Allmusic.com's Favorite Jazz 1992-2012 + Mine + And Yours?

[HutchFan]

I use the allmusic.com website frequently. You've always got to read their reviews with a grain of salt, but the site has some very useful information -- particularly when you want to dig into an artist's discography. I noticed that they're celebrating their 20th anniversary, so they've posted several sorts of "best of" lists from 1992 to 2012 -- including one for jazz. Here it is:

• Joe Henderson – Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn (1992)
• Wynton Marsalis – Citi Movement (1992)
• Jane Bunnett – Spirits of Havana (1993)
• Joshua Redman – Wish (1993)
• James Carter – JC on the Set (1994)
• Cassandra Wilson – Blue Light ‘Til Dawn (1994)
• Joe Lovano – Rush Hour (1994)
• Horace Tapscott – Aiee! the Phantom (1995)
• Don Byron – Bug Music (1996)
• Tom Harrell – Art of the Rhythm (1998)
• David S. Ware – Godspelized (1998)
• Brad Mehldau Trio – The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4: Back at the Vanguard (1999)
• Jason Moran – Black Stars (2001)
• Grachan Moncur III – Exploration (2004)
• Craig Taborn – Junk Magic (2004)
• Roy Hargrove – Earfood (2008)
• Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity (2009)
• William Parker – I Plan to Stay a Believer: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield (2010)
• Esperanza Spalding – Chamber Music Society (2010)
• Matthew Shipp – Art of the Improviser (2011)

A very interesting list, I think. I might quibble with a couple picks, but there's lots of stellar music there, for sure.


Of course, their list got me thinking: What would MY list of jazz favorites 1992-2012 look like? So... after browsing through my CDs collection for the last hour or so, here's what I came up with (arranged alphabetically, rather than chronologically):

• Richie Beirach, Trust (Evidence)
• Alan Broadbent, Personal Standards (Concord)
• Adam Cruz, Milestone (Sunnyside)
• Jim Hall, Grand Slam: Live at the Regattabar (Telarc)
• Lee Konitz & Alan Broadbent, Live-Lee (Milestone)
• Steve Kuhn, Remembering Tomorrow (ECM)
• Dave Liebman Group, Further Conversations: Live (True Azul)
• Charles Lloyd, All My Relations (ECM)
• Tony Malaby, Adobe (Sunnyside)
• Mulgrew Miller & Wingspan, The Sequel (MaxJazz)
• Enrico Pieranunzi, Live in Paris (Challenge)
• Chris Potter, Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard (Sunnyside)
• Jerome Sabbagh, North (Fresh Sound New Talent)
• Wayne Shorter, Beyond the Sound Barrier (Verve)
• John Scofield, This Meets That (Emarcy)
• Martial Solal, NYC-1: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)
• Mads Vinding, Jean-Michel Pilc & Billy Hart, Open Minds (Storyville)
• Mal Waldron, Jean-Jacques Avenel & Steve Lacy, One More Time (Sketch)
• Gerald Wilson Orchestra, In My Time (Mack Avenue)
• Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts, The Scenic Route (Palmetto)

As always, it was nearly impossible to whittle my list down to 20 records -- and it'd probably look different if I compiled it tomorrow. That said, if my house burned down, these would be among the first ones that I'd replace with the insurance money.

So how 'bout you??? If you're in a list-making mood, let's see your favorites from the last twenty years.

By the way, I'm not interested in lists of "historically significant recordings" or "hugely influential artists" or anything like that. I'm more interested in what you DIG. What do you think you'll be listening to twenty years from today -- just because you love it???

[Tenorman]

Out of list 1 I own 1 album
Cassandra Wilson's Blue Light Til Dawn. My all time favourite CW album

But then I suspect that it is US albums only, and many of my new purchases are UK artists

[HutchFan]

I have eight of the 20 records on the allmusic.com list. But I've heard a few more of them -- from library check-outs, etc.


So let's see YOUR list, tenorman!

[Tenorman]

That does need a bit of delving

I'll get back to you

[Vaughan]

I have three from the AllMusic list, the Marsalis, Mehldau, and Moran.

On another note, what do you all think of the new Allmusic site design?

[HutchFan]

Originally Posted by Vaughan

On another note, what do you all think of the new Allmusic site design?

I like some aspects of it. (For example, the list of recordings under a given artist indicates whether a review is included -- so you don't have to click on it to see if one's there.)

But I dislike other aspects. (My biggest gripe: if you sort the data in a given list by clicking on a header, then click on one of the items in the list, and then return to the list, the sorted order isn't retained. So you have to sort it again. Doesn't sound like a huge deal -- but the net result is a lot more clicking.)

What do you think, Vaughan?

[xybert]

My favourites from 1992 – 2012:

Adam Lane, Ken Vandermark, Magnus Broo, Paal Nilssen-Love – 4 Corners (2007)
Alexander von Schlippenbach – Monk’s Casino (2005)
Anthony Braxton – Quintet (London) 2004
The Bad Plus – Never Stop (2010)
Ben Allison – Buzz (2004)
Bill Frisell – Ghost Town (2000)
Bobby Previte - The 23 Constellations Of Joan Miro (2002)
Carla Bley - The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (2007)
Cecil Taylor – The Willisau Concert (2002)
Dave Holland – Extended Play: Live at Birdland (2002)
Guillermo Klein – Carrera (2012)
Harris Eisenstadt – Guewel (2008)
Henry Threadgill - This Brings Us To Volume I (2009)
Jason Moran – Ten (2010)
Joe Morris – Today on Earth (2009)
John Hollenbeck – Eternal Interlude (2009)
Pat Metheny – Trio 99>00 (2000)
Steve Coleman – Weaving Symbolics (2006)
Steve Lehman – Travail, Transformation and Flow (2009)
Wynton Marsalis – All Rise (2002)

I got it down to 45, being genuinely ruthless... then 35, which was an extremely balanced list if i do say so myself... and finally some ridiculous cuts were made to get 20. There are albums not on this list that i genuinely couldn't live without. It’s quite amazing how there is nothing pre 2000 on my list. This really shows two things: I started listening to Jazz in the 2000s, and I genuinely rate the decade that highly. I also kept it to one album per leader… the usual ‘ask me tomorrow’ disclaimers apply, but these are all firm favourites for me.

[1/2 Baked, Not Fried]

Ok - I'll take a stab at it. Here's 20 pretty darned good ones over the past 20 years (in no particular order). Like Xybert, I didn't really start getting into things until the late '90's or so, so I'm pretty heavy on the last decade, too. Anyway, here goes:

Keith Jarrett Trio – Inside Out
Vic Juris – Songbook
Charlie Haden – Nocturne
Diego Barber – Calima
Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake – From the River to the Ocean
William Parker – O’Neal’s Porch
Ben Allison & Man Size Safe – Little Things Run the World
Pat Metheny & Charlie Haden – Beyond the Missouri Sky
Myra Melford Trio – Alive in the House of Saints
Charles Lloyd – Mirror
Joe Lovano Nonet – 52nd Street Themes
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Red Earth
Regina Carter – Reverse Thread
Renaud Garcia Fons – Arcoluz
Henri Texier – Mosaic Man
Dave Douglas – The Infinite
Branford Marsalis – Eternal
Marty Ehrlich and Myra Melford – Spark
Greg Osby – Inner Circle
Dave Holland Quintet – Not for Nothin

[Alypius]

The process Xybert described paralleled my own. I started with my base of 300+ records from the 20-year period, whittled it down pretty ruthlessly to 60, and then it became really hard. Just 20 became well nigh impossible. The bottom line for me was this: What were the records that I have played the most over the last 20 years? Some of these I listen to somewhat less nowadays, but many in their era were ones I played incessantly. I've put them in chronological order (and surprised by a bit by the clusterings around 1999, 2002, 2008, and 2009--mainly because the last 20 years have seemed pretty steady in terms of the quality of the music):

1. Dave Douglas, In Our Lifetime (New World, 1994)
2. Joshua Redman, Mood Swing (Warner Bros., 1994)
3. John Zorn / Bar Kokhba, The Circle Maker (Tzadik, 1998)
4. Bill Frisell, Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch, 1999)
5. Dave Holland Quintet, Prime Directive (ECM, 1999)
6. Brad Mehldau, The Art of the Trio, Vol. 3: Songs (Warner / Nonesuch, 1999)
7. Andrew Hill, Dusk (Palmetto, 2000)
8. Dave Holland Big Band, What Goes Around (ECM, 2002)
9. Dave Douglas Quintet, The Infinite (Warner / Bluebird, 2002)
10. Herbie Hancock / Michael Brecker / Roy Hargrove, Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (Verve, 2002)
11. William Parker, O’Neal’s Porch (Aum Fidelity, 2003)
12. Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau, Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007)
13. Marcin Wasilewski Trio, January (ECM, 2008)
14. Todd Sickafoose, Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone, 2008)
15. Ben Allison, Little Things Run the World (Palmetto, 2008)
16. Diego Barber, Calima (Sunnyside, 2009)
17. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam, 2009)
18. Medeski, Martin & Wood, Radiolarians II (Indirecto, 2009)
19. David Sánchez / Stefon Harris / Christian Scott, Ninety Miles (Concord Picante, 2011)
20. John Moulder Quintet, The Eleventh Hour: Live at the Green Mill (Sunnyside, 2012)

Many of my favorite artists weren't included (at least as leaders): Chris Potter, Terence Blanchard, John Abercrombie, Tomasz Stanko, Kenny Wheeler, Masada, Vijay Iyer, Greg Osby, Nels Cline, Jason Moran, Matthew Shipp, Charlie Hunter, The Bad Plus, Aaron Parks, Donny McCaslin, Jeff Parker, Taylor Haskins, Nik Bartsch.

[jcam_44]

1. Steve Coleman - The Tao Of Mad Phat < Fringe Zones > RCA*(1993)
2. Joshua Redman - Spirit Of The Moment - Live At The Village Vanguard Warner Bros.*(1995)
3. Silvano Monasterios - Roads Not Taken Forever Music*(1997)
4. Greg Osby - Further Ado Blue Note*(1997)
5. Rob Mazurek - Playground Delmark*(1998)
6. Russell Gunn - Love Requiem High Note*(1999)
7. Gerard Gibbs - To Be or Not To B-3 That Much Productions*(2001)
8. Mark Turner - Dharma Days Warner Bros.*(2001)
9. Jeff "Tain" Watts - Bar Talk Columbia*(2002)
10. Ugonna Okegwo - UOniverse Satchmo Jazz*(2004)
11. Roy Hargrove - Earfood EmArcy*(2008)
12. Christian Scott - Live at Newport Concord*(2008)
13. Robert Glasper - Double Booked Blue Note*(2009)
14. Tyshawn Sorey - Koan 482 Music*(2009)
15. Takuya Kuroda - Bitter and High Self Release*(2010)
16. Christian Scott - Yesterday You Said Tomorrow Concord*(2010)
17. Bob Reynolds - A Live Life Self Release*(2011)
18. David Sánchez / Stefon Harris / Christian Scott - Ninety Miles Concord*(2011)
19. Starlicker - Double Demon Delmark*(2011)
20. Masabumi Kikuchi - Sunrise ECM*(2012)

[Siddhartha]

Sure, I'll play. While thinking about this I came to a conclusion that I've listened to very few albums in the period between 2002-2005. Somewhat of an extended "lost weekend" for me.

1992 Wynton Marsalis - Citi Movement
1993 Dave Douglas - Parallel Worlds
1994 Joe Lovano - Rush Hour
1995 Christian McBride - Gettin' to It
1996 Joshua Redman - Freedom in the Groove
1997 Kenny Garrett - Songbook
1998 Anouar Brahem - Thimar
1999 Branford Marsalis - Contemporary Jazz
2000 Charles Lloyd - The Water Is Wide
2001 Renaud Garcia-Fons - Navigatore
2002 Greg Osby - Inner Circle
2003 Erik Truffaz - Walk of the Giant Turtle
2004 Louis Sclavis - Napoli's Walls
2005 Mark Copland - Time Within Time
2006 Ben Allison - Cowboy Justice
2007 Joshua Redman - Back East
2008 Roy Hargrove - Earfood
2009 Chris Potter - Ultrahang
2010 Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra - Portrait in Seven Shades
2011 Henri Texier - Canto Negro

[dsschicago]

Good grief. The List: How Jazz fans indulge their masochistic yearnings. Well, sure I'll bite (pun kinda intended). I included albums that I not only enjoy tremendously, but ones I often think of when there's no music on. How often I actually listen to the album is of a lower consideration than measuring how much the album inspires, uplifts, and challenges me.

1. Bill Frisell - "Quartet"
2. Guillermo Klein - "Filtros"
3. Todd Sickafoose - "Tiny Resistors"
4. John Zorn - "Alhambra Love Trio"
5. Benjamin Koppel - "Adventures of a Polar Expedition"
6. Marty Ehrlich & Mike Nock - "The Waiting Game"
7. Julian Joseph - "The Language of Truth"
8. Brian Blade Fellowship - "Season of Changes"
9. Araxi Karnusian's Strange Sounds-Beautiful Music - "Interrupted"
10. Brad Mehldau - "Largo"
11. Tim Collins - "Fade"
12. Don Pullen - "Ode to Life"
13. Esbjorn Svensson Trio - "Strange Place For Snow"
14. Omer Avital - "Free Forever"
15. Wayne Horvitz - "4+1 Ensemble"
16. Robert Glasper - "In My Element"
17. Terence Blanchard - "A Tale of God's Will"
18. Billy Hart's Tied & Tickled Trio - "La Place Demon"
19. Klabbes Bank - "Je Suis La Mer"
20. Amit Friedman - "Sunrise" (2012 release; tough to include something so new, tough not to include something I so terribly enjoy)

I'm sure the moment after I hit the Submit button, I'll begin thinking of albums I should've included on here.

[save]

The result of todays hard work

2006 Andrew Hill Time Lines
2008 Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet The Remedy Live At The Village Vanguard
1995 Dave Douglas In Our Lifetime
2004 Paul Motian I Have The Room Above Her
2002 Wayne Shorter Quartet Footprints Live!
2012 Steve Lehman Trio Dialect Fluorescent
1997 Ran Blake & Anthony Braxton A Memory Of Vienna
1998 Paul Bley Notes On Ornette
2005 Marc Copland Time Within Time
2009 Joshua Redman Compass
2010 David Binney Greylen Epicenter
2008 Bill Carrothers Home Row
2012 Aaron Goldberg Yes!
2007 Chris Potter Follow The Red Line - Live At The Village Vanguard
2009 Ahmad Jamal A Quiet Time
1995 Keith Jarrett At The Blue Note
2012 Brad Mehldau Trio Ode
2008 Charles Lloyd Rabo De Nube
2001 Dave Holland Quintet Extended Play - Live At Birdland
2007 Quest Redemption Live In Europe

[miharbi]

Loving this thread. I'm more into pre-contemporary jazz, so it's interesting to get lists of works to check out. Even better if someone could do an annotated list, with a little blurb for each album about why it's so great.

[Vaughan]

Hutchfan: Well, it improves on the last design, which I found to be very slow.

Having said that, I'm unhappy about things right now. For example, on the page that has their Jazz Top 20.... on the left, scroll down to "Genres". Click on Avant-Garde and you get "Oops! Page not found. Sorry about that." Click on Jazz and you get a Blog entry from November 1st, 2007!

Teething problems, no doubt. I'd love a printed update of their Jazz reviews.... but that's never going to happen.....