Ken Franckling
The 10 best new jazz releases:
- Wayne Shorter, Beyond the Sound Barrier” (Verve)
- Dave Holland Big Band, “Overtime” (Dare2 Records)
- Joe Lovano, “Joyous Encounter” (Blue Note)
- Derrick Gardner and the Jazz Prophets, “Slim Goodie” (Impact Jazz)
- Tierney Sutton, “I”m With the Band” (Telarc)
- Either/Orchestra (with Mulatu Astatque) - Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis (Buda Musique)
- Christian Jacob Trio, “Styne & Mine” (WilderJazz)
- Anat Cohen, “Place & Time” (Anzic Records)
- Billy Bang, “Vietnam: Reflections” (Justin Time)
- Nora York, “What I Want” (Say Yes Records/Artist’s Share)
The best jazz boxed sets, reissues or newly unearthed historical recordings:
- “Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall” (Blue Note)
- Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, “Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945″ (Uptown)
- Dexter Gordon, “Bopland” (Savoy Jazz)
- Bill Evans, “The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961″ (Riverside)
- Wayne Shorter, “Night Dreamer” (Blue Note)
The 10 best new songs of the year:
- Kurt Rosenwinkel, “Use of Light” from Deep Song (Verve)
- Wayne Shorter, “Over Shadow Hill Way” from Beyond the Sound Barrier (Verve)
- Anat Cohen, “87 North” from Place & Time (Anzic Records)
- Robert Glasper, “Rise and Shine” from Canvas (Blue Note)
- Billy Bang, “Waltz of the Water Puppets” from Vietnam: Reflections (Justin Time)
- Dafnis Prieto, “Danzon Santa Clara” from About the Monks (Zoho)
- Avishai Cohen, “Toledo” from At Home (Razdaz Recordz)
- Robin Eubanks/Dave Holland, “Mental Images” from the Dave Holland Big Band’s Overtime (Dare2 Records)
- Miriam Sullivan, “Spirit Song, Part 2″ from Luis Perdomo”s Focus Point (RKM Music)
- Roberto Magris. “Blues for My Sleeping Baby” from Check-in (Soul Note)
Best jazz related DVDs of 2005
- Gerry Mulligan, “The Age of Steam” (Artist”s House)
- Phil Woods, “A Life in E Flat” (Jazzed Media)
Ken Franckling is a contributing writer and photographer for All About Jazz-New York, Hot House, Jazz Improv and Jazziz.