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George Kanzler, Newark Star-Ledger (ret'd), Contributing Editor, Hot House Jazz Magazine

1. "Celebrating Bix!," The Bix Centennial All Stars Celebrate His 100th
Birthday (Arbors Jazz Records) Geoff Muldaur is getting all the heavy press, but
this is one of the top triumphs of the jazz repertory movement -- a fine balance
between originality and tradition.

2. "27 East," Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra (Lasheda Records,
www.turnworld.com) Inventive big band writing by the leader and a solid band
from NY area.

3. "Paganini: After a Dream," Regina Carter (Verve) One of the best players
to emerge in the last decade encounters a dream
instrument, with ravishing results.

4. "Neo-Modernism," Either/Orchestra (Accurate Records) One of the great
little big bands in the land, at its edgy best.

5. "The Grand Unification Theory," Stefon Harris (Blue Note)A major
composing/arranging step forward by a major young jazz talent.

6. "Passing Ships," Andrew Hill (Blue Note) A nonet date (5 brass -- tuba
doubling bass clarinet, 1 reed, 3 rhythm) from 1969 finally sees the light of day
and turns out to be one of Hill's very best.

7. "Close to My Heart," Jeremy Pelt (MAXJAZZ) A trumpeter unafraid of lush
romance, and able to pull it off with tunes beyond the standard warhorses, i.e.,
"Weird Nightmare," "Don't You Know I Care?"

8. "Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band" directed by Jim McNeely (Blue
Note/EMI) This big band is one of the world's jazz treasures. Rosnes is
brilliant; the charts by her, McNeely, Michael Philip Mossman and Vincent Nilson
challenging and engrossing.

9. "One4J, Paying Homage to J.J. Johnson," Steve Turre (Telarc) The trombone
is still shamefully underrated and overlooked in jazz critical circles. Turre
enlists five (Joe Alessi, Steve Davis, Robin Eubanks, Andre Hayward and
Douglas Purviance) of his slippery horn colleagues on this heartfelt trombone
extravaganza/tribute.

10. "More Never Recorded Arrangements for Benny Goodman, Vol. 2," Bob Wilber
and the Tuxedo Big Band (Arbors Jazz Records)
Surprise: The tight, swinging band is French. The arrangers are a
historical Who's Who, including Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Eddie Sauter,
Mel Powell, Ralph Burns and others.