Best of 2003

[HOT CAKES]

Just wondering what you all thought were some of the highlight releases of 2003. As it is impossible to listen to everything that comes out, I thought it be worthwhile to perhaps shed some advice on albums you think are worth picking up.

For me, these have been fantastic releases of 2003.

New
Gianlugi Travesi, "Fugace"
Nicholas Payton, "Sonic Trance"
Jason Moran, "The Bandwagon"
Dave Holland, "Extended Play"

Reissues
Miles"The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions"
Grachan Moncur, Mosaic Select
Carmell Jones, Mosaic Select
Thelonius Monk, "Underground"

HC

[GA Russell]

I think I've found the Album of the Year - Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - XXL.

I'll submit my review to AAJ within the next 48 hours.

[clifton]

An impressive number of excellent CD's this year. To name a few: Wayne Shorter "Alegria", Kenny Garrett "Standard Of Language", Martial Solal "NY-1", Dave Douglas "Freak In", Jason Moran "Bandwagon", Terence Blanchard "Bounce", Ted Nash "Still Evolved". Reissues: Art Blakey "Indestructible", Jackie McLean "Let Freedom Ring". Boxed sets: Columbia's Basie set, Mosaic's Mulligan set, Proper's Tristano set. I didn't list all the worthy CD's to come out this year. As I said, it's been a very good year, IMHO.

[LWayne]

Pretty good year, but not great, for new releases IMHO

Top picks are:

Bill Frisell "The Intercontinentals"
Greg Osby "St Louis Shoes"
Dave Holland Quintet "Extended Play" (my favorite)
New Jazz Composer's Octet "Walkin' the Line"
Steve Swallow "Damaged in Transit"
Carla Bley Big Band "Looking for America"
Miroslav Vitous "Universal Syncopations"
Pablo Ablanedo Octet "Alegria"
Ahmad Jamal "In Search of..."
Terence Blanchard "Bounce"

..and, of course, all of the new Mosaic Select recordings

To me, the biggest disappointments have been som e of the more eagerly anticipated releases by some of the "big" name artists like Wayne Shorter, Dave Douglas, McCoy Tyner, Joe Lovano and Nicholas Payton.

What have been the biggest disappointments so far...?

LWayne

[clifton]

Disappointments? Not so much in what's been released, a lot more in who isn't recording. Nothing from Andrew Hill or Von Freeman this year. Nothing from Sonny Rollins since 2001. Worse yet, nothing from Ornette Coleman since 1997. Now that's a disappointment.

[HOT CAKES]

With the exception of Dave Holland's album, I've been constantly disappointed by many of the newer releases. Am I expecting too much? Roy Hargroves' "RH factor" was disappointing, Nicholas Payton was just a liitle better than ok with his "Sonic Trance", both Jason Moran and Greg Osby had good releases but nothing that really ignited my soul. Then you listen to the Moncur release, or Miles on the Jack Johnson sessions, or Carmell Jones on Mosaic and you think, "DAMN, that's some good SH*T!!" You know. As I said before, though, I'm hoping someone here can recommend some fire-breathing newer releases.

[sal]

My favorite new releases this year are:

Kenny Garrett - "Standard of Language"
Greg Osby - "St Louis Shoes"
Dave Holland Quintet - "Extended Play"
William Parker - "Scrapbook"
Brootzmann/Parker/Drake - "Never Too Early But Always Too Late"

For reissues:

Miles Davis - "At the Blackhawk: Friday & Saturday"
Carmell Jones Mosaic Select
Woody Shaw - "Little Red's Fantasy"
Sam Rivers - "Fuschia Swing Song"


I also must give honorable mentions to new releases by Miroslav Vitious, Pat Martino, Fred Hersch, and Ralph Petersen.

The Mosaic Select sets are all worth picking up as well.

[Joel]

Brian Patneaude Quartet - Variations (WEPA)
Spring Heel Jack - Live (Thirsty Ear)
Matthew Shipp - Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear)
The Yellowjackets - Time Squared (Heads Up)
Christian McBride - Vertical Vision (Warner)
Charlie Hunter Quintet - Right Now Move (Rope A Dope)
Ben Perowsky - Camp Songs (Tzadik)
Dave Douglas - Freak In (Bluebird)
Miles Davis - In Person Fri/Sat Live At The Blackhawk-Complete (Sony)
Scott Amendola - Cry (Cryptogramophone)
Kurt Rosenwinkel - Heartcore (Verve)
Gianluigi Trovesi Otteto - Fugace (ECM)
Ahmad Jamal - In Search Of Momentum (Dreyfus) = Almost forgot this one.
Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play, Live At Birdland (ECM Records)
Pat Martino - Think Tank (Blue Note)


reissues
Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore - Blowing In From Chicago (BN RVG, 2003)

[snoutinator]

Miles Davis - In Person Fri/Sat Live At The Blackhawk-Complete (Sony)
Scott Amendola - Cry (Cryptogramophone)

give me the jack johnson set instead. hours of unheard jams.

and tack on scot ray/active vapor recovery while you're in the cryptogramophone area. and while you're in that neighborhood, you might as well toss in jerry granelli's V12 Project. those three records are similar in many ways and each is quite brilliant in its own genre-bending fashion. and for genre benders, i like matthew shipp's equilibrium. all creative and none of that lame ass corporate bullshit. stay too long in the mainstream, man, and you start smelling like old fish. except you can't smell yourself.

[KolumBUZZ]

My favorites for 03 thus far:

Dapp Theory: Y'All Just Don't Know (Concord)
Bheki Mseleku: Home at Last (Sheer Sound)
Ahmad Jamal: In Search of....Momentum (Dreyfus)
Greg Osby/Marc Copland: Round and Round (Nagel Heyer)
GoodandEvil sessions (Thirsty Ear)
Bruce Barth: Live at tHe Village Vanguard (MAXJazz)
Daniel Carter + Reuben Radding: Luminescence
Steve Coleman- On The Rising of the 64 Paths (Label Bleu)
Roy Hargrove- RH Factor (Verve)
Ron Carter- The Golden Striker (Blue Note)
Allen/Drake/Jordan/Parker/Silva- The All Star Game (Eremite)
Bill Carrothers- Ghost Ship (Sketch)
El-P: Sunrise Over Brooklyn (Thirsty Ear)
Pharaoh Sanders/Graham Haynes: With a Heartbeat (Evolver)
George Cables- Looking for the Light

Most disappointing:

Cyrus Chestnut- You are my sunshine
Kurt Elling- Man In the Air
Javon Jackson and Split Second...
Jason Moran- Bandwagon, Modernistic
Greg Osby- St. Louis Shoes
Steve Wilson- A Soulful Song

[JohnS]

Best of the year for me Martial Solal, NY-1; Live At The Villallage Vanguard

[ralphie_boy]

I'd also add the Randy Weston Mosaic Select to the reissues list.

[Bill Barton]

Here's my Top Ten list as submitted to Coda. Of course, meeting the end of October deadline, there was sure to be something that took a bit longer to capture my imagination, and if I had it to do over I'd probably replace the Trayle/Golia with:

William Parker Violin Trio - Scrapbook - Thirsty Ear


Tim Berne – Open, Coma – Screwgun (2 CDs)
David Budbill/William Parker/Hamid Drake – Songs for a Suffering World – Boxholder
Either/Orchestra – Afro-Cubism – Accurate
Vinny Golia – Feeding Frenzy – 9 Winds
The Jim Knapp Orchestra – Secular Breathing – Origin
Steve Lacy/Roswell Rudd Quartet – School Days – hatOLOGY
Adam Lane Quartet – Fo(u)r Being(s) – CIMP
David Liebman/Marc Copland Duo – Bookends – hatOLOGY (2 CDs)
The Wally Shoup Trio – Fusillades & Lamentations – Leo
Mark Trayle/Vinny Golia – Music for Electronics & Woodwinds – 9 Winds

[relyles]

I still have quite a few 2003 releases in my unheard pile to get to and I want to go back to many of the ones I have already listened to, but these are my personal favorites thus far:

Steve Coleman - On The Rising of the 64 Paths
Rich Halley - The Blue Rims
Gerry Hemingway - Devils Paradise
Fred Hess - Extended Family
Ahmad Jamal - In Search of Momentum
Soweto Kinch - Conversations With the Unseen
Jimmy Lyons - The Box Set
William Parker - Scrapbook
Francois Theberge 5 featuring Lee Konitz - Music of Konitz
McCoy Tyner - Land of Giants
Ullman/Stevens/Fonda/Bennink - Variations on a Master Plan

[Swinger]

Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple
Santana: Love Devotion Surrender

I simply love both of those albums.