2018 'Best of Jazz' Selected by JJA Members

Favorite Releases of 2019

John Chacona, Erie (PA) Times-News and blogger at Let's Call This

Another strong year.  My list (in Delicious Library, an essential organizing tool) of potential Top Ten releases was 76 items out of a total number of jazz or jazz-ish releases for the period of 369.  Even at that number, I didn't hear everything, and the period in question is the one requested by Francis Davis for the NPR poll. So significant yearend releases like the Teri-Lyn Carrington date didn't make it to my ears in time.

Rankings are invidious, but I'm on record in the NPR poll with the one below, so here goes.

Ten favorite new releases

1.     Kris Davis:  Diatom Ribbons (Pyroclastic Records)
2.     Tomeka Reid Quartet:  Old New (Cuneiform)
3.     Tyshawn Sorey & Marilyn Crispell: The Adornment Of Time (Pi Recordings)
4.     Jaimie Branch: Fly Or Die Ii: Bird Dogs Of Paradise (International Anthem)
5.     Anthony Braxton: Quartet (New Haven) 2014 (Firehouse 12)
6.     The Art Ensemble Of Chicago: We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi Recordings)
7.     Greg Ward and his Rogue Parade Ensemble:  Stomping Off From Greenwood (Greenleaf Music)
8.     Mark Dresser Seven:  Ain't Nothing but a Cyber Coup & You (Clean Feed)
9.     Moppa Elliott:  Jazz Band/Rock Band/Dance Band (Hot Cup Records)
10.  Mark Lomax, II:   400: An Afrikan Epic (CFG Multimedia)

Reissues or Historical albums

1.     The Art Ensemble Of Chicago And Associated Ensembles (ECM)
2.     Nat King Cole: Hittin' The Ramp: The Early Years 1936-1943 (Resonance Records)
3.     Allen Lowe: An Avant Garde of Our Own (ESP Disk)

Best vocal album

Jeanne Lee/Ran Blake: The Newest Sound You Never Heard (A-Side Records)

Best debut album

Harish Raghavan:  Calls for Action (Whirlwind Recordings)

Best Latin jazz CD

Miguel Zenón: Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (Miel Music)

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FAVORITE JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2018 (by Mirian Arbalejo)

Both Directions At Once. John Coltrane. (Impulse!) 

Close Up. Sara Serpa. (Clean Feed Records)

CODE GIRL. Mary Halvorson. (Firehouse 12 Records)

Concentric Circles. Kenny Barron Quintet. (Blue Note)

Dirt . . . and More Dirt. Henry Threadgill 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg. (Pi)

DORAVANTE. Abe Rábade Trío. (Nuba + Karonte Records)

Emanon. Wayne Shorter. (Blue Note Records)

En Dag I Oktober. Hvalfugl. (Hvalfugl Music)

Harmony. Sam Harris (self-released)

Kennedy Meets Gershwin. Nigel Kennedy. (Warner Classics)

Lebroba. Andrew Cyrille. (ECM)

Live In Healdsburg. Anat Cohen y Fred Hersch. (Anzic Records)

Music IS. Bill Frisell. (OKeh)

Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions. Eric Dolphy. (Resonance)

Origami Harvest.  Ambrose Akinmusire. (Blue Note Records)

Ours/Theirs. Thumbscrew. (Cuneiform)

Presence. Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band. (Smoke Sessions)

Seymour Reads The Constitution!. Brad Mehldau Trio. (Nonesuch Records)

Standards In Dublin. Gonzalo del Val with Dave Liebman and Ronan Guilfoyle. (Quadrant Records)

Still Dreaming. Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley, Brian Blade (Nonesuch)

Temporary Kings. Mark Turner and Ethan Iverson. (ECM)

The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles. (ECM)

The Influencing Machine. Elliot Galvin. (Edition Records)

The Other Side Of Air. Myra Melford's Snowy Egret. (Firehouse 12 Records)

The Window. Cecile McLorin Salvant. (Mack Avenue)

Tokyo '81. Woody Shaw. (Elemental)

Universal Beings. Makaya McCraven. (International Anthem)

Vientos Cruzados. Luis Verde Quartet. (self-released)

WORK. The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk. Miles Okazaki. (self-released)

*Mirian has shared these titles in the Francis Davis / NPR Jazz Critics Poll, It Don't Mean A Thing and Cuepoint.

TOP TWENTY JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2018 BY GEOFFREY HIMES

1. Charles Lloyd & the Marvels + Lucinda Williams: Vanished Gardens (Blue Note)

2. Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus (Pi)

3. Steve Coleman: Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (Pi)

4. Wayne Shorter: Emanon (Blue Note)

5. Todd Marcus: On These Streets (A Baltimore Story) (Stricker Street)

6. Jason Moran & Bandwagon: Looks of a Lot (Yes)

7. Brad Mehldau Trio: Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)

8. Bill Frisell: Music Is (Okeh)

9. Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Presence (Smoke Sessions)

10. SFJazz Collective: Live: SFJazz Center 2017 (SFJazz)

11. Kat Edmonson: Old Fashioned Girl (Spinnerette)

12. Michael Leonhart Orchestra: The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside)

13. Allison Miller Carmen Staaf: Science Fair (Sunnyside)

14. Matthew Shipp Quartet: Sonic Fiction (ESP)

15. Jonathan Finlayson: 3 Times Round (Pi)

16. Anat Cohen/Fred Hersch: Live in Healdsburg (Anzic)

17. Jason Palmer: Rhyme and Reason (Giant Steps)

18. Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Soundprints: Scandal (Greenleaf)

19. Hamid Drake, Ralph M. Jones, Adam Rudolph: Karuna (Meta)

20. Cyrus Chestnut: Kaleidoscope (HighNote)

TOP TWENTY NON-JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2018 BY GEOFFREY HIMES

1. Kevin Gordon: Tilt & Shine (Crowville)

2. Bettye LaVette: Things Have Changed (Verve)

3. Alejandro Escovedo & Don Antonio: The Crossing (Yep Roc)

4. The Decemberists: I’ll Be Your Girl (Capitol)

5. Rosanne Cash: She Remembers Everything (Blue Note)

6. Ashley McBryde: Girl Going Nowhere (Atlantic)

7. Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism (Naive)

8. Ashley McBryde: Girl Going Nowhere (Warner Bros. Nashville)

9. Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel (RCA/ShopKeeper)

10. Courtney Marie Andrews: May Your Kindness Remain (Mama Bird)

11. Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild! (Bloodshot)

12. Paul McCartney: Egypt Station (Capitol)

13. Charley Crockett: Lonesome as a Shadow (Thirty Tigers)

14. Lonnie Holley: Mith (Jagjaguway)

15. Paul Kelly: Nature (Cooking Vinyl/Gawd Aggie)

16. Old Crow Medicine Show: Volunteers (Columbia)

17. Blood Orange: Negro Swan (Domino)

18. Lucero: Among the Ghosts (Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers)

19. Elvis Costello & the Imposters: Look Now (Concord)

20. The Bottle Rockets: Bit Logic (Bloodshot)

TOP TEN HISTORICAL ALBUMS OF 2018 BY GEOFFREY HIMES

1. Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 (Columbia/Legacy)

2. The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) Super Deluxe Edition (Capitol)

3. John Coltrane: Both Directions at Once (Impulse)

4. Bobbie Gentry: The Girl from Chickasaw County (Capitol)

5. The Kinks: Village Green Preservation Society (BMG)

6. Neil Young: Roxy: Tonight's the Night (Reprise)

7. The Louvin Brothers: Love and Wealth: The Lost Recordings (Modern Harmonic)

8. Bob Dylan: More Blood, More Tracks (Columbia/Legacy)

9. Woody Shaw: Tokyo ’81 (Elemental)

10. Maggie Roche: Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs (Storysound)

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor (The New York City Jazz Record)

BEST NEW RELEASES (2018)

Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids - An Angel Fell (Strut)

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - D’Agala (Intakt)

Dave Holland (Evan Parker, Craig Taborn) - Uncharted Territories (Dare2)

Lee Konitz/Dan Tepfer - Decade (Impulse)

Michael Leonhart Orchestra - The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside)

Johan Lindström Septett - Music For Empty Halls (Moserobie)

Brian Marsella Trio - Outspoken: The Music of the Legendary Hasaan (Tzadik)

Christian McBride - New Jawn (Mack Avenue-Brother Mister Prod.)

Thumbscrew - Theirs (Cuneiform)

John Zorn - In a Convex Mirror (Tzadik)

MUSICIANS OF THE YEAR (2018): Satoko Fujii; Joel Ross; Mary Halvorson

HISTORICAL RELEASES OF THE YEAR (2018)

1- Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet - The Complete Lansdowne Recordings (1965-1969) (Jazzman)

2- Various - The Savory Collection 1935-1940 (Mosaic)

3- John Coltrane - Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album (Impulse-Verve)

10 BEST NEW RELEASES OF 2018

Don Byron & Aruan Ortiz: Random Dances &(A)tonalities (Intakt Records) 

Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. I (The Embedded Sets) (PI Recordings)

Diva Jazz Orchestra, 25th Anniversary Project (ArtistShare)

Stefon Harris & Blackout, Sonic Creed (Motema Music)

Monika Herzig, Sheroes (Whaling City Sound)

McClenty Hunter Jr., The Groove Hunter (Strikezone Records)

Roger Kellaway Trio, New Jazz Standards Vol. 3 (Summit Records)

Ernie Krivda, A Bright And Shining Moment (Capri Records Ltd.)

Roberta Piket, West Coast Trio (13th Note Records)

Joshua Redman, Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)

3 BEST REISSUE OR HISTORICAL RELEASES

Gene Krupa Quartet, Live 1966 (Dot Time Legends)

New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Goin’ to New Orleans (Black Eagle/blackeagles.com)

The Savory Collection 1935-1940 (Mosaic)

   

BEST VOCAL RELEASE

Tessa Souter, Picture in Black and White (NOA Records) 

              

BEST DEBUT RELEASE

Mariel Austin Rock-Jazz Orchestra, Runner in the Rain (Mariel Austin/marielaustin.com) 

              

BEST LATIN JAZZ RELEASE

Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Back to the Sunset (Dafnison Music) 

For my expanded NOTABLE RELEASES OF 2018 and my A ROUNDUP OF 125 OR SO JAZZ, BLUES, BEYOND, AND OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO please go to wroyalstokes.com.

Top Ten Jazz2K Discs of 2018:

1. SHAKERS N' BAKERS - Heart Love (Little I Music)
   
2. CHICK COREA & STEVE GADD BAND - Chinese Butterfly (Concord / Stretch)
   
3. BEN WENDEL - The Seasons (Motema)
   
4. DARRYL YOKLEY'S SOUND REFORMATION - Pictures at an African Exhibition (TruthRevolution Records)
   
5. ORRIN EVANS & THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND - Presence (Smoke Sessions)
   
6. BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO - Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)
   
7. CHRISTIAN McBRIDE - Christian McBride's New Jawn (Mack Avenue)
   
8. SCOTT PETITO - Rainbow Gravity (Planet Arts)
   
9. JAMES WEIDMAN - Spiritual Impressions (Inner Circle Music)
   
10. JOE LOCKE - Subtle Disguise (Origin)
    

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And now, the winners of the 2018 Jazz2K Awards:

BEST VOCAL DISC

TESSA SOUTER - Picture in Black & White (NOA)

BEST SOLO OR DUO DISC

BILL FRISELL - Music IS (OKeh)

BEST PARTY DISC

MIKE CLARK & DELBERT BUMP - Retro Report (Ropeadope)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

JOHN SCOFIELD - Combo 66 (Verve)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Best First release)

JAMES FRANCIES - Flight (Blue Note)

LOCAL HERO AWARD (Best Regional Release)

CHRIS PASIN - Ornettiquette (Planet Arts)

Here is a rundown of my top ten favorite recordings of 2018 in addition to my two favorite reissues:

*SF Jazz Collective CD: Live at SF Jazz Center 2017-Original Compositions & The Music of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder, & Thelonious Monk.  (SFJazz Records)

*Eddie Henderson-Be Cool (Smoke Sessions)

*McClenty Hunter-Groove Hunter (Strikezone Records)

*Kenny Barron-Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

*Shamie Royston- Uplifted Heart (Sunnyside)

*Allan Harris-The Genius of Eddie Jefferson (Resilience Music)

*Renee Rosnes-Beloved Of The Sky (Smoke Sessions)

*Stefon Harris & Blackout-Sonic Creed (Motema)

*Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band-West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)

*Kurt Elling-The Questions (Okeh/Sony Masterworks)

Reissues

*Miles Davis John Coltrane-The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6  (Sony Legacy)

*Erroll Garner-Nighconcert (Mack Avenue)

My ten favorite (not necessarily best) releases of the year. 

Usual disclaimers apply.  I only chose what I heard (I did not hear "Emanon" among other eminent releases). Submitted using the qualifying release date interval and the format of the NPR Poll.  I'm lazy.

IMHO, this was a strong year, and my choices were arrived at without much angst. There were 62 releases that were finalists for this list, which, I think, speaks to the strength of the scene.

Here goes:

Ten best new releases

Miles Okazaki:  Work (Complete, Volumes 1-6) (self)
Makaya McCraven:  Universal Beings (International Anthem Recording Co.)
Steve Coleman & Five Elements: Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. I (Pi Recordings)
James Brandon Lewis/Chad Taylor: Radiant Imprints (Off Records)
Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin:  Awase (ECM)
Henry Threadgill / 14 or 15 Kestra: AGG:  Dirt... And More Dirt (Pi Recordings)
Tyshawn Sorey:  Pillars (Firehouse 12)
Thiefs: Graft (Jazz & People)
Code Girl:  Mary Halvorson (Firehouse 12)

Reissues or Historical albums

Anthony Braxton:  Sextet (Parker) 1993 (Firehouse 12)
John Coltrane: Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album (Verve)
Woody Shaw: Live In Bremen 1983 (Elemental Music)

Best vocal album

William Parker: Voices Fall From The Sky (Aum Fidelity)

Best debut album

Ben LaMar Gay:  Downtown Castles Can’t Block the Sun (International Anthem Recording Co.)

Best Latin jazz CD

Román Filiú: Quartería (Sunny Side Records)

My list of ten favorite 2018 releases, along with 25 other notable new recordings, and historical releases. Listed alphabetically, as I hate numerical rankings.

Kenny Barron Quintet, Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

Eddie Daniels, Heart of Brazil: A Tribute to Egberto Gismonti (Resonance)

Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart, Toy Tunes (Pirouet)

Chris Lightcap, Superette (Royal Potato Family)

Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas/Sound Prints, Scandal (Greenleaf)

Nolatet, No Revenge Necessary (Royal Potato Family)

Joshua Redman/Ron Miles/Scott Colley/Brian Blade, Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)

Antonio Sanchez (featuring WDR Big Band), Channels of Energy (CamJazz)

Wayne Shorter, Emanon (Blue Note)

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Historical

John Coltrane, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse)

Miles Davis and John Coltrane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 (Columbia/Legacy)

Charlie Haden & Brad Mehldau, Long Ago and Far Away (Impulse)

Fred Hersch Trio, ‘97 @ The Village Vanguard (Palmetto)

Art Pepper, Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. 10: Toronto (Widow’s Taste)

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25 other Notable Jazz Releases

Antonio Adolfo: Encontros -- Orquestra Atlantica (AAM)

Ambrose Akinmusire, Origami Harvest (Blue Note)

Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S, Introspection (Jazzheads)

Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch, Live in Healdsburg (Anzic)

Chick Corea, The Musician (Concord)

Rob Dixon Trio featuring Charlie Hunter & Mike Clark, Coast to Crossroads (Rob Dixon)

Bill Frisell, Music IS (Okeh/Sony)

Aaron Goldberg, At the Edge of the World (Sunnyside)

Jimmy Haslip/Scott Kinsey/Gergo Borlai, Arc Trio (Blue Canoe)

Carlos Henriquez, Dizzy Con Clave (RodBros)

Fred Hersch Trio, Live in Europe (Palmetto Records)

Charles Lloyd & the Marvels + Lucinda Williams, Vanished Gardens (Blue Note)

Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound, Omnisphere (Indirecto)

Brad Mehldau Trio, Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch)

Hendrik Meurkens/Bill Cunliffe, Cabin in the Sky (Height Advantage)

Francois Moutin & Kavita Shaw, Interplay (Dot Time)

Bill O'Connell, Jazz Latin (Savant)

Houston Person & Ron Carter, Remember Love (HighNote)

Charles Pillow Large Ensemble, Electric Miles (MAMA)

Dan Pugachi Nonet, Plus One (Unit)

Cecile McLorin Salvant, The Window (Mack Avenue)

SFJAZZ Collective, Original Compositions & the Music of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder & Thelonious Monk (SFJAZZ)

John Scofield, Combo 66 (Verve)

Dr. Lonnie Smith, All in My Mind (Blue Note)Jim Snidero & Jeremy Pelt, Jubilation! Celebrating Cannonball Adderley (Savant)

Kamasi Washington, Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)