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Top Picks/Recipes
10. Bill Anschell - "More To The Ear Than Meets The Eye" - Origin - My ten pick was a close one between Bill and Ted Nash. The nod here though goes to Bill Anschell. The main reason is that he doesn't let up. It's consistently outstanding all the way through while maintaining a level of thought provoking variety and sophistication. From the dense "Bent" to the introspective "Morning Fog"......."More To The Ear Than Meets The Eye" is an artistic achievement. Too often a record like this plays above the musical comprehension of those making the decision on how good they think it is. A strange sense of irony.
9. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - "The Phat Pack" - Immergent.com (not sure what this label is) - Gordon's musical organization on II V conceptual compositions has always been impressive. He knows how to rehearse a band and get them to perfect his compositional point. The band is cohesive, in tune and in time. On the down side I could have done without "Play That Funky Music" and the Take 6 track but I know why they're there. To me it plays into why we have problems with jazz in the first place.....assuming that your listener only comprehends the mediocre so lets give it to them. If the rest of this CD wasn't so good this wouldn't be in my top 25.
8. Jay Lawrence Trio - "Thermal Strut" - OA2 - The perfect example of the talent out there that you'll rarely find in the top 20 of jazz radio or appearing on major festivals or covers of jazz publications. Wonderful logic in the arrangements. The jazz trio presents many potential obstacles for the musicians.....because of the responsibilities of each and how revealing the trio can be. Superb dynamic ranges, time and feel in Jay's playing. We know of Lynn Seaton but the pianist.....wow! They deserve the love and they'll get it here from me.
7. The Joe Gilman Trio - "View So Tender: Wonder Revisited" - Capri - Jazz musicians have always enjoyed Stevie Wonders music. His early writing....or his girlfriends...(70's....remember she sued saying she wrote most of it?)....produced some of the most endearing pop/soul compositions we'll ever hear. Joe Gilman's arrangements reshape Wonder's music in ways I've never heard. Like the crazy 9/8 "Sir Duke." Who would have thunk it? I laughed out loud when I heard this one. Amazingly deep and the only disapointing thing for me here is that I have to wait for volume II.
6. Phil Kelly & The Santa Ana Winds - "My Museum" - Origin - The most impressive thing for me here is Phil Kelly's vision. He's like a painter that is a master at understanding colors ....before they reach the canvas. Like Goodwin he understands the musicians capabilities before he passes out the music. Swinging or adding heat to the straight eighth he smartly avoids predictable voice cliches and rhythmic has-beens. One of the marks of a great writer is for them to make thoughtful and visionary presentations of varied formulas. No doubt top ten material.
5. Mark Master's Ensemble - "Wish Me Well" - Capri - One of the most difficult tasks for an arranger is taking...lets say......an octet or nonet and making them sound bigger than they are. We've heard Anthony Wilson do it and Rob McConnell with his tentet. Now Mark Masters. Gary McFarland's music presents a foundation for an arranger to sink their teeth into. Some of the most impressive things here for me are Steve Kuhn's piano playing....still he remains one of the most underrated on the scene.... and the masterful drumming of Joe La Barbera. Listen to "Gary's Waltz" with the Bill Evans inflections and Joe's time on "Why Are You So Blue?" Some slight intonation problems with the baritone but other than that.....souful and melodic with high level musical improvisation and arranging.
4. Randy Brecker - "Some Skunk Funk" - Telarc - One name....Vince Mendoza. Well honestly I can't put all the success of the venture on Vince's shoulders because Randy and Michael are playing their musical behinds off. Peter Erskine is the only drummer I've ever heard play Vince's arrangements. Here, he sounds as musical as ever but for the sake of beef and adding thickness to the grooves....I was hearing Dennis Chambers initially. But then with the more esoteric sections of Vince's charts Peter ultimately was the smarter choice. From start to finish this disc burns.
3.Yellowjackets - "Twenty Five" - Heads Up - No doubt one of the most consistently good jazz organizations - ever. I don't hear 25 years of cohesiveness in the current line up with Marcus Baylor at the kit because he hasn't been there for that long but over the past couple of years he's making it work and has established his voice in the group. I wasn't quite sure at first but now HIS touch is out of Will Kennedy's shadow. To me they've found that perfect balance of creating something artistically meaningful while at the same time....remaining tremendously popular by doing it. More accurately it might be their history that keeps them there but never the less they are as talked about as ever. Who cares that they don't "stretch out" on record or live as often as some serious jazzers would like to hear..... what they do in other areas....like harmony and rhythm...is light years beyond what most other so called jazz groups playing straight eighth note material today are doing.
2. John Patitucci - "Line By Line" - Concord - When I first heard the "Folklore" track my eyes watered. What an incredibly beautiful melody. Texturally pristine. What stands out here is the writing. Or is it the versatile playing? How about both. Chris Potter continues to make the claim for the most interesting tenor saxophonist playing today. A true original. Then Adam Rogers.....wow...what progress he's made over the past few years and considering how well he's playing now, I'm surprised we haven't heard more from him. Such beautiful continuity in his lines. His harmonic choices make this recording in my opinion. He's the spring-broard and Brain Blade supplys the energy and dynamic direction for the band. For the longest I said "One More Angel" was my favorite Patitucci release but that will now take the second seat to "Line By Line."
1. Sean Jones - "Roots" - Mack Avenue - Just about every African American musician I know that plays jazz has a gospel connection in their background.The black church gave us something that can't be written down on manuscript paper but it can be applied to the music we play. Once it's there....in the music....one can ask....what is it? I don't know really. Some call it spirit. It's the feeling and the place where the music takes you. It's a special place. Sean Jones has created one of the most clear and endearing instrumental examples of merging the jazz sensibility with the human openess we share.... in embracing God's grace and will...... that I've heard in a long time. Call and response. Then the prayer meeting and then the joy of celebrating "God's Gift." "Roots" is my top pick of the year for it's superb musical direction, soul, passion, compositional ingenuity, sound, theme development and how he successfully and beautifully shaped the music to fall in line with his initial conceptual idea.
Honorable mention.......
Ted Nash - "In the Loop" - Palmetto
Gladys Knight" - "Before Me" - Verve
The Paul Carlon Octet" - "Other Tongues" - Deep Tone Records
Jovino Santos Neto - "Rio Circle" (Translated) - Adventure Music
Ray Charles/Count Basie Orchestra - "Ray Sings - Basie Swings" - Concord
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