Mark F. Turner's Best Releases of 2012

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2012 was a year of stimulating music made all of the more relevant by artists who poured out their hearts and souls in diverse and compelling ways. Younger voices emerged like pianist m: Robert Glasper and drummer m: Henry Cole to deliver contemporary visions through fresh personal and cultural influences . Esteemed trumpeter/composer m: Wadada Leo Smith brought his monumental four-disc project to life, inspired from events centered around America's tumultuous past within the Civil Rights Movement. Another creative exploit included the convergence of modern jazz and an influential Argentine literary work in saxophonist m: Miguel ZenA^3n and pianist m: Laurent Coq's Rayuela(Sunnyside), dedicated to novelist Julio CortA zar's work of the same name. As always, there were simply not enough hours in the day to experience so many of the year's releases. Here are a few that made lasting impressions...

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