My Favorite Jazz of 2011

Coming in a mere 2.5 months later than your average jazz critic, I'm presenting my very own list of favorite 2011 jazz albums. The list has already been available in channel form for a few days, on my Staff Picks channel (listen now), but now I'm finally presenting it in numerated list form.

When looking for themes in my picks, I'm slightly (but only slightly) embarrassed to see that the top-10 is heavy on long-established personal favorites: Ben Allison [pictured], The Claudia Quintet, Dave King, Roy Haynes. This might suggest that I was biased to like these albums before I ever listened to them. What's more likely is that these bands and musicians are consistently excellent and didn't fail in 2011. Also, my 2nd favorite album of the year is by a little-known DC-based musician of whom I had no previous knowledge. So maybe I did give everyone a fair shake.

I just want to take one moment to highlight that album, Secret Handshake by Brian Settles. I was hooked from the first few seconds of the lead-off track, and it has remained in steady rotation on my iPod, computer and car stereo ever since. It's a seemingly low-budget, humble affair that nonetheless creates a very distinct and disciplined sound-world unlike anything I've heard in a long time. I didn't even receive a press release about the CD; it managed to make its way to the forefront of my listening habits with zero hype or back-story preceding it. That's unfortunately not as common as you'd think. But still, the much more hyped and more expensive-sounding Action-Refraction by Ben Allison did eke out a close 1st place finish in my list.

Below, I've listed all 30 albums that are playing on the Staff Picks channel: an ordered top 20 plus 10 honorable mentions. I hope you enjoy listening to the channel and discover a new favorite album or two for yourself.

Top 20

1. Ben Allison - Action Refraction
2. Brian Settles and Central Union - Secret Handshake
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - When the Heart Emerges Glistening
4. Miguel Zenón - Alma Adentro: the Puerto Rican Songbook
5. Claudia Quintet - What Is the Beautiful?
6. Dave King Trucking Company - Good Old Light
7. Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland - James Farm
8. Mike Reed's My Silence - It Only Happens at Night
9. Roy Haynes - Roy-Alty
10. Rez Abassi - Suno Suno
11. Starlicker - Double Demon
12. Chris Speed's Endangered Blood - Endangered Blood
13. JD Allen Trio - Victory!
14. Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found
15. Gerald Cleaver, William Parker and Craig Taborn - Out of This World's Distortions
16. Amir ElSaffar - Inana
17. Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo - Songs of Mirth and Melancholy
18. Benny Green - Source
19. Darius Jones Trio - Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)
20. The Four Bags - Forth

Honorable Mentions:

Led Bib - Bring Your Own
Jason Adasiewicz - Spacer
Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams
Steve Coleman - The Mancy of Sound
Brad Mehldau, Kevin Hays and Patrick Zimmerli - Modern Music
Carlo De Rosa's Cross Fade - Brain Dance
Josh Nelson - Discoveries
Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful!
Colorlist - The Fastest Way to Become the Ocean
Noah Preminger - Before the Rain

Listen to the Staff Picks channel now!

The Best Jazz of 2011, According to the Critics

Click here for our Best Jazz of 2011 Channel.

The best jazz album of 2011, according to the 122 people who participated in this year's Rhapsody Jazz Critics' Poll (formerly the Village Voice Jazz Critics' Poll), was made by an artist who first came to prominence in the 1950s. Road Shows, Vol. 2, by Sonny Rollins, won in a landslide. Rollins also received recognition from much higher powers than jazz critics, receiving the Kennedy Center honors from the president. Interestingly, the Rhapsody poll's No. 2 spot belongs to one of the youngest musicians on the list, 29-year-old trumpet phenom Ambrose Akinmusire. Akinmusire's exhilarating Blue Note Records debut, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, seemed to appeal to more traditional- and progressive-minded voters alike.

The rest of the list is typically diverse, ranging from quintessential New York free improvisation (David S. Ware's Planetary Unknown) to R&B-inflected modern jazz (Terri Lyne Carrington's Mosaic Project) and many well-conceived experiments in fusing jazz with ethnic musics from around the globe (Amir ElSaffar's Inana Suite, Vijay Iyer's Tirtha and Miguel Zenon's Alma Adentro). There are also an eye-opening six-and-a-half solo piano discs (the half being one disc of Matthew Shipp's double-disc Art of the Improviser).

To bring you, the listener, the best of what jazz had to offer in 2011, we're continuing in our annual tradition of creating a channel based on this definitive crtitics' list. Just click here to start listening. Our channel is playing 42 out of the 60 albums on the list, with programming weighed more heavily towards the highest-ranking albums. Therefore, you'll hear more Sonny and Ambrose than Starlicker (a great Chicago trio that came in 58th place).

As for my personal favorites, you can listen to my Staff Picks channel to hear my top 30 albums. I'll be posting a blog soon about the selections.

What were your favorite albums released in 2011? Do you agree with the critics? Do you think important albums got snubbed? Leave your opinions in the comments, or talk to me on Twitter.

Again, click here to start listening to the Best of 2011 Channel.

R.I.P. Sam Rivers

The great multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader Sam Rivers died Monday, December 26 at the age of 88. Rivers' death makes for the third important jazz figure to pass in the final months of 2011, along with drummer Paul Motian and trombonist/composer Bob Brookmeyer.

To celebrate Rivers' legacy, we are featuring him on the AccuJazz Saxophone channel. Along with the usual lineup of hundreds of jazz saxophonists of every style and era, you'll hear an extra large dose of Rivers' playing. We've included his well-loved 1960s Blue Note output as well as his adventurous big band work and albums where Rivers appears as a sideman with artists like Miles Davis, Bobby Hutcherson and Dave Holland.

Whether playing swinging post-bop with organist Larry Young or grand-scale avant-garde jazz with his own Studio Rivbea Orchestra, Rivers always played the saxophone (or flute, or piano, or whatever else was in his hands) with strikingly clear articulation and sonic focus. His music reflected a rigorous and uncompromisingly unique vision, whether creating stirring improvisations seemingly out of thin air or constructing intricate soundscapes for other musicians to interpret. His idiosyncratic composition style, which fused complex written material with free improvisation, influenced generations of adventurous jazz musicians including Steve Coleman and Jason Moran.

For a musician often affixed with the "avant-garde" label, Rivers was quite versatile: he played with bebop pianist/composer Tadd Dameron early in his career, played briefly in Miles Davis' renowned 1960s quintet, and even toured in Dizzy Gillespie's band. There is also a broad stylistic palette among music recorded under his own name. Consider the gorgeous melodicism of 1964's "Beatrice" (Rivers' most famous composition) and the frenetic energy of "Capricorn Rising," a 1975 album co-led by Rivers and pianist Don Pullen.

While many octogenarian jazz musicians find their skills steadily waning, Rivers was arguably still playing at his peak up until his death. He spent the last two decades of his life in Orlando, where he led a version of his famed Rivbea Orchestra. This video of a 2010 performance by that group displays not only Rivers' vital sax playing, but his continued compositional ingenuity and playful rapport with his band. Isn't it just great to see an old guy so happy doing what he does?



Enjoy our Sam Rivers feature on the Saxophone channel and look below for further reading:

-Nate Chinen's obituary in the New York Times
-Peter Hum's blog post, with some great videos
-Hank Shteamer's post, with recommended listening

Here's the list of albums featuring Sam Rivers to listen for on the Saxophone channel:

As a leader

-Fuchsia Swing Song
-Countours
-Dimensions and Extensions
-Crystals
-Culmination
-Celebration
-Violet Violets

As a sideman

-Miles Davis: Miles in Tokyo
-Larry Young: Into Somethin'
-Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
-Tony Williams: Spring
-Dave Holland: Conference of the Birds
-Don Pullen: Capricorn Rising

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

I'm definitely no stranger to last-minute Christmas shopping, and apparently that also goes for Christmas channel-creating. Just in time for Christmas Eve-Eve, we're introducing two new, and very different, Christmas jazz channels: Mellow Christmas Jazz and Non-Standard Christmas Jazz.

Our Mellow Jazz channel is one of AccuJazz's most popular, so I figured our listeners would be interested in sampling a holiday flavor of it. You'll hear plenty of versions of both "The Christmas Song" and "Christmas Time Is Here" as well as newer, original songs that also set a soothing and cheerful mood.

Speaking of new and original Christmas music, that's what the Non-Standard Christmas Jazz channel is all about. This channel is for listeners who love Christmas music but are tired of hearing the same 10 or 15 songs over and over again. Highlights include Jimmy Rushing singing "Good Morning Blues" with an early incarnation of the Count Basie Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald belting out the novelty tune "Christmas Island," and Geri Allen's brand new "Journey to Bethlehem."

Of course, you can also listen to one of our four other Christmas Jazz channels: Swingin' Christmas, Christmas Instrumentals, Christmas Vocals and New Christmas Jazz. Here's wishing you and yours a very happy and jazzy holiday!

R.I.P. Paul Motian

The great drummer/bandleader/composer Paul Motian passed away last Tuesday at the age of 80 (file this blog post in the better-late-than-never department). While Motian was most famous as the drummer in the revolutionary Bill Evans trio with bassist Scott LaFaro, he had a long career defined by his commitment to a personal and singular musical vision. He was an integral member of bands led by other legends like Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden, but he also led and co-led some of the most important jazz groups of the last 30 years.

Motian possessed one of the most distinct musical personalities of any drummer in jazz history. Like his sometime employer Thelonious Monk, Motian bypassed displays of polished technique in favor of an individual sound stripped of pretense. His approach was eloquently described by New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff as "spare and never facile, as natural as breathing."

Personally, I first became a fan of Motian in high school, when I first started getting serious about becoming a jazz drummer. A bassist friend gave me a compilation of the famous Bill Evans Trio's 1961 Village Vanguard recordings (with selections from both Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard), and told me it was the most "interactive" piano trio ever. It took me a few listens to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. I probably listened to Sunday at the Village Vanguard (and the track "Solar" in particular) more than anything else my senior year of high school.

To honor the musical legacy of Paul Motian, we are featuring his music on our Give the Drummers Some channel. The channel is playing an extra dose of Motian, as heard on albums by Evans, Jarrett, Haden and Paul Bley as well as on many under his own name.

Unsurprisingly, there has been an outpouring of love and appreciation for Motian in the days since his death. Here's a round-up of some of the highlights:

-The official New York Times obituary by Ben Ratliff
-A personal remembrance by Time Out New York jazz critic Hank Shteamer
-Ethan Iverson also has a personal take
-Peter Hum has been interviewing musicians who knew Motian
-Young pianist Dan Tepfer shares some stories
-As does photographer John Rogers

Now Playing on AccuJazz - 10/28/11

What's that? A new Now Playing post only a month after the last one? I'm trying to be a little more on top of new music additions, folks. Hopefully that means I'll finally get around to regularly updating the Staff Picks channel, too. Not yet, but soon.

This most recent crop of music has a couple of promising new releases by uber-creative drummer/composers: Oblique I by Tyshawn Sorey and What Is the Beautiful? by John Hollenbeck's long-running Claudia Quintet. There's also a big band album by everyone's first-call bass player, Christian McBride, and a disproportionately large batch of CDs coming from the under-30 crowd (what is it with all these CDs by youngsters lately?)

Most all of these titles are playing on the Main Channel and New Releases channel on AccuJazz.com; I've also listed the other AccuJazz channels on which you're most likely to hear each CD. Album titles are links to purchase on Amazon.

Poncho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard - Chano y Dizzy (Concord)
Latin, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet, Drummers, Composers: Bird and Diz

Trombone Shorty - For True (Verve Forecast)
New School, Emerging Voices, New Orleans, Trumpet, Trombone, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Christian McBride Big Band - The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Big Band, Bassists

Claudia Quintet +1 Featuring Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann - What Is the Beautiful? (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Tyshawn Sorey - Oblique I (Pi Recordings)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde, Drummers

Alan Pasqua - Twin Bill: The Two Piano Music of Bill Evans (BFM Jazz)
Piano, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast

Stanley Jordan - Friends (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Guitar, Modern Mainstream

Mike LeDonne - Keep the Faith (Savant)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Organ, Pop Composers

George Benson - Guitar Man (Concord)
Guitar, Pop Composers, Groove Jazz

Sophie Milman - In the Moonlight (Entertainment One)
Vocals, Emerging Voices, Women of Jazz

Freddy Cole - Talk to Me (HighNote)
Vocals, Pop Composers

Grace Kelly - Grace (Pazz)
Saxophone, Emerging Voices, Spiritual, Women of Jazz

Josh Nelson - Discoveries (Steel Bird Music)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast

Brent Canter - Urgency of Now (Posi-Tone)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Organ

Cinque - Catch a Corner (Alma)
Modern Mainstream, Organ, Groove Jazz

Aaron Staebell - Bending and Breaking (Self-Released)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Drummers

Patrick Cornelius - Maybe Steps (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Kevin Crabb - Waltz for Dylan (CrabbClaw)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Drummers

Nick Hempton - The Business (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream

Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece - Duotone (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Vibes

Sean Nowell - Stockholm Swingin' (Posi-Tone)

Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz

The Headhunters - Platinum (Owl Studios)
Saxophone, New School, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Jason Kao Hwang Edge - Crossroads Unseen (Eunymus Records)
Avant-Garde

Jason Kao Hwang Spontaneous River - Symphony of Souls (Mulatta Records)
Cutting Edge, Avant-Garde, Third Stream

Jazz Links Ensemble - The Drive (JICSAR)
Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Chicago

Oscar Perez Nuevo Comienzo - Afropean Affair (Chandra Records)
Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Rubinho Antunes - De Viterbo (Tratore)
Latin, Brazilian, Modern Mainstream

Now Playing on AccuJazz - 9/29/11

To celebrate (or mourn?) the beginning of Fall, I present you with the bounty of new music now playing on the many channels of AccuJazz. In case you want to catch up, here's the last Now Playing post, from July. This edition features some really great music, including Miguel Zenon's 2nd post-genius-grant album, a fascinating piano duo album by Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays that straddles the worlds of jazz and classical, and my new favorite Brooklyn indie [jazz] band, The Four Bags. But those are just the beginning. Check 'em all out below!

Most all releases are playing on the main channel and new releases channel on AccuJazz.com; I've also listed the other AccuJazz channels on which you're most likely to hear each CD. Album titles are links to purchase on Amazon.

Roy Haynes - Roy-Alty (Dreyfus)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Drummers

Miguel Zenon - Alma Adentro (Marsalis Music)
Saxophone, Latin Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton - Play the Blues Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center (Warner Bros)
Guitar, Trumpet, Old School, Live Jazz, Nothin' But the Blues


Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays - Modern Music (Nonesuch)
Piano, New School, Third Stream

Kyle Eastwood - Songs From the Chateau (Mack Avenue)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Bassists, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful! (Origin)
Straight Ahead, Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago, Organ, Pop Composers

Steve Coleman - The Mancy of Sound (Pi Recordings)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Harris Eisenstadt - Canada Day II (Songlines)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes, Drummers

Phil Woods and Bill Mays - Phil and Bill (Palmetto)
Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, Mellow

Giacomo Gates - The Revolution Will Be Jazz (Savant)
Vocal Jazz

Claudio Roditi - Bons Amigos (Resonance)
Latin, Brazilian Jazz, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet

Tierney Sutton - American Road (BFM Jazz)
Vocal Jazz, Modern West Coast, Women of Jazz

Terri Lynne Carrington - The Mosaic Project (Concord Jazz)
Vocal Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Drummers, Women of Jazz

Dominick Farinacci - Dawn of Goodbye (E1)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Trumpet

Al Di Meola - Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (Telarc)
Guitar, New School, World Fusion, Fusion

Warren Wolf - Warren Wolf (Mack Avenue)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Good Vibes

The Four Bags - Forth (NCM East)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York

Wadada Leo Smith - Heart's Reflections (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern West Coast, Avant-Garde, Trumpet, Fusion

Starlicker - Double Demon (Delmark)
New School, Cutting Edge, Chicago, Avant-Garde, Trumpet, Good Vibes

Tim Mayer - Resilience (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream

Brad Shepik - Across the Way (Songlines)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, New York


Gerald Clayton - Bond: the Paris Sessions (Emarcy)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Orrin Evans - Freedom (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream

David Gibson - End of the Tunnel (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Organ, Trombone, Groove Jazz

H2 Big Band - You're It! (Jazzed Media)
Big Band, Trumpet

Art Hirahara - Noble Path (Posi-Tone)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York

Jim Snidero - Interface (Savant)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York


Amina Alaoui - Arco Iris (ECM)
Vocal Jazz, European Jazz, World Fusion, Women of Jazz

Dave Valentin - Pure Imagination (HighNote)
Latin Jazz, Modern Mainstream, Fusion

Charlie Apicella - The Business (CArlo Music)
Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Groove Jazz

Travis Sullivan - New Directions (Posi-Tone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York


Marc Pompe - Everyone But Me (Self-Released)
Vocal Jazz, Chicago

Shawn Maxwell - Urban Vigilante (Chicago Sessions)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Chicago

David S. Ware, Cooper-Moore, William Parker and Muhammad Ali - Planetary Unknown (AUM Fidelity)
New School, Avant-Garde

Snehashish Mozumder - Jazz and North Indian Styles (Random Chance Records)
World Fusion, Fusion

Tim Collins - Castles and Hilltops (Self-Released)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes

Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams (Self-Released)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Good Vibes

The Great Barrier Reefs - Finding Time (Self-Released)
Modern Mainstream, World Fusion, Fusion

Jeff McLaughlin - Blocks (Owl Studios)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices


Garage a Trois - Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (Royal Potato Family)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Meretrio - Meretrio (Self-Released)
Brazilian Jazz, New School, Modern Mainstream, Fusion

Richard Underhill - Kensington Suite (Self-Released)
Straight Ahead, Saxophone, Modern Mainstream

Skip Wilkins - After (Dreambox Media)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream

Katrina Wreede - Add Viola and Stir (Self-Released)
Modern West Coast, Third Stream, Women of Jazz

A Festival of Festival Channels

The summer may be inching ever closer to its inevitable and regrettable end, but some might say the best is yet to come. Three of North America's most celebrated jazz festivals are still ahead of us, and we're shining a spotlight on them at AccuJazz.com.

So far this year we've had channels dedicated to SF Jazz, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Montreal and Newport jazz festivals. Still to come are the Chicago, Detroit and Monterey jazz festivals.

The Monterey Jazz Festival, happening September 16-18 this year, is in a class with Newport as a long-standing fest with a much-celebrated history. In fact, Concord Music Group even created a whole separate label, Monterey Jazz Festival Records, to share some of the fest's greatest recorded moments with jazz fans everywhere. Big-name headliners this year include Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and, ahem, these guys. Some notable acts on smaller stages include Robert Glasper, Donny McCaslin and Steve Coleman. The AccuJazz channel is playing music by most all of the musicians playing, so whether you're planning for a trip to the fest or just wish you could be there, check it out.

For the past few decades, Labor Day weekend has traditionally seen two great Midwestern cities host free, open-to-the-public jazz fests in their downtowns, and this year is no different. The Chicago and Detroit Jazz Festivals are persisting in their populist ideal of bringing world-class jazz to the people at zero cost, and we've got all the artists playing on our channels.

The Chicago Jazz Festival channel features this year's artist-in-residence Orbert Davis (pictured) and his Chicago Jazz Philharmonic as well as a great lineup of local and international artists including Randy Weston, Cassandra Wilson, the Deep Blue Organ Trio, Roy Hargrove, and many more.

The Detroit Jazz Festival channel features their artist-in-residence, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, as well as Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Regina Carter, Joe Lovano and many more.

Are you planning on attending any of these festivals? Who are you most excited to see? If you're not going, who do you wish you could go to see?

Check out all of our festival channels at AccuJazz.com.

Now Playing - 7/29/11

As usual, it's been a while since the last Now Playing post. And as usual, there is SO MUCH MUSIC to let you know about. I didn't even bother counting up just how many new releases we've added in the last few months, but you can have a look-see at every last one of them below. The album titles are links to buy, and the AccuJazz channels on which you're most likely to hear them are listed below. Most all new adds are also playing on the Main Channel and New Releases. Why don't you fire one of those up to listen while you peruse?


Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis - Here We Go Again (Blue Note)
Straight Ahead, Vocals, Live Jazz, Trumpet, Pop Composers, Blue Note

Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found (Obliqsound)
Vocals, New School, Emerging Voices, New York

Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White - Forever (Concord)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, Fusion

Pat Metheny - What's It All About (Nonesuch)
Guitar, New School, Pop Composers

Eric Alexander - Don't Follow the Crowd (HighNote)
Saxophone, Modern Mainstream, New York

Ambrose Akinmusire - When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Modern West Coast, Trumpet, Blue Note

Monty Alexander - Uplift (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Piano, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz

Ben Allison - Action-Refraction (Palmetto)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York, Fusion, Pop Composers

Karrin Allyson - 'Round Midnight (Concord)
Vocals, Women of Jazz

Terrell Stafford - This Side of Strayhorn (Max Jazz Records)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet, Composers: Ellington

Freddie Hubbard - Pinnacle: Live and Unreleased From the Keystone Korner (Resonance)
New School, Live Jazz, Trumpet, 80s

Ben Williams - State of Art (Concord)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Bassists, Groove Jazz

Gerald Wilson - Legacy (Mack Avenue)
Big Band

Yellowjackets - Timeline (Mack Avenue)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Fusion

Fred Hersch - Alone at the Vanguard (Palmetto)
Piano

Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland - James Farm (Nonesuch)
Saxophone, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, New York

Captain Black Big Band - Captain Black Big Band (Positone)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, Big Band

Charlie Haden Quartet West - Sophisticated Ladies (Emarcy)
Saxophone, Vocals, Mellow

Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo - Songs of Mirth and Melancholy (Marsalis Music)
Piano, Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Mellow Jazz, Third Stream

Stefon Harris, David Sanchez and Christian Scott - Ninety Miles (Concord Picante)
Saxophone, Trumpet, Good Vibes, Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices

Vinicius Cantuária & Bill Frisell - Lagrimas Mexicanas (Ent. One Music)
Guitar, Vocals, Latin, Brazilian Jazz

Kenny Werner - Balloons (Half Note)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, New York

Gary Burton - Common Ground (Mack Avenue)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Good Vibes

Eliane Elias - Light My Fire (Concord Picante)
Vocals, Latin, Brazilian Jazz, Women of Jazz

Brian Lynch - Unsung Heroes (Hollistic MusicWorks)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, Trumpet

Sachal Vasandani - Hi-Fly (Mack Avenue)
Vocals, Emerging Voices

Benny Green - Source (Jazz Legacy Productions)
Straight Ahead, Piano

Randy Brecker With the DR Big Band - The Jazz Ballad Song Book (Halfnote Records)
Modern Mainstream, Big Band, Trumpet

Klang - Other Doors (Allos Documents)
New School, Chicago, Avant-Garde, Good Vibes

BANN - As You Like (Jazz Eyes)
New School, Modern Mainstream

Etienne Charles - Kaiso (Culture Shock Music)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Trumpet

Noah Haidu - Slipstream (Positone)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Sean Jones - No Need for Words (Mack Avenue)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet

Larry Gray Trio - Three Equals One (Chicago Sessions)
Guitar, Modern Mainstream, Chicago, Bass

Tom Harrell - The Time of the Sun (HighNote)
New School, Modern Mainstream, New York, Trumpet

Hiromi - Voice (Telarc)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Fusion, Women of Jazz

Marika Hughes - Afterlife Music Radio (DD Records)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York, Women of Jazz

Jambalaya Brass Band - It's a Jungle Out There (890 West Music)
New School, New York, Groove Jazz

Dave Juarez - Round Red Light (Positone)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York

Darren Lyons - Evil Genius (Self-Released)
Fusion

Mike Reed's My Silence - It Only Happens at Night (482 Music)
Cutting Edge, Chicago, Avant-Garde, AACM

Andrew McCormack and Jason Yarde - My Duo (Joy and Ears)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Europe

Jessica Pavone - Army of Strangers (Porter)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices

Alex Skolnick Trio - Veritas (Palmetto)
Guitar, New School, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Slumgum - Quardboard Flavored Fiber (Accretions)
New School, Cutting Edge, Modern West Coast

Odean Pope - Universal Sounds (Porter)
Avant-Garde

Sonic Liberation Front - Sonic Liberation Front Meets Sunny Murray (High Two)
New School, Avant-Garde

Don Stiernberg - Swing 220 (Blue Night Records)
Guitar, Old School

Larry Goldings - In My Room (BFM Jazz)
Piano, Modern Mainstream, Mellow

Roseanna Vitro - The Music of Randy Newman (Motema)
Vocals, Pop Composers, Women of Jazz

Judy Wexler - Under a Painted Sky (Jazzed Media)
Vocals, Women of Jazz

Bryan Carter - Enchantment (Imaginate Records)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Chicago, Drummers

Jane Bunnett and Hilario Duran - Cuban Rhapsody (Alma Records)
Piano, Saxophone, Latin, Modern Mainstream, Women of Jazz

Gerald Clayton - Bond: The Paris Sessions (Emarcy)
Piano, New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, New York, Modern West Coast

Les Doigts de L'Homme - 1910 (Alma Records)
Guitar, Old School

Blue Cranes - Observatories (Meester Records)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast

Diane Schuur - The Gathering (Vanguard Records)
Vocals, Pop Composers

Dr. Michael White - Adventures in New Orleans Jazz: Part 1 (Basin Street)
New Orleans

Marquis Hill - New Gospel (Self-Released)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Chicago, Trumpet

Steve Khan - Parting Shot (Tone Center)
Guitar, Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream, Drummers, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Jared Gold - All Wrapped Up (Posi-Tone)
Straight Ahead, Modern Mainstream, New York, Organ, Groove Jazz

Tiempo Libre - My Secret Radio (Sony)
Latin

Ernest Dawkins - The Prairie Prophet (Delmark)
New School, Chicago

Taylor Ho Bynum, Joe Morris and Sara Schoenbeck - Next (Porter)
Avant-Garde

Club D'Elf - Electric Moroccoland (Face Pelt Records)
World Fusion, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Tara Davidson - View (Self-Released)
Saxophone, New School, Cutting Edge, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Women of Jazz

Benjamin Drazen - Inner Flights (Positone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York

Alex Pinto - Inner State (Pursuance Records)
Guitar, New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Modern West Coast

John Vanore and Abstract Truth - Contagious Words (Acoustical Concepts)
Modern Mainstream, Big Band, Trumpet

Blue Cranes - Cantus Firmus (Self-Released)
Cutting Edge, Modern West Coast, Pop Composers

Seabrook Power Plant - Seabrook Power Plant II (Loyal Label)
Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, New York, Avant-Garde

T.K. Blue - Latinbird (Motema)
Latin, Modern Mainstream, New York, Composers: Bird and Diz

Come Sunday - Crosscurrents (Self-Released)
Chicago, Vocals, Spiritual

Luis Conte - En Casa De Luis (BFM Jazz)
Latin, Modern Mainstream, World Fusion

Carlo de Rosa's Cross Fade - Brain Dance (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, New York, Bassists

Larry Coryell - Larry Coryell With the Wide Hive Players (Wide Hive)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Fusion, Groove Jazz

Matt Haimovitz and Uccello - Meeting of the Spirits (Oxingale Records)
New School, Third Stream

Khan Jamal - Cool (Porter)
Avant-Garde, Good Vibes

Irvin Mayfield - A Love Letter to New Orleans (Basin Street)
New Orleans, Trumpet, Groove Jazz

Michael J. Miles - Col-lage (Right Turn on Red Music)
New School, Third Stream

Darius Jones and Matthew Shipp - Cosmic Lieder (AUM Fidelity)
New School, New York, Avant-Garde

Dado Moroni - Live in Beverly Hills (Resonance)
Piano, Modern Mainstream, Live Jazz, Europe

Jason Parker Quartet - Five Leaves Left: A Tribute to Nick Drake (Broken Time Records)
Vocals, New School, Modern Mainstream, Modern West Coast, Trumpet, Pop Composers

Profound Sound Trio - Opus De Life (Porter)
Avant-Garde

Rebirth Brass Band - Rebirth of New Orleans (Basin Street)
New School, New Orleans, Groove Jazz

The Nightcrawlers - Down In the Bottom (Cellar Live)
Straight Ahead, Big Band, Organ, Groove Jazz

Matthew Shipp - Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear)
New School, New York, Avant-Garde

Sinistrio - Ride the Dragon (Chronograph)
New School, Modern Mainstream, Emerging Voices, Organ, Groove Jazz

Nate Wooley, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Jason Roebke - Throw Down Your Hammer and Sing (Porter)
Avant-Garde

Renee Yoxon and Rene Gely - Let's Call It a Day (Self-Released)
Vocals, Emerging Voices, Women of Jazz

Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson and Peter Evans - Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear)
Emerging Voices, Avant-Garde

Ralph Bowen - Power Play (Positone)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, New York

Colorlist - The Fastest Way to Become the Ocean (Serein)
Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Chicago

Led Bib - Bring Your Own (Cuneiform)
New School, Cutting Edge, Emerging Voices, Europe, Fusion

Louie Belogenis Trio - Tiresias (Porter)
Avant-Garde

Older Releases Just Added:

Air - Live (1977) (Black Saint)
Chicago, Avant-Garde, AACM

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Our Secret World (2010) (Word of Mouth Music)
Guitar, New School, Modern Mainstream, Big Band

David Sanchez - Cultural Survival (2008) (Concord)
Saxophone, Latin, New School, Modern Mainstream

Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and Ravi Coltrane - Saxophone Summit: Seraphic Light (2008) (Telarc)
Saxophone, New School, Modern Mainstream, Spiritual

Bill Carrothers Trio - Joy Spring (2010) (Pirouet)
Straight Ahead, Piano, Modern Mainstream