2018 'Best of Jazz' Selected by JJA Members

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor (The New York City Jazz Record)

BEST NEW RELEASES (2018)

Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids - An Angel Fell (Strut)

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - D’Agala (Intakt)

Dave Holland (Evan Parker, Craig Taborn) - Uncharted Territories (Dare2)

Lee Konitz/Dan Tepfer - Decade (Impulse)

Michael Leonhart Orchestra - The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside)

Johan Lindström Septett - Music For Empty Halls (Moserobie)

Brian Marsella Trio - Outspoken: The Music of the Legendary Hasaan (Tzadik)

Christian McBride - New Jawn (Mack Avenue-Brother Mister Prod.)

Thumbscrew - Theirs (Cuneiform)

John Zorn - In a Convex Mirror (Tzadik)

MUSICIANS OF THE YEAR (2018): Satoko Fujii; Joel Ross; Mary Halvorson

HISTORICAL RELEASES OF THE YEAR (2018)

1- Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet - The Complete Lansdowne Recordings (1965-1969) (Jazzman)

2- Various - The Savory Collection 1935-1940 (Mosaic)

3- John Coltrane - Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album (Impulse-Verve)

10 BEST NEW RELEASES OF 2018

Don Byron & Aruan Ortiz: Random Dances &(A)tonalities (Intakt Records) 

Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. I (The Embedded Sets) (PI Recordings)

Diva Jazz Orchestra, 25th Anniversary Project (ArtistShare)

Stefon Harris & Blackout, Sonic Creed (Motema Music)

Monika Herzig, Sheroes (Whaling City Sound)

McClenty Hunter Jr., The Groove Hunter (Strikezone Records)

Roger Kellaway Trio, New Jazz Standards Vol. 3 (Summit Records)

Ernie Krivda, A Bright And Shining Moment (Capri Records Ltd.)

Roberta Piket, West Coast Trio (13th Note Records)

Joshua Redman, Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)

3 BEST REISSUE OR HISTORICAL RELEASES

Gene Krupa Quartet, Live 1966 (Dot Time Legends)

New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Goin’ to New Orleans (Black Eagle/blackeagles.com)

The Savory Collection 1935-1940 (Mosaic)

   

BEST VOCAL RELEASE

Tessa Souter, Picture in Black and White (NOA Records) 

              

BEST DEBUT RELEASE

Mariel Austin Rock-Jazz Orchestra, Runner in the Rain (Mariel Austin/marielaustin.com) 

              

BEST LATIN JAZZ RELEASE

Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Back to the Sunset (Dafnison Music) 

For my expanded NOTABLE RELEASES OF 2018 and my A ROUNDUP OF 125 OR SO JAZZ, BLUES, BEYOND, AND OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO please go to wroyalstokes.com.

Top Ten Jazz2K Discs of 2018:

1. SHAKERS N' BAKERS - Heart Love (Little I Music)
   
2. CHICK COREA & STEVE GADD BAND - Chinese Butterfly (Concord / Stretch)
   
3. BEN WENDEL - The Seasons (Motema)
   
4. DARRYL YOKLEY'S SOUND REFORMATION - Pictures at an African Exhibition (TruthRevolution Records)
   
5. ORRIN EVANS & THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND - Presence (Smoke Sessions)
   
6. BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO - Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)
   
7. CHRISTIAN McBRIDE - Christian McBride's New Jawn (Mack Avenue)
   
8. SCOTT PETITO - Rainbow Gravity (Planet Arts)
   
9. JAMES WEIDMAN - Spiritual Impressions (Inner Circle Music)
   
10. JOE LOCKE - Subtle Disguise (Origin)
    

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And now, the winners of the 2018 Jazz2K Awards:

BEST VOCAL DISC

TESSA SOUTER - Picture in Black & White (NOA)

BEST SOLO OR DUO DISC

BILL FRISELL - Music IS (OKeh)

BEST PARTY DISC

MIKE CLARK & DELBERT BUMP - Retro Report (Ropeadope)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

JOHN SCOFIELD - Combo 66 (Verve)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Best First release)

JAMES FRANCIES - Flight (Blue Note)

LOCAL HERO AWARD (Best Regional Release)

CHRIS PASIN - Ornettiquette (Planet Arts)

Here is a rundown of my top ten favorite recordings of 2018 in addition to my two favorite reissues:

*SF Jazz Collective CD: Live at SF Jazz Center 2017-Original Compositions & The Music of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder, & Thelonious Monk.  (SFJazz Records)

*Eddie Henderson-Be Cool (Smoke Sessions)

*McClenty Hunter-Groove Hunter (Strikezone Records)

*Kenny Barron-Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

*Shamie Royston- Uplifted Heart (Sunnyside)

*Allan Harris-The Genius of Eddie Jefferson (Resilience Music)

*Renee Rosnes-Beloved Of The Sky (Smoke Sessions)

*Stefon Harris & Blackout-Sonic Creed (Motema)

*Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band-West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)

*Kurt Elling-The Questions (Okeh/Sony Masterworks)

Reissues

*Miles Davis John Coltrane-The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6  (Sony Legacy)

*Erroll Garner-Nighconcert (Mack Avenue)

My ten favorite (not necessarily best) releases of the year. 

Usual disclaimers apply.  I only chose what I heard (I did not hear "Emanon" among other eminent releases). Submitted using the qualifying release date interval and the format of the NPR Poll.  I'm lazy.

IMHO, this was a strong year, and my choices were arrived at without much angst. There were 62 releases that were finalists for this list, which, I think, speaks to the strength of the scene.

Here goes:

Ten best new releases

Miles Okazaki:  Work (Complete, Volumes 1-6) (self)
Makaya McCraven:  Universal Beings (International Anthem Recording Co.)
Steve Coleman & Five Elements: Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. I (Pi Recordings)
James Brandon Lewis/Chad Taylor: Radiant Imprints (Off Records)
Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin:  Awase (ECM)
Henry Threadgill / 14 or 15 Kestra: AGG:  Dirt... And More Dirt (Pi Recordings)
Tyshawn Sorey:  Pillars (Firehouse 12)
Thiefs: Graft (Jazz & People)
Code Girl:  Mary Halvorson (Firehouse 12)

Reissues or Historical albums

Anthony Braxton:  Sextet (Parker) 1993 (Firehouse 12)
John Coltrane: Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album (Verve)
Woody Shaw: Live In Bremen 1983 (Elemental Music)

Best vocal album

William Parker: Voices Fall From The Sky (Aum Fidelity)

Best debut album

Ben LaMar Gay:  Downtown Castles Can’t Block the Sun (International Anthem Recording Co.)

Best Latin jazz CD

Román Filiú: Quartería (Sunny Side Records)

My list of ten favorite 2018 releases, along with 25 other notable new recordings, and historical releases. Listed alphabetically, as I hate numerical rankings.

Kenny Barron Quintet, Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

Eddie Daniels, Heart of Brazil: A Tribute to Egberto Gismonti (Resonance)

Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart, Toy Tunes (Pirouet)

Chris Lightcap, Superette (Royal Potato Family)

Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas/Sound Prints, Scandal (Greenleaf)

Nolatet, No Revenge Necessary (Royal Potato Family)

Joshua Redman/Ron Miles/Scott Colley/Brian Blade, Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)

Antonio Sanchez (featuring WDR Big Band), Channels of Energy (CamJazz)

Wayne Shorter, Emanon (Blue Note)

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Historical

John Coltrane, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse)

Miles Davis and John Coltrane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 (Columbia/Legacy)

Charlie Haden & Brad Mehldau, Long Ago and Far Away (Impulse)

Fred Hersch Trio, ‘97 @ The Village Vanguard (Palmetto)

Art Pepper, Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. 10: Toronto (Widow’s Taste)

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25 other Notable Jazz Releases

Antonio Adolfo: Encontros -- Orquestra Atlantica (AAM)

Ambrose Akinmusire, Origami Harvest (Blue Note)

Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S, Introspection (Jazzheads)

Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch, Live in Healdsburg (Anzic)

Chick Corea, The Musician (Concord)

Rob Dixon Trio featuring Charlie Hunter & Mike Clark, Coast to Crossroads (Rob Dixon)

Bill Frisell, Music IS (Okeh/Sony)

Aaron Goldberg, At the Edge of the World (Sunnyside)

Jimmy Haslip/Scott Kinsey/Gergo Borlai, Arc Trio (Blue Canoe)

Carlos Henriquez, Dizzy Con Clave (RodBros)

Fred Hersch Trio, Live in Europe (Palmetto Records)

Charles Lloyd & the Marvels + Lucinda Williams, Vanished Gardens (Blue Note)

Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound, Omnisphere (Indirecto)

Brad Mehldau Trio, Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)

Hendrik Meurkens/Bill Cunliffe, Cabin in the Sky (Height Advantage)

Francois Moutin & Kavita Shaw, Interplay (Dot Time)

Bill O'Connell, Jazz Latin (Savant)

Houston Person & Ron Carter, Remember Love (HighNote)

Charles Pillow Large Ensemble, Electric Miles (MAMA)

Dan Pugachi Nonet, Plus One (Unit)

Cecile McLorin Salvant, The Window (Mack Avenue)

SFJAZZ Collective, Original Compositions & the Music of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder & Thelonious Monk (SFJAZZ)

John Scofield, Combo 66 (Verve)

Dr. Lonnie Smith, All in My Mind (Blue Note)Jim Snidero & Jeremy Pelt, Jubilation! Celebrating Cannonball Adderley (Savant)

Kamasi Washington, Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)

I saw Ted Panken, John Murph and other fellow jazz scribes discussing the utility or non-utility of Year-End Top 10 lists and it made me want to try something different. I do have a Top 10, but rather than impose that kind of fixity on 2018 I thought I’d put my Top 10 last, not first. And in its place I’m doing what I do naturally every year: keep tallies in different categories that add up to a fuller story about where the music went and what I responded to most. So here is 2018 in debut albums, solo albums, duo albums and large ensemble albums. And then finally my Top 10.

Debut Albums:

Justin Brown, Nyeusi (Biophilia)

Big Heart Machine (Outside In)

Rogério Boccato Quarteto, No Old Rain (Red Piano)

Noam Wiesenberg, Roads Diverge (BJU)

James Francies, Flight (Blue Note)

Yuhan Su, City Animals (Sunnyside)

Jonathan Barber, Vision Ahead (ind.)

Ben LaMar Gay, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun (International Anthem)

Matthew Lux, Contra/Fact (Astral Spirits)

Miki Yamanaka, Miki (Cellar Live)

Joe Armon-Jones, Starting Today (Brownswood)

JinJoo Yoo, I’m Curious (Gut String)

Mayu Saeki, Hope (BJU)

Blue Lab Beats, Xover (All Points)

Gene Jackson Trio Nuyorx, Power of Love (Red River)

William Tatge Trio, General Cargo (BJU)

MND FLO, From Time (ind.)

Solo Albums:

Brad Mehldau, After Bach (Nonesuch)

Mike Seal, Dogwoods (ind.)

Josh Sinton, krasa (ind.)

Rob Clearfield, Wherever You’re Starting From (Woodgathering)

Miles Okazaki, Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk, Vols. 1-6 (ind.)

George Colligan, Nation Divided (Whirlwind)

Keith Jarrett, La Fenice (ECM)

Wendy Eisenberg, Its Shape Is Your Touch (VDSQ)

Alan Pasqua, Soliloquy (ind.)

Dan Tepfer, Natural Machines (YouTube)

Duo Albums:

Mark Turner & Ethan Iverson, Temporary Kings (ECM)

Mikkel Ploug & Mark Turner, Faroe (Sunnyside)

Jonathan Kreisberg & Nelson Veras, Kreisberg Meets Veras (New For Now)

Tim Berne & Matt Mitchell, Angel Dusk (screwgun)

Frank Carlberg & Noah Preminger, Whispers and Cries (Red Piano)

Michael Coleman & Ben Goldberg, Practitioner (BAG)

Anteloper (Jaimie Branch/Jason Nazary), Kudu (International Anthem)

Will Holshouser & Eric Vloeimans, Will & Eric (Aviary)

Lee Konitz & Dan Tepfer, Decade (Verve)

Robbie Lee & Mary Halvorson, Seed Triangular (New Amsterdam)

Ben Wendel, Standards with Friends (YouTube)

Large Ensemble Albums:

Michael Leonhart Orchestra, The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside)

Big Heart Machine (Outside In)

Orrin Evans & Captain Black Big Band, Presence (Smoke Sessions)

Barney McAll feat. Monash Art Ensemble, Zephyrix (Extra Celestial)

Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Down a Rabbit Hole (Summit)

Antonio Sanchez, Channels of Energy (CAM Jazz)

Luzia von Wyl Ensemble, Throwing Coins (Hathut)

Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Back to the Sunset (Dafnison)

Miho Hazama, The Monk: Live at Bimhuis (Sunnyside)

Pedro Giraudo & The WDR Big Band, An Argentinian in New York (Zoho)

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band, Always Forward (Alternate Side)

Top 10 Albums:

Wayne Shorter, Emanon (Blue Note)

Miguel Zenón featuring Spektral Quartet, Yo Soy La Tradición (Miel)

Esperanza Spalding, 12 Little Spells (Concord)

Cécile McLorin Salvant, The Window (Mack Avenue)

Miles Okazaki, Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk, Vols. 1-6 (ind.)

Caroline Davis, Heart Tonic (Sunnyside)

The Bad Plus, Never Stop II (Legbreaker)

Dan Weiss, Starebaby (Pi)

Robbie Lee & Mary Halvorson, Seed Triangular (New Amsterdam)

Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret, The Other Side of Air (Firehouse 12)

These are a few of my favorite CDs in 2018:

Leny Andrade "Bossa Nossa : Leny Andrade Canta Fred Falcão (Biscoito Fino)

Roxy Coss "The Future is Female" (Posi-tone)

Champian Fulton "The Stylings of Champian" (Champian Records) (2 CDs)

Jeff Hamilton Trio "Live at San Pedro" (Capri)

Azar Lawrence "Elementals" (HighNote)

Jorge Nila "Tenor Time" (Ninjazz Records)

Orquesta Akokán “Orquesta Akokán" (Concord)

Eddie Palmieri "Full Circle" (Uprising)

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band "West Side Story Reimagined" (Jazzheads)(2 CDs)

Lauren Sevian "Bliss" (Posi-tone)

Chucho Valdés “Jazz Batá 2” (Mack Avenue) 

Los Van Van "Legado" (Egrem)

Reissues:

Various “The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions” (Craft) (5 CDs)

Alice Coltrane “Spiritual Eternal : the Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings” (Real Gone Music) (2 CDs)

Dexter Gordon "Tokyo 1975" (Elemental Music)

Helen Humes "The Helen Humes Collection,1927-62" (Acrobat) (2 CDs)

Charles Mingus “Live at Montreaux 1975” (Eagle Rock Entertainment) (2 CDs)

Teddy Wilson "Classic Brunswick & Columbia Sessions 1934-42" (Mosaic) (7 CDs)

TOP TEN 2018:

 

Wayne Shorter – Emanon (Blue Note)

Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth (Young Turks Recordings)

William Parker – Voices Fall From The Sky (Centering)

Mary Halvorson – Code Girl (Firehouse 12)

Dave Holland – Uncharted Territories (Dare2 Records)

Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas/Sound Prints: Scandal (Greenleaf)

Brad Mehldau Trio – Seymour Reads the Constitution (Nonesuch)

Kenny Barron – Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

Thumbscrew – Theirs (Cuneiform Records)

Andrew Cyrille – Lebroba (ECM)

 

Vocal:

William Parker – Voices Fall From The Sky (Centering)

 

Debut:

John Bailey – In Real Time (Summit Records)

 

 

Latin:

David Virelles – Igbo Alakoron (The Singer’s Grove) Vol. I & II (Pi Recordings)

 

Historical:

Dexter Gordon Quartet – Espace Cardin 1977 (Elemental Music)

John Coltrane – Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse)

Fred Hersch – Fred Hersch Trio ’97 Live @The Village Vanguard (Palmetto)

1  Wayne Shorter    Emanon  Blue Note

2  Frank Kimbrough   Monk’s Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere

       Monk     Sunnyside

3  Charles Lloyd   Vanished Gardens  Blue Note

4  Mark Masters   Our Metier    Capri

5  Myra Melford, The Other Side of Air      Firehouse 12

6  Wolfgang Muthspiel  Where the River Flows   ECM

7  Matthew Shipp     Sonic Fiction    ESP

8  Jacob Sachs,  Fishes       Clean Feed

9  Mark Turner and Ethan Iverson   Temporary Kings   ECM

10  The Oakland Elementary School Arkestra.  The Saga of Padani.  Modern Harmonic

Reissues:

1 The Savory Collection 1935-1940      Mosaic

2  Charles Mingus    Jazz in Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden       Strata Media

3   John Coltrane     The Lost Album    Impulse

Latin:

David Virelles.  Igbo Alakorin (The Singer’s Grove, Vol 1 & 2.     Pi