REISSUES

1. Tito Puente: Dance Mania (RCA/Legacy)
2. Gato Barbieri: Viva Emiliano Zapata (Verve)
3. John Coltrane: Side Steps (Prestige)

• Okkyung Lee/Peter Evans/Steve Beresford “Check For Monster” (Emanem)
• The Bad Plus joined by Wendy Lewis “For All I Care” (Heads Up)
• Satoko Fuji-Myra Melford “Under the Water” (Libra)
• Carla Kihlstedt Satoko Fujii (Minamo) “Kuroi Kawa” (Tzadik )
• Louis Moholo-Moholo/Duets with Marilyn Crispell “Sibanye — We Are One” (Intakt)
• Matthew Shipp “Harmonic Disorder” (Thirstyear)
• Samuel Blaser “Solo Bone” (Slam)
• Gerald Cleaver” Farmers by Nature” (AUM Fidelity)
• Indigo Trio “Anaya” (Rogue Art)
• Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Strings “Renegades” (Delmark)
• Yaron Herman Trio “Muse” (Laborie Rec.)
• Chris Potter Underground “Ultrahang” (Artistshare)
• Bugge Wesseltoft “Playing” (Jazzland)
• Alexander von Schlippenbach “Friulian Sketches” (PSI Rec.)
• Gebhard Ullmann “Don’t Touch My Music – Vol. 1 & 2″ (Not Two Records)
• Jacob Karlson “Heat” (Caprice Rec.)
• Rashied Ali “Live in Europe” (Survival)
• John Surman “Brewster’s Rooster” (ECM)
• Jack DeJohnette – John Patitucci – Danilo Perez “Music We Are” (Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm)
• Zlatko Kaucic “30th Anniversary Concerts” (Splasch)
• Fred Anderson “Staying in the Game” (ESP-Disk)
• The Thirteenth Assembly “(Un) Sentimental” (Important Rec.)
• Wadada Leo Smith “Spiritual Dimensions” (Cuneiform/Rune)
• Josh Berman “Old Idea” (Delmark)
• Ben Allison “Think Free” (Palmetto)

(to be continued…)

- Alain Drouot (Downbeat, Cadence, JazzColours, WNUR-FM)

• Dee Alexander – “Wild Is the Wind” (Blujazz)
• Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – “Infernal Machines” (New Amsterdam)
• David Binney – “Third Occasion” (Mythology)
• Luis Bonilla – “I Talking Now!” (Planet Arts)
• Alex Cline – “Continuation” (Cryptogramophone)
• Marc Copland – “Night Whispers: New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3″ (Pirouet)
• DeJohnette/Patitucci/Perez – “Music We Are” (Golden Beams)
• Oran Etkin – “Kelenia” (Motema)
• Fly – “Sky and Country” (ECM)
• The Fully Celebrated – “Drunk on the Blood of the Holy Ones” (AUM Fidelity)
• John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble – “Eternal Interlude” (Sunnyside)
• Vijay Iyer – “Historicity” (ACT)
• Arthur Kell Quartet – “Victoria: Live in Germany” (BJU)
• Steve Lehman Octet – “Travail, Transformation & Flow” (Pi)
• Joe Lovano Us Five – “Folk Art” (Blue Note)
• Medeski Martin & Wood – “Radiolarians 3″ (Indirecto)
• John Scofield – “Piety Street” (Emarcy)
• SFJAZZ Collective – “Live 2009: Sixth Annual Concert Tour” (SFJAZZ)
• Allen Toussaint – “The Bright Mississippi” (Nonesuch)
• Mark Weinstein & Omar Sosa – “Tales from the Earth” (Otá)

…and 20 more discs I greatly enjoyed over the past year…

• Rashied Ali Quintet – “Live in Europe” (Survival)
• Vinnie Cutro & NYC Soundscape – “Sakura” (Royal Music)
• Mélanie Dahan – “La Princesse et les Croque-Notes” (Sunnyside)
• Harris Eisenstadt – “Canada Day” (Clean Feed)
• Fat Cat Big Band – “Meditations on the War…” (Smalls)
• Firecracker Jazz Band – “Red Hot Band” (Euphonian)
• Gaucho – “Deep Night” (self-released)
• Dave Holland / Monterey Quartet – “Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival” (MJF)
• Rocco John Group – “Devotion” (COCA)
• Irvin Mayfield & New Orleans Jazz Orchestra – “Book One” (World Village)
• Nice Guy Trio – “Here Comes the Nice Guy Trio” (Porto Franco)
• Gretchen Parlato – “In a Dream” (Obliqsound)
• Alvin Queen – “Mighty Long Way” (Justin Time)
• Joshua Redman – “Compass” (Nonesuch)
• Arturo Stable Quintet – “Call” (Origen)
• John Surman – “Brewster’s Rooster” (ECM)
• Jeremy Udden – “Plainville” (Fresh Sound New Talent)
• Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet – “Bien Bien!” (Patois)
• Jeff “Tain” Watts – “Watts” (Dark Key)
• Miguel Zenón – “Esta Plena” (Marsalis Music)

• Dee Alexander, Wild is the Wind, Blu Jazz
• Jane Bunnett, Embracing Voices, Sunnyside
• Kurt Elling, Dedicated to You, Concord
• Oran Etkin, Kelenia, Motema
• Robert Glasper, Double Booked, Blue Note
• Stefon Harris & Blackout, Urbanus, Concord
• Bobby Hutcherson, Wise One, Kind of Blue
• Vijay Iyer, Historicity, ACT
• Sean Jones, The Search Within, Mack Avenue
• James King, Allen’s Odyssey, Vibrant Tree
• Joe Locke/David Hazeltine Quartet, Mutual Admiration Society 2, Sharp Nine
• Joe Lovano Us Five, Folk Art, Blue Note
• Branford Marsalis, Metamorphosen, Marsalis Music
• Nicole Mitchell Black Earth Strings, Renegade, Delmark
• David Murray & the Gwo-Ka Masters, The Devil Tried to Kill Me, Justin Time
• Joshua Redman, Compass, Nonesuch
• Marcus Roberts, New Orleans to Harlem, J Master
• Jackie Ryan, Doozy, Open Art
• Michael Thomas, Live at Twins Jazz, Jazhead
• Miguel Zenon, Esta Plena, Marsalis Music

REISSUE: Fela Kuti, Best of the Black President, Kalakuta/Knitting Factory

Now posted at www.openskyjazz.com/blog in The Independent Ear are our selections for the top 20 new releases for 2009, the top reissue, and an additional deserving baker’s dozen; all based primarily on the annual outlook of the Ancient Future radio program (WPFW, Pacifica Radio for the Washington, DC metro area).

Peace,

Willard Jenkins
www.openskyjazz.com
Home of The Independent Ear

NOTE: For comments on these titles and my favorite non-jazz albums, check out “The Himes Hundred: Best Albums of 2009.”

1. Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi (Nonesuch) – The old-school R&B hitmaker digs deep into jazz roots, applying elegant piano to New Orleans chestnuts and pieces by Monk and Ellington.

2. Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge, The Comet’s Tail: Performing the Compositions of Michael Brecker (MAMA) – The Florida-based big band revisits and reinvents the music of late saxophone great Brecker.

3. David Binney, Third Occasion (Mythology) – The underappreciated alto saxophonist offers ambitious, expansive originals, with his quartet joined by brass.

4. Tom Harrell, Prana Dance (Highnote) – The trumpeter leads his tight-knit quintet on compositions that are brainy yet emotionally engaging.

5. Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio, Reflections (Wommusic) – The most gifted jazz guitarist under 40 takes a break from his edgy originals for brilliant, shimmering readings of standards by the likes of Monk and Wayne Shorter.

6. John Patitucci Trio, Remembrance (Concord) – The bassist’s heavyweight pianoless trio, with saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Brian Blade, bring piercing original compositions replete with surprising detours.

7. Fly, Sky and Country (ECM) – Saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard turn in fertile modern-jazz explorations.

8. Joel Harrison, Urban Myths (Highnote) – The guitarist again draws from fusion, funk and blues for smart, multi-textured jazz originals.

9. John Scofield, Piety Street (EmArcy) – Sco wields his tangy overdriven guitar for hard-grooving gospel pieces, driven by Meters bassist George Porter, Jr.

10. New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Slither Slice (Threadhead) – The veteran brass band returns with horns chewy enough and funk deep enough to blast the competition.

VOCALS: Roberta Gambarini, So in Love (Emarcy) & Gretchen Parlato, In a Dream (Obliqsound) & Tierney Sutton, Desire (Telarc)

DEBUT: Gerald Clayton, Two-Shade (ArtistShare) & Michael Janisch, Purpose Built (Whirlwind)

LATIN: Arturo O’Farrill, Risa Negra (Zoho) & Dafnis Prieto, Live at Jazz Standard NYC (Dafnison Music) & Omar Sosa, Across the Divide (Half Note)

Reissues: Scott LaFaro, Pieces of Jade (Resonance) & Medeski Martin & Wood, Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set (Indirecto) & Eddie Harris and Ellis Marsalis, Homecoming (ELM).

And 10 more of the year’s best jazz recordings:
Vijay Iyer, Historicity (ACT)
Joe Lovano, Folk Art (Blue Note)
Joshua Redman, Compass (Nonesuch)
Gary Burton-Pat Metheny-Steve Swallow-Antonio Sanchez, Quartet Live (Concord)
Gary Peacock-Marc Copland, Insight (Pirouet)
The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis, For All I Care (Heads Up)
Robert Glasper, Double Booked (Blue Note)
Cedar Walton, Voices Deep Within (High Note)
Christian McBride, Kind of Brown (Mack Avenue)
James Carter-John Medeski-Christian McBride-Adam Rogers, Heaven on Earth (Half Note)

• Nuance, Lynne Arriale (Motema)
• Carla’s Christmas Carols, Carla Bley (ECM)
• Blending Times, Ravi Coltrane (Savoy Jazz)
• Disfarmer, Bill Frisell (Nonesuch)
• Live at the Jazz Standard, Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra (Sunnyside)
• Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival, The Monterey Quartet (Monterey Jazz Festival Records)
• Doozy, Jackie Ryan (Open Art)
• Rise Up, Dr. Lonnie Smith (Palmetto)
• A Quiet Thing, Lisa Sokolov (Laughing Horse)
• Emperor March, Charles Tolliver Big Band (Half Note)
• FreeSong Suite, Fay Victor
• Joe’s Strut, Michael Wolff (Wrong)

2.Vijay Iyer: Historicity (ACT)

3.Terence Blanchard: Choices (Concord Jazz)

4.Gerald Clayton: Two-Shade (EmArcy)

5.The Blues Note 7: Mosaic (Blue Note)

6.Jackie Ryan: Doozy (Open Art)

7.East West Quintet: Vast (Native Language Music)

8.Stefano Bollani: Stone in the Water (ECM)

9.Darryl Harper: Bliss  (Stories in Real Time) (HIPNOTIC)

10.Grant Geissman: Cool Man Cool (Futurism Records)

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