STEVE GREENLEE
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Miles Davis "The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions" (Columbia/Legacy) The most relevant jazz album of the year was recorded more than 30 years ago. Most of the material of this five-disc set has never seen the light of day before, and it is all more exciting than most of today’s music. |
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The Bad Plus "These Are the Vistas" (Columbia) The piano trio that covers Nirvana and Blondie did more than anyone else this year to bring young people back to jazz. |
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Hiromi, "Another Mind" (Telarc) The piano prodigy put out this eclectic record just before graduating from Berklee. A long, beautiful career awaits. |
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Dave Holland Quintet "Extended Play" (ECM) Jazz’s finest band outdoes itself with two-plus hours of live material. |
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Matthew Shipp/Antipop Consortium, "Matthew Shipp vs. Antipop Consortium" (Thirsty Ear) A wonderful marriage of jazz, avant-garde, hip-hop, and electronica. |
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Happy Apple, "Youth Oriented" (Sunnyside) This Minneapolis trio shares its drummer, David King, with the Bad Plus, so it’s no surprise that it rocks hard and reaches out to the younger crowd. |
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Vandermark 5, "Airports for Light" (Atavistic) Reed player Ken Vandermark, one of jazz’s most prolific artists, goes all out with his quintet’s latest record. And check out his first solo record, "Furniture Music," also released this year. |
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Bobby Previte & Bump, "Counterclockwise" (Palmetto) Man, this grooves! With a quintet of all-stars - including the standout keyboardist Wayne Horvitz – drummer Previte gives us one of his finest outings. |
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William Parker, Joe Morris, and Hamid Drake "Eloping With the Sun" (Riti) Parker and Morris pluck ethnic stringed instruments, and Drake plays the frame drum. Music for meditation, it seems to come from every place on earth. So simple, so gorgeous. |
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Art Ensemble of Chicago "Tribute to Lester" (ECM) Squawking horns and crashing gongs never sounded so good. |
