number of links to European composers, the piece has a great flow and good interplay.  Disk 2 is an hour's worth of music with Simcock's working Trio of bassist Yuri Goloubev and drummer James Maddren. There is a pleasing airiness to the set that separates this group from the "heavier" piano trio styles of The Bad Plus and Brad Mehldau.  

I continue to be impressed by pianist-composer John Escreet's sophomore effort, "Don't Fight the Inevitable" (Mythology Records). Escreet, with a knock-out ensemble featuring co-producer David Binney (alto saxophone, electronics), Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Matt Brewer (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), creates a challenging program that asks a lot of the listener and is very rewarding in the end.  Everyone plays at the height of their abilities, the music goes in many directions and, while there are moments that descend into chaos, this is really "human" music. (Don't miss his 2008 debut, "Consequences", released on Posi-Tone - it features the same musicians with Tyshawn Sorey on drums instead of Waits)

That's the phrase ("human music") I used to describe "Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider" (ArtistShare), the fine recording painstakingly created by the duo of Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh.  Utilizing Ms. Schneider's classy rhythm section, Ms. Dollison and Mr. Marsh replaced the reeds and brass with their voices (yes, multiple overdubs) and their experiment succeeds wonderfully.  Of course, these compositions are already ripe with melodies and harmonies; fans have come to expect that.  Still, these voices add new layers to the music, new emotional possibilities. Great stuff!


Per usual, I have another 5 or 6 CDs that easily fit here. I heard some wonderful music in the past 12 months and look forward to another year of creativity and interplay.  I wish you all good health and peace in 2011.

Nguyên Lê's Sai, recorded with Danilo Perez, 

Best of 2010 (Part 1)

Personally, 2010 has been a roller-coaster of a year (seemingly moreso than the past few.)  On a musical level, there's been great CDs and concerts, more than I can document.  In previous years, I have gone a bit overboard in "end-of-the-year" columns but, seeing as "austerity" is the watchword of the day, this will be a tad more compact than usual. Also, as usual, there is no order of preference.

Trombonist-composer Alan Ferber is a very busy player, appearing on many recordings over the past yeas including the wild and crazy "Asphalt Orchestra" on Canteloupe as well as John Ellis's "Puppet Mischief" and Owen Howard's "Drum Lore" (see below.) His own release, "Music for Nonet and Strings: Chamber Music" (Sunnyside) is stunning in its breadth and musicality.  Not only is his writing excellent but also his choice of music by his bandmates and surprising arrangements of solo works by both Keith Jarrett and Ben Monder makes this a program to savor for many months to come.

There are several CDs on this list created by drummers.  Each one is different but similar in that the music is quite impressive.  The afore-mentioned "Drum Lore" (BJU Records) is Owen Howard's wonderful tribute to his fellow percussionists with tunes from the pens of Shelley Manne, Jack DeJohnette, Ed Blackwell, Peter Erskine, Denzil Best, Chick Webb and others.  Composer-percussionist Roland Vazquez produced a splendid large ensemble recording in "The Visitor" (self-released) - the arrangements are complex and arresting, the playing rich and exciting, with a slew of fine musicians (although Vazquez does not perform, he conducts the ensemble.)  John Hollenbeck created "Royal Toast" (Cunieform) for his Claudia Quintet (plus guest pianist Gary Versace) - he continues to surprise listeners with richly designed pieces that cull from so many traditions.

Early in 2010, drummer Allison Miller released her second CD (Foxhaven Records) as a leader, an absolute treat.  With pianist Myra Melford and bassist Todd Sickafoose, she invigorates the "piano trio" with her smart compositions while the playing is flat-out exquisite.  And the sound...my, it is so rich that, even on inexpensive speakers, the cymbals crackle, the bass drum booms and Sickafoose's playing is articulate and melodic.

Firehouse 12 (the label) released Ms. Melford's latest recording "The Whole Tree Gone" in January.  The music, played a fine sextet, is melodically rich while maintaining the composer's challenging vision.

 Trumpeter Avishai Cohen created "Introducing Triveni" (Anzic Records) with fellow Israeli Omer Avital (bass) and the ubiquitous drummer Nasheet Waits (he's as busy as trombonist Ferber.)  The intimacy of the sound,  intelligent choice of the material and the fine interaction makes this Cohen's best release (to date.)  His sound has grown up, taking in the history of the trumpet's role in jazz and blues.

Cohen has taken over the trumpet chair in the SF Jazz Collective - their 3 CD set, dedicated to the material of Horace Silver (and works by Collective members) is the 7th strong release from the organization.  Miguel Zenon (alto saxophone) is the only original member left, the rhythm section of Eric Harland (drums) and Matt Penman (bass) have anchored the band since year 2 (2005), vibraphonist Stefon Harris returns after a year absence, pianist Edward Simon takes the seat of original member Renee Rosnes, trombonist Robin Eubanks is a major presence as is new member Mark Turner (tenor saxophone.)   The aggregation gives the Silver material the attention it deserves (with many fine arrangements) and the new material is quite impressive.

Educator-arranger-composer Jamie Begian (who's on the faculty of Western Connecticut State University) released his 2nd Big Band CD, "Big Fat Grin" (Innova), and it does much to bring a smile to fans of large ensemble music. Good tunes, smart arrangements and great playing all makes for a fun experience.

Last but not least (for Part 1) is the sprawling and often enthralling "A Wallflower in the Amazon" (Accurate Records), the new work from composer/arranger Darrell Katz & the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra.  Filled with poetry, blues, humor, the fine voice of Rebecca Shrimpton, knock-out arrangements of Ellington's "I Like The Sunrise" and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie-Coochie Man" (with Mike Finnegan) and much more, this is a recording that one must pay attention to - it's not for the background.

In Part 2, there is classical music, more fine small-group work and a modern broadside.